Kobe Bryant Refuses to Lose
First, that at every crucial juncture, Bryant’s numerous critics will invariably predict the return of a mythical character they refer to as “Old Kobe” — a selfish player who doesn’t trust his teammates and tries, unsuccessfully, to win games single-handedly, playing 1-on-5. Second, that Bryant will disappoint them, proving them wrong at every turn. So it has been in the 2008 NBA Finals, in which Bryant’s Lakers are pitted against the Boston Celtics. In Game 1, Kobe struggled with his shot, and while he still tallied six assists, the fact that he shot only 9-for-26 and took and missed a few late shots, to them, signaled the first step in Bryant’s return to his shoot-first mindset of 2005. Nevermind that the final four Lakers shots of the game — all of them misses — were taken by players not named Kobe Bryant. In Game 2, Bryant’s shooting improved. His 30 points on 11-for-23 shooting, good for 47.8% from the field, was not yet as efficient as the 51% he had averaged in the Playoffs prior to this series, but it was markedly better than the 34.6% he had shot in Game 1. Though Bryant’s field efficiency in Game 2 was above his regular season average, his critics mysteriously insisted that he had taken yet another step toward once again becoming his fabled “former self.” Nevermind that, in addition to shooting efficiently from the floor, Bryant also handed out an impressive eight assists, while at the same time adding three steals. Kobe’s eight shots in the final eight minutes (counting shots that led to free throws), as the Lakers attempted to come back from a 24-point deficit, were to them a sign of selfishness and a lack of faith in his teammates. Of course, Bryant missed only one of those shots, shooting a phenomenal 83.8% (True Shooting Percentage), while at the same time delivering two assists and securing a rebound and a steal. Even so, bloggers and analysts across the internet assured us that Bryant was one step away from transforming back into “Old Kobe.” As usual, they were wrong. In Game 3, Kobe Bryant scored 36 points and pulled down seven rebounds. More significantly, he shot 60% from the field (64.5% True Shooting), and took a mere 20 shots to score his 36 points. Had his free throw shooting not been mysteriously and inexplicably off, his point total would likely have been closer to 40 — an impressive average of two points per shot. Even more impressive was how Kobe scored his 36 points. Bryant drove to the basket at will, taking half of his 20 shots within the painted area. Better yet, all but two of his shots came from within 19 feet, 16 of them from within 14 feet. Boston’s defense, which had been so effective at turning Kobe into a jump shooter, was completely unable to contain him. And don’t be fooled by the fact that he managed but one assist — the four Lakers starters not named Kobe Bryant shot a combined 7-for-28, good for a forgettable 25% from the field. Off the bench, Luke Walton and Ronny Turiaf combined to miss all four of their attempts. Had Bryant’s teammates outside of Sasha Vujacic and Jordan Farmar shot the ball at their usual clip, Bryant would likely have collected at least his usual six assists, if not more. Some, at first, pointed to the inability of Gasol and Odom to have any effect whatsoever on the game as an indication that Bryant had been impressive as a scorer but had failed to involve his teammates. In fact, Bryant gave them plenty of opportunities, at times setting them up for shots they should have made and at others creating space for them to work, but they simply missed nearly everything they put up. In reality, not only was Kobe Bryant the chief reason for the Lakers’ win in Game 3 — with help, of course, from Sasha “The Machine” Vujacic, and only from Vujacic — but he was the reason they didn’t get blown out. In the Lakers’ first home game of the 2008 Finals, Bryant’s teammates played so poorly on offense that the Celtics nearly stole the game despite strong performances by Bryant and Vujacic. In the third quarter, after the Lakers had led for the most part of two and a half quarters, Boston made a strong push, stealing the lead and going up by as many as four points in the fourth. With the Lakers trailing, 66-68, Luke Walton drove awkwardly through the Celtics interior defense, fumbled the ball, and then found Kobe Bryant, completely unguarded at the top of the 3-point arc. Kobe took his time, sized up his shot, and sank the three, putting the Lakers up by one. After two Derek Fisher free throws, Bryant again made easy work of the Celtics’ defense, drawing the foul and hitting two free throws to give the Lakers a five-point lead. It was a lead that Bryant would not relinquish for the remainder of the game. In the final minutes, the Celtics made yet another very impressive push, narrowing the gap to two points, 78-76, with two minutes remaining. That’s when Kobe Bryant informed them that the final minutes of this game were but a formality. This game not up for grabs. It was already decided. Down the stretch, he made every right decision, and the Lakers scored on four straight possessions to secure the win. Down by two, the Celtics brought the double team early, trapping Kobe near half court. Though Bryant is very capable of dribbling out of the trap, he instead passed out to Lamar Odom, who immediately found Sasha Vujacic for a corner three-pointer, pushing the lead to five. On the Lakers’ next trip down the court, the Celtics again brought the half court trap, and Bryant again passed to the open teammate, leading to Derek Fisher driving into a Celtics interior defense that was missing Garnett (he was busy trapping Kobe at half court). Fisher drew a foul and hit both free throws, putting the Lakers up by seven. On the next possession, Garnett somehow found himself alone in the paint, throwing down a dunk to make it a five-point game once again. Back on defense, however, the Celtics refused to double team Bryant, having been punished for doing so on the two previous possessions. Bryant drove to the top of the key, pulled up, and effortlessly sank a 19-foot jumper to again push the lead to seven. Seconds later, on the other end of the court, Eddie House sank a clutch three, bringing the Celtics within four points with 59 seconds to play — plenty of time for a comeback. But Kobe Bryant wasn’t having it. Wary of Bryant’s passing, the Celtics again refused to double team him, and again Bryant drove toward the basket. He pulled up at the free throw line and pump faked, and Ray Allen took the bait, soaring high into the air. Leaning around him, Kobe jumped forward, again hitting the jumper. Kobe Bryant’s “leaner” with 38 seconds left was the final point of the game, and, yet again thanks to Bryant’s heroics, the Lakers walked away with their first victory in the series. Heading into Game 4 on Thursday, how does this series look for the Lakers? While the numbers still favor Boston, and the smart money still seems to be on the Celtics, I find it unlikely that the Celtics, who are 2-9 on the road in the Playoffs, will be able to steal a game at Staples Center, where the Lakers are 15-0 in the Playoffs. If I’m right, and this series returns to Boston with the Lakers up 3-2, would anyone choose Boston to win? Sure, Boston is also very strong at home, having lost only once, to Detroit. But if the Lakers return to Boston with the momentum and confidence that comes from winning three straight, it seems unlikely that they would lose two in a row, even in Boston. Of course, many will say that a sweep at home is an optimistic prediction for the Lakers. They’ll also point to the fact that Kevin Garnett and Paul Pierce both played very poorly in Game 3, a trend that is unlikely to continue. On the other hand, however, credit should be given to the Lakers for contributing to Garnett’s and Pierce’s struggles. Both Celtics coach Doc Rivers and Lakers coach Phil Jackson both attributed the Celtics’ offensive struggles to Jackson’s decision to put Bryant on Rajon Rondo throughout most of the game, and then on Pierce in the final minutes. Bryant was able to play off of Rondo, doubling hard on Garnett and Pierce and keeping them from getting good looks at the basket. Late in the game, Bryant’s defense on Pierce prevented him from becoming a significant factor in the Celtics’ comeback attempt. Meanwhile, it’s worth re-emphasizing that all four Lakers starters aside from Bryant also played very poorly. That trend is no more likely to continue than Garnett’s and Pierce’s offensive struggles. Can the Lakers take the next two games at home, and then head to Boston with the confidence and momentum necessary to take the series and win the championship? Time will tell, but the Lakers have one very strong advantage. They have Kobe Bryant. He refused to lose in this game, and you can be sure that there is more of that to come. Bryant was the difference in Game 3, and the Lakers are counting on him to be the difference in the series. If history is any indication, he will come through. |
Over the last couple of years, those that have paid much attention to the Lakers — and, more specifically, to Kobe Bryant — have come to expect two things.Filed Under Kobe Bryant |
Terrific article once again. Kobe played a heck of a game last night, with very limited help. Not surprisingly, he has as many detractors as ever.
Josh, I would love to know your response to Simmons’ latest article over at ESPN.com. Complete garbage if you ask me, and it sounds like Simmons has been chuggin’ the Hatorade again.
He attacks Kobe for poisonous body language, glaring at teammates, “bitching” about every call, all of which MVP’s “don’t do”. Again, the dude’s an idiot. Why BSPN continues to hire these moronic writers is beyond me.
Oh yeah, and I think he implies that Kobe is a bad teammate somewhere in there. That or he overtly states it.
He makes a low blow about Bryant as well, alluding to the Colorado case, and saying that LA fans of all people should not question another NBA star’s character.
All I can say is: Please, just shut it.
Kobe is definitely “The Man”, one of those rare talents who is so good that he has to “tone his game down” to so called “fit into the team concept”. But as far as I’m concerned Kobe should never tone his game down to the point of taking himself out of it. The combination of a supreme killer instinct with the talent to match is hard too find.
I remember years ago Kobe was asked to tone his game down. His response was something like, “I’m not toning my game down, if anything I’ll be kicking it up a few notches”! Gotta love that, at least I do. What if Shaq had that same attitude, especially towards defense and rebounding)? The Lakers would have 3-4 more rings. Yes, you can’t play selfishly to the detriment of the team but I never did like the thought of Kobe toning it down, do what you do!. I always knew if Kobe had teammates that could “finish”, he would get them involved. Even when he did’nt have capable teammates he still got 5-6 assits per game. One main reasons we know Kwame Brown is not capable is because Kobe was passing him the ball, Kwame just couldn’t finish. Few can match Kobe’s talent but at least surround Kobe with teammates that can match his intensity, heart, desire and will to win. Thats why I like Vujacic, Farmar, and Turiaf(who probably should be getting more of Lamar Odoms minutes at this point).
Anyway, a couple thoughts about games 1 and 2:
After game 1 of the finals I heard one talk show host say “Jordan would never shoot as bad as Kobe did and only get to the line 6 times”. So I did some research and in two game in the finals against Seattle Michael Jordan shot 6 of 19 for 23 points, and 5 of 19 for 22 points. In yet another game in that series MJ got to the line only 5 times. People sugar coat MJ’s career, and every time Kobe has a bad game they act like MJ never did!
