Kobe Everywhere!
If you have been paying any attention the basketball internets over the last few days, you couldn’t help but notice the influx of Kobe Bryant v. Michael Jordan and Kobe Bryant v. LeBron discussions. Kelly Dwyer wrote about why LeBron and not Kobe is this year’s MVP. John Krolik compared and contrasted LeBron and Kobe, concluding that “Kobe occupies a facet of human dominance that hasn't coincided with actual dominance before or since Jordan, and it remains to be seen if Kobe's human perfection carries with it the added divinity of Jordan's game” and that “LeBron is a new type of hybrid player, with the peaks and pressure of human players added to the type of force of presence previously only seen in dominant bigs and the occasional great offense-runners.” Joey from Straight Bangin says that Kobe is now better than Michael Jordan. And like anything that involves Kobe, these discussions have caused polarizing views to infiltrate each of these posts comments sections.
I wrote about this before, but Kobe Bryant could possibly be the most polarizing figure in the history of sports. You see it with the fans, you see it with the media and you see it with Nike. From what I’ve seen, Kobe is still a more box office star then any player in the league including James (The Lakers are second in road attendance percentage this season, and were first last year. Bryant also had the league’s best selling Jersey in the U.S., Europe and China last season). So why is it that Nike still markets James more than Kobe? Obviously LeBron is a better long term investment for Nike, but Kobe is the most box office player in the league today. But it’s Kobe’s status as the most polarizing player in the league (he owes much of this to Eagle, Colarado and his messy break up with Shaq) that has kept a company like Nike from pushing him the way that they should (that and the fact that the head of Nike Basketball, Lynn Merrit, has his entire career tied to the success of LeBron). I could only imagine how popular Kobe would be right now if he had the full power of Nike and Weiden and Kennedy behind him the way Jordan and now LeBron have.
So what’s my opinion of Kobe? I don’t know Kobe personally, so I don’t make judgments of him as a person. However, I do know that as a basketball player and a professional, the guy is the best in the world. He has immense natural talent, but isn’t the athletic freak that LeBron is. However, Kobe has willed himself into one of the greatest basketball players in the history of the game. Similar to Jordan he has become a master basketball technician. He is more fundamentally/technically sound then any basketball player since Jordan. His footwork, his head fakes, his follow through, his handles, and his rip throughs have defenders completely off guard. He’s both the most complete offensive player in the entire league (name one thing he doesn’t do well on offense) and the best defensive shooting guard in the entire league. He’s got the athleticism of the 91-93 Jordan, the mastery of the game of the 95-98 Jordan, and the hunger and killer instinct that Jordan carried throughout his entire career. In short, he’s the best basketball player in the game today. And he’s been that way since 2003.
His peers all see this. But people that think irrationally--such as some fans and media members--have never really given the man quite the due he deserves. Over his 12 seasons tons of top perimeter players have come and gone, yet none have been as consistently good as Bryant. People knock his early success for coming while ridding on the coattails of Shaq, but anyone that really paid attention to those teams knows that Shaq did his fair share of ridding on Kobe’s coattails. Just ask Greg Poppovich. Ask him which player basically single-handedly ripped the hearts out of his Spurs in 2001, 2002, and 2004. It was Kobe, not Shaq that the Spurs feared. Yes, having Shaq on definitely helped open things up for Kobe. But I don’t care who you’re playing with, If you’re capable of dropping forty plus nights on one of the best defensive teams on multiple occasions deep in the playoffs, you are a great player (see: game one of the 2001 conference finals and game 4 of the 2004 conference semi-finals versus the Spurs). Kobe simply is the best, and has been the best for years. If you can’t see that, you either don’t know much about basketball or are just so anti-Kobe that you’ll never be able to see the truth. Too bad Weiden and Kennedy hasn’t created a campaign for Kobe during this time. Believe me, if they did, there definitely would be no debate about who is the best.
A lot of this influx of recent Kobe talk has been sparked by talk of who is the MVP. Listen, this season there are only two guys that should be considered for MVP: Kobe Bryant and LeBron James. I can admit that (individually) LeBron James is probably having a better season. That doesn’t mean that LeBron is a better player right now, it just means that LeBron is putting together a better individual display than Kobe. Kobe’s playing for a championship with a championship level team, while LeBron has to play God just to keep the Cavs in the top four in the weak east. LeBron is kind of going through the same experience that Kobe had to go through with the Lakers the previous three seasons (although not as bad…the Cavs at least don’t have Smush or Kwame in their starting line up). But if Kobe Bryant from the previous two seasons wasn’t worthy of the MVP, LeBron James shouldn’t be this year’s MVP. Bryant was the best performer in the league the previous two seasons. Kobe’s 2006 season was one of the greatest individual performances in league history, yet he didn’t even finish second in MVP voting. Why? Because the Lakers didn’t have one of the top records in the league.
