<div class="quote_poster">Quoting durvasa:</div><div class="quote_post">Hollinger of ESPN.com posted an insider article where he compares LeBron and Kobe. He's not looking at career accomplishments, but rather who he'd pick if he had to win a game tomorrow. link Basically, he breaks them down like this: Rebounding: edge LeBron Defense: edge Kobe Passing: tie Locker Room: edge LeBron Shooting/Scoring: edge LeBron (very close) Overall, he chooses LeBron, but he concedes that it's very close.</div> I am a fan of both but this is funny to see... Shooting/Scoring edge to LeBron??? After last nights game it should be obvious. Kobe was dominating his defender they couldnt even stop him with 3 guys on him. As for LeBron the only times he scored on Kobe was when his big guys would come and set screens for him. Sorry but this thing is way off. I would also disagree that they are both tied in court vision, I would have to give that to LeBron.
I agree LeBron, in general, is the better passer and Kobe is the better scorer right now. Hollinger's argument on passing was if you look at assist to turnover ration (particularly, turnovers on bad passes, available at 82games.com) Kobe has fared better this year. But LeBron's assists were way down in the first month, and he's been averaging about 7 a game since then (like last year). As for scoring, you could argue that LeBron has been better even this year since he's scoring 30+ points a game on 50% shooting. I think Kobe is definitely a better scorer on mid-range shots (15-22 feet) and in clutch situations he's a more savvy and confident player, but LeBron is certainly more efficient overall.
Right now its Kobe- there is little doubt about that. Lebron is the better passer and rebounder though.
<div class="quote_poster">Quoting mmonte4:</div><div class="quote_post">Right now its Kobe- there is little doubt about that. Lebron is the better passer and rebounder though.</div> I disagree. Kobe is a better scorer and on the ball defender, granted, but I'd still take LeBron for the rest of this season rather than Kobe. I thought this was an interesting article, arguing how LeBron's understanding of how to play the right way makes him better than Kobe. WARNING to Kobe fanatics -- this article may cause you severe head trauma and nausea; proceed with caution. http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/page2/story?page=jones/060117
<div class="quote_poster">Quoting durvasa:</div><div class="quote_post">I disagree. Kobe is a better scorer and on the ball defender, granted, but I'd still take LeBron for the rest of this season rather than Kobe. I thought this was an interesting article, arguing how LeBron's understanding of how to play the right way makes him better than Kobe. WARNING to Kobe fanatics -- this article may cause you severe head trauma and nausea; proceed with caution. http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/page2/story?page=jones/060117</div> I read that article a while ago, im not a kobe fan for sure, but i do respect his gameplay in the final minutes of games. but like the article says its about the whole game not just the last minute.
I read the first part and thought it was funny that LeBron himself agrees that Kobe is the better player or has that edge. Yet some people think they know better then the man himself (LeBron).
<div class="quote_poster">Quoting xclutchx:</div><div class="quote_post">I read the first part and thought it was funny that LeBron himself agrees that Kobe is the better player or has that edge. Yet some people think they know better then the man himself (LeBron).</div> I don't think LeBron ever actually said Kobe is a better player (I could be wrong). But it doesn't affect my opinion, regardless.
^ Well, he did refer to Kobe as the best player in the game. I would think that means he thinks Kobe is better than him.
People have different opinions and thats ok but sometimes, it seems peoples bais towards Kobe blinds them from the facts. O well we cant all agree on everything =)
LMAO @ people picking Bron over Kobe. No offense... Bron is one talented freak of nature... But he is not at Kobe's level. He simply can't go out there and beat the crap out of you on both ends the way Kobe will.
What seperates LeBron from Kobe and the other top players in the league is his ability to perform in the clutch. In the last week he has had three different oppurtunities where he could have won or tied games for his team and he just couldn't do it. The first time was ironically against Kobe and the Lakers. LeBron missed a free throw that would have tied the game for his team but he missed. Then on the other end of the court, Kobe hit the game winning shot. Then three nights later, a similar situation arose for LeBron. His team was down by two points and LeBron had the ball in his hands. Rather then taking control of the situation, James passed the ball to his teamate who then missed the shot. While this might not have been a terrible decision, two possesions later his team got the ball back with 4 seconds left. He had another chance to sink the game winner but passed up the ball to a teamate. Cleveland lost the game and much of the blame was pointed at LeBron. You would think he would have learned from these two mistakes, right? Well on Wednesday night against the Nuggets, James had the oppurtunity to tie yet another game with barely any time left on the clock. All he had to do was hit two free throws and the game would probably have been sent into overtime. LeBron made the first and his team's fate rested solely on the next free throw. He missed and his team got their third loss in the last week because of LeBron's inability to play well when the game is on the line. I don't know if LeBron is scared to miss but not taking the shot hurts your team just as much. He needs to learn that great players make great plays when their team is down towards the end of a game. Until he can do that, he isn't going to be on the same level as the Kobe's, Iverson's and McGrady's. Don't get me wrong, LeBron is a talented player. He puts up great stats and he has improved the Cavaliers since being drafted in 2003. Even though LeBron is a great player, Kobe is better at this point in their careers.
Kobe is better imo. He is making so many big shots and that game when he destroyed Dallas with his 62 pts. Kobe had 62 after 3rd quarter, Mavericks had 61. Both of these players are SUPERSTARS in the NBA, but I think that Kobe is better at the moment. But he could give some more assists.
After his 81 point game, Kobe finally surpassed LeBron for number one on Hollinger's statistical rating (PER). He's been steadily rising over the last month. <font face=""Courier New""><font color=""Green"">1 Kobe Bryant 28.99 2 LeBron James 28.66 3 Dwyane Wade 27.81 4 Dirk Nowitzki 27.66 5 Kevin Garnett 27.13 6 Elton Brand 27.07 7 Allen Iverson 26.85 8 Tracy McGrady 24.65 9 Paul Pierce 24.34 10 Vince Carter 24.24</font></font>
<div class="quote_poster">Quoting authentiq:</div><div class="quote_post">durvasa, what was kobe's PER rating before the 81 point game?</div> I don't remember exactly what it was. It's a complicated formula that relies on PER values of all the other players in the league too, so there's no simple way to calculate it. I do check it fairly regularly, though, and I believe that before the game Kobe had a 27.something, and he was ranked maybe 4th or 5th. One great game, arguably the greatest individual game in NBA history, and all of a sudden he leapfrogs everyone. It will be interesting to see who comes out on top at the end of the season. The scoring race between Kobe and Iverson might be over, but the PER race could come down to the wire.