Here’s the link (Seattle series @ bottom of page)
Also, I beleive Phil Jackson made a critical mistake during the come-back in game 2( I assume Phil called the play during the time-out)
About 22 seconds left, the Lakers have erased a big lead and they’re down by about 4. Phil has Kobe take the ball out, then Kobe immediately runs all the way to the other side of the basket for a post up!!??? Looked like a “called” play to me. Kobe never gets it back, Vujacic’s desperation shot is blocked…game over.
You have one of the best clutch, shot creator/scorers ever, the only way you should have him in-bounding the ball is if he’s going to step in and get it right back. With 22 secs left you can’t have Kobe run to the other side of the court, wasting time. Or you have someone else take it out and try to get it directly to Kobe, maybe he gets fouled , maybe he makes a shot or finds the open man, but he’s the best at doing it, you have to get it to him immediately. That was a bad play call, imo. As soon as I saw Kobe run to the other side of the court I thougt…”what, where are you going” !!!!????
I’m not a coach, but that was a dumb play. I heard none of the so called experts call Phil on it.
Over-all , I don’t know if the Lakers have enough toughness and experience to beat the Celtics, but if Odom and Gasol step it up, it can be done….either way …look out next year!
I was wondering what you thought about the games so far and I have to agree with you Kobe is doing everything he needs to do for his team and I don’t see how others call that selfish or the old Kobe. Another great article and The Lakers should do better game 4.
Sigh, game 4 made me sad =[
Josh
Can you believe it because I can’t, Lakers are down 3-1 and they completely played with no purpose with a 20 point lead. This Championship was theirs and Now Boston can close the window on them. I just feel terrible because if they were to play like they did at the start of game 4 then this series would of been over. Now it looks like they are out of this series…Just Dissapionting.
I almost cried. Now people r gonna say MJ would never let a team come back from a 24 point deficit.
All I want is the Lakers to somehow win the series so we all Kobe lovers would be able to say MJ never led a team to win the championship after being down 3-1.
We still have hope…….. Its up to Kobe and his teammates, really. All we can do is get drunk and cheer.
i actually don’t think jordan in his prime (and maybe a young jordan, too) would have ever let a 24 point lead spiral into a loss. and even if he did, he would at least have had a statistically dominant night to show off. kobe not only saw his team lose a guaranteed win, but also couldn’t, even at the very least, put up a great performance.
first powe, now posey? house? what the heck are the lakers doing? even the hawks and the cavs were able to protect their home court and push it to 7 games. i just hope kobe can will his team to 3 straight wins and be the first player to lead a team to accomplish that near impossible feat, but i’ve pretty much resigned myself for this season.
please kobe, i stuck by you since you were a rookie and through all the craziness of your entire career. don’t make me start doubting your ability to elevate your game during the biggest moments as the main man on the team.
First off, let’s not freak out until it’s done. You all know better than to underestimate Kobe and Phil Jackson. It may not happen — but have you ever stopped watching a game in which Kobe was playing, even when the Lakers were down by a lot? I haven’t, and I won’t stop expecting him to pull this out until it’s done.
Second: reality check — one, two, three.
HATE2LOVE KOBE.
http://youtube.com/watch?v=rGccjdhWxho
Lakers forced a game 6 for nothing, they didn’t show up, didn’t play with any intensity in this series. Gotta give Celtics credit they wanted it and they took it. I know Kobe is kicking hisself but his teammates should be ashamed they get to the big stage and all of a sudden they look like they don’t want it and they look like they never played together. I know they will be back once Lakers make some roster changes but to lose like the Lakers did is embrassing.
First of all, props to Boston. I’m happy for Garnett(my 2nd favorite player behind Kobe), Pierce , Allen.
Here are the key factors in the Lakers loss, imo.
Boston has 3 hungry, talented, and experienced veterans who had been denied for years.
Boston has good role players in key positions.
Boston has too much size, bulk, atheleticism and talent in the middle.
Boston has a good, hungry and inspirational coach.
Boston has one of the best defenses in years, designed to stop L.A.’s best weapon.
Boston had home court advantage.
Too much Kobe in predetermined “facilitator” mode instead of “attack” mode.
Laker role players were a combination of young, inexperienced, inconsistent, and not physically tough enough…for Boston. It’s just a bad match up.
To a lesser extent the Laker home crowd was too passive during Boston’s 24 point comeback. I’m reaching but the crowd did not serve to give the Lakers an emotional “lift”.
Kobe will take a hit for this but I don’t think MJ would fair better as some have said. If someone says that, ask them “how”? MJ would not grow wings and fly over the defense. Once MJ got by one guy he would run into 2 -3 more and have to pass to the open man. Boston to some extent did to Kobe what the Piston “Bad Boy’s” did to MJ. They stopped MJ from getting to the finals 3 years straight. MJ in his prime had a veteran, battle tested team, but it took about 7 years to get there. Kobe has had his “own” team for 4 years(some players not that long), but they still made the finals,…it takes time. People should not look so much at Kobe’s fg % in the finals, they should look at his role players fg%. They are the one’s who got more open looks.
You guys are far FAR from reality. But you so close to Hollywood. If there were a movie about MJ I guess Kobe would deserve the right to pretend to be him. But that’s it… he is pretending because he mimic’s the man very well.
Anyways… I would like to understand how everyone in LA including the fans got blamed for the crushing NBA performance Ray Allen (MOSTLY) and the rest of the Celtics put on LA… EVERY ONE BUT ONE GUY.
I’ve Heard Phil Jackson thrown under the bus,
Paul Gasol, who btw you owe. Every one was saying after Bynum went down LA had no shot at making it into the post season. Then you get Gasol and become the so-called favorites to take it all. Odem the guy you said is just supposed to be a 3rd option, Fisher, Sasha… DID I MISS ANY ONE? Oh yeah… THE REFS! That’s every one right?
Every one if you have a selective memory.
JOSH can you please excuse Kobe’s MVP season performance including his Finals performance. If your going to reach for the excuse it’s every one fault but Kobe’s explain how Lebron only got better as his team faced Boston. DESPITE HAVING HIS SHOOTING GUARD SCORE ZERO POINTS Lebron gave you 45 points 6 rebounbs and 5 assist and 2 turnovers, TWO!!! That’s the only time you can say I had no help! When you leave everythin on the court and lose. Kobe ??? Phil was interviewed after the 1st quarter and he said he is going to let Kobe go because they need him to carry them. Letting Kobe go vs the WEAKER EASTERN CHAMPS equated to 22 points 4 turnovers 1 assist. THAT WAS NOT THE BEST PLAYER IN THE LEAGUE. AND ANY ONE YOU LA FANS WANT TO CUT FORM YOUR TEAM PLEASE SEND THEM TO CLEVELAND SO THEY CAN FINALLY PLAY WITH SOMEONE WHO MAKES THEM BETTER.
39 point blow out? = Number 1 team in the west + Number one coach + number 1 player in the world?
ok. right.
Oh crap, it’s a new Your Stupid poster.
@eQ
Wow eQ I can agree with you to some extent because it was the Lakers as a whole who failed to get it done but the Lebron James comment is very dumb and here is why and Josh will tell you also in more indept information but me Imma tell you that you can’t compare Lebron James performance to Kobe’s Finals because of the way the two teams play. They play 2 different style’s of offense, one plays the Lebron offense and the other plays the triangle offense. Tell me this how can you get assist if your teammates don’t score???? And that was the Lakers problem don’t put it all on Kobe, he ain’t MJ but everyone needs their teammates and Kobes teammates weren’t there if you watched the Finals, you would of seen that fact. And please don’t bring up Lebron James because if it was all that good his team would of been in the Finals.
Lol.
I can’t wait until Josh tears eQ to shreds.
The Bulls attempted to build a championship team around Jordan since his arrival. They lost in the 1st round 3 years straight. The Bulls then lost to the Pistons 3 straight years, once in the 2nd round (conf semi-finals) and twice in the 3rd round (conf. finals). It took MJ and the Bulls 7 years to get the right mix of role players in place to win it all…
By contrast, the Lakers are attempting to build a championship team around Kobe Bryant. This is only the 4th year of that effort and already Kobe has led his team to the finals, through the toughest western conference ever. Seems to me Kobe and the Lakers are ahead of schedule (so to speak), and have over-achieved this year. The Lakers are fine, it takes time, it’s a “process”.
Kobe and MJ’s careers are not in lock step. The Bulls built around MJ early in his career, the Lakers are building around Kobe at a later stage in his career. That and several other variables make it virtually impossible to compare them. Some are so afraid of Kobe being considered better than MJ that they pick him apart mercilessly, even before his career is over.
Wow I think ya’ll should read this….. http://www.pittsburghlive.com/x/tribunereview/sports/s_573879.html
I understand everyone’s beef with Kobe and the points that they are trying to make about Kobe not being MJ but they have to understand Kobe was never Jordan and never will be because Kobe is Kobe and Jordan is Jordan. Two different people from two different eras so stop the comparision. Kobe wants to be great like Mike but he doesn’t want to be him and thats what they need to understand, Kobe doesn’t wake up in the morning and ask hisself what would Mike do next. Anyway I tell everyone this atleast Kobe can get those accolades, what are you being compared to?????
Brittney, I read the article you posted, you may(or may not : ) ) be interested in my response. For the record, I’m not a MJ hater and believe the comparison’s are wrong, but I like to respond to some of the misconceptions and falsehoods about Kobe. Here is my response:
“My man, stop with all this MJ stuff. You left out the part where Jordan ruthlessly demeaned his teammates (many of MJ’s comments were not designed to make his teammates better), punched one (or 2 ) of them, “tanked” a game after being criticized for shooting too much, clashed with his coach and was instrumental in that coach getting fired….etc. MJ was far from the ideal teammate for several years (do you even remember Stacey King, Granville Waiters, Brad Sellars, Vincent, Hopkins…etc???)!. I’ll give you this, MJ was better than Kobe at faking it for the media! MJ was more polished at “frontin” if you will. Just like when the crap hits the fan we find out that some of the baseball stars are not the respectable/classy people we thought….Roger Clemens comes to mind. Yes MJ was good in front of the camera, Kobe’s not so good at faking it. Maybe he’ll get better and you and others can be happy with him. Just know that many of the negative things said about Kobe have been said about MJ at some point.