I believe that the MVP should go to the best individual performer in a season. However, the media that votes for the MVP has changed the award to the best individual player from one of the top two teams in the league. This year the Lakers are a top team and the Cavs aren’t. The Lakers are one of the top teams in the league and Kobe is having the best individual season out of all of the players on top teams. Therefore he’s the MVP. Not saying that’s fair, but that is the way the game has been changed. But knowing the way the media hates Kobe, I wouldn’t be surprised if they changed the game up on Kobe and ended up giving the award to James. Better be like Mike and call up Weiden and Kennedy, Kobe. Because that might be the only way you’ll ever get an MVP.
Speaking of James, I think there is no doubt in my mind that he will become a better player than both Jordan and Kobe. He’s more naturally gifted as an athlete and as a basketball player then both of those greats. He’s already 1B in this league, yet he’s hasn’t even come close to reaching his potential. His jump shot is still shabby, his footwork needs lots of work, and he has no sort of post game whatsoever. However, if he is able to develop half of the mastery of basketball skills that Jordan and Kobe accumulated, he will just be a scary, scary force. I think he will do this. Nike is banking on this. They are not a dumb company. They know what’s up. Take it from me, when it’s all said and done, we’ll be calling LeBron James the best player of all time. Just not quite yet. So for now, let Kobe have his shine and give him his just do as the greatest player of the post Jordan era.
For the doubters out there, please check this Kobe fan's youtube archive. There's no player from the post-Jordan era that has put together this package of performances
I wrote about this before, but Kobe Bryant could possibly be the most polarizing figure in the history of sports. You see it with the fans, you see it with the media and you see it with Nike. From what I’ve seen, Kobe is still a more box office star then any player in the league including James (The Lakers are second in road attendance percentage this season, and were first last year. Bryant also had the league’s best selling Jersey in the U.S., Europe and China last season). So why is it that Nike still markets James more than Kobe? Obviously LeBron is a better long term investment for Nike, but Kobe is the most box office player in the league today. But it’s Kobe’s status as the most polarizing player in the league (he owes much of this to Eagle, Colarado and his messy break up with Shaq) that has kept a company like Nike from pushing him the way that they should (that and the fact that the head of Nike Basketball, Lynn Merrit, has his entire career tied to the success of LeBron). I could only imagine how popular Kobe would be right now if he had the full power of Nike and Weiden and Kennedy behind him the way Jordan and now LeBron have.
So what’s my opinion of Kobe? I don’t know Kobe personally, so I don’t make judgments of him as a person. However, I do know that as a basketball player and a professional, the guy is the best in the world. He has immense natural talent, but isn’t the athletic freak that LeBron is. However, Kobe has willed himself into one of the greatest basketball players in the history of the game. Similar to Jordan he has become a master basketball technician. He is more fundamentally/technically sound then any basketball player since Jordan. His footwork, his head fakes, his follow through, his handles, and his rip throughs have defenders completely off guard. He’s both the most complete offensive player in the entire league (name one thing he doesn’t do well on offense) and the best defensive shooting guard in the entire league. He’s got the athleticism of the 91-93 Jordan, the mastery of the game of the 95-98 Jordan, and the hunger and killer instinct that Jordan carried throughout his entire career. In short, he’s the best basketball player in the game today. And he’s been that way since 2003.
His peers all see this. But people that think irrationally--such as some fans and media members--have never really given the man quite the due he deserves. Over his 12 seasons tons of top perimeter players have come and gone, yet none have been as consistently good as Bryant. People knock his early success for coming while ridding on the coattails of Shaq, but anyone that really paid attention to those teams knows that Shaq did his fair share of ridding on Kobe’s coattails. Just ask Greg Poppovich. Ask him which player basically single-handedly ripped the hearts out of his Spurs in 2001, 2002, and 2004. It was Kobe, not Shaq that the Spurs feared. Yes, having Shaq on definitely helped open things up for Kobe. But I don’t care who you’re playing with, If you’re capable of dropping forty plus nights on one of the best defensive teams on multiple occasions deep in the playoffs, you are a great player (see: game one of the 2001 conference finals and game 4 of the 2004 conference semi-finals versus the Spurs). Kobe simply is the best, and has been the best for years. If you can’t see that, you either don’t know much about basketball or are just so anti-Kobe that you’ll never be able to see the truth. Too bad Weiden and Kennedy hasn’t created a campaign for Kobe during this time. Believe me, if they did, there definitely would be no debate about who is the best.
