NICE SUMMARY OF THE KOBE AND LEBRON MATCHUP (ATRICLE EXCERPT)

[baconeggcheesebiscuit]

arguments you CAN'T make for kobe being better than lebron:

scoring- kobe's a better shooter, lebron is a better scorer. lebron leads the league in scoring, and shoots a better FG%.

clutchness - lebron has a few game winners against the wiz, and a memorable performance in game 5 against the pistons last year.
kobe has some clutch games with SHAQ (which doesn't count because i can assure you with my research, shaq did most of the work in those games). kobe stillhasn't proven that he can lead a team past the 1st round of the playoffs yet.

passing- lebron drives and kicks, and sees people open that not many players in the league can see. kobe is passing more this season, but lebron's stillhas him up on assists.

playing in the west and playing tougher teams- this one drives me nuts. the WEST DOES NOT PLAY DEFENSE. u think lebron's numbers are ridiculous now,imagine him playing in the west, where basketball is more uptempo. he'd probably average 35 a game like it's nothing.


defense- okay, this one you might be able to make because kobe was once selected onto the defensive 1st team. but REAL laker fans know his D is overrated andthat he isn't a SHUT DOWN DEFENDER. lebron shut down kobe last night late in the 4th and is continuing to get better w/ D. i'd still give kobe the nodhere, but lebron is closer than you guys wanna think.

and the rings argument don't count either. shaq was way more an important factor on that squad than kobe.

 

[bobby24k]

Kobe can get to the rim anytime he wants to as he proved for the 1st 3 quarters in the game yesterday even when LeBron was guarding him. He just chooses toshoot more jumpers because he has to conserve energy somehow because he has to do almost all the scoring, playmaking, and play the other teams best perimeterplayer now without Ariza on defense as well. LeBron just is bigger and stronger and can absorb more hits because he doesn't have to do as much. ButKobe's jumper=LeBron's getting to the rim, but by the same token Kobe's getting to the rim>>>Bron's jumper right now.

 

[kidskillz858]

One thing I notice a lot here on NT and in public is how people perceived Kobe as during his first 2 years in the league when Michael Jordan was the best inthe league people thought back then and still do today think Kobe disrespected Michael Jordan game and viewed Kobe as being arrogant.If you watch the interviewfrom the Bull's vs. Lakers game during those seasons (97,9 you can find these on youtube.Kobe always respected Jordan and said that he didnt like thehype and didnt like being labeled "the next Jordan".If you look at the tapes and interviews back then Jordan himself viewed Kobe as being hungry,wanting & working hard on his game to be the best, being fearless.Jordan said after a game that the advice he gave Kobe was to stay agressive.

 

[chitown4eva]

Originally Posted by AI Bundy

Originally Posted by chitown4eva

KAPSI1911 - good posts

But I can't say the same about some Kobe fantics

.........

You ain't lying. I was just talking about this with one of my guys over the weekend. Laker, particularly Kobe fanatics (gotta give normal fans more credit), are some of the most sensitive fans I've ever encountered.

Must suck to have to realize that the separation between Kobe at the 1 spot and the next best player in line ain't as wide as they've made themselves to believe.

it's one thing to hate on Kobe, it's another thing to turn the attention to his fans. Get a life

 

[jsindaa]

Originally Posted by BaconEggCheeseBiscuit

arguments you CAN'T make for kobe being better than lebron:

scoring- kobe's a better shooter, lebron is a better scorer. lebron leads the league in scoring, and shoots a better FG%.

clutchness - lebron has a few game winners against the wiz, and a memorable performance in game 5 against the pistons last year.
kobe has some clutch games with SHAQ (which doesn't count because i can assure you with my research, shaq did most of the work in those games). kobe still hasn't proven that he can lead a team past the 1st round of the playoffs yet.

passing- lebron drives and kicks, and sees people open that not many players in the league can see. kobe is passing more this season, but lebron's still has him up on assists.

playing in the west and playing tougher teams- this one drives me nuts. the WEST DOES NOT PLAY DEFENSE. u think lebron's numbers are ridiculous now, imagine him playing in the west, where basketball is more uptempo. he'd probably average 35 a game like it's nothing.


defense- okay, this one you might be able to make because kobe was once selected onto the defensive 1st team. but REAL laker fans know his D is overrated and that he isn't a SHUT DOWN DEFENDER. lebron shut down kobe last night late in the 4th and is continuing to get better w/ D. i'd still give kobe the nod here, but lebron is closer than you guys wanna think.

and the rings argument don't count either. shaq was way more an important factor on that squad than kobe.

How the heck do you dispell every possible way to compare players? So what are wegonna use? Looks? Endorsements? Silly dude. Bron is in no way, shape, or form a better scorer than Kobe. I think anybody with half a brain can tell you that.Clutchness there really isn't an argument at all. Passing, I don't know who said Kobe was better but he isn't. The west is easily better than theEast. And he is a better defender than Bron. So for the time being Kobe>Bron. Will it change? Yea. Maybe as soon as the next couple years. But your postmade no sense...whatsoever. Other than proving that you really hate Kobe.

 

[eb4president]

I think Kobe can be a shutdown defender but he exerts himself so much offensively it is difficult. In todays NBA the shut down defenders are those who dont dotoo much on offense ( raja, bowen, prince)

I do believe Lebron feels he is better than Kobe but wont say it. His way of making people believe he is humble, when he is actually very arrogant. And kobehas actually become more humble, compared to when he very arrogant he has stepped backed.

Its unfortunate that Kobe's career will always be judge in comparisons to others. MJ, Lebron, or whoever. The media and the fans will never see him forwhat he has done for basketball. Coaches know, but unfortunately all the info the nba fan gets comes from the media and however they wanna cut it up.

I am a huge Kobe fan. Im 20. So i got to see mike play and i remember how big he was, but Kobe was my guy growing up, he was young and appealed to me. Butbeing an NBA fan, and discussing who is the best is pointless. Kobe has been in the league for 12 years, Lebron only 4. The fact that lebron is in the argumentfor best ends all discussion. i

I hate to say this but Kobe's career will not be appreciated by the average fan untill he wins 4 more championships and 6 more mvps. And that is unfair.

When Kobe had Shaq people said he couldnt do it by himself like Mike, well Mike didnt do it by themselves. and if Kobe ever gets anybody good they will say hehad help. Yet people are beggin for Lebron to get help. We should all just appreciate this time of basketball, we're watching great players perform. We cantell our kids about them, they should all be appreciated dont let the media tell us who's better. There is no such thing as THE BEST. MJ was the bestbecuase NIKE said so, but basketball players might say MAgic was the best, his ability to play every position, be a good teammate, and everything.

 

[downtown43]

the WEST DOES NOT PLAY DEFENSE. u think lebron's numbers are ridiculous now, imagine him playing in the west, where basketball is more uptempo. he'd probably average 35 a game like it's nothing.

that whole statement is just stupid. if the West doesn't play defense, how come 5 of the top 10 defensive teams in the league play in the West? how comeEVERYONE on 1st team All-Defense last year was from the Western conference? and only 7 Eastern selections out of 20 since Lebron entered the league? and if youreally think Lebron could average 35 a game in the West like nothing, never post again

 

[kidskillz858]

I'll be honest here. The biggest reason why I'm not a Lebron fan is because of his fans here on & NT or wherever.People seriously act like he'saccomplished anything major in his career.Some people seriously buy into the hype thinking think that he can one day carry the NBA & NIKE the way MichaelJordan did in the 90's by getting non fans & casual fans interested in the NBA and that Lebron's NIKE signature shoe line will sell like the AirJordan's did and eventualy turn into it's own brand like Jordan brand and become a sub division of NIKE.

 

[rapsa]

great entertaining ballgame by both teams!the replays showed Kobe was fouled in the dying seconds

 

[baconeggcheesebiscuit]

i'm stating FACTS kid, u can't back your stuff up.
til u do, i win.

lebron is a better scorer --------leads the league in scoring, higher fg%. kobe scored 81 on the raptors will forever be your argument, but that's onegame. lebron has polished his j this season and when he drives to the rim, basically unstoppable. kobe is a better outside shooter, that's it.
clutch-------------game 5 pistons. does kobe have a memorable playoff performance life after shaq that people besides laker fans remember?
defense-----------------gilbert dropped 60 on kobe, and he's also been worked by ray allen, michael redd, richard hamilton, gerald wallace, and a fewothers. what's so great about his d? besides having the all defensive 1st team under his belt a few years back, he's not known for his shut downdefense.

 

[baconeggcheesebiscuit]

the only teams in the west that play D is san antonio, new orleans, and maybe houston.
defense is not all in the numbers, it's more of a half-court based system where teams play a slower tempo so they can adjust on the defensive end.
any other team in the west u can drop 110 on em like it's nothing.

that type of ball doesn't win championships.


and i really don't hate kobe, he was once my favorite basketball player..u laker fans make me hate on him with your constant slurpage.

 

[tupac003]

Originally Posted by wohcttank

to me kobe is a 9.7/10, and lebron a 9.5/10

both do a lot of things very well, but both have their shortcomings

Really I believ its more like Kobe 9.6 Lebron 9.6

They are equal. All the things that kobe had on lebron last year, Lebron has improved on. It will not surprise me to see lebron maybe pass up kobe during thisyears playoffs.

Lebron has good people behind him and the media is in love with this kid.

As a laker fan I am kinda forced into rooting for kobe because he is a big part of the team but if anybody told me I could have lebron right now for kobe Iwould do it in a heart beat.

 

[jsindaa]

Double post.

 

[jsindaa]

Originally Posted by BaconEggCheeseBiscuit

i'm stating FACTS kid, u can't back your stuff up.
til u do, i win.

lebron is a better scorer --------leads the league in scoring, higher fg%. kobe scored 81 on the raptors will forever be your argument, but that's one game. lebron has polished his j this season and when he drives to the rim, basically unstoppable. kobe is a better outside shooter, that's it.
clutch-------------game 5 pistons. does kobe have a memorable playoff performance life after shaq that people besides laker fans remember?
defense-----------------gilbert dropped 60 on kobe, and he's also been worked by ray allen, michael redd, richard hamilton, gerald wallace, and a few others. what's so great about his d? besides having the all defensive 1st team under his belt a few years back, he's not known for his shut down defense.

This should be fun ok lets start
lebron is a better scorer --------leads the league in scoring, higher fg%. kobe scored81 on the raptors will forever be your argument, but that's one game. lebron has polished his j this season and when he drives to the rim, basicallyunstoppable. kobe is a better outside shooter, that's it.

He leads the league in scoring this year. Good job. Kobe has 88 40 pointgames, over 40 50 point games, the second most points ever scored in a single game. He's scored 30 in a quarter, 50 in 3 quarters on multiple occasions, 4straight 50 point games second only to Wilt Chamberlain, heck Bron's career high (56) in a game (not to mention he needed an overtime to get that) Kobe wasone point shy of in a half. Guess I backed that up huh?
clutch-------------game 5 pistons. does kobe have a memorable playoff performance life after shaq that people besideslaker fans remember?

Easy. Shaq has nothing to do with Kobe being clutch. That was stupid for even mentioning. Kobe is easily the first guy ANYONE would pick to win agame. Next.

defense-----------------gilbert dropped 60 on kobe, and he's also been worked by ray allen, michael redd, richardhamilton, gerald wallace, and a few others. what's so great about his d? besides having the all defensive 1st team under his belt a few years back,he's not known for his shut down defense.

And Bron has been getting worked since he entered the league. I don't even feel the need to destroy this statement because it's quiteobvious that Kobe is the superior defender.

 

[CP1708]

This is A vs B, lock this thing up it's giving me a headache.

 

[acbboyz84]

i'm not hating on Bron but how can you compare a 6'8 240 with a 6'6 215 dude ? That's not fair for Kobe. Lebron has the size advantage and notto mention he is 7 years younger than Kobe. Kobe is already 30 and he has a lot of miles on his body already. If Kobe has Lebron strength and height , he wouldbe 10x greater than Lebron now.

 

[knightngale]

Originally Posted by BaconEggCheeseBiscuit

i'm stating FACTS kid, u can't back your stuff up.
til u do, i win.

lebron is a better scorer --------leads the league in scoring, higher fg%. kobe scored 81 on the raptors will forever be your argument, but that's one game. lebron has polished his j this season and when he drives to the rim, basically unstoppable. kobe is a better outside shooter, that's it.
clutch-------------game 5 pistons. does kobe have a memorable playoff performance life after shaq that people besides laker fans remember?
defense-----------------gilbert dropped 60 on kobe, and he's also been worked by ray allen, michael redd, richard hamilton, gerald wallace, and a few others. what's so great about his d? besides having the all defensive 1st team under his belt a few years back, he's not known for his shut down defense.

he had a buzzer beater vs the suns in the playoffs and plenty of clutch moments in the reg season
you obviously do not know what you are talking about

 

[mben32]

Originally Posted by BaconEggCheeseBiscuit

i'm stating FACTS kid, u can't back your stuff up.
til u do, i win.

lebron is a better scorer --------leads the league in scoring, higher fg%. kobe scored 81 on the raptors will forever be your argument, but that's one game. lebron has polished his j this season and when he drives to the rim, basically unstoppable. kobe is a better outside shooter, that's it.
clutch-------------game 5 pistons. does kobe have a memorable playoff performance life after shaq that people besides laker fans remember?
defense-----------------gilbert dropped 60 on kobe, and he's also been worked by ray allen, michael redd, richard hamilton, gerald wallace, and a few others. what's so great about his d? besides having the all defensive 1st team under his belt a few years back, he's not known for his shut down defense.