And its flat out wrong to say the Lakers went south when Shaq left and the team was in Kobe’s hands. The truth is Shaq left, Horry, Fox, Payton, Malone, Fisher, and others I’m forgetting all left or retired. Also Devean George got hurt(one of the last players familiar with the triangle), Vlade Divac got hurt ( I know he was sat the end of his career), Chris Mihm got hurt, Phil Jackson retired, Phil’s replacement, Tomjanovich, retired early in the season……I could go on with the major changes, injuries…etc. on the Lakers since Shaq and co. left. Suffice it to say it is very wrong to characterize it as “Shaq left and Kobe couldn’t keep the ship from sinking”. No team, considering that many changes, would not have a drop off.
Yet, only 4 years later Kobe led a young team to the finals!! They lost to a team with 3 very hungry veterans and the best defense in years. But it is a great achievement that this Laker team made it that far, thanks to Kobe Bryant! When MJ faced a tough defense in the playoffs he lost 3 straight years to it. Stop bashing Kobe every time he has a set back as if he’s the only player ever to have disappointments. Kobe doesn’t have to match MJ’s achievements, he’s concerned about being the best Kobe.”
Willie M., Indy
@Willie
I agree Willie and I’m interested in everyones opinions, I just don’t understand how some people come up with their opinions, for example that sports writer and many sports writers on ESPN.com,they all have something against Kobe as if he robbed them, anyway thanks for the response….Later
Well said Willie, and I fully agree.
Thanks.
Kobe has to be one of, if not, the most scrutinized, bashed and criticized star player of all time, in any sport. It’s a shame people can’t watch his career, the ups and downs that go with it and just see where it leads in the end. If he never wins another ring I know I’ve seen one of the very best to lace ‘em up!
Where’s Josh?
I apologize, I don’t have the chance to go back and forth like I would like. I saw things so completely wrong with what you typed that I figured why waste my life going tit for tat with fans who have jumped off the deep end. Look at it this way. Kobe Bryant is not the player the NBA machine propped him, and every star post Jordan era, up to be. That’s not the source of his critics growing resentment. The fact that he emulates Michael doesn’t have anything to do with it from my stand point. In Kobe’s run for three rings he was interviewed about comparisons to him and Michael Jordan. His moves, his stats, even his swagger. Those of you who listen to Sports Talk DP Show will here me call in tomorrow and I will REMIND YOU OF KOBE’S RESPONSE. HE SAID “Well actually, I’m better.” I lost my mind over an ungrateful little brat who copied everything he could from one man, AND MANAGED TO ONLY MATCH MIKE’S BAD ATTRIBUTES, but come up with the idea that he was better! He showed no humility or respect for the guy he stole so much from. NOTHING ORIGINAL ABOUT KOBE. Anyways I will be bringing this up on the DP show if you care to respond tomorrow.
As for Lebron not being a good comparison? Lebron had LESS HELP, WAS KNOCKED ON HIS BUTT SEVERAL TIMES IN A PHYSICAL WAS/CLE SERIES PRIOR, HAD A WORSE TEAM PERFORMANCE THEN KOBE CAME CLOSE TO IN HIS MATCH UP VS BOSTON.
Remember this Game 5 Lebron vs Detriot was the greatest game of the entire time Kobe has played in the NBA. Lebron Record vs Boston was better then Kobe’s and This year Josh said Lebron’s stats where only better because he played in the weak east. Yet Lebron’s best performance against the best team in the NBA was on par with his statistical year. Kobe’s was NOT.
BTW Josh is having a hard time. He will pop back up one day leading this march of denial you all have going here when he shakes it off. But I think you lost him in the middle of game 4.
Your thoughts on Shaq’s comments,
“Kobe tell me how my ass taste”.
@eQ
Ok eQ you know I won’t go tit for tat with you either everyone has their opinions and we all can’t agree or the world would be one sided as for Kobe saying he is better then Jordan, thats what your are supposed to say and you’re not supposed to look all star strucked. We already know Kobe looks up to Jordan and many will say Kobe’s skill set at his age now is way better and far more ahead of time because Jordans Jumper was with him more in his prime as for Kobe always had a Jumper, thats one reason many people say Kobe is better. I wouldn’t go there because Jordan has done more then Kobe in his career. As a basketball player you play to be greater then the greats you don’t play to kiss their ass and Kobe wants to be better then Jordan and why not??? MJ is the man you should emulate. Really what do ya’ll want Kobe to do, that will make him in ya’ll eyes a basketball player????
eQ if you can hang around I guarantee Josh will give you a peace of the truth in full detail about your Lebron James comparision. Ya’ll hate Kobe so much that ya’ll are ready to replace him with Lebron. Thats my opinion but to me Lebron will never reach anywhere in my mind until he wins something. All Kobe has to do is win more championships and what will ya’ll say then??????? Just stay tune Kobe’s Legacy just begun.
My thoughts on Shaq?
“I get hurt on company time, I’m gonna heal on company time”.
That’s about all that needs to be said about Mr. O’neal. That and he’s thrown every coach and star player he’s ever played with under the bus while demanding ridiculous sums of money.
As for Shaq’s rap, it’s kinda sad that he can’t let things die and leave things alone, at the same time you can say Kobe deserved that for ratting Shaq out so it’s sort of Karma but it’s a dumb ploy to get attention because Shaq is on a decline in his career and on the other hand Kobe’s is on the rise so to stay in the media’s eye and to create attention for his self Shaq makes drama. Shaq knows Kobe is in a better position to win championships and it’s not smart to rap about things that have some truth to it and can create problems.Shaq’s rap was a mix of fun and jokes with some hate and Jealousy.
Kobe doesn’t have to prove anything and should pay Shaq no attention and drop 50 on the Suns when he see’s them and what will Shaq say next when Kobe does do wthout him more then once??????
Shaq’s rap was somewhat funny and a combination of petty, childish and silly. I hope Kobe see’s it that way and does not waste his time responding to it. I understand Shaq being upset about Kobe “ratting” on him, no excuse, but Kobe was in panic mode believing his career was about to go up in smoke. We all do stupid stuff in a panic. However I thought that hatchet was buried awhile ago. I didn’t think much of Shaq before this and still don’t.
I believe Shaq underachieved in his career do to laziness and lack of drive/will to improve. I think that was Kobe’s main problem was “Slack”. I believe Shaq was jealous of Kobe as, he was of Penny Hardaway, and that Shaq was more of the problem in L.A. than most think.
Shaq fools the media and others with his “jolly giant” routine when he’s really a sensitive, insecure and jealous man, with an inflated opinion of himself. All his “I’m the most dominant” claims are ridiculous to me.
Shaq led teams have been swept in the playoffs several times(you mean his Dominance” couldn’t get 1 of those games!), Shaq is the biggest, agilest, athletic big man ever yet has never won a rebounding title!, or led the league in blocks for that matter, please!. Kobe “saved” the finals for Shaq more than once with his play and Duane Wade drug Shaq to the title in Miami. That ring was more about Wade and the Mavericks “punking out” than it was about Shaq. Heck, Alonzo Mourning led that team in blocks and he came off the bench!
Man… that made me sad.
Sad that it’s gotten to that point. Sad that it’s been so long since I’ve written. Sad that I haven’t even really responded to comments.
I guess I owe you guys an explanation. Let’s start by answering some of the obvious questions.
There. I guess those are the obvious ones. Now, to backtrack to the top of the list and explain where I’ve been, and why I’ve been so absent.
Contrary to any painfully predictable suggestions, I haven’t been so silent because of the Lakers’ recent Finals failure, and I’m not in denial. As a matter of fact, I’m planning to discuss Kobe’s failure as soon as time permits — how does that fit into your theory that I’m leading a “march of denial,” eQ?
As a matter of fact, the simple (and unfortunate) truth is that I haven’t had much time. As most of you know, I don’t make any money from this site. Yes, I know I have ads up here, but I’ll share some information with you: To date, I have made $7.95 off of ads from this site. That is all time, since the very inception of RespectKobe.com. And since Google requires that the total reach $100 before a check will be sent out, I have not made a dime off this site — nor am I likely to any time soon.
This means that everything I do on here is a hobby. Since I have a personal life, bills that must be paid, and a wife that needs my attention more than the topic of Kobe Bryant — and, to be honest, more than all of you, despite how much I enjoy discussing with you — this website doesn’t occupy a top spot on the list of priorities.
When I started it, I was able to devote a significant amount of time to it for two reasons. First, I usually wrote after my wife went to bed, and got three to four hours of sleep per night. And second, I had a job in which I sat at a computer and did not have to deal with micromanaging, and, though I’m a little ashamed to admit it, I had become quite good at writing for this website while actually appearing to process cases at work.
Well, I’m not 19 anymore, and I can’t go forever on 3 hours of sleep per night and the occasional weekend sleep-in. I’m just too old for that. It caught up to me, and I honestly can’t do it anymore. I’m also not working that job anymore (in case you didn’t hear, the wife and I moved from Oregon to Kansas), so I don’t have the luxury of spending several hours a day writing while appearing to work.
The result is that I have much less time for this site than I used to. Which leads us to #3 from above — I’m going to have to scale things back a bit, both here on Respect Kobe and on MVN.
I hope to one day be able to devote a significant amount of time to writing, both on this specific topic and on basketball in general. However, my desire to write is in direct competition with my need to make money to pay bills, and as you can imagine, the bills win that competition. So until a day comes when I can make money to pay the bills and write at the same time — which is basically to say, make money through my writing — I won’t be able to devote a significant amount of time to this site.