A lot of this influx of recent Kobe talk has been sparked by talk of who is the MVP. Listen, this season there are only two guys that should be considered for MVP: Kobe Bryant and LeBron James. I can admit that (individually) LeBron James is probably having a better season. That doesn’t mean that LeBron is a better player right now, it just means that LeBron is putting together a better individual display than Kobe. Kobe’s playing for a championship with a championship level team, while LeBron has to play God just to keep the Cavs in the top four in the weak east. LeBron is kind of going through the same experience that Kobe had to go through with the Lakers the previous three seasons (although not as bad…the Cavs at least don’t have Smush or Kwame in their starting line up). But if Kobe Bryant from the previous two seasons wasn’t worthy of the MVP, LeBron James shouldn’t be this year’s MVP. Bryant was the best performer in the league the previous two seasons. Kobe’s 2006 season was one of the greatest individual performances in league history, yet he didn’t even finish second in MVP voting. Why? Because the Lakers didn’t have one of the top records in the league.
I believe that the MVP should go to the best individual performer in a season. However, the media that votes for the MVP has changed the award to the best individual player from one of the top two teams in the league. This year the Lakers are a top team and the Cavs aren’t. The Lakers are one of the top teams in the league and Kobe is having the best individual season out of all of the players on top teams. Therefore he’s the MVP. Not saying that’s fair, but that is the way the game has been changed. But knowing the way the media hates Kobe, I wouldn’t be surprised if they changed the game up on Kobe and ended up giving the award to James. Better be like Mike and call up Weiden and Kennedy, Kobe. Because that might be the only way you’ll ever get an MVP.
Speaking of James, I think there is no doubt in my mind that he will become a better player than both Jordan and Kobe. He’s more naturally gifted as an athlete and as a basketball player then both of those greats. He’s already 1B in this league, yet he’s hasn’t even come close to reaching his potential. His jump shot is still shabby, his footwork needs lots of work, and he has no sort of post game whatsoever. However, if he is able to develop half of the mastery of basketball skills that Jordan and Kobe accumulated, he will just be a scary, scary force. I think he will do this. Nike is banking on this. They are not a dumb company. They know what’s up. Take it from me, when it’s all said and done, we’ll be calling LeBron James the best player of all time. Just not quite yet. So for now, let Kobe have his shine and give him his just do as the greatest player of the post Jordan era.
For the doubters out there, please check this Kobe fan's youtube archive. There's no player from the post-Jordan era that has put together this package of performances
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30 comments:
True, Lebron is an awesome player. And equally true that Kobe is The Man. Lebron will have his day. Just not this year.
Enough said! You can't argue a single point within your post. Your voice should be much louder however. More people need to hear what you have to say on this subject. Kobe is due for this kind of respect. I know he would rather wins champsionships at this stage in his career, but come on...pay him his dues people.
Thanks again, great article!
great blog post!
My bets are for a Lakers vs Cavs finals this year.
Lebron this year- 30ppg 8rpg 7 apg MVP candidate
Kobe 2003- 30ppg, 7rpg, 6 apg, 2.2 stls-still not MVP candidate
Since 2003, now 5 years kobe has been robbed of the MVP trophy, only exception was 04' when he had 3 other HOF players on the team. Everyone loves LBJ, but guess what folks theres only been one player with the killer instinct of MJ, thats Kobe. Noone hates losing like he does, he has his team now. Lebron is great, no doubt, but numbers fool people. Kobe can average 40 points a game if he wants, but hes smart now, LBJ is learning. Reggie Miller, Jon Barry, and even the biggest Kobe hater CHARLES BARKLEY say hes the best....they played against him and Jon played with him. Kobe, after Terrel Owens is the most hated athlete in sports, not because the trial, because supposedly he got Shaq kicked out. Shaq? The guy didnt work hard a day in his life..if he did he would of been the best player ever..Kobe will let you know when you dont work hard, Look at Shaq now, mid 30's and cant move. Kobeis the best player in the NBA. People say for Kobe to be considered as good as MJ he has to win 3 more titles, in that case Lebron needs 3 to be even compared to Kobe. Enough said.
