Yeah playing second fiddle to the most dominant Big man in NBA history netted him 60% of his rings. Then he had Gasol and Artest carry him thru' the other ones.
these are the reigning back to back champions of the world vying for a 3 peat, what are you defending him for? the other time he was in the finals, so that team wasnt a scrub team either.. the only team that was mediocre was his 06 team.. what about that 'dream team' of shaq-kobe-payton-malone that basically got swept in the 04 finals? if Jordan was on that team THEY would have swept the Pistons hes an all time great player on VERY good teams getting blown out, he has a tendancy to get eliminated in spectacular fashion.. MJ never allowed embarassment on that level get that weak logic out of here man
I wasn't defending him. I'm saying Kobe played right into the Mavs hand by coming out gunning and going 1-on-5. The Mavs know those jumpers won't continue to go in and let Kobe have them. All it does is freezes out your teammates and ruins any offensive rhythm. The Lakers are a their best when kobe is getting his shots within the flow of the offense instead of abandoning the triangle and forcing shots. Their philosophy was flawed from the start of this game.
Someone has posted it - Kobe has been playing through all the injuries and pains. He downplayed it but the reality is that his knees are no better than Brandon Roy's. What if Dirk has the same knee issue? I am not a big fan of Kobe Bryant but he deserves respect for fighting like a soldier.
Kobe's on the short list of all time greats... Just closer to the bottom of that list than the top, where MJ sits. Losing spectacularly is only marginally worse than losing at all. Same with winning. Kobe is a winner, ultimately. No disputing that. A few more blips, perhaps, than some others, but it happens. Also helps to look at the game in detail. The Mavs had two guys shoot 15-16 from 3 point land... And their best player continue his dominating offensive efficiency. Kobe played subpar... But there's a great chance MJ gets blown out today, too - that's how good the Mavs were.
that is not what people mean when they refer to someone's prime. someone's prime is the time of their career where they were the best they could be. kobe has been in decline for a couple of years now
Dogging on other superstars on the day when LBJ went 6-16, 4TO and had the lowest +/- on his team with -21.
The fact that he averaged 25 points per game when he is clearly past his prime is a testament to his hard work and skill. He's not winning another championship as the main guy, though.
Their games are different. Kobe's game has relied on driving to the basket and above the rim play a lot more than Dirk. A lot more wear and tear on the knees than posting up and turning around for jumpers over a course of a career.
It's true. If not for Pau Gasol putting back a missed Kobe shot at the buzzer against the Thunder, that series goes to a game 7, where anything could happen. If not for Ron Artest putting back a missed Kobe shot at the buzzer in game 5 against the Suns, the Lakers could have been heading back to Phoenix with a 3-2 deficit. And let's not forget that Gasol and Artest combined for 15 fourth quarter points while "the best closer in the game" was going 6-24 in game 7 against the Celtics.