That doesn’t mean this has come to an end. I started this to build the case for Kobe, and to respond to a number of long-standing criticisms that have been levied against him. I intend to do that — just at a slower pace. The end result, I hope, will one day be a complete compilation of articles, treating the entire subject of Kobe Bean Bryant. Obviously, there is still much work to be done. It’s just going to have to happen a bit more slowly.
I’ll tell you a bit about what’s in the works. Sometime soon, I plan to write an article about the direction this site is going to take in the future. Once I return to writing on basketball, first and foremost, I plan to discuss the ways in which Kobe Bryant failed in the Finals. Am I going to enjoy it? No. But honesty and integrity demand that I write it. Consistency is what I demand of others, so consistency is what must be expected of me.
After that, we’re going to address all of the Jordan comparison issues that are popping up — especially all those “Don’t ever again compare Kobe to Jordan” gauntlets that have been thrown down in recent weeks.
Finally, I’m going to recap Kobe Bryant’s incredible MVP season, reminding everyone that it was fully deserved and in no way illegitimate, unmerited, or a “career achievement award.” And when I’m done with that, I’ll be addressing the Tim Donaghy issue, probably on Hardwood Paroxysm, or maybe on MVN.
And of course, I do still plan to respond to most of your comments.
So please accept my apologies for my recent absence. I promise that I will do my best to find time where possible, although it’s not likely that I will be as present as I have been in the past.
Now you get to scroll down and read all the comment responses that I’m about to get caught up on. Oh, don’t worry, eQ, we’ll get to you. Gotta wait your turn!
@Willie Montgomery,
Great observations. I’ll be getting to what happened to the Lakers at some point — we have an entire off-season to discuss that series, and its ramifications. I’ll also be dealing with the Kobe-MJ comparisons at some point, maybe more than once (that is, from more than one angle). So I’m not going to say much on those topics for now, but in depth discussion of all of this is coming, hopefully soon.
@eQ,
Well, where to start? How about at the beginning. That’s how things work around here. The quoted material is you. Let’s get started.
Actually, LeBron is the one trying to mimic Michael Jordan. LeBron wears Jordan’s number, 23. He, like Jordan, went to a crappy team that is now trying to build around him. He is posting Jordan-like numbers while failing to get over the hump — much like Jordan’s first 6 years. His game is more like Jordan’s — shooting such a high percentage because he gets to the rim so easily, but not well rounded (Jordan’s jumpshot came later in his career, when he lost some quickness and “air”). And of course, he has Jordan’s marketing machine, and is working hard to maintain the same tailored image, doing and saying all the “right things.”
I’ll grant you that at one point, Kobe was trying to be Jordan. It was obvious. But that ended in Colorado, and since then, we haven’t seen that Kobe. His game is actually quite different from Jordan’s, and it’s pretty clear that he doesn’t really give a rat’s ass about a perfectly tailored image. The fact is that anybody paying any attention to basketball should see by now that Kobe’s days of trying to “be like Mike” ended years ago. Get over it.
Let’s answer your questions first, then set the record straight on another issue. First, let me make this very clear — I’ll get into who was to blame for what in the Finals, but Kobe Bryant is definitely included. In fact, I’ve already said that he failed, and I’ve said that I have an article talking about how he did so. What now?
Second, I very deliberately refused to blame the refs for anything in this series, even the laughable Game 2. In fact, I wrote an article challenging Lakers fans to get over it and recognize that only the Lakers were to blame for the Game 2 loss. You can click here to read it. How does this fit into your assertion that I’m leading a “march of denial” and that we’re all delusional around here? Not so well, I’d guess.
Now, to set the record straight: the Lakers do not owe Pau Gasol anything for getting into the Playoffs.
When Bynum went down, the Lakers were 24-11 (the game in which he went down in the first half doesn’t count because he was not a factor, and Kobe had to take over to win). In the next 11 games before Pau Gasol’s start, the Lakers went 6-5, good for a pace of .545. Applying that pace to the rest of the season, they would have gone 20-16 in the final 36 games of the season, finishing 50-32 — a tie with Denver, and the Lakers owned the tie-breaker. Thus, at their when playing without either Bynum or Gasol, the Lakers would still have made the Playoffs.
Furthermore, it isn’t even that reasonable to assume they would only maintain a .545 pace in their final 36 games. Bynum’s injury came just before the start of the longest straight road trip in Lakers history, whereas the rest of their schedule after that trip was fairly home-heavy. Therefore, it can be assumed that they would do a bit better. Furthermore, all five of their losses were to teams that made the Playoffs, and overall, they went 3-6 against playoff teams in that stretch.
Most significantly, 8 of the 11 games were against playoff-bound teams. That’s 72.7% of their games coming against playoff teams! Meanwhile, only 14 of their final 36 games (only 38.9%) were against teams that made the playoffs. If we apply these same trends to the final 36 games — no losses to non-playoff teams, .333 winning percentage against playoff teams — the Lakers would have gone 27-9 in their final 36 games, finishing 57-22… exactly where they finished without Gasol.
You’ll surely insist that it’s not reasonable to assume they’d maintain that pace. Not so quick. Take a look at the stretch of 9 games at the end of March in which Gasol was injured. 5 of those games were against playoff teams, and the Lakers won 3 of them — 60%, which is nearly twice their winning percentage against playoff teams in their 11-game stretch after Bynum’s injury. They also won 2 out of 4 in an incredibly tough four-game road trip against some of the best teams in the West.
Yes, it’s unreasonable to assume the Lakers wouldn’t lose to any non-playoff teams. They did do that even with Gasol, so they probably would without him. But on the other hand, they also had a much higher winning percentage against playoff-bound teams than predicted when Gasol was injured, so that balances out some.
At the very least, it’s simply unreasonable to think that the Lakers wouldn’t have made the Playoffs without Gasol. In fact, they would clearly have beat out Denver, and most likely Dallas as well, finishing somewhere in the middle of the pack.
On the other hand, had Kobe not played more than half of the season with a severely injured shooting hand, the Lakers would not have come close to making the Playoffs.
Oh, and no Kobe hater has the right to talk about selective memories.
Alright… on to other stuff.
No. No excuses. What now?
Nope, not going to. I’m really not fitting into that box you had prepared for me, am I?
Well, it’s pretty simple: LeBron improved because he had so much room to improve — he was simply horrific in the first 4 games.
But to really get into it, it’s that — as anyone who paid any attention to the Playoffs knows — Boston improved hugely as the Playoffs progressed. The Boston team that showed up in the Finals, especially in Games 4-6, was much better than the one that beat Detroit. And the one that beat Detroit was much better than the one that barely survived Cleveland. The Boston team that went to 7 games against Cleveland wasn’t much better than the one that went to 7 games against Atlanta.
So, congratulations, LeBron — you reached the level of… Josh Smith. Of course, I think it’s convenient that you focus on one of LeBron’s games that was statistically good but (a) he lost, and (b) ended the series with a Boston victory.
It’s also convenient that you point out LeBron’s 45-point game in a series that he lost, while completely ignoring (a) his Games 1-4, which were miserable, and (b) Kobe’s Game 3.
In Game 3 of the Finals, Kobe scored 36 points and grabbed 7 rebounds while taking only 20 shots. He shot 60% from the field. LeBron, on the other hand, shot 48.3% when he scored 45 points. More significantly, it took him 29 shots to get those 45 points! Maybe that has something to do with why they lost the game.
Oh yeah, and Kobe won Game 3.
In fact, let’s look at Kobe’s Game 2. He shot a nearly identical percentage to LeBron’s 48.3% from Game 7, scoring 30 points, and he also had 8 assists and 3 steals. Furthermore, he made 7 of his final 8 shots (counting shots that resulted in free throws), and almost single-handedly brought the Lakers back from being down 24 in under 9 minutes. Both that game and LeBron’s Game 7 were losses, and Kobe’s Game 2 was just as impressive as LeBron’s Game 7.
The fact is that Kobe was every bit as impressive against Boston, individually, as LeBron was — in flashes, because neither was consistently good. But he was never as terrible as LeBron was for the first 4 games, nor did he have such a long slump. And all this was against a clearly weaker Boston team than the one that finally showed up to the Finals!
You can have your LeBron.
I already said this above, but it bears repeating — I love how you selectively pick out LeBron’s best game of the series, but refuse to compare it to Kobe’s best game of his series. Maybe that’s because Kobe’s best game was better, and it resulted in a win. And of course, none of his bad games were as bad as LeBron’s.
I’ve got an article coming on this at some point. But in the meantime, look up all the players that have played both with and without Kobe and LeBron, especially those that played well before playing with them and those that had already developed into decent players before playing with them. There are exceptions on both sides, but you’ll find that the majority of those players got worse when they joined LeBron, and got better when they left him. Meanwhile, the majority of players got better when they joined Kobe, and got worse when they left him.
I’ll break it all down someday, eventually (I’ve got a lot on the to-do list, so it’s not a priority), but don’t wait on me or take my word for it — look it up yourself.
Okay, that’s all for tonight. Of course, you’ve written more, so there’s more to respond to. But it’s late, so that will have to be for another day.
@lalball81,
Now, now, my friend. Let’s give this guy a chance. There’s every possibility that he recognizes a reasonable argument and is able to concede well-made points. From the tone of his comments thus far, it doesn’t seem likely. But he has a long way to go before he reaches the level of the commenter who once referred to himself as “You’re Stupid.”
I’m in the process of responding to his comments, point-by-point as I always do. Let’s give him a chance to come back and show that he can be rational, either by recognizing valid points or by making valid points of his own.
@Brittney M,
Offensive style doesn’t come into play as much in this context, however, there is one sense in which it really makes sense.
As Willie Montgomery has already mentioned, I find it hard to believe that even Jordan himself would be able to score effectively against the Boston defense that showed up for the Finals. It’s not just that Boston double teamed — Kobe routinely beat the initial double team. It’s that every time he broke through a double team, Boston rotated with unbelievable precision and had another one waiting for him. What would Jordan have done in this situation? Fly over them, as Willie asked? Air Jordan, perhaps, but he didn’t have wings. He would have been forced to either (a) shoot contested jumpshots, or (b) find the open teammates. And let’s not forget that Kobe’s jumpshot is better than Jordan’s was.
