There is one thing that kobe has and mcgrady doesnt...

How many clutch shots is Kobe hitting with Shaq on the bench? The Lakers are 2-6 right?

 

McGrady put an entire team on his back, and a mediocre one at that, and took them to the playoffs. That's something Kobe has yet to prove. So far, all he is proving is that he's a great player with great individual stats, and cannot seem to make his teammates better, or make them rise to the occasion (something MJ has always done, and something McGrady seems to be able to do).

Big shots? You must be kidding. He hits game winners, buzzer beaters, and clutch shots all the time.

So are you kidding, or are you seeing things through purple and yellow goggles? Do you watch Sportscenter?

Now go away, or I will taunt you a second time.

 

I still think T-Mac is better than Kobe.

 

The Lakers are 2-6 without O'Neal, and they've looked horrible doing it. At this rate, they'd miss the playoffs if they were forced to play without O'Neal for an entire season. That's not very clutch.

 

Lets see what's better, McGrady taking his team to the first round, or Kobe taking his team down the toilet. By the way, the great Kobe Bryant barely has a .500 record when big brother Shaq isn't there to bail him out. I have to agree with you though, Kobe does have one thing that McGrady doesn't have, 47 shots in one game.

 

yeah, but kobe can't take his team anywhere...shaq's what takes it places.

oh, and kobe is not more clutch than t-mac. i've seen kobe miss numerous possible game winners.

 

He must have forgotten the magic dust when he had to take 47 shots. And he still lost that game. Kobe is the most overated player in the NBA.

 

and a losing record this season.

 

McGrady>Bryant

 

Not that I have an opinion wrt Tmac v Kobe, but the Magic "barely had a .500 record" last year, specifically 44-38.

 

Yeah, me and a former member of these boards, "EVOL", have been arguing for the past couple years who is better.
I say Tmac, he say's Kobe.

Kobe is just now in a situation Tmac has been in for the past couple of years.

 

If it wasnt for Kobe, the Lakers would not have won last years championship. Kobe took over the 4th quarter in all the games they won.

 

And the Lakers are barely out of the cellar.

<b>If it wasnt for Kobe, the Lakers would not have won last years championship. Kobe took over the 4th quarter in all the games they won.</b>

That's easy to do when the other team is double or triple teaming Shaq.

 

a team in the east and a team in the west makes huge difference! and by the way, one thing kobe has that mcgrady doesn't are the rings and a monster behind him

 

Yeah, im sure they let Kobe just sit wide open.

 

If this statement was meant to say McGrady's accomplishment doesn't have merit because it occurred in the East, let me refresh your short memory...Davis had some fellows named Peterson, Jerome Williams and Clark helping out just a little bit.

 

Remember, the Lakers have a 46-42 record without Shaq since 1996. '96-'98, Kobe was a bench player, with Eddie Jones, Nick Van Exel, and Elden Campbell holding down the fort in the middle. I'd take a team with Van Exel, Eddie Jones, a younger Fox, a younger Campbell, and a younger Horry over the current Laker team of Kobe, Fisher, Horry, Fox, and Medvedenko. I'm not sure, but I'd bet their record without Shaq is worse the last 3 years (maybe a bit below .500).

 

I think this is a scenario where both sides are right.

Could Kobe carry a team as the sole star as well as McGrady? Probably not. His struggles the last few years without Shaq, including shooting 17-47 in a game, show the kind of impact Shaq has on his game.

However, the original thread starter, and rezdawg, have excellent points as well. The best example I can think of is the SA-LA second round series. Watch Bruce Bowen's defense on Kobe in the fourth quarter. I've never seen anyone cover Kobe that well. People try to blame it on Bowen, but you know what... Bowen stayed with him step for step, had a hand in his face, and rarely fouled. I can't begin to tell you how many times Kobe was falling away, with Bowen's hand straight in his face, and he would make the shot.

The key word for this discussion is consistency. Personally, I think Kobe is the best clutch player in the NBA, by far. I've seen him do it too many times, and make too many plays. Whatever "it" is, he has it. However, he can't sustain it for the whole game... and for that matter, neither could Jordan, Reggie Miller, or anyone else noted for these late game bursts. In almost every game without Shaq, the Lakers have been so outscored in the first 3 and a half quarters that there isn't a realistic chance late in the fourth.

So, while you probably can make the argument that Kobe can't be "the guy" as well as McGrady, I think it's silly to prefer McGrady in the last five minutes of a game. Now just because he is more clutch doesn't mean he's a better player, but the original argument does have merit.

Also, it's worth noting that the Lakers supporting cast is worse than the Magic. Not counting Hill, who didn't play last season, I'd still prefer Darrell Armstrong, Mike Miller, Bo Outlaw (there for most of the prior two seasons), and Horace Grant to Derek Fisher, Rick Fox, Robert Horry, and Samaki Walker. Also, the Magic play in the East... enough said. Again, I'm not saying that Kobe is definitely better, but to compare the Lakers record without Shaq to Orlando's record isn't fair, since LA plays many more West teams.