Yeah I'm old enough to have watched Mike play as well. Kobe's is amazing too like I said above but MJ was something else. Kobe's one in a million kinda thing but MJ is something that we will never have again.
<div class="quote_poster">Quoting RuN WiT iT:</div><div class="quote_post">Tell you the truth, I hated Kobe the minute I saw him, on tv that is. I hated everything about him .. there was something too cocky about him. Something that made me think he thought of himself too much, something that made him think that he was "NEXT". I even hated the Lakers, and I just hated them winning ... I loved to watch the little man AI **** on the Lakers in the first game of the 2001 finals, and to top it off I loved how Iverson stepped over Lue after hitting a basket on him. I live in LA, and for the past 9 years I have been a Sixers fan and it all started with Allen Iverson ... and you could imagine how much hate I got from everyone here. But something changed over the past 2 years about Kobe, he grew, he matured, got wiser, and got for real. Before I thought he was a fluke, an over-hyped wannabe Jordan, I even beat up a kid for wearing the #8 Jersey once. (yes it's true .. and im sorry for it) Something happened to change my opinion about this guy ... something that not even Allen Iverson come claim and that is he overcame every bullshit thing that was ever written about him by working and working and working on his game... all AI ever did was show up use his talent to put up huge numbers, but he was capable of doing more but he didn't because he didn't have the work ethic that Kobe did ..... and after watching the Kings game I've come to the conclusion that... Kobe is BETTER then Jordan. I'm sorry to say it, I know it hurts to say it ... but yes Kobe is BETTER THEN JORDAN. His shots are just amazing, he can do it all, he'll post on you turn around and pop one splat on your face, and he does it to near perfection. This guy grew up idolizing Jordan, Mimicking Jordan in everyway possible, and most of us hated him for doing so.... but now he's proving that he's better then Jordan, and he will still be getting better for the next decade. Now for the haters who will say .. "BUTT JORRDANN HAZ 6 CHAMPIONCHIPS" .. i don't care... Jordan might have 6 championships ... but SKILL wise .. I'd take Kobe over Jordan ANYDAY ... spoken by a true Kobe Hater that has turned into a Kobe Supporter... I hope he breaks every single record in the record book ... and proves to all of you that he IS the best there ever was... even if he has to step over AI one day.</div> First of all, I've seen you on the Laker forum before singing Kobe's praises, so I think this is just some kind of stunt to hype up Kobe. Second, I'm not a Kobe hater, in fact, I think he's the best player in the NBA today. Is he the MVP? No, his team has to win a lot more games for that to be said. You say you came to this conclusion after watching the Kings game. Well the Lakers LOST that game. They LOST. To a sub .500 team at that. To be considered great, a player has to win, and until Kobe does that, don't say he is better than MJ. Honestly, you sound like you're 13 years old and all you've heard about MJ is that he was a great player. He was a lot more than that. Now all you say that Jordan won because of a great supporting cast. Ok...he did have a good supporting group. But let's ask ourselves, was his supporting cast really that great, or did Jordan make them great? Until we see Kobe making his teammates better (and not becoming better after they leave (aka Caron Butler) or get worse when they come (aka Gary Payton)) he should not be called better than or even at the same level as Jordan.
<div class="quote_poster">Quoting virve119:</div><div class="quote_post">First of all, I've seen you on the Laker forum before singing Kobe's praises, so I think this is just some kind of stunt to hype up Kobe. Second, I'm not a Kobe hater, in fact, I think he's the best player in the NBA today. Is he the MVP? No, his team has to win a lot more games for that to be said. You say you came to this conclusion after watching the Kings game. Well the Lakers LOST that game. They LOST. To a sub .500 team at that. To be considered great, a player has to win, and until Kobe does that, don't say he is better than MJ. Honestly, you sound like you're 13 years old and all you've heard about MJ is that he was a great player. He was a lot more than that. Now all you say that Jordan won because of a great supporting cast. Ok...he did have a good supporting group. But let's ask ourselves, was his supporting cast really that great, or did Jordan make them great? Until we see Kobe making his teammates better (and not becoming better after they leave (aka Caron Butler) or get worse when they come (aka Gary Payton)) he should not be called better than or even at the same level as Jordan.</div> Uhm it was obvious Jordans supporting cast was really good, even before Rodman got to Chicago. OR even when Jordan left the Bulls Pippen was still doing his thing. But no doubt about it with the addition of Jordan everythign was alot easier for them. Payton went to Lakers he was past his prime so dont even put that on Kobe cuz Shaq was there and so was Malone..
<div class="quote_poster">Quoting Johnnybrasco:</div><div class="quote_post">Skill wise no he isn't, all you guys saying kobe is better, back up your points. kobe's not a better shooter career: 45% to career 50% for jordan. Not a better rebounder career: 5.1 rpg to 6.2 rpg for mike not a better passer 4.4 apg to Jordan's 5.3 apg. No to mention he has nowhere near the defensive presence mike had, who with jerry west is among the only gurads to win DPOY. Kobe's been in the league 10 years now we know what he can do, he's a great player, but when you compare him to mike everything just pales. I've seen mike play and i've seen Kobe play, there is nothing i've seen kobe do that Mj hasn't done on the court before.</div> I agree completely. But Mike hasn't scored 62 in 33 minutes
ey virve your the stupidest human being alive... i've never made one single post in the Laker forum ... ever ... so backup your facts .. you ... GOD I WANNA SAY IT BUT IM NOT ALLOWED TO ... anyway the guy that was talking about how Jordans statistics were better ... so what ... when you got a better supporting cast your numbers skyrocket ... the reason jordan has a 50% fg percentage is not because he's a better shooter then Kobe, but because he doesn't have to shoot the ball with 2 defenders in his face... he can dish it out and COUNT ON his teammates to drain the shot. Kobe would have a ton of more assists then Jordan if his team could PLAY ... and rebound wise ... well same thing .. supporting cast makes it easier to rebound by boxing out ... doing the little things to help teammates .... all I know is stats are affected somewhat by the play of your teammates...
Kobe i appologize, i just saw the game you had against the raptors tonight. you are the most talented player in the league right now. no lie. ...I still think MJ is the best player in NBA history though.
<div class="quote_poster">Quote:</div><div class="quote_post">Kobe i appologize, i just saw the game you had against the raptors tonight. you are the most talented player in the league right now. no lie.</div> Kobe has been the most talent player in the league for 5 years....his ego and his attitude get in his way, but he has been the most talented for a long time... He just dropped 81! How can you argue with that
I am joining this debate here. I am a converted hater to a, well not lover, but respecter (is that a word? ). Anyways. I had been watching Laker Games as of late, but I mean 81 points. Can anyone in the NBA do that? I love Tracy McGrady as much as the next guy, but honestly, Kobe just out-did Tracy's biggest game by 19 points. 81 points. Ladies and Gentlemen, we have experienced history. I used to like Kobe a lot, and then after Shaq left, I hated his cockiness, not arrogance, but cockiness. But now, I am a Kobe-fan. More Power To You -- Kobe. Go lead your team to victory, score 81 points, and make it look damn easy. He might never be as good as MJ, but damn, the guy is GOOD. It did look like, in the second half, he sort of hogged the ball. But I wonder, if Tracy just chucked it up, 48 shots or whatever, would he get that close? I'd like to see him do it. Honestly, I think he could. But Kobe had the sheer audacity to try that. Kobe had more shots than Tracy had points tonight, and Tracy had 43. I like Kobe now, because he's entertaining to watch. No. I am not a Laker Fan. No. I won't cheer for them. Nor will I defend Kobe in any legitimate argument. But, I would atleast pay attention to the Highlights of ever Laker game, read up on Recaps, and visit the Laker board a bit more often. 81 Points, wow. If I didn't like Nash as much as I do, Kobe would be leading the MVP race by a considerable margin. Eighty One Points. Unfriggin' BELIEVEABLE. And to cap it off, Seattle and Phoenix combine for more than THREE HUNDRED POINTS. Glad the Rockets play good Defense, but damn, that's fun to watch.
I was never a kobe fan and I'm still not a Kobe fan but lets give the man his credit for a great game. All this about the game came easier to Jordan ... Come on lets be serious. Stop the hating. Please just stop.
<div class="quote_poster">Quote:</div><div class="quote_post">Kobe i appologize, i just saw the game you had against the raptors tonight. you are the most talented player in the league right now. no lie.</div> Kobe has been the most talent player in the league for 5 years....his ego and his attitude get in his way, but he has been the most talented for a long time... He just dropped 81! How can you argue with that
Wow!!! I was amazed upon returning home and checking the box score. Almost fell off my chair and I did squirt some orange juice on the monitor... but I am just about as amazed at the converts in this thread. Keep on doing it Kobe and stuff every damn negative comment made about you back down the hater's throats.
Just as Kobe said after the game..........people have to stop comparing him to MJ and I completely agree. Micheal Jordan is Micheal Jordan and Kobe Bryant is Kobe Bryant. Both are great players and we should all just enjoy the performance that MJ has put and Kobe will put. They are both entertainers and if we all get side tracked into arguing about whos better than who then the fans will miss out on the very escence of the game. This goes for all the great players out their................thank you for putting up great games.