Kobe did both of those things, but as Matt from Hardwood Paroxysm has pointed out, a diet consisting primarily of jumpshots is not a recipe for success, even for someone with such a deadly jumper as Kobe’s.
Meanwhile, Kobe’s teammates didn’t hit their shots. Part of this is because they got fewer open ones. I think the most mind-boggling thing in the Finals was the fact that Boston could pack all 5 guys into the lane to prevent penetration, but their rotations were so quick, crisp, and precise that on the pass out, they could make it back out to the shooters before they had a chance to get the shot off. It was simply incredible. So, Boston deserves a lot of credit for being able to shut down the lane and still contest outside shots. But Kobe’s teammates also just disappeared. Gasol and Odom couldn’t hack it against the physicality and toughness of Boston’s defense. The rest of the supporting cast, meanwhile, decided to trade roles with Boston’s. Somehow, the bench that had been so productive for the Lakers all year was as useless as Boston’s bench had been for much of the year. Meanwhile, Boston’s bench was often the star of the series, and was the difference maker in the Finals.
But to get back to my point — as I’ve mentioned before, LeBron doesn’t have a jumpshot. He relies on his ability to get to the basket to score. If he can’t do that, he struggles. Every now and then, his jumpshot might get hot, but 8 times out of 10, if you shut down the paint, he struggles. And that’s why your point has validity. LeBron struggled against Boston in all but 2 games — Game 5, in which he had 35 points on 12-for-25 shooting (but only 5 assists and 3 rebounds), and Game 7, in which he scored a lot but had to take a lot of shots to do it (he didn’t shoot at a percentage that justified taking that many shots and scoring that many points).
In 7 games, he did not shoot over .500 even once! For the entire series, he shot a miserable .355. Over the first 4 games, he shot 20-for-78, which is .256 shooting. Include Game 6, and in 5 of the 7 games, he shot a miserable .287!
How can you say anything positive about LeBron’s performance against Boston? His two “good” games were still quite poor, by his standards, and 5 out of the 7 games were absolutely horrific! Meanwhile, he only broke double digit assists and rebounds one time each (this from the player that many thought “might average a double double” early in the season).
The reason for this is that LeBron depends on his ability to get to the hoop. If you seal off the paint, he struggles. Period. Give him lots of space and play him straight up, and (a) he’s going to miss a lot of jumpers, and (b) you don’t have to leave any of his teammates open. He’ll probably heat up for 1 game in the 7-game series, but you’re fine with that. The rest of the time, he’s going to be missing most of his shots. Which is what he did.
And of course, the Cavs’ offense is “The LeBron Iso,” meaning that when LeBron is struggling — not getting into the paint, not drawing the double so he can kick it out, and not scoring — the team basically can’t score. And there’s that distinction between the Cavs’ “LeBron Iso” and the Lakers’ triangle offense. When LeBron can’t get into the paint and either score or find wide open teammates, the Cavs are doomed. Therefore, their loss has a lot to do with LeBron’s inability to do what he usually does. The Lakers, on the other hand, don’t rely on Kobe getting into the paint to run their offense. They can initiate the offense from many places on the court, in transition or in the half-court set, and the triangle is specifically designed to create open looks. And all this is not dependent on one, single player. Therefore, when Kobe struggles with his shot, the Lakers can still score. So when they struggle to score, it’s not just that Kobe isn’t being Kobe. It’s that the Lakers, as a unit, aren’t being themselves.
Now, Mike Brown is as responsible for the Cavs’ offensive woes as LeBron — I’m not saying it was LeBron’s fault. But the Lakers’ offensive struggles were because the team, as a whole, struggled to run the triangle and make its open shots. The Cavs’ offensive struggles were specifically because LeBron couldn’t be LeBron.
By the way, let’s take a quick look at Kobe’s numbers. In his worst game, he shot 6-for-19, which is .316 shooting. That was his worst game — he never shot below .300. By contrast, in LeBron’s worst game he shot 2-for-18, which is .111 shooting (barely 1/3 of Kobe’s worst shooting percentage). And while Kobe never shot below .300, LeBron averaged below .300 for four straight games! In LeBron’s 3rd worst game, he still didn’t shoot as well as Kobe did in his very worst game!
In LeBron’s best game, he shot .483. In Kobe’s best game, he shot .600. In LeBron’s 4 worst games, he shot .256, and in his 5 worst he shot .287. In Kobe’s 4 worst games, he shot .341, and in his 5 worst he shot .369.
Kobe didn’t shoot well against Boston — but he wasn’t nearly as terrible as LeBron was. And LeBron didn’t even have to face Boston at their best.
@eQ,
One more thing. Let’s go back to this:
Let’s look at LeBron’s shooting percentage vs. the rest of the Cavs’, and Kobe’s vs. the rest of the Lakers’.
LeBron: 55-155 = .355
Cavs: 149-344 = .433
Kobe: 53-131 = .405
Lakers: 145-320 = .453
Significant facts:
Conclusions:
It’s simply inaccurate to suggest that LeBron’s supporting cast was significantly weaker than Kobe’s. As the numbers show, they were essentially equal. On the other hand, the numbers show that while LeBron and Kobe both struggled, LeBron was drastically worse than Kobe.
Now, let’s look at defense. After all, defense is a team activity, and one defender can’t stop a team. Therefore, it tells you how good the entire team was defensively, not just one player.
The Cavs gave up 84 points to Boston. The Lakers gave up 103. That’s 19 points more per game. One might attribute that to pace, but note that the Lakers took 75 shots per game — only 4 more than the Cavs’ 71 shots per game. Therefore, it doesn’t seem that pace had much to do with the Cavs’ team defense giving up 19 fewer points than the Lakers.
Given that the two teams’ supporting casts were essentially equal on the offensive end in their series against Boston, but the Cavs were significantly better on defense, I think it’s pretty clear that LeBron’s supporting cast was actually better than Kobe’s.
And since LeBron’s best game was one the Cavs lost, and he was basically terrible for nearly the entire series, it’s pretty clear that the Cavs took the Celtics to 7 games not because of LeBron James, but as a team effort — and primarily because of their team defense. (Note: As Kobe is a 1st Team All NBA defender this year, and LeBron is not, I think it’s safe to say that Cleveland’s defensive superiority over L.A. is not because of LeBron or Kobe.)
@Willie Montgomery,
All of these were fantastic points.
If Jordan is the measuring stick, then Kobe is ahead of schedule, either way you look at it. For those that don’t want to recognize Kobe’s early years with Shaq, then the timeline must start after Shaq’s (and everyone else’s) departure(s). By that timeline, Kobe got to the Finals with a team built around him faster than Jordan.
For those that don’t want to start the timeline from just 4 years ago for Kobe, then it starts at the beginning of his career, and Kobe won 3 titles quicker than Jordan won any.
Furthermore, Kobe is about a year older than Jordan was when he won his first title. And Jordan won 6, despite a 2-year hiatus. Again, that puts Kobe ahead of schedule. At that rate — and it’s not unreasonable to think he could do something similar, especially with how strong this team will be when Bynum returns — it’s more than possible that Kobe can win anywhere from 3 to 6 championships over the next several years.
And as you pointed out somewhere else, Jordan only started winning championships when he had a solid supporting cast, composed primarily of battle-tested veterans. Kobe’s team is primarily un-tested young players. They have now been tested, a little, and it’s likely they will be much better next time around. If they are, a team like the Celtics won’t have the luxury of playing Bryant the way they did in this series.
I know I’ve already said this, but… much more on the Kobe-MJ comparison coming soon(ish). Since you seem to really have a lot of insight into that specific topic, I may use you as a sounding board, if you’re willing. When the time comes.
Brittney M,
That article had some good and some bad. But the author makes two key mistakes.
First, his main argument against Kobe is that he isn’t as popular as Jordan was. Which is confusing — is this basketball, or is it a high school senior prom? In reality, Kobe fans have never claimed that Bryant would be “like Mike” in the areas of popularity, marketing, etc. They have only claimed that Bryant could be compared to Jordan on the court.
Personally, I’m glad he’s not like Mike. Ever since Colorado, he has seemed more real. As he showed last summer, he’s not unwilling to sacrifice his image for what he values — an in this case, it produced extremely positive results. I’ll take Kobe’s “real” over Jordan’s “carefully tailored image” (that is, “fake”) any day.
His second mistake was with the following paragraph:
Once again, inconsistency. If he’s going to excuse Jordan for not winning until he got better teammates, then he must do the same for Kobe. Therefore, the previous 3 years shouldn’t count. (And at least for Kobe, it was 3 instead of 6.) Furthermore, you can’t count Kobe’s teammates as “good” yet, because they were terrible in the Finals. That’s like calling Tracy McGrady “good” — yeah, in the regular season. But that’s not when it really counts. In the Playoffs, he can’t elevate his game.
It doesn’t matter that the Lakers’ bench was one of the best in the league during the regular season. They often struggled in the Playoffs, and they were miserable in the Finals. They were completely dominated by the Celtics’ bench — a bench that had been non-existent for most of the year.
So if you’re going to give Jordan a pass for the years when his teammates didn’t come through, you have to do the same for Kobe. As I mentioned earlier, if Kobe’s teammates play at the level that Jordan’s teammates did in the Bulls’ championship years, Boston won’t have the luxury of being able to defend Kobe the way they did.
@Willie Montgomery,
Again, another fantastic response. You really know a lot about the Kobe-MJ comparison, and you have an especially impressive memory for the details of Jordan’s career (which most have forgotten).
I’m not one to say Kobe is at Jordan’s level. He’s not yet, though I think he can get there. However, I do demand consistency. I’m tired of seeing Jordan through retro-actively rose-colored glasses. If you’re going to say, “Jordan would never…” then at least do your research, and make sure what you’re saying is actually, you know, true. Most of the time, he not only would, but he did.
Good stuff, man. I’m gonna have to pick your brain at some point.
@eQ,
Alright, here’s how this works. If that happened, you find us an article or a YouTube clip or something proving it. That’s what is always asked of me, and that’s why I consistently substantiate every claim that I make. The same applies to everyone here. You don’t get to make such a potentially damaging claim without substantiating it.
