Kobe's game 7

[purplerelgn]

http://www.nba.com/2010/n...2/kobe.legacy/index.html

Did you know that Tim Duncan -- the man that many consider the bestplayer of the 2000s and the greatest power forward of all time --averaged just 15 points a game in Games 3 and 4 of the 2005 Finals on10-for-32 shooting? In the decisive Game 7, he went 10-for-27.

Doyou remember that or do you remember that he won Finals MVP and histhird ring? Do you remember that Duncan also went a combined 10-of-32in the last two games of the 2007 Finals or do you remember that it washis fourth ring?
What about the deity that is Michael Jordan? In 1998 we remember thethree-peat and the game-winner in Game 6. We have forgotten, however,that in Game 5, at home with a chance to close out the Jazz, MJ shot9-of-26, with four turnovers. We also don't remember that in theprevious series against the Pacers, Jordan was just 9-for-25 in Game 7.We remember only the Bulls won and advanced to the Finals.

Do we remember that Jordan was 5-of-19, with five turnovers, in thedecisive Game 6 of the 1996 Finals? Nope. We remember that the Bullswon the championship, despite MJ's performance.

Magic Johnson, Larry Bird, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Wilt Chamberlain, JerryWest -- we can do this for just about every "greatest of the greats" inNBA history. Throughout their careers there will be pivotal games inwhich great players played, uncharacteristically, like hot garbage. Inthe end, we rightfully remember the ultimate triumph.

I bring this up because of the ridiculous reaction to Kobe Bryant'sGame 7 where he shot 25 percent and turned the ball over four times.For most of the game, scathing criticism was warranted. I even tweetedthat he was playing like Ruben Patterson.

But once the end-of-game buzzer sounded and Kobe had won his fifthring, the pile-on continued, with some going so far as to say his Game7 performance tainted his fifth ring and, thus, his legacy -- as ifwe'd look back on his career and put an asterisk by this one. That'soutrageous. It's primarily outrageous because the Lakers won thechampionship, primarily because of Kobe's 23-game performance that wasquintessentially MVP. It's also outrageous because history shows usthat, as humans and sports fans, time dulls the details. We rememberJerry West as "The Logo," not the loser of eight of nine Finals series.

Of course, we tend to play by different rules with Kobe.

.

.

.

 

[purplerelgn]

http://www.nba.com/2010/n...2/kobe.legacy/index.html

Did you know that Tim Duncan -- the man that many consider the bestplayer of the 2000s and the greatest power forward of all time --averaged just 15 points a game in Games 3 and 4 of the 2005 Finals on10-for-32 shooting? In the decisive Game 7, he went 10-for-27.

Doyou remember that or do you remember that he won Finals MVP and histhird ring? Do you remember that Duncan also went a combined 10-of-32in the last two games of the 2007 Finals or do you remember that it washis fourth ring?
What about the deity that is Michael Jordan? In 1998 we remember thethree-peat and the game-winner in Game 6. We have forgotten, however,that in Game 5, at home with a chance to close out the Jazz, MJ shot9-of-26, with four turnovers. We also don't remember that in theprevious series against the Pacers, Jordan was just 9-for-25 in Game 7.We remember only the Bulls won and advanced to the Finals.

Do we remember that Jordan was 5-of-19, with five turnovers, in thedecisive Game 6 of the 1996 Finals? Nope. We remember that the Bullswon the championship, despite MJ's performance.

Magic Johnson, Larry Bird, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Wilt Chamberlain, JerryWest -- we can do this for just about every "greatest of the greats" inNBA history. Throughout their careers there will be pivotal games inwhich great players played, uncharacteristically, like hot garbage. Inthe end, we rightfully remember the ultimate triumph.

I bring this up because of the ridiculous reaction to Kobe Bryant'sGame 7 where he shot 25 percent and turned the ball over four times.For most of the game, scathing criticism was warranted. I even tweetedthat he was playing like Ruben Patterson.