<div class="quote_poster">Quoting virve119:</div><div class="quote_post">Now all you say that Jordan won because of a great supporting cast. Ok...he did have a good supporting group. But let's ask ourselves, was his supporting cast really that great, or did Jordan make them great? Until we see Kobe making his teammates better (and not becoming better after they leave (aka Caron Butler) or get worse when they come (aka Gary Payton)) he should not be called better than or even at the same level as Jordan.</div> Uh...sir, when Jordan left the nba in '94-'95 I believe, the bull managed to win 50+ game, advance to 2nd Round, not to mention Pippen was the MVP of the All Star Game, and MVP of the league. So that basically yeh, his supporting casts are pretty dawn good. If Kobe was to have the supporting casts like uh...Detroit Pistons, imagine how good his teammates would make Kobe looks. And it's not fair to compare MJ and Kobe. Gosh, leave the guy alone, they're two different player from different era. It's like comparing who is more dominate, Michael or Wilt. Right now, Kobe is the best player ever was. When Kobe has a good supporting cast and win a championship on his own, he will surpass Jordan. I was at the game when Kobe scored 81 points. It was an incredible game. The Lakers down by 19 points, and all his teammates couldn't make a basket, then Kobe had to step up his game to another level and nailed down 3-4 consecutive 3 pointers to bring the game closer, and obvious in the fourth quarter, he took over the game. Amazin!!! oh btw, if you havne't see the game on TV. I"m sure Fox Sport Net will air it again at noon tomorrow.
YOU LUCKY SON OF A B!TCH!! YOU WERE THERE??? I was so close to buying tickets for the game last night on TicketExchange, DAMNIT! Congrats on going!! and very good argument you bring up about the 94-95 season, good stuff!
Id like to apolgise for every single word that ive said bad about Kobe, this 81 performance blows my mind away! I wana see this game!
<div class="quote_poster">Quoting xclutchx:</div><div class="quote_post">MUman.. you do know this is a basketball forum right?!? It seems you have a lack of knowledge about alot of things lol. Maybe you should go to the chess forums or something..stop trying to act like you know something your remarks are just plain idiodic..</div> "Lack of knowledge about alot of things"? What things? Enlighten me. You must have some pretty high powered perception going there to see my "lack of knowledge" in a post that was pretty much all opinion. In any case, kobe is still not as good as MJ and his 81 point game (while incredible) is ultimately going to hurt him in that quest. Now his already huge ego is going to reach critical mass and he'll believe more than ever that he can get it done without his team mates. So much for working on the true hallmark of a great player. oh and before you go calling someone idiotic make sure you don't do something real idiotic yourself you know and ramble on in huge run-ons it's hard making yourself sound good if you can't write english good doc...
<div class="quote_poster">Quoting Laker_fan:</div><div class="quote_post">Wow, where did you get the idea that Kobe has no mental toughness? I would have thought that coming to play basketball and scoring buzzer beaters just after you've been in court on rape charges would make you pretty tough mentally. I would have thought that being the most hated player in the NBA with everybody wanting you to fail and still playing excellent basketball without giving up would make you mentally tough. But hey, who am I to assume such things?</div> Mental toughness. Let's see him drop 80+ against a team with a decent defense. Or better yet, one on one against a pretty decent defender like, oh I don't know...MJ? As for him playing well despite being accused of rape, that could be evidence that he has no conscience. Then again, maybe you Laker fans think that's the cornerstone of mental toughness.
<div class="quote_poster">Quoting MUman:</div><div class="quote_post">"Lack of knowledge about alot of things"? What things? Enlighten me. You must have some pretty high powered perception going there to see my "lack of knowledge" in a post that was pretty much all opinion. In any case, kobe is still not as good as MJ and his 81 point game (while incredible) is ultimately going to hurt him in that quest. Now his already huge ego is going to reach critical mass and he'll believe more than ever that he can get it done without his team mates. So much for working on the true hallmark of a great player. oh and before you go calling someone idiotic make sure you don't do something real idiotic yourself you know and ramble on in huge run-ons it's hard making yourself sound good if you can't write english good doc...</div> I didnt know I was typing an essay for a class or something. I admit I am no ENglish Wiz but I know something about the game of basketball. More then I can say about you, and no way his 81pt game performance will hurt him to become one of the well known greats. That game seperated him from everyone else currently in the NBA. But I guess somone like you wouldnt know that... Stop talking like you know something please your just a hater.