Bring the proof.
And then he went and got swept by the Spurs in the Finals. You know, the same Spurs that Kobe easily dismissed in the Conference Finals this year. LeBron couldn’t even win one game against them!
(Sidenote: That ought to tell you a lot about the Pistons that year. LeBron couldn’t win a single game against San Antonio, and yet he walked all over Detroit. Clearly, that year Detroit was neither as dominant in general, nor as defensively sound, as they have the reputation for being. Of course, this is the same Pistons team that struggled to put away the ‘Sixers this year. The same one that, year after year, with the single exception of 2004, is usually best described as “apathetic.” The fact that LeBron was miserable against the Spurs in the Finals says pretty clearly that the Pistons weren’t really that tough that year. That doesn’t diminish what LeBron did — 25 straight points against any team is amazing. But let’s not blow it out of context, please.)
Meanwhile, this Boston team, by the time it reached the Finals, was significantly better, both offensively and defensively, than last year’s Spurs. And yet, while LeBron didn’t win a single game against the Spurs, Kobe won 2 against the Celtics.
As I pointed out earlier (click here to review)… First, Boston was not nearly as good against Cleveland as they were against L.A. Against Cleveland, they were still in their “Atlanta funk” — by the time they played L.A., they had long since snapped out of it.
Second, Cleveland’s ability to push the series to 7 games was not due to LeBron James. In his best game, the Cavs lost. The rest of the series, he was horrifically bad. It was actually LeBron’s supporting cast — which scored well at home, and defended well across the board — that pushed the series to 7 games.
On the other hand, the 2 games the Lakers won were specifically because of Kobe.
Furthermore, when you’re quoting statistics, please try and quote them correctly. For example:
First, Kobe’s best performance in the Finals (Game 3) was better than LeBron’s best performance in the Conference Semi-Finals (Game 7). In addition, it resulted in a win.
Second, in Game 3 Kobe shot 12-20, good for .600 shooting, and added 7 rebounds (2 more than LeBron’s 5 in Game 7). In fact, in Game 2 Kobe shot 11-23, good for .478 shooting (which was above his season average), and also had 8 assists (2 more than LeBron’s 6 in Game 7), 3 steals, and 4 rebounds (only 1 less than LeBron’s 5 in Game 7).
Contrary to your assertion, both Games 2 and 3 were on par with Kobe’s statistical year.
So, take my advice: When you try and quote stats, try and get them right. Because when you make outrageous statements like that one, I’m going to call you on them.
Oh, and by the way… Kobe’s 81 points were greater.
Haha. I’m sure you’d like that. But in reality, I just haven’t had much time recently. And, though I’ve already pointed this out several times, the “denial” claim simply doesn’t stick, as I have already admitted that Kobe fell short in the Finals, and am preparing an article discussing how.
I can tell you how Shaq’s @$$ tastes without coming within a hundred miles of him.
Fat.
What do I think about his comments? I think this is the guy that refused to have surgery in the off-season, choosing instead to do it during the season and miss half the season, because, as he said, “I got hurt on company time, I’ll heal on company time.”
A class act, clearly.
This is the guy that has thrown every single coach and teammate — the same ones that he owes for every ounce of success he’s had in his career — under the bus.
He’s insecure, hyper-sensitive, ego-maniacal, absurdly arrogant (yes, even for an NBA superstar). In fact, I find it convenient that you seem so fond of Shaq, and yet you criticize Kobe for lacking humility — in the same comment! If that’s not hypocrisy, I don’t know what is. If you really cared at all about arrogance and humility, Shaq would be your second-least favorite player in all of sports (Terrell Owens would be the first).
But you don’t. You just hate Kobe, and his supposed arrogance is something you think you can use against him. News flash: It’s not working.
Back to Shaq. He’s lazy, has no work ethic, and is consistently hated by the fans he leaves behind (as opposed to someone like Garnett, for whom Minnesota fans cheer even when he’s playing against their team.) During their championship years, Kobe was constantly bailing him out on the court, especially in the ends of games, because he was often on the bench. Why? Either because he couldn’t hit free throws (and never cared to improve), or because he had fouled out.
What do I think of Shaq? I think you are, once again, seeing his true colors. Kobe is frequently blamed for his part in the Kobe-Shaq media feuds, back when they were teammates. But the reality is that Shaq took him under his wing as a little brother one moment, and then trashed him in the media the next moment. Most of those feuds started with Shaq’s comments, and you’re seeing the same here. Once again, Shaq has decided to start drama.
How convenient that you Kobe haters constantly criticize Kobe for responding to Shaq’s comments when they were teammates, but you love it when Shaq makes those comments, even today when the hatchet is supposedly buried.
I guess it shows your true colors, as well. You don’t actually care about either player criticizing the other in public. You just hate Kobe with an irrational passion, and are willing to take any opportunity, no matter how hypocritical, to criticize him… even while you’re applauding others for doing the exact same thing!
That’s what I think about it.
@Brittney M,
Great point. What do I think about Shaq’s rap?
I think that he can’t handle Kobe being in the spotlight and him not. I think that he didn’t do jack in the 2005 Finals. And I think that he got man-handled by the Spurs — whom Kobe dispatched of as though it were child’s play.
And I think he’s jealous. Jealous because Kobe’s got more attention than him now. Jealous because he knows Kobe’s going to pass him up in the next few years, and leave him eating dust.
Alright, folks. I’m all caught up on the comments. Lots and lots of responses for those of you who have been waiting for my comments to go back and read. They start here.
Again, sorry for the prolonged absence.
— Josh
Aww, I had just typed up a long, detailed message and I lost it when I went to post.
Oh well, welcome back Josh.
Oooh, and by the way I found a cool video on Youtube that breaks down the defense of Kobe’s era against the defense of Jordan’s era. It’s worth a look for anybody who is interested. I’ll probably post some more later, but for the most part most of what I wanted to say has been covered I think.
OOhh I can’t wait to see what eQ has to say now, like I said Josh will get back to you in full detail. Josh don’t worry, take your time we know you have a life of your own to run.
Lol, thank you Josh for shedding some light on Shaq’s true colors.
Kobe was never good at faking his personality in front of the camera. What you see of Kobe as is he answering questions in interviews is essentially the person he is off the basketball court. Shaq on the other hand, is the polar opposite. He’s fantastic at constructing funny, charming interviews in the eye of the media. I think that sadly, he fooled a lot of people in the process into believing that was his true personality.
I’ve never liked Shaq, even when he was on the Lakers. As I said, he’s absurdly lazy and arrogant, and I used that quote about healing on company time earlier in the thread. And now he’s saying all he was doing was freestyling, yet you know he meant every word of his rap. Much of the feud Kobe and Shaq had in LA was sparked by O’neal’s comments, but it wasn’t helped by Kobe responding to them.
If I remember correctly, it was the start of the 03-04 season when Kobe missed training camp. When questioned by a reporter about Shaq’s thoughts on players not being there Shaq responded with: “I can’t answer that, because the team’s all here”.
Kobe later jabbed at O’neal’s leadership:
When Gray asked Kobe about Shaq’s leadership, Bryant said, “Leaders don’t beg for a contract extension and negotiate some $30 million-plus per-year deal in the media when we have two future Hall of Famers playing here pretty much for free. A leader would not demand the ball every time down the floor when you have the three of us (Karl Malone, Gary Payton, Bryant) playing beside you, not to mention the teammates you have gone to war with for years, and by the way, then threaten not to play defense and rebound if you don’t get the ball every time down the floor.”
Bryant also used the phrase “Shaq’s childlike selfishness and jealousy” during the interview and cited the big man’s “unprofessionalism,” pointing out he was “fat and out of shape”
I don’t take credit for that, it’s over at Foxsports.com by Jeff Gordon.
The smart thing for Kobe to do is to ignore Shaq and be the adult.
Josh, thanks for the compliments, and “anytime” concerning the Kobe/MJ thing. Shaq too for that matter….that lazy bum! : ), he should have 7 or 8 rings!
Take care, live your life, don’t spend too much time with the “haters”. Most have no clue, they just hate Kobe and form illogical viewpoints around that hatred.
Hey Josh,
It’s been awhile…I think the last time I actually posted a comment was back in Feb of this year…Since then, the Lakers season was a complete dream season that ended like tragic love story.
So far, you’ve been the voice of articulated reasoning. You argue topics with valid statements and facts and even against irrational haters, you sought to distinguish your debate with professionalism…that I applaude you loudly.
However, it is now that i need your profound wisdom. I implore your sound judgement and explanation of what happened in the finals so I can have faith again because since game 6, I have lost all faith in Kobe.
Why?
Well, I have followed this season since game 1 in november, which i was actually at the staples center when the crowd booed kobe…and to see the evolution of the team during the seaon, to see boos turn into to realized chants of “MVP,” to follow every postive/negative articles/blogs (which eventually lead me to this site), all the debates about kobe vs. lebron, then kobe vs. chris paul, to see kobe win mvp, watch him and the lakers dominate the playoffs and kobe performing out of his mind with the closing games against denver, utah, and spurs, was all a sweet and savoring season for any kobe/laker fan…Yet the self destruction of the finals and kobe’s uncharacteristic performance, especially the demise in game 6 has left me broken hearted and even almost hating Kobe.
My reasons for being so harsh? Well, I’ve seen kobe played with JV players the past few years and even then, night in and night out, he played against teams where their whole team defense was meant to stop kobe and throughout the years, he still managed to get to line, get points and keep the team close…Did they win? Not most of the time, but still, the effort was there and in almost all of those games, they had a chance to win. That’s why i resepected Kobe so much because he gave it his all, no matter who was on his team or no matter how his image/stats would be from his effort. So to see Kobe all of the sudden perform the way he did against the celtics was so weird…I know the celtics had outstanding defense, which i’m not trying to take anything away from, but still…In my opinion, and it hurts to say it, but kobe chickened away from the celtics defense…Almost to the point so that he wouldn’t take the blame had the lakers lost in the finals. He got frazzled and jolted. I know that’s streching it, but that’s how scorned I am.