 

[southzeztpdot]

Lebron is just wayyyyy too big to be compared to Bryant in playing styles. Lebron can put his body on the line and not recieve as much damage as kobe.

 

[downtown43]

i wasn't even gonna bother responding to this guy, i could not believe he was serious. looks like others did it for me

he said i'm not stating facts, yet my last reply was full of factual evidence and his was biased personal opinions

 

[srvballer]

1a. Kobe
1b. Lebron

 

[slimnuc]

I believe the only edge LeBron has on Kobe right now is his strength (so like dude said Kobe 9.7 and Lebron a close 9.5). Dude's like Shawn Merrimanplaying basketball

. But LeBron will be a (he already is) beast and that is just scary to think that he's only 23. As for being a HOFer right now Idon't think so because Grant Hill wasn't a HOFer if he never played a single game again after his ankle injury. But they both would be borderline.

 

[mjgreatxii]

lol @ laker fans looking for reasons to say kobe still the best when lebron has been for a couple years.

NO I'm Sorry bronis good but, you saying he has been better than Kobe for a couple years now is outrageous.
Why? cause he took a team to the finals in the JV league. KOBE is BETTER THAN LEBRON PERIOD end of discussion

 

[mjgreatxii]

And Bron has been getting worked since he entered the league. I don't even feel the need to destroy this statement because it's quite obvious that Kobe is the superior defender.
Exactly. Did you see Kobe in the FIBA games. Kobe Defended the best player on the opposing team, and hardly let them score. Did you see what kobedid to barbosa, shut his#*#* down, scored like 3 points

Edit:

i'm not hating on Bron but how can you compare a 6'8 240 with a 6'6 215 dude ? That's not fair for Kobe. Lebron has the size advantage and not to mention he is 7 years younger than Kobe. Kobe is already 30 and he has a lot of miles on his body already. If Kobe has Lebron strength and height , he would be 10x greater than Lebron now.
CO-SIGN

 

[theone2401]

Originally Posted by JsindaA

Originally Posted by BaconEggCheeseBiscuit

i'm stating FACTS kid, u can't back your stuff up.
til u do, i win.

lebron is a better scorer --------leads the league in scoring, higher fg%. kobe scored 81 on the raptors will forever be your argument, but that's one game. lebron has polished his j this season and when he drives to the rim, basically unstoppable. kobe is a better outside shooter, that's it.
clutch-------------game 5 pistons. does kobe have a memorable playoff performance life after shaq that people besides laker fans remember?
defense-----------------gilbert dropped 60 on kobe, and he's also been worked by ray allen, michael redd, richard hamilton, gerald wallace, and a few others. what's so great about his d? besides having the all defensive 1st team under his belt a few years back, he's not known for his shut down defense.

This should be fun ok lets start
lebron is a better scorer --------leads the league in scoring, higher fg%. kobe scored 81 on the raptors will forever be your argument, but that's one game. lebron has polished his j this season and when he drives to the rim, basically unstoppable. kobe is a better outside shooter, that's it.

He leads the league in scoring this year. Good job. Kobe has 88 40 point games, over 40 50 point games, the second most points ever scored in a single game. He's scored 30 in a quarter, 50 in 3 quarters on multiple occasions, 4 straight 50 point games second only to Wilt Chamberlain, heck Bron's career high (56) in a game (not to mention he needed an overtime to get that) Kobe was one point shy of in a half. Guess I backed that up huh?
clutch-------------game 5 pistons. does kobe have a memorable playoff performance life after shaq that people besides laker fans remember?

Easy. Shaq has nothing to do with Kobe being clutch. That was stupid for even mentioning. Kobe is easily the first guy ANYONE would pick to win a game. Next.

defense-----------------gilbert dropped 60 on kobe, and he's also been worked by ray allen, michael redd, richard hamilton, gerald wallace, and a few others. what's so great about his d? besides having the all defensive 1st team under his belt a few years back, he's not known for his shut down defense.

And Bron has been getting worked since he entered the league. I don't even feel the need to destroy this statement because it's quite obvious that Kobe is the superior defender.

FATALITY

Dude said Lebron is a better scorer because he averages more points then Kobe this season. And said Kobe isnt clutch because of anotherplayer? And to top it off said Kobe isnt a better defender because he got beat a few times by some of the premire scorers in the NBA? Thats like saying Mutumboisnt a good shot blocker because he got dunked on by a great dunker.