But once the end-of-game buzzer sounded and Kobe had won his fifthring, the pile-on continued, with some going so far as to say his Game7 performance tainted his fifth ring and, thus, his legacy -- as ifwe'd look back on his career and put an asterisk by this one. That'soutrageous. It's primarily outrageous because the Lakers won thechampionship, primarily because of Kobe's 23-game performance that wasquintessentially MVP. It's also outrageous because history shows usthat, as humans and sports fans, time dulls the details. We rememberJerry West as "The Logo," not the loser of eight of nine Finals series.

Of course, we tend to play by different rules with Kobe.

.

.

.

 

[JRaW’d]

purpleRElGN wrote:

Of course, we tend to play by different rules with Kobe.



^ this is EXACTLY what i was thiking as i was reading through the excerpt.

kob's negatives will, in some peoples (haters) eyes will FOREVER outweigh his positives.

the greatest of all great players have bad games @ pivotal times. you will NOT put on an all-star performance every time you step on that floor. but b/c its kobe....... well, im sure you know the rest.

  

 

[JRaW’d]

purpleRElGN wrote:

Of course, we tend to play by different rules with Kobe.



^ this is EXACTLY what i was thiking as i was reading through the excerpt.

kob's negatives will, in some peoples (haters) eyes will FOREVER outweigh his positives.

the greatest of all great players have bad games @ pivotal times. you will NOT put on an all-star performance every time you step on that floor. but b/c its kobe....... well, im sure you know the rest.

  

 

[osh kosh bosh]

Ok, but he is not as good as Kareem, Magic or Jordan, it's pretty much impossible to state a plausible argument that he is even on their level. It's he is even better than Duncan.

People tend to bring these up in the face of screaming fanatical Laker fans but like most things the answer is somewhere in the middle.

 

[osh kosh bosh]

Ok, but he is not as good as Kareem, Magic or Jordan, it's pretty much impossible to state a plausible argument that he is even on their level. It's he is even better than Duncan.

People tend to bring these up in the face of screaming fanatical Laker fans but like most things the answer is somewhere in the middle.

 

[darthska]

lol @ 'Because it's Kobe', like the person had nothing to do with the negative opinions formed about him

Those Tim Duncan games, was there someone else that had a REALLY nice game while he struggled, and someone that maybe averaged a double-double in the series?

Same 2 questions for all the other games mentioned. Were there individual games where the superstar struggled and someone else had a great game that night? And that player also had a highly impressive series?

Obviously, West had teammates that had great games while he struggled, but I doubt he had teammates that had better series than him in those Finals losses.

Kobe turned a lot of people off to him before he won his first championship, lost more folks on the way to his first finals loss, and continued to lose people until he went through this tranformation 3-4 years ago. Now, he's laughing it up in interviews, playing as the consummate (sp?) teammate, kissing the wife and kids constantly, and just portraying an image that's hard to dislike.

The image he portrayed before was easy to dislike, so people disliked him. So when it comes to compare him w/ some other great, acting like all things are equal or similar, it has to be mentioned that all things are not equal or similar.

"Excellent player struggled in gm. 7."

True, that can be said about a lot of players.

"He's a great player who turned off a lot of people because of his persona and playing style, then had a forgettable gm. 7 (to cap off a great series) alongside a teammate who had an excellent gm. 7 (and also had a great series)."

Can that be said about all the other greats mentioned?

 

[darthska]

lol @ 'Because it's Kobe', like the person had nothing to do with the negative opinions formed about him

Those Tim Duncan games, was there someone else that had a REALLY nice game while he struggled, and someone that maybe averaged a double-double in the series?

Same 2 questions for all the other games mentioned. Were there individual games where the superstar struggled and someone else had a great game that night? And that player also had a highly impressive series?

Obviously, West had teammates that had great games while he struggled, but I doubt he had teammates that had better series than him in those Finals losses.

Kobe turned a lot of people off to him before he won his first championship, lost more folks on the way to his first finals loss, and continued to lose people until he went through this tranformation 3-4 years ago. Now, he's laughing it up in interviews, playing as the consummate (sp?) teammate, kissing the wife and kids constantly, and just portraying an image that's hard to dislike.