After that debucle in game 6, I was so devastated that I’m literally trying to avoid anything lakers/kobe related in the media and internet, as if I’m trying to avoid a bad breakup…I know it’s lame to do and to say, but it’s the truth. Though I’m here now, and mostly because of too much drinking tonight which lead me to feel like venting and finding some salvation…
So Josh, if anyone can give me light and perhaps hope with Kobe again, i hope it’s you…When you get the chance, please share you insight on what the heck happened to kobe in the finals…how did he shy away from taking it to the rim where paul pierce was so relentless? And just to note for you haters, Paul Pierce did have a crazy finals series, but look at his numbers for the first 3 playoff series and compare them to kobe, it’s not even close…bottom line is, I’ve always believed in kobe, despite everything…I’ve gave him excuses and room for error, but to get that close to the final goal and to choke like he did, i just don’t know how to make sense of it…can you make sense for me? If Kobe is supposedly the out-of-this-world bball player and 2nd best player since jordan, how the heck did he lay a goose egg in the finals? The lakers didn’t have to win the title this year for the season to be validated, but to blow away game 4 and to get trashed in game 6 was just as painful as having your wife cheat on you and then breaking up with you in the same week.
So again Josh, when you have time, I’m trying to find a reason now on why i should cheer for Kobe bryant anymore…
Ethan,
I know I’m certainly not a writer of Josh’s caliber, but I’ll try to answer a couple points of your posts as best I can.
First of all, I understand completely how you feel, and am certain many fans feel the same way right now. However, I am not one of them. I have complete faith that the Lakers, and Kobe especially, will bounce back strong next season and play with a chip on their collective shoulder. Kobe has never “shied away” from anything or anyone, it’s just not his personality. I think he actually is unable to do it, that’s how competitive he is. In the case of the Finals, I thought Kobe was trying to play as much team ball as he could and not force anything, seeing as that’s how the Lakers made it to the Finals in the first place.
As Bill Russell said, “Kobe can’t take what Boston gives him, he has to take what he wants.” Unfortunately, Kobe only took what Boston gave him, which happened to be nothing at the rim.
It’s not much, but maybe that helps a little bit..
@Ethan
Imma try to point out I few things for you also. I am also dissapointed that the Lakers forced game 6 and did nada to force a game 7 so I can feel your pain but the key here to me is the LAKERS not just KOBE as you keep pointing out. To say he didn’t show up or chickened out because of the Celtics D. But I think Kobe did give it his all and was playing team basketball and he didn’t try to play 1 on 5 basketball and thats what’s you are kinda wishing he did. Kobe didn’t take over the game offensivly as we have seen but he didn’t have help either. When Kobe passed the ball, Lamar and Gasol gave him nothing in my opinion and when Kobe attacked, he couldn’t because of the Celtics D so to me Kobe gave it his all given the circumtances and it was the Lakers as a team that didn’t show up to play game 6. Boston wanted it more, played with a purpose and the Lakers never matched their intensity as a team so they lost but I feel they will be back and better so don’t give up hope yet. Just look at it like this the young Laker team wasn’t even supposed to be there in the Finals, yet they made it there so thats an accomplishment.
Along with the other things I mentioned in a previous post part of the blame for the Lakers loss has to go to Phil Jackson. I believe he made some coaching errors and I thought he coached as if he had a veteran team that did not need the extra time-outs and side line motivation. Too many times Phil sat and waited for players to “figure it out” as he usually does. But that works much better with a veteran, experienced team.
As far as coaching error’s, I would have liked to see more of Turiaf (for energy/activity), and thought maybe playing a big man like Mbenga for a few minutes might have lessened Boston’s dominance in the middle. I thought he would be someone who could give some hard fouls on Perkins and Garnett, along with grabbing a few rebounds. Especially at times when Odom and/or Gasol were not delivering and were not “physical” enough.
For years Kobe heard “Kobe’s selfish, great talent but he doesn’t make his teammates better, Kobe’s not MJ, MJ made his teammates better, Kobe doesn’t, Kobe’s a ball-hog”…bla, bla ,bla I’ve always believed that kind of talk weighed on Kobe’s mind and affected his play. I believe it was evident in some of the playoff games against Phoenix the last 3 years and during the regular season at times.
In some of those games Kobe would come out and purposefully play facilitator in the first half, taking a very limited number of shots, and try to take over in the 2nd. But by then he’s out of an offensive rhythm, also its too predictable. When Kobe won the MVP award he said something like ”this award is special because the MVP award, today, goes to a player who makes his teammates better. That’s been the knock against me for years, so I’m glad I’ve been recognized for doing that”.
I really do believe Kobe is too self conscious about the “making his teammates better“, thing and he came into the finals with that mind–set. But that mind-set prevents him from being what he is, a pit bull in sneakers. I remember him saying during a Phoenix series “me scoring 50 pts is not going to get the win”, and I think he said the same thing during the Boston finals. Personally I don’t believe he should ever take himself out of “attack mode”, he’s too good at it. I also don’t think its just Kobe, I think its coaches (Phil Jackson included), the media and others that are in Kobe’s ear about becoming greater by making your teammates better.
Don’t know if its true but someone quoted Phil Jackson as saying, during one of the Boston games, ”I think I’ll turn Kobe a loose in the 2nd half”… My question was, why are you holding him back, he’s your best weapon!? The Lakers need to keep surrounding Kobe with young, talented strong willed players, like Farmar, Vuljacih, Turiaf ..etc., and let them feed off of Kobe instead of Kobe feeding them as if he’s the point guard on the team. Kobe will get his assists along the way, but he shouldn’t come out of “his game’ to do it. He, and they, will figure it out. Plus, in a sense, it was just KG’s, Pierce’s and Allen’s “time”.
@Willie
I sort of agree with you Phil could of, should of but that was then and even Phil would say he could of done something different to win but who knows what the outcome would of been if he did do it a different way. All we know for now is that he gave his team what they needed to win in the Finals and they didn’t do it. I don’t call that Phil’s fault, I call it the teams fault, Boston wanted it more, all the the players that played for Boston wanted it more then the Lakers entire team. Phil Jackson was never a rah-rah coach and he has won tiltles so to say he needed to get them fired up with rah-rah speeches is wrong. All the Lakers had to do in my eyes was show up and act like they wanted to win the title and they would be champions right now but instead, they didn’t show up at all. So at the same time we have to look at this team as young so we can’t expect them to put on a show like the Boston’s Celtics did but they will get there in time. Kobe has a better group of guys around him so I don’t expect him to be in his attack mode but the Lakers do need a productive Kobe for 4 quarters and not just the 2nd half.
Brittney,
I was just adding Phil’s part in the finals loss. In an earlier post I listed 9 things that I felt contributed to the Lakers loss and forgot to mention Phil as intended. In those 9 things I listed all the things you mentioned( Boston’s desire/experience, Lakers inexperience, Kobe playing facilitator too much…etc.). I had no intent to blame Phil totally for the loss, just believe he was a contributing factor, at least 1 of 10 reasons. Coaching can be “funny” At times I think they can get too much credit for team success, but also can get too much blame for team failure. Like Doc Rivers, last year there were rumors of him being fired. Now he’s a good coach and champion??
I realize Phil has 9 rings, and fiqured someone would call me on my comments : ). Phil is a great coach, maybe the greatest, but I also believe no one is above some criticism. Just like Kobe is a great player, but not above criticism. I even think Kobe has taken some criticism is past years, when maybe he was follwing Phil’s instructions. Like when he would have a big scoring game, then in the next one go out and take a limited number of shots. Kobe would take the hit, but maybe he was asked to play that way, to get others involved.
What I mean by “attack mode” for Kobe, is similar to what you indicated. I don’t want him to come out and jack up shots to the detriment of the team. But he needs to play 4 quarters with a good mix of getting to basket, jumpers, passing…etc, basically establishing himself as the best all-round player on the court and kinda using his will to put his stamp on the game from the start. He should make the defense adjust to him and keep them guessing. I don’t know if its his decision or coaching but, to me its seems Kobe sometimes has a mindset of “Ok, in the first half I’ll play facilitator, then take over in the 2nd half. I wish he would just “play ball”, do what he does best, and adjust as the game goes on, the assists will come. You need a “game plan” but that plan should not take Kobe away from his strengths as a player. Just the opinion of a “nobody”. : )
This writer agree’s with us also so ya’ll might want to check this link out
http://www.bangkokpost.com/020708_Sports/02Jul2008_sport25.php
That is a good article. It’s good to see some writers use common sense and decent analytical ability to look deeper than the “Kobe failed to beat the Celtics, therefore he ain’t Jordan” knuckleheads. The one thing I would add is this, Kobe should not have to prove that he can win rings without a dominant center because Jordan did. Jordan did not need a dominant center to win rings because none of the teams they beat in the finals had great centers. The Bulls beat L.A, Portland, Seattle, Phoenix and Utah twice in the finals. None of those teams had dominat centers at the time, and certainly no one of Garnett’s ability up front. So the Bulls could get by with mediocre or even less talent in the middle. Kobe had Shaq, it is what it is, they won 3 rings. People should stop trying to make Kobe’s career fit perfectly into Jordans.
I think people are underestimating the pent up desire of Boston’s big 3 to finally win a ring. I remember boxing promoter Butch Lewis telling a story about the Mike Tyson vs, Michael Spinks title fight years ago. Lewis was promoting Spinks and said he got the idea to go into Tyson’s locker room just before the fight to kinda mess with Tyson telling him how he didn’t have a chance against Spinks,….etc. Lewis felt Tyson was too young to handle the pressure of his first title fight against an older, proven fighter like Spinks. Lewis said when he got to Tyson’s locker room, Tyson’s was so fired up and focused to fight he was standing there punching holes in the wall ! He left Tyson alone and knew Spinks was in trouble. Tyson knocked Spinks out in something like 90 seconds to win the title. Spinks wanted it too, but just didn’t have a chance against a young, strong, hungry, focused Tyson that night.