Kobe most likely won't win the regular season MVP -- not because he's not deserving but the writers who do the voting won't vote for him.
One year, Kobe was second to Steve Nash in 1st place votes but Kobe only finished 4th overall.
That basically means that there are voters out there who HATE Kobe and decided to put Kobe at the bottom of the list to skew the voting.
This voting reminds me of Ted Williams -- one year when Ted was putting up MVP numbers, he finished second OVERALL but on some writer's ballots, he didn't even get a SINGLE vote. And it was the last year ANYONE batted the magical .400
He lost the MVP to the beloved Yankee Clipper, Joe Dimaggio.
That is Kobe -- the modern day Ted Williams.
Back then, sports writers had it out for Ted much like they do with Kobe now.
What is wrong with everyone???? How is it, if Kobe is the greatest, that LeBron beats him in the head to head matchups EVERYTIME???? Explain it! Please!
And your point is? If you live in Cleveland, you would say differently.. and you didn't even back it up with any source. No wonder UCLA law sucks. You are just as same liar as other LA soon to be lawyers defending OJ. Trash Article. USC all the way....
yea this is a great article,
in my mind, kobe is the best player to ever play the game. and to hear that people think lebron will be better really hurts my soul. but there is no time like the present and for now kobe is the main man. i wish nike would step up and give this man some more air time. and give him the mvp, oh and dont forget about finals mvp too when the lakers take the celts in 6.
Anonymous 2:23:
1) Did you not see me say LeBron would eventually be a better player than both Kobe and MJ?
2) Thanks for the personal attacks. But just so you know I went to USC for undergraduate (Marshall School of Business) so I'm cool with SC too. But if you didn't know, UCLA is ranked higher than SC and is a top 15 law school. What do you do that makes you so special?
3) I'm not going to be a practicing attorney, and if I was definitely wouldn't represent OJ.
Gotta love anonymous commenters!
Nate,
Great article. You have some great points and I agree Kobe is long overdue for an MVP award. I think at this point he no longer cares about that. He realizes writers are biased. Otherwise he should have won it 2 maybe 3 times by now.
I wish more people were as rational as the Basketball Jones.
Nate Jones. Very well written. You made some excellent points. Also, for the people who attack Nate for where he went to school, I would like to point out that it has no relevance towards the argument, and is fallacious reasoning. Your argument will be rejected by any intellectual person. I would do yourself a favor and not repeat what you wrote out loud to anyone. Keep up the good work Nate.
What I don't get is how there is even a debate (at this point in time) about Kobe Vs. Lebron... look at the resume, look at the highlight reel, look at whatever you choose (other than the local paper, and personal opinion) and it speaks for itself. Until Lebron matures, performs at a high level in the postseason consistently and gets a ring or two, there is no debate here. Its just like when Kobe was fresh in the league, getting schooled by Mj in the All-Star game... soon after the comparisons started but they were not substantiated until now... everybody simmer down, there is no debate here.
Nate, I'm so glad to see somebody hit the nail on the head about how the media sets, and is not above changing to suit their whims, the rules about MVP criteria. If LeBron gets the MVP this year, then Kobe should be retroactively given the award for the last two years. How many times did we hear, "yeah, Kobe's having the best year, but his team's only going to be a 7 seed. NASH has led his team to the top of the WC"?
If the Cavs were in the WC, THEY WOULDN'T EVEN MAKE THE PLAYOFFS. They'd finish 9th. It's a clear case of Popularity Contest, and that cheapens the whole award.
KOBE IS MVP. End of discussion.
gonna keep it short and sweet. great article man.
Only two guys to consider for MVP? OH PLEASE... LBJ & Kobe should be considered, but Kevin Garnett should be as well.
Head to head, LBJ is a much better team player than Kobe. He elevates the team around him like Magic and Bird did. Kobe is a better scorer but a lone wolf who doesn't elevate his teammates nearly as well.
Who is the MVP? Without Kobe, what would the Lakers record be? Maybe .500 give or take a few? Without LeBron, do the Cavs win any games? ANY games??