The image he portrayed before was easy to dislike, so people disliked him. So when it comes to compare him w/ some other great, acting like all things are equal or similar, it has to be mentioned that all things are not equal or similar.

"Excellent player struggled in gm. 7."

True, that can be said about a lot of players.

"He's a great player who turned off a lot of people because of his persona and playing style, then had a forgettable gm. 7 (to cap off a great series) alongside a teammate who had an excellent gm. 7 (and also had a great series)."

Can that be said about all the other greats mentioned?

 

[RyGuy45]

I love how we are like in year 10 of constant threads having to "stick up" for Kobe Bryant.

That's something to think about.

PS - Bryant (and every other player in the NBA right now) has to play in the current state of 24/7 media, blogs, talk radio, more blogs, more ESPN, more Skip Bayless. Picking and choosing "Bryant gets hate but HOFer _____ never did for the same thing" is absolutely pointless.

 

[remi23]

Simply people don't like KOBE because of his past actions. He Rubbed people the wrong way in the beginning

 

[remi23]

Simply people don't like KOBE because of his past actions. He Rubbed people the wrong way in the beginning

 

[RyGuy45]

I love how we are like in year 10 of constant threads having to "stick up" for Kobe Bryant.

That's something to think about.

PS - Bryant (and every other player in the NBA right now) has to play in the current state of 24/7 media, blogs, talk radio, more blogs, more ESPN, more Skip Bayless. Picking and choosing "Bryant gets hate but HOFer _____ never did for the same thing" is absolutely pointless.

 

[CP1708]

Friend of mine and I had a conversation last night.  He and I worked together back in 2000, we actually watched the finals at work with our boss. 

I remember clear as day, thinking to myself, "he's got a title, monkey is off his back, he can play his whole career now, and nobody can take this away from him, he's a champion"
Then he won in 01
Then in 02
But people still acted like he was Adam Morrison for some reason.  He had to have one without Shaq
Then he won in 09, and I had a similar feeling as 2000, ok, NOW he can relax, he's done it.  Nobody can say anything negative against guy, in terms of titles I mean.
Then he wins in 10.

And here I sit, watching people left and right try to make excuses, and downplay his accomplishments.  And hype and praise the hell out of athletes such as AI, TMac, Vince, LeBron, all of whom have done exactly what? 

But we demand, and expect more out of Kobe Bryant. 

I know what this is.  When I was growing up, I hated Larry Bird.  He was our rival, I hated him.  Now?  I respect the hell out of that guy.  He was one bad motha.  10 years from now, people will finally sit back, calm down, and say, "damn, Kobe was one of the best I ever saw, and I hated him every step of the way"  It's a shame it's like that.  It really is.  I'm stand before you right here, right now, I would give anything to watch Bird in his prime right now.  I never realized what I was missing back then.  Now I know.  Someday, this will happen all of you who trash all that Kobe has done. 

 

[CP1708]

Friend of mine and I had a conversation last night.  He and I worked together back in 2000, we actually watched the finals at work with our boss. 

I remember clear as day, thinking to myself, "he's got a title, monkey is off his back, he can play his whole career now, and nobody can take this away from him, he's a champion"
Then he won in 01
Then in 02
But people still acted like he was Adam Morrison for some reason.  He had to have one without Shaq
Then he won in 09, and I had a similar feeling as 2000, ok, NOW he can relax, he's done it.  Nobody can say anything negative against guy, in terms of titles I mean.
Then he wins in 10.

And here I sit, watching people left and right try to make excuses, and downplay his accomplishments.  And hype and praise the hell out of athletes such as AI, TMac, Vince, LeBron, all of whom have done exactly what? 

But we demand, and expect more out of Kobe Bryant. 

I know what this is.  When I was growing up, I hated Larry Bird.  He was our rival, I hated him.  Now?  I respect the hell out of that guy.  He was one bad motha.  10 years from now, people will finally sit back, calm down, and say, "damn, Kobe was one of the best I ever saw, and I hated him every step of the way"  It's a shame it's like that.  It really is.  I'm stand before you right here, right now, I would give anything to watch Bird in his prime right now.  I never realized what I was missing back then.  Now I know.  Someday, this will happen all of you who trash all that Kobe has done. 