I think thats what happened to the Lakers in game six, that resulted in a 39 point loss. Garnett, Pierce and Allen had been denied for years, therefore had years of pent up frustration. Add good role players who felt the same for the big 3, and the home crowd…etc. and I think once Boston got on a role it just snowballed and they buried the Lakers. Yes the Lakers failed in several areas but I think it was more about those factors in Boston’s favor than it was about the Lakers collasping or any lack of effort. Like Spinks, given the circumstances just I don’t think L.A. had a chance in game 6
Continuing further with the Jordan comparison, there’s an excellent article over at 2Ksports.com in the Basketball forum. The title of the thread is “Jordan is not the greatest player ever”. I know, usually threads like that devolve to pointless and idiotic name calling or homerism, but the poster actually makes some very strong and substantiated points.
I suggest anyone who would like some more perspective on Jordan to check it out. I warn you though, it’s a long thread.
Folks, Kobe’s never going to be MJ. Nobody ever is. You can stack up numbers, teammates, even total championships, but nobody’s ever going to have a stretch of six straight years leading his team to championships again. And then he retired. That’s perfection in your prime. And that’s why the lore of MJ will always be unassailable: When MJ was in his prime, a prime which lasted 8 years with an intermission, his team always won the NBA championship. That’s as close as I can think of a working definition of perfection. Until someone’s the best player on a team that wins 7 straight championships, this argument isn’t going to come up.
And off the top of my head, Jordan was a contemporary of Olajuwon and Ewing and beat an in-his-prime Shawn Kemp, Charles Barkley, Karl Malone, and young Shaq in NBA Finals/playoff series. I’m not sure how the Garnett/Perkins combo was the type of frontcourt force unseen in the time of MJ.
John,
First off, not many on this forum are saying “Kobe is going to be MJ”. I, along with others are saying the comparisons should stop. Kobe does not have to be MJ, their careers are apples and oranges. Kobe should do the best with what life puts in front of him, and if Kobe doesn’t match MJ’s accomplishments he should not feel less about himself. If Kobe retires today, he’ll go down as one of the best 2 guards ever, and would have had a great overall career as well.
Secondly, MJ did not “have a stretch of six straight years leading his team to championships”. MJ and the Bulls won 3 in a row, MJ retired, he then came back late in a season and got booted out of the playoffs by Orlando. Then MJ and the Bulls won 3 more.
But for laughs and giggles, let’s pretend MJ did when 6 straight titles. Bill Russell led his team to 8 straight titles, and 11 in 13 years!!! One of the years Russell didn’t win, he had a severely sprained ankle, the other he lost to a giant of the game in Wilt Chamberlain. Before Russell the Celtics didn’t win a ring after him they didn’t even make the playoffs. Stop with the Jordan had “perfection in his prime” crap. If Jordan’s prime is the “closest thing you can think of as a working definition of perfection”, think again. Sorry, MJ does not measure up to Russell. Overall MJ played 15 seasons. He won 6 rings. Guess what he was doing the other 9 years?
You say, “Until someone’s the best player on a team that wins 7 straight championships, this argument isn’t going to come up.” Isn’t it more truthful to say, ifl someone’s the best player on a team with another top fifty player(Pippen), one of the better power forwards(Grant), 2 of the best long range shooters ever(Kerr or Paxson), then one of the best rebounders/defenders ever (Rodman), who’s team peaks when the leagues top 2 teams are in decline(Celitics/Lakers), and their team has 2 “3 peats”, that’s nice, but that they still didn’t match what Bill Russell did in his career? Just asking.
Lastly, Boston’s team defense (especially up front) with Garnett, Perkins & co,), add the perimeter defense and it was the best NBA defense in many years in the NBA. None of the teams the MJ Bulls beat in the finals had as great a defense, not even close. Also none of the teams the Bulls beat in the finals were as good as the Bird/Celtics or Magic/showtime Lakers. Jordan’s prime years fit quite nicely into the down years of those great teams. And yes , MJ made the best of it.
@ Brittney M
@ Lalball81
@ Willie M
Sorry for the late response and being utterly “negative” with my last post…I do understand both your points which I agree with completely…More of less, I was just rattled by the nasty conclusion of the season and expected more from the Lakers and Kobe, but yes, by all means, it was a great season with many surprises…As a fan, I should take the entire season in stride and have great hopes for the next season, but again, I just had such high expectations for Kobe during the finals…Is that right? Probably not…I mean I have always argued with haters that Kobe is held to compete against unreal expectations and sadly, I am holding him to those standards now too…I guess I just want for him to succeed so bad to leave haters with no words left to dispute his greatness.
Anyways, it does give me more solace that other fans such as you three have such firm resolve…I was just too shaken up by the last game…only if they competed than losing is acceptable…YEs however, they were many other factors that lead to their demise, but to me, the number one thing is their defense and surely for next year, I expect Kobe to be the driving force on that end of the court.
Heres to Team USA and Kobe getting the Gold this summer
@ John Krolik
John you are missing one crucial point in your post and that is TEAM Defense, what you just posted was all individual people that Jordan faced but not one mention of the teams Defense and thats what Kobe faced. I’m sure Kobe ain’t scared to face Perkins or Garnett in a 1on1 battle but it wasn’t about Perkins or Garnett. I even felt the need to throw on a pair of sneakers and help Kobe out with the way the Lakers played scared because of the TEAM Defense. Just ask yourself was Patrick Ewing’s Knicks TEAM Defense as effective as the Bostons Celtics Team Defense???(or anyone of the individual’s you mentioned)
@Willie
What can I say, you have covered everything and I fully agree with you. But you know we all can’t agree or the world would be one sided so they have to believe what they want and as you see noone has countered none of the points we made.
All in all, if you like b-ball, Kobe Bryant is as good a player as any super-star to pull for or support as a fan of the game. Is he perfect, of course not, and I don’t even mind people disliking him for whatever reason.
But when people are inconsistent and unfair in their positions that prompts me to respond. Not to downgrade MJ (or any other player) neccessarily, but just to point out inconsistencies……It’s just not a level playing field, therefore no one can say for sure who’s the greatest.
This may have been posted before (its a couple of months old) but it details why I like Kobe as a ball player. Basically Kobe takes his crasft seriously, has since the beginning.
Part 1
http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2008/writers/chris_ballard/05/27/kobe0602/index.html
Part 2
http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2008/writers/chris_ballard/05/27/kobe0602/1.html
I know ya’ll have been hearing the Rumors so what do ya’ll think of the supposed trade of Artest for Odom????
I think this is a great trade and it would improve the Lakers defensively, give them someone who can shoot outside shots and make them more consistantly. I know all stats say we should stick to Odom but the Lakers to me need more toughness somewhere and these four guys need to go……Luke, Vlade, Mihm and Odom. I also know that this trade will cost the Lakers alot of money in tax but wouldn’t the reward of holding up a championship overlook any financial burden. They should let Turiaf go and keep Vujacic.
Well, overlooking the “side issues” for a momet with Artest, an Odom for Artest deal would be a good move, imo. I like the added defense, scoring and toughness he would bring to the Lakers. He would also free Kobe up from having to guard the opponents best 2 or 3 man. If Bynum comes back healthy I think Odom is even more dispensable.
Hopefully Artest would keep his mental state in check. I think between Kobe and Phil it could work. I’ve seen interviews where Artest speaks highly of Kobe as a player and respects his skills, that should help. It would kinda be like the Bulls taking on Dennis Rodman and getting him to fit into the system without major distractions. I would probably pull the trigger on the Artest deal.
I like Vujacih and Turiaf and wish they could keep them both. I really think Vujacih could be a “Kerr or Paxson” for Kobe, but with added defense and toughness. Turiaf brings energy, heart, hustle and really is not a bad player either.
Walton can go, he really doesn’t add much. Mihm I thought was ok but is injury prone. Vlade Radmonovich, you never know what you’ll get from him. If he’s not hitting his shots you won’t get much else.
@Willie
Great articles, it is time we all appreciate Kobe for being a great player. It is sad that many people hate him and can’t see that he is basketball. Kudos to those who can appreciate Kobe and I will spread the articles around.
@ Britney,
Glad you liked the article. Kobe is great and is sorta a victim of “time”. If Kobe had come before Jordan I fully believe he would be considered the greatest of all time. Kobe is just that talented.
His individual basketball skills were better than Jordan, and at a younger age. If Kobe had come onto a weak team as MJ did, he would have 10+ scoring titles and numerous other accomplishments.
I’m 50 yrs old and have watched b-ball since the ABA days till now. I have never seen a better scorer than Kobe. He, for the most part, has been able to will himself into a “zone” like no other. Imagine how much you would hear about it if MJ had scored 81 pts in a game!!!! But people down play it with Kobe.
Kobe is so good his big challenge is to find a way to tone his game down to fit into the team concept. As much as he’s accomplished, we haven’t really seen Kobe go all out. When he has the result is, 81pts, 62 in 3 quarters, 55 in a half, erasing 20 pt leads like nothing…..!
He has a lot of miles on his legs so it may be tough to keep up that pace. Also the Lakers have tough competition the next few years (The Spurs will be back, New Orleans is there, Portland and Utah or coming, Boston,…etc), so who knows how many more rings Kobe may get, if any. There are no guarantees. But I hope he gets several more so people can shut up and realize how good Kobe is. MJ had his time, and it was great, but let it go. Just like I had to let my all-time favorite player “go” …the great Julius Erving! That dude was like a “super-hero” in the 70’s during the ABA days! Bad knee’s and trying to tone his game down to fit into an All-star team (76’ers) slowed him down. Plus a younger Bird and Magic came along late in Dr. J’s career. MJ is lucky he came late in the Bird/Magic era.
Anyway, I don’t know why, maybe it’s the blessing of the “Supreme Being”, but every 10 or so years a really great talent comes along. It did not stop with Jordan and won’t stop with Kobe. But it is Kobe’s time now, and the main reason I hope he takes it to the next level is so people can realize that God is God, not Michael Jordan. Of course their will, desire, and effort help tremendously but MJ, like others, was “blessed” with great talent, imo. So I just try to enjoy whoever is “next”.
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