re: Another Look at the Game Winning Shot (In Pictures)

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Why does Martin not break to the goal after the initial pic and get a standard roll pass and drive the lane on the defenders leaving Patterson and Hornsby?

Turn a 40% win chance into about an 85% win chance with a layup, slam, short 5 footer or getting fouled as the possible outcomes.

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Short answer, the pass after the trap is a really, really, hard pass. Gray's pass to Hornsby wasn't easy but he did have a passing lane. If Martin rolls hard to the rim there is no passing lane plus you have help defenders one step away. That is the type of pass good defenses dare you throw after a pick and roll trap. Also the catch on a pick and roll (as opposed to a pick and slip and pick and pop) almost never results in an immediate good shot. The best shots are created out of the first and second passes out of the roll to catch the defense trying to switch and recover, which takes more than 1 second. To run a pick and roll action they would have need to start the action much earlier which makes it less like you end up with a shot with 1 second left.

Not saying its a bad idea, just requires a different set. Also, these days pick and rolls generally involve other action by shooters to get open and confuse the defense and often a second screen set on or off the ball (think the elevator doors set run by a ton of NBA teams now). Can be done and might be a better last second shot set, but its can get complicated.