 

[xtapolapacetl]

Did you know that Tim Duncan -- the man that many consider the best player of the 2000s and the greatest power forward of all time -- averaged just 15 points a game in Games 3 and 4 of the 2005 Finals on 10-for-32 shooting? In the decisive Game 7, he went 10-for-27.


Yes.

I don't remember the exact numbers but I definitely remember Duncan shooting bad in the 2005 finals.

I also remember my 1st grade math and that, although both are bad, there's a difference between hitting over a third of your shots and hitting a fourth of your shots like Duncan and Kobe did in their game 7s.

One thing I definitely don't remember is Duncan being mentioned as the clutchest player in the game and among the clutchest ever, and should therefore criticized as much as the oh so clutch Kobe for shooting bad in game 7.

Do you remember that or do you remember that he won Finals MVP and his third ring?


I remember both these things.

Do you remember that Duncan also went a combined 10-of-32 in the last two games of the 2007 Finals or do you remember that it was his fourth ring?


Again, I remember both these things. I also remember that Duncan's bad shooting didn't go unnoticed and a player more deserving (Tony Parker) won the MVP. But of course, this wasn't the case for Gasol in 2010 because they "tend to play by different rules with Kobe".

What about the deity that is Michael Jordan? In 1998 we remember the three-peat and the game-winner in Game 6. We have forgotten, however, that in Game 5, at home with a chance to close out the Jazz, MJ shot 9-of-26, with four turnovers. We also don't remember that in the previous series against the Pacers, Jordan was just 9-for-25 in Game 7. We remember only the Bulls won and advanced to the Finals.


First of all, I remember Michael Jordan being 35 at the time, 4 years older than Kobe is now.

Secondly, I still don't remember Jordan shooting as bad in the 98 finals as Kobe did in 2010.

Do we remember that Jordan was 5-of-19, with five turnovers, in the decisive Game 6 of the 1996 Finals? Nope. We remember that the Bulls won the championship, despite MJ's performance.


I definitely remember that Jordan shot 5-19 that game, that he had a bad 1996 finals individually and that Shawn Kemp was the best player of the 1996 finals individually. I also remember that unlike Kobe in 2010, the player that won Fianls MVP in 1996 didn't rob another player. Scottie Pippen shot like crap that series as well and averaged only 15 points if I remember correctly. Shawn Kemp was the moral Finals MVP of that series, but he obviously couldn't get it since his team lost. I also remember that Jordan's 5-19 game didn't come in an all-or-nothing game like Kobe's 6-24.

But all in all, any bad finals game/performance from Jordan you can point out is an exception in his stellar career, most notably his three finals performances from the first three-peat. The horrible 6-24 shooting game by Kobe is closer to being a rule than being an exception in his NBA finals performances. He only played well (still nothing like Jordan's first three-peat finals though) in two finals - 2002 and 2009. The rest of his 5 finals appearances range from inefficient to plain horrible. Find Jordan's worst finals games and they are nowhere near as many and as bad as this:

Game 4 2000 Finals: 4-20, 8 points, 5 rebounds, 3 assists
Game 1 2001 Finals: 7-22, 15 points, 3 rebounds, 5 assists, 6 turnovers
Game 1 2004 Finals: 10-27, 25 points, 4 rebounds, 4 assists
Game 3 2004 Finals: 4-13, 11 points, 3 rebounds, 4 assists, 4 turnovers
Game 4 2004 Finals: 8-25, 22 points, 0 rebounds, 2 assists
Game 5 2004 Finals: 7-21, 24 points, 3 rebounds, 4 assists
Game 1 2008 Finals: 9-26, 24 points, 3 rebounds, 6 assists, 4 turnovers
Game 4 2008 Finals: 6-19, 17 points, 4 rebounds, 10 assists
Game 5 2008 Finals: 8-21, 25 points, 7 rebounds, 4 assists, 6 turnovers
Game 6 2008 Finals: 7-22, 22 points, 3 rebounds, 1 assist, 4 turnovers
Game 4 2009 Finals: 11-31, 32 points, 7 rebounds, 8 assists
Game 3 2010 Finals: 10-29, 29 points, 7 rebounds, 4 assists
Game 7 2010 Finals: 6-24, 23 points, 15 rebounds, 2 assists, 4 turnovers

We remember Jerry West as "The Logo," not the loser of eight of nine Finals series.


