My favorite is the field goal %, any worse and Kobe would be Tracy McGrady. Bird and Durant's eyes bleed when they see it.
Nope, not at all. If you look at the regular season games, you'll see that in the 4 Heat/Nets games, Brooklyn won by 1 pt, 9 pts (2 OT), 1 pt, and 1 pt. You can't just look at whether a team wins or loses. You have to look at how they won/lost. What's wrong with my argument? A team can have all the matchup advantages in the world, but they'll still lose if their mental mistakes prevent them from playing to their potential. That doesn't change the fact that regular season games provide insight regarding matchups. Yes, it makes perfect sense. It also defeats your argument that Jordan's Bulls faced stiff competition at the center position during their first 3peat.
Kobe wasn't the best player on his own team for the first eight years of his career. Most missed FGs in NBA history. Never made past first round without a loaded team. ??
This is one of the reasons why this "analytics" thingy is misused and totally misunderstood in the basketball context. Looking at the overall averages and stats alone only show a small slice of the overall picture. For instance, in the case of Jordan, the stats show one thing but what is not showing in the numbers is the fact that, in every game he played throughout almost his whole career, the opposing teams' total defensive philosophies were geared and devised to stop Jordan on the offensive side of the ball. It is unlike anyone nowadays has ever seen where the whole defensive philosophy of just about every team in the NBA was radically adjusted to defend him. This has never happened to any player since Wilt and thereafter. Jordan's almost manic competitive drive cannot be measured quantitatively and it is obvious that James and Kobe are not even close in that category. Jordan's defensive skills are also legendary so comparisons are really ridiculous if one has to only look at stats, although even stats present a far superior player in Jordan. I think comparisons could be made between Kobe and James but they are nowhere near the dominant GOAT that Jordan is.
What about shaq or kobe or lebron or a host of great players? Jordan was great, but his legend has grown to mythical proportions.
Still waiting for one of those guys to win a defensive player of the year award. And a scoring title. In the same year.
The NBA was strong in the 80's. Some of the best teams ever compared to the weak competition LeBron faced and still faces. Can't agree with your take. The East has been trash since he stepped in. Hell, Howard led the Magic to the finals. He's not even in the top 10 as far as centers all time.
There were 2 teams who did the ridiculous Jordan defense, and heavy focus happened even less in his latter career due to the triangle.