LeBron is your MVP, with all due respect to Kobe and KG.
uh...defense?? lebron plays defense?? when?? has he been on the all defensive team?? crap, even magic johnson lead the league in steals two years and he was notoriously bad on defense. lebron?? puhleeze! look, everyone talks about lebron leading the league in scoring...blah, blah, blah. kobe could average 40 points a game if he wanted to. assists, rebounds...lebron is supposed to be the next coming of magic, but he only averages 8 assists a game? that's because ESPN only highlights his passing. kobe averages 2 assists less! putting that aside. lebron will probably be crowned the greatest by the media and fat sports white guys who love michael and hate kobe, but now love lebron. but, if i'm going to make an argument i might as well back it up, right? ok, here it goes...i'll dissect it for you one by one:
1. OFFENSE: advantage-kobe
lebron is a freak of nature, built like a linebacker, but agile like a running back. dude should be a wide receiver. when he drives to the hole, NO ONE can stop him. double team him and he'll kill you with a pass to one of those other chumps on the cleveland "worst team to reach the finals since the 1979 seattle supersonics" cavaliers. ok, you're probably wondering how is that kobe is better offensively? lebron cannot be stopped, right? absolutely, when lebron drives, he's impossible to stop; unfortunately the king is preoccupied with showing his haters (like me :)) that he's multidimensional. and this, my friends, sets kobe apart from him. you see, kobe's jump shot is much MUCH MUCH more superior to lebrons. in fact, kobe's jumper his rookie year was 100X better than lebron's is right now. kobe does not possess the natural muscle that lebron or ron artest has, but he is more than capable of driving to the hoop and scoring at will. kobe's three point shot is also superior (didn't kobe drain 12 three's in one game??). why is kobe's shot better? i've noticed something about "the king": his jump shot is the same (or damn near close to it) one he had in high school. when dickie "i hate every high schooler going straight to the nba unless his name is lebron, in which case i'll become a hypocrite and participate in the hype that i so much have preached against" vitale and the rest of the damn sporting world were salivating over lebron, i got a good look at his infamous jump shot. you see lebron, as a high schooler, had been criticized for not being able to hit a three. it was widely reported that his jump shot would be his achilles heal in the nba. nevertheless, lebron defied critics in a game that i saw...he hit 11 three pointers (or something like that). of course, this was a HIGH school three point line...and over a 5'9" high school chump named samuel whose mother checks his temperature rectally before he has his oatmeal (ok, i'm sure the kid wasn't samuel, as samuel was probably on the bench filling up the water bottles). kobe...he hit 12 three pointers...from the nba line (and not that crap nba line in '95...but the real nba line). crap, larry bird didn't even do that. what's my point?? the debate begins and ends with kobe...PERIOD! what about passing?? lebron is a better passer than kobe, thus although he can't shoot like kobe he can make his teammates better. well, then, wouldn't magic be considered a superior player to jordan?? wanna look at stats...go ahead. lebron is definitely a better passer than kobe; although most of lebrons passes come from drive and kick outs (hey, that's how everyone does it these days). lebron was supposed to be the next magic...but magic was a far superior passer to lebron (in fairness to sir "king" james, magic is the greatest passer ever!!) but we're not comparing magic and lebron, we're comparing kobe and lebron..so, the point has to be conceded that lebron is the superior passer to kobe...however, based on the type of passes lebron makes...not by much. simply because i said so!! ok, then the stats should be looked at more closely then (but hey, didn't we throw out stats for scoring?? yes, but we can include those if you like and you will see that kobe takes about 2 shots LESS than "king" and thus AVERAGES 2 points less than "king", so i'll let you figure this one out...) king averages approximately 2 more assists a game than kobe...but he's considered more unselfish?? for example, magic johnson averaged 11 assists a game...and michael jordan averaged a little over 5 assists a game...that's a difference of 6 assists and a minimum of 12 points differential between the two. the point being that it's much safer to call magic "unselfish" and michael "selfish" considering the assist differential. what if the pass is there and the teammate blow the easy opportunity? well, then hope for good teammates. for now, you'll just have to accept my opinion (and anyone can feel free to disagree) that KOBE BEAN BRYANT is a superior offensive player than "king". (many of you will note that i did not include free throw shooting...that would be easier than paris hilton on a saturday night in vegas!)