Definitely not entirely true and depends on the context. If someone mentions Jerry West casually, we might remember him as The Logo. If someone starts comparing Jerry West to Michael Jordan, you best believe everything negative about his career will be pointed out to show that he's not Michael Jordan. The same goes for every other player, depending on the magnitude of the claim made about him. And this where this whole article fails.

 

[xtapolapacetl]

Did you know that Tim Duncan -- the man that many consider the best player of the 2000s and the greatest power forward of all time -- averaged just 15 points a game in Games 3 and 4 of the 2005 Finals on 10-for-32 shooting? In the decisive Game 7, he went 10-for-27.


Yes.

I don't remember the exact numbers but I definitely remember Duncan shooting bad in the 2005 finals.

I also remember my 1st grade math and that, although both are bad, there's a difference between hitting over a third of your shots and hitting a fourth of your shots like Duncan and Kobe did in their game 7s.

One thing I definitely don't remember is Duncan being mentioned as the clutchest player in the game and among the clutchest ever, and should therefore criticized as much as the oh so clutch Kobe for shooting bad in game 7.

Do you remember that or do you remember that he won Finals MVP and his third ring?


I remember both these things.

Do you remember that Duncan also went a combined 10-of-32 in the last two games of the 2007 Finals or do you remember that it was his fourth ring?


Again, I remember both these things. I also remember that Duncan's bad shooting didn't go unnoticed and a player more deserving (Tony Parker) won the MVP. But of course, this wasn't the case for Gasol in 2010 because they "tend to play by different rules with Kobe".

What about the deity that is Michael Jordan? In 1998 we remember the three-peat and the game-winner in Game 6. We have forgotten, however, that in Game 5, at home with a chance to close out the Jazz, MJ shot 9-of-26, with four turnovers. We also don't remember that in the previous series against the Pacers, Jordan was just 9-for-25 in Game 7. We remember only the Bulls won and advanced to the Finals.


First of all, I remember Michael Jordan being 35 at the time, 4 years older than Kobe is now.

Secondly, I still don't remember Jordan shooting as bad in the 98 finals as Kobe did in 2010.

Do we remember that Jordan was 5-of-19, with five turnovers, in the decisive Game 6 of the 1996 Finals? Nope. We remember that the Bulls won the championship, despite MJ's performance.


I definitely remember that Jordan shot 5-19 that game, that he had a bad 1996 finals individually and that Shawn Kemp was the best player of the 1996 finals individually. I also remember that unlike Kobe in 2010, the player that won Fianls MVP in 1996 didn't rob another player. Scottie Pippen shot like crap that series as well and averaged only 15 points if I remember correctly. Shawn Kemp was the moral Finals MVP of that series, but he obviously couldn't get it since his team lost. I also remember that Jordan's 5-19 game didn't come in an all-or-nothing game like Kobe's 6-24.

But all in all, any bad finals game/performance from Jordan you can point out is an exception in his stellar career, most notably his three finals performances from the first three-peat. The horrible 6-24 shooting game by Kobe is closer to being a rule than being an exception in his NBA finals performances. He only played well (still nothing like Jordan's first three-peat finals though) in two finals - 2002 and 2009. The rest of his 5 finals appearances range from inefficient to plain horrible. Find Jordan's worst finals games and they are nowhere near as many and as bad as this:

Game 4 2000 Finals: 4-20, 8 points, 5 rebounds, 3 assists
Game 1 2001 Finals: 7-22, 15 points, 3 rebounds, 5 assists, 6 turnovers
Game 1 2004 Finals: 10-27, 25 points, 4 rebounds, 4 assists
Game 3 2004 Finals: 4-13, 11 points, 3 rebounds, 4 assists, 4 turnovers
Game 4 2004 Finals: 8-25, 22 points, 0 rebounds, 2 assists
Game 5 2004 Finals: 7-21, 24 points, 3 rebounds, 4 assists
Game 1 2008 Finals: 9-26, 24 points, 3 rebounds, 6 assists, 4 turnovers
Game 4 2008 Finals: 6-19, 17 points, 4 rebounds, 10 assists
Game 5 2008 Finals: 8-21, 25 points, 7 rebounds, 4 assists, 6 turnovers
Game 6 2008 Finals: 7-22, 22 points, 3 rebounds, 1 assist, 4 turnovers
Game 4 2009 Finals: 11-31, 32 points, 7 rebounds, 8 assists
Game 3 2010 Finals: 10-29, 29 points, 7 rebounds, 4 assists
Game 7 2010 Finals: 6-24, 23 points, 15 rebounds, 2 assists, 4 turnovers

We remember Jerry West as "The Logo," not the loser of eight of nine Finals series.


Definitely not entirely true and depends on the context. If someone mentions Jerry West casually, we might remember him as The Logo. If someone starts comparing Jerry West to Michael Jordan, you best believe everything negative about his career will be pointed out to show that he's not Michael Jordan. The same goes for every other player, depending on the magnitude of the claim made about him. And this where this whole article fails.

 

[purplerelgn]

kobe had a bunch of bad finals games in the finals in which he lost, yes, thanks for that

 

[purplerelgn]

kobe had a bunch of bad finals games in the finals in which he lost, yes, thanks for that

 

[sexpistol032]

Kobe Bryant is the greatest player in the world but as long as he is wearing that ugly lakers jersey I will hate him and everything to do with that franchise...CELTICS ALL DAY

 

[sexpistol032]

Kobe Bryant is the greatest player in the world but as long as he is wearing that ugly lakers jersey I will hate him and everything to do with that franchise...CELTICS ALL DAY

 

[darthska]

CP1708:

---

Friend of mine and I had a conversation last night.  He and I worked together back in 2000, we actually watched the finals at work with our boss. 

I remember clear as day, thinking to myself, "he's got a title, monkey is off his back, he can play his whole career now, and nobody can take this away from him, he's a champion"
Then he won in 01
Then in 02
But people still acted like he was Adam Morrison for some reason.  He had to have one without Shaq
For some reason? How is the reason not plainly clear to you?

Tell you what, you mentioned Morrison, so I'll run w/ him. What if Morrison was acting like he's badder than what he is? Just... what if? I guarantee the response would be 'Alright then, go win a championship as something besides a rostered cheerleader.' You want people to recognize you as greater than what you've accomplished, then the demand is going to be for you to step your accomplishments up.

You won 1, then 2, then 3 championships w/ Shaq as the MVP and you want people to recognize that you're 'franchise player' worthy? Then... win one w/o Shaq.

Now, the greater he got and the more impressive his resume became, the more the Jordan comparisons grew, and that had nothing to do w/ Kobe himself, so I'm not going to justify that. I will say that Kobe won't be the last person to have his every accomplishment measured by Jordan's standard. We both know that.

 

[darthska]

CP1708:

---

Friend of mine and I had a conversation last night.  He and I worked together back in 2000, we actually watched the finals at work with our boss. 

I remember clear as day, thinking to myself, "he's got a title, monkey is off his back, he can play his whole career now, and nobody can take this away from him, he's a champion"
Then he won in 01
Then in 02
But people still acted like he was Adam Morrison for some reason.  He had to have one without Shaq
For some reason? How is the reason not plainly clear to you?

Tell you what, you mentioned Morrison, so I'll run w/ him. What if Morrison was acting like he's badder than what he is? Just... what if? I guarantee the response would be 'Alright then, go win a championship as something besides a rostered cheerleader.' You want people to recognize you as greater than what you've accomplished, then the demand is going to be for you to step your accomplishments up.

You won 1, then 2, then 3 championships w/ Shaq as the MVP and you want people to recognize that you're 'franchise player' worthy? Then... win one w/o Shaq.

