This was a nice little find about the Kobe taunting. ht tp://nba.fanhouse.com/2009/05/07/lionizing-kobe-while-burying-dirk/#cont
hopefully, at the end of this series, battier will be able to stare at kome and say, "you can't f win this series! now go play with your kids."
Difference is that I think Yao told his teammate that he couldn't be stopped...he didn't look over the the broadcasters and over to his defender and berate him.
I think Kobe draws obvious comparison to Michael Jordan in terms of his playing style and his ability to dominate a game. I never remember Jordan being this arrogant about his game though. It always pains me to see younger kids rooting for Kobe, because he maybe a great player, but he is a terrible role model for his attitude and off the court antics.
I love listening to people defend Kobe. What a joke. I agree with you OP on basically everything. Guy that posted Yao link, it is one thing is Kobe on the way to the bench says THEY CAN'T F**KING GUARD ME and giving his teammate high fives vs. saying it after each made shot and before each timeout and whenever Battier is within 5 feet of him, that is just classless and unsportsmanlike. Kobe is a GOD on the Basketball court, but he is nothing more than a homeless b**ch when it comes to his personal life: Rape, Horribly classless, Immature, Liar, Fake, Not the least bit humbled, and to top it off he is dirty. If ever there was a guy I wished injury on it is him, I don't want him to die or get bloodied, but a broken ankle or some random injury like Yao gets, would be so nice and such a showing from Karma.
stunned by classless and dirty plays of the whole Lakers in the previous 2 games. now i think i know the reason: The Lakers are more talent than the Rockets one paper, but they are too softier, totally exposed by the tough of the rockets team, they never understand what the word 'tough' is! so they wanted to be tough, but they still couldn't. from the postgame interviews of every LA player, you know they are not able to matched up the rockets tough. they just scared of the rockets now. rockets in 6!
Not so fast. MJ and the other greats talked trash with the intent of getting into the head of the opponent, antagonizing him, humiliating him -- whatever. Kobe didn't talk trash only to Battier last night, though. He talked trash to the announcers, the fans, the cameras, ABOUT Battier. He was determined to make a point to the world that nobody can stop him. That's where the lack of class comes in. MJ didn't need to mouth off to the cameras; instead, he would just decimate the opponent and let everyone draw their own conclusions. Can you imagine Tiger Woods kicking someone's ass in a playoff, then turning to the gallery and telling them that nobody can keep up with him? Kobe will ultimately be remembered for several things: * amazing talent * incredible will to win but also: * dirty play * complete lack of class * a certain legal issue in Colorado * no rings without Shaq by his side
the lakers have been spoiled by stern and his minions (yet again) ever since phil jackson returned and especially since they acquired gasol. they are accustomed of thinking that they're better than they actually are. can't blame them much. i mean if all you hear everyday and all day from all sorts of media is how great you are, you'd forget who you really are easily as well. yet the rockets refuse to join the crowd. every time we play them, we give them a check of reality and remind them they still have to earn what they want. the lakers don't seem to take that from the rockets too well. we should use this to our advantage.
stop with the nonsense... both Shane Battier AND Ron Artest can single-handedly STOP Kobe at this stage of his career.. the key to this is: Kobe having a NORMAL game, ya know, not one of his best shooting nights ever.. