Kobe Bryant Puts Boston On Notice
Posted on December 29, 2008
In the 10th straight Christmas day game of his career, and the first matchup between the Lakers and Celtics since Game 6 of the 2008 Finals, Kobe Bryant quietly orchestrated the biggest Lakers win in over six months.
While Pau Gasol has gotten all of the recognition for the late game push that propelled the Lakers to their most promising victory in nine games against the “Big Three” Celtics, it was Bryant who kept the Lakers in the game early. When the Celtics tied the game at 81, it was Bryant who engineered all of the Lakers’ final 13 points, setting up the Lakers’ nine point victory. Continue reading
Filed Under Kobe Bryant | 69 Comments
Clutch When It Mattered Most
Posted on December 8, 2008
The last in a series of three posts inspired by a single TrueHoop bullet, I’m back to weigh in on the question of who is “more clutch” — Kobe Bryant or LeBron James?
The overall “clutch” numbers, as defined by 82games.com, seem to indicate that LeBron edges Kobe out in this area. But here is the all-important question: Do the numbers tell the full story?
Here’s a hint: They don’t. But I know what does. Continue reading
Filed Under Chris Paul, Dwyane Wade, Free Throw Shooting, Kobe Bryant, LeBron James, Statistics, assists, big games, clutch, leadership | 18 Comments
LeBron James: Getting Better
Posted on December 7, 2008
Here at Respect Kobe, we pride ourselves on being fair and rational in our evaluation of players — including our beloved Kobe Bryant, as well as any challengers to his title of “best basketball player alive.” Yes, we do happen to think that Kobe Bryant is decidedly better than LeBron James. But we also think that any Kobe fans who deny that James is closing gap are in denial, while those who say, “LeBron sucks!” are just plain stupid. Yeah, I said it. Continue reading
Filed Under 3-Point Shooting, Defense, Free Throw Shooting, Kobe Bryant, LeBron James, Mid-Range Jumpshot, Statistics, poor shooting | 30 Comments
LeBron’s Fabled Mid-Range Improvements
Posted on December 6, 2008
This may surprise you — if you’ve read some of my past work, you may have gotten the opposite impression — but I’m a big fan of LeBron James. How can I not be? Much like Kobe Bryant, I can’t help but respect the rare combination of incredible talent and the work ethic to match.
The problem is that fans of LeBron tend to want to give him credit even for things he has not yet accomplished. That’s not only unfair to other players, but it’s also a disservice to LeBron James himself.
Case in point: LeBron’s supposed “improved mid-range shooting.” The question is: Has he actually improved? Continue reading
Filed Under Dwyane Wade, Kobe Bryant, LeBron James, Mid-Range Jumpshot, Statistics, poor shooting | 13 Comments