Now, the greater he got and the more impressive his resume became, the more the Jordan comparisons grew, and that had nothing to do w/ Kobe himself, so I'm not going to justify that. I will say that Kobe won't be the last person to have his every accomplishment measured by Jordan's standard. We both know that.

 

[westcoastsfinest]

its a shame a lot of people are blinded with hate when it comes to kobe...we need to appreciate some of the best players of this generation cause guys like kobe, bron and wade are pursuing their own history and putting their own mark in the game of basketball

jordan is jordan, bird is bird and magic is magic they are the best in their position but its unfair to really compare these new guys to them

 

[westcoastsfinest]

its a shame a lot of people are blinded with hate when it comes to kobe...we need to appreciate some of the best players of this generation cause guys like kobe, bron and wade are pursuing their own history and putting their own mark in the game of basketball

jordan is jordan, bird is bird and magic is magic they are the best in their position but its unfair to really compare these new guys to them

 

[bottom74bottom]

Originally Posted by 23ska909red02

CP1708:

---

Friend of mine and I had a conversation last night.  He and I worked together back in 2000, we actually watched the finals at work with our boss. 

I remember clear as day, thinking to myself, "he's got a title, monkey is off his back, he can play his whole career now, and nobody can take this away from him, he's a champion"
Then he won in 01
Then in 02
But people still acted like he was Adam Morrison for some reason.  He had to have one without Shaq

For some reason? How is the reason not plainly clear to you?

Tell you what, you mentioned Morrison, so I'll run w/ him. What if Morrison was acting like he's badder than what he is? Just... what if? I guarantee the response would be 'Alright then, go win a championship as something besides a rostered cheerleader.' You want people to recognize you as greater than what you've accomplished, then the demand is going to be for you to step your accomplishments up.

You won 1, then 2, then 3 championships w/ Shaq as the MVP and you want people to recognize that you're 'franchise player' worthy? Then... win one w/o Shaq.

Now, the greater he got and the more impressive his resume became, the more the Jordan comparisons grew, and that had nothing to do w/ Kobe himself, so I'm not going to justify that. I will say that Kobe won't be the last person to have his every accomplishment measured by Jordan's standard. We both know that.

That's the part EYE hate. I'm always arguing with some hater trying to explain to them that the comparisons are all in their head.

" Kobe's just being Kobe. YOU (they) make the comparisons, Kobe doesn't. Kobe doesn't care.."
"But he still ain't better than MJ though"
"

.... and what does MJ being great actually have to do with how good Kobe is? Would you rather remember great games or watch them now? Stop living in the past. Me personally, if I spend the next 50 years watching the NBA, I'd hate to only have enjoyed Jordan's legacy, or Kobe's for that matter.. or else, what's the point?"


People defer to Jordan as if he's their Champion and it's his sworn duty to uphold their belief in him. I hate it. I love MJ, but I hate the force field around his sack. Jordan didn't win 6 rings with the Chicago Media & Fans Around The Globe, he played with the Chicago Bulls. So I really wish people would stop going to bat for him like he went to bat for them. The man's legacy is intact,. He's great. He's THE greatest. He beat the Jazz and everyone else without coming off screens from Media & Fans Around The Globe, so I'm fairly positive he doesn't need Media & Fans Around The Globe sticking up for his spotless resume anyway.  It's like as soon as some one actually gets close to matching his greatness, cats wanna come blow whistles..

"Nuh uh.... they hand checked MJ"
"What about the zones?!?! Lord Jordan would have..."
"Jordan never had a Shaq!!!"

"Kobe never had a Pippen... or a Rodman...right? I mean, that's one hell of a triangle O... right?"

There's always a counter argument for these guys, but WHY do we even have to have these debates? Can't we all just accept that  the whole "the next Jordan" title is played out? Only MJ was MJ, and most of the way you feel about it is great PR to be real. As good as he is, he was sold to us even better. And we fell for it.  It was worth it. We got to cheer him to 6 rings, buy thousands of dollars worth of shoes, and everything in between. It's truly been a generational cornerstone to say "I was apart of the Air Jordan legacy"....but that was then. Stop saving the past.. Embrace what is... and RIGHT NOW... Kobe IS that man.