the last shot is just 1 shot. it matters the same amount as any other shot. If you make another shot earlier in the game you wouldn't need a last shot to win.
lets have a survey: What player do you want taking the 23rd shot of the game? Just as valid
Wrong. You probably never played organized bball before.
It is the ultimatum of the game, what everything comes down to. It's do or die. There's pressure on the last shot of the game, no pressure on the first shot of the game. It's the accumulation of the entire down, down to that last shot.
It tells a lot of story when a player puts his team on his shoulders and go for it. Some others cannot take the pressure and likes to pass. The GM see through it all.