LeBron in Boston Game 6 >>>>>>>>>>>>> Kobe in Boston Game 6

I think Kobe's reaction was natural. KG didn't cry and ended up a loser, until he accepted a trade to Boston.

The rest is fair though.

 

Was Kobe better at any stage in last season's playoff? You'd be hard pressed to say so.

 

Ok so now you want to talk about history?

History shows Kobe - 4, Lebron - 0

 

How many as a #1, and did he play better against the Magic? A simple question.

LeBron will make this debate silly in a few years btw.

 

HK has somewhat turned into a stat guy and most of his arguments are taken out of context. Yes, LeBron has great stats compared, for instance to Kobe, but they are playing in different systems and different positions. It is clear and I am certain that HK knows it too, that Phil's triangle offence isn't considered to be stat-friendly. I didn't even mention Kobe in my post, but HK for some reason has mentioned him quite often in this thread. As for Kobe though, he would have been a strong MVP candidate if he had stayed healthy all season long. In my mind, Kobe proved himself last year leading his team to championship. Yes he had a significant supporting cast, but can you name any player from the past, who has won a title single-handedly? Hell, maybe LeBron will be the first one in the future as he never seems to have considerable teammates.

I'm not even saying that LeBron has a 'loser's mentality', but he has to prove himself first to be considered a winner. In the NBA, success is measured only in championships.

 

I think you're a cool dude.I do not wish to trouble you, or call out your opinions. I just want to have a deeper conversation. I've always been a stats first guy, because when I came here Kobe and LeBron were nearly equals. It is obvious to me now that this isn't the case.

One blames someone when they play poorly, or gives them praise when they don't. If Kobe plays poorly and loses I'm not holding him on a pedestal. You've turned into a "wins" guy, when our winner couldn't get out of the first round without a dominant Big. Lamar Odom is better than Mo Williams I wouldn't even argue it. I think that is a very awkward position for LA fans in general, at the very least you should argue I'm using the wrong individual, not team, barometers. Kobe was always the guy that represented numbers on a terrible team, at his peak.

It was pretty stat friendly for MJ.

Kobe was much more of a beast, when he had 3 rings and everyone called him out.

 

oh right, forgot about that... poor kobe

 

He could certainly experiment with different stuff, try to expand his game more that never hurts. I won't get on ya no worries. I'm tired as it is lol.

 

Crue24Ball is right, if we look back to the Lakers where Kobe didn't have Gasol and others around him, he averaged 35 points a game in the regular season, 82 games. That's something what's impossible to do in today's league, no one can do this, even LeBron or Durant. If Kobe was a bit younger and had no firepower around him, he'd a a statman himself but he doesen't need to do that. I'm sure LeBron is a more complete player, has a better court vision and rebounding skills, with his body that is a threat around the paint, but great players don't end there. Great players motivate their teammates and do a lot of significant stuff off the court, this is a place where Kobe has the advantage over LeBron. He's a big leader and other players trust him

 

Actually MJ's assists per game started to fade when Phil came to Chigago. The reason why LeBron's APG is so high is obviously because of his superior court vision, but the system he plays in helps as well. It's only speculation, but there's a strong possibility that Kobe would average more assists per game if he was more in the perimeter than in the post. LeBron dominates the ball and the offence hardly ever doesn't go through him if he is on the court. Yes, you can say the same about Kobe, but the extent isn't the same.

And as Shapecity already stated LeBron has the responsibility to rebound and he's extremely athletic, which also helps him to clear the glass.

Kobe's abilities on the offence are great, but his shot selection isn't the best at times and this is the reason why he isn't on MJ's level. Regardless Kobe has patently improved in that category as well. But forget it, it's going out off topic.

 

It is ok to express your opinion. I respect that man.

 

As someone who's GF is a huge LBJ fan (and from the Cleveland area), i've been forced to watch many Cavs games for the past 3 years. I can tell you right now that the numbers can't tell the whole story. Both Kobe and Lebron were better passers than Jordan was, but in terms of court vision, none are even close to Lebron. It's crazy. If he were to play in the triangle, yes his assists would go down, but he'd still be bordering around 7 a game because of his sheer ability to set his teammates and put them in the best position. Obviously, a Kobe-Lebron switch just doesn't make sense seeing as how some players just wouldn't mesh with Lebron because it was built around Kobe, but yes, Lebron's court vision is that good.

On the other hand, if I ever had any gripes with Lebron, it would be his rebounding. I think Huevon gave Lebron a pretty good assessment (best in the NBA atm, ridiculously efficient, etc.), but his rebounding numbers aren't as great as most would think. If you watch Cavalier games enough, rimmed or clunked basketballs after a missed shot usually go Lebron's way, or his teammates would let him get the ball/bounce his way. Now I completely understand why they would do that, no one starts and finishes a fast break better than Lebron James, moreover, looking at their positions, I actually think Kobe and Lebron are pretty even in rebounding.

Further, I actually don't think Kobe's biggest flaw is his shot selection but decision-making. If he knew when to pass and shoot at the right times like Lebron did, his FG% would go up as well as his assists. Kobe just makes the game exorbitant sometimes, when he could have easily passed the ball up and racked an assist (like Lebron would have).

 

Couldn't agree more. Actually this is the main flaw that frustrates me the most about Kobe.

 

Who cares they both choked against Boston difference was Kobe came back a year later and won the title while LeBron failed miserably twice in a row.

 

Did he really fail miserably? He has put up a good fight almost every playoff game except for game 5 vs Boston. I aways think that if players give everything that's within their span, you can't blame them for anything.

 

And game 2 and in game 6 he shot like shit just like Kobe in game 6. He also had like 9 TO's.

 

Hey dude, let this topic die. You obviously didn't watch Kobe in 2008 it wasn't just one game.

Let's just focus on the Finals.