2. defense: advantage-"king"
what?? "king" is a superior defender?? "king" being a superior offensive player is more believable...but a superior defensive player?? kobe, at age 21 was voted 1st team all defense...he's been 1st team 5 times (possibly 6 times after this season) and 2nd team all defense twice...a total of 7 time all defense team. kobe was handpicked to defend Team USA's opponents best player this past summer and shut them down...which he emphatically did. hey, wasn't "king" on that team?? why didn't the coach as him to "shut down" the opposing team's best perimeter player?? ya' know what...those are good points. in fact, it's probably the same reason that by age 23 kobe bryant has been selected to the all-nba defensive team...whereas at age 23, "king" is still thinking about that time he pickpocketed his opponent in the 8th grade and went coast to coast...i mean "king" held that 7th grader to just 8 points on 2-7 shooting! (fyi, "king" took the kid out for ice cream afterwards and gave him an autographed jersey). hey, at least dickie v noticed...and they say "king" can't and won't play D! (so some of you are probably wondering about how "king" blocked kobe during a warm up game for the olympics...and to that i reply two words: DAVID VAUGHN!)
3. intangibles/other things: advantage-draw.
lets look at head to head matchups..."king" has won the last 5 meetings against kobe and has better stats. he's also come up more clutch than kobe in the last few meetings, so that should definitely be taken into consideration (not to mention that he did play some terrific D on kobe in the last meeting down the stretch). that said, head to head matchups mean very little. didn't "king" and the rest of "the worst nba finals team since the 1979 seattle supersonics" sweep the spurs in the regular season? and didn't they then proceed to get wiped off the floor by those same spurs? do they have to meet in the playoffs to determine the true edge?? maybe. but again, carmelo anthony has an 8-2 record against "king"...and for some odd reason, we don't hear his name mentioned in the same breath as "king"...wonder why?
I truly believe Kobe Bryant is one of the greatest players ever, so dont' take what I'm about to say as a dis, it isn't.
To me, even though I think Kobe is more skilled, I think LeBron is more dominant. Kobe shoots better, but, to me, how well you shoot isn't as important as how well you score. LeBron scores better. I think that because LeBron still has work to do on his game that many don't give him the credit for the things that he can do better than anyone else (like take it to the rack, finish after the foul for the 3 point play). To me, when you add up all that does bring, his actually bring, the sum total is higher than Kobe's is, even though Kobe may win more categories.
you're an idiot. bron destroyed detroit, made it to the finals, and his chances of doing that again this year are great. when kobe got 37 a game and dominated the last 2 seasons it was on teams u knew weren't gonna make it past round 1. that's y kobe didnt get mvp. the media makes sure the mvp doesnt go to some1 on a horrific team, but they certainly don't just pick the player with the best 2-3 record. and this year with all the records being so close it's even more reason not to just give it to player A of team A.
I've been every where defending Kobe with facts and my fingers hurts now so all I have to say, quick and short is please visit this link and you will have no more doubt why Kobe is the MVP this year: http://www.respectkobe.com
The site isn't mine but it proves Kobe case for MVP when compared to Lebron. Thanks for reading.
a very well written blog, with very interesting opinions on who the true MVP is this season. i truely wish you had a bigger platform to speak on, like say....yahoo! sports, instead of a certain idiot named Kelly Dwyer aka "Ball Never Lies"
ok...i'm going to respond to anonymous 1 and then michael, because they both are eating a lot of lead or they've just been watching too much sportscenter.
anonymous 1: you state, "LeBron scores better". is that right?? he scores better?? he scores more...but i've already established that is due in part to him taking/averaging more shots than kobe. if kobe were to take the same number of shots as the "king", then he would average the same number of points. and how well you shoot ABSOLUTELY determines how well you score. i'm hoping that was a typo.
you also state, "take it to the rack, finish after the foul for the 3 point play" as evidence of how well he can score. i already said that this is the "king's" biggest strength. so he can take it to the rack and finish after the foul...a lot of NBA players can do that. but what i also specified was that the "king" is a weak shooter, which is why he is so mediocre at the free throw line. hence, many of those "3 point plays" still turn out to be simple "2 point plays".
now, as for michael...
- "you're an idiot" i'm assuming that's directed towards me...it's your opinion and you're entitled to it.
- "bron destroyed detroit, made it to the finals, and his chances of doing that again this year are great" the "king" did indeed destroy the pistons...much of that due to the fact that the piston defense was easier to penetrate than jenna jameson on a day at work. for the last few years, the pistons had been relying on ben wallace, and without him there was no one to cover the inside. hence, the "king" ran wild. but i do have to ask you, what happened in the finals?? it sure didn't seem that he was able to destroy "timmy and the rest of the spurs". fyi...check out the past laker/spurs playoff series...kobe pretty much destroyed the spurs by himself in 2001...ironically at the age of 22 (yeah, yeah...he had shaq, but ask anyone who was a part of that series and they'll tell you that it was kobe who owned the spurs). also, with a rejuvenated detroit team and a boston team poised to bring red his 17th title, i wouldn't be so sure...cleveland making it to the finals last year was more luck than anything (if you don't believe me, just check out the teams they played to get to the pistons...).
-"when kobe got 37 a game and dominated the last 2 seasons it was on teams u knew weren't gonna make it past round 1."
uh...who won the mvp last year?? i'll give you a minute to look it up and look up his team's seed in the playoffs................................ok, find it? good? yeah. understand now. keep up the good work michael.
Yo Nate, my god, you have just add fair and just balance to this on going war between Kobe vs. Lebron. All the facts you pointed out are the same exact facts that a majority of detracters try to ignore...
I love it when haters say that Lebron owns Kobe in head to head matchups (even know there's a youtube video depicting the lopsided noncalls that the Lakers didn't get in those games). What about that head to head match up when in 2006 when kobe scored 3 straight jumpers against LBJ and Bigz in the final minute of the game and lebron missed the buzzer beater, then what? Not to mention the same argument another commentor made that Carmelo owns LBL 8-2 series, what does that mean? nothing.
my point is, i feel the same way you do...it seems that the more kobe succeeds this year, the more bias media writers publish content to sway people to lebron and not kobe...it's just really unfair.
LBJ is crazy and probably going to be the best a decade from now, but you can't give him that title (same as the title of king) now when he hasn't done anything, yet ESPN/NBA.com seems to glorify every little thing he does and when there's something negative, it seems to get sweeped under the rug. If kobe does anything bad, you won't here the end of it.
thanks again nate...the internet needs more reasonable and logical writers like you.
thanks Nate so much for your balance the on going propaganda that is going against Kobe and favoring Lebron.
it seems like the more Kobe succeeds this year the more writers and detracters go out of their way to discredit what he's doing. Even worse, they try to sway the popular vote to lebron.
it's just soo messed up...i mean the guy has done everything concievable to please critics of the game, yet it's still not enough...when he individually dominates, he's not winning enough...when he's winning and dominating, he's not have as great as season as lebron...wow, lebron is averaging 30points in the east...KB24 averaged 35points in the west, but still, it wasn't enough. the criteria changes to whatever that DOES NOT fit Kobe...it's a nationwide scandal man...As i said this before, Kobe has to average a triple/triple, cure cancer, stop the war in Iraq, while making sure all his teammates play like allstars, and at the same time win 60+ games.
after reading both of Kelly Dwyer's uttlery bias articles, i must say you gave me a small faith with what's being publish out there...keep up the good (unbias) job up.
LeBron will not become better than Kobe or Jordan or even get close to them... Because that special thing only Kobe and Jordan have had until now is not something you get with years and experience (at least not after you reach certain age), it is something you're born with... And LeBron just isn't... He can fill the stat sheet right now, and he may even have better stats in the future if he keeps playin' for such a team, but guess what? As amazing as LeBron's stats are right now, they're not even as good as Oscar Robertson's in his rookie season... And if you compare them to his best season, LeBron is 4 rebounds and 4 assists short per game, and even scores less... Which is even more amazing considering the fact that game is faster now, which means more possesions in a game today, which means more chances to score, rebound and pass... Still, you don't hear many ppl sayin' Oscar is the best ever, why? Because he isn't... He is not Kobe or Jordan, and neither is LeBron and never will be... And if stats were only thing on Kobe's mind, he could get better numbers than LeBron any time... How many 4th quarters did he sit out this season alone, and those 4th quarters in blowouts are the time when Kobe could really fill the stat sheet, if that's what he wanted... Remember game 4 of NBA Finals 2000? How old was Kobe? 21... 21 years old... yet with Shaq fouled out he took over in overtime, scored 8 points and won the game... and that was on the road, NBA Finals... Pacers could have tied the series and taken a 3-2 lead in the next game which they won... LeBron is 23, he was older than Kobe was first time he got to NBA Finals and had way more experience with 4 seasons playing 40+ minutes when he got to NBA Finals, and he didn't even come close to win a single game... LeBron won't become much better, he may get better numbers as a result of something else, or maybe his numbers will drop as a result of something else... Remember, Kobe's best season (if you only look at numbers) was when he was same age as LeBron today... And maybe he will never even match it, because there's something else he'd like to match... Jordan's rings... If he does that, he must be regarded as the best of all time...
If the Cavs win 50 games..meaning go 15-6 down the stretch than Lebron will win the MVP..also remember the fact that right now the cavs with lebron are 35-19, 0-7 when he doesn't play. But hey it is going to fun watching these two guys go out at it for the MVP the next 5 years. When its all said and done they will both be top 5 players to ever play the game and we should be blessed that we got to watch them play at the same time.
Lakers before Gasol 29 -16
Lakers with Gasol 43 - 18 (14 - 2)
Cleveland without Lebron 0 - 6
Cleveland with Lebron 35 - 20
Lakers west coast offense scores 108 ppg
Cleveland slower east coast style scores 97.4 ppg
Lebron 30.6 ppg, 7.7 asst, 8.1 reb
Kobe 28.3 ppg, 5.3 asst, 6.1 reb
But forget the stats and open your eyes. Kobe's having a great season, but Lebron is having one of the most dominating seasons ever.
Someone posted:
"What is wrong with everyone???? How is it, if Kobe is the greatest, that LeBron beats him in the head to head matchups EVERYTIME???? Explain it! Please!"
How about this?
"What is wrong with everyone???? How is it, if LeBron is the greatest, that Carmelo beats him in the head to head matchups EVERYTIME???? Explain it! Please!"
You're just looking for reasons to be a hater now. LeBron is a BEAST, but give Kobe his shine. He's due.
Nice to see so many Kobe haters in the world! I know my son does everything you tell him he can't so I know this is just fuel for my man, Kobe. With out a doubt Kobe is the best player in the NBA right now. Anyone who disputes his greatness is just sheer nuts. I remember when everyone was calling Grant Hill baby Jordan, and we all know injury prone Hill was a bust. Kobe came into the league and looked like he could be Jordan's son. Nonetheless, to compare LBJ to Jordan or Kobe is just nuts. LBJ is a fine specimen of raw physical talent, and I like LBJ, but Kobe has already been to 4championships with one team, and Jordan 6. Can LBJ do the same??? I think not! Keeping the talent around James will be hard for the kind of money his salary requires, just as Kobe found out in L.A. Because LBJ's technique isn't as good as Kobe's and he is not a defensively rounded, or mentally as tough as both Jordan and Kobe I think it is way premature too say he will be the best. In my book you gotta have the rings to go with the stellar stats....heck, Shaq's got both of them beat in that category. They both have proven they can carry a team, but it takes a team to win championships....last years run by the Cavs was a fluke...the east was so weak! This years true contender is the Celtics, otherwise I don't feel any eastern team has a chance vs. the west. In the long term we will see how LBJ body holds up as well. Lbj has has been spectacular at what he does, but he isn't a proven winner, and HS stats championships don't count. Kobe will most likely get jipped on the MVP again, he should of won it the year he went for 81, but as long as my man gets another ring I'm sure he would gladly present LBJ with the MVP trophy. The Lake show has another chance with all their young talent, an Bynum has the ability to be like a young Shaq playing in Orlando. I think Kobe has matured, and learned from his falling out with Shaquille. All in all Shaq will be in a Lakers uni when he goes to the hall. I forsee a title this year, and possibly another in the next few years for Kobe and his Lakers. Kobe is still chasing MJ legacy, and has a chance still to match him, and a slim chance to overcome him. As for Lebron, he hasn't done anything but supply some oohs and ahhs thus far. My prediction: Kobe will be forever know as the Laker's MJ, and LBJ who knows if after 12 seasons will still be a Cav or hold more than one ring. Kobe just can't get any respect.
This debate between LBJ vs. Kobe is ridiculous. Lebron has no post up game, a suspect jumper, and no championship rings. Kobe has 3 championship rings, can get his shot off whenever he feels like it, and his team has a better winning record. And one other small thing every post forgot to mention, he's playing through the pain of a completely dislocated pinky finger and still shoots and dunks over defenders. Stop playing and hand that MVP trophy to Kobe right now. If the powers that be hate on him, and I'm almost sure they will, look for Kobe to personally snatch that Finals MVP trophy on his way to his fourth championship ring. You can't be six-eight and not have a postup game. That's uncivilized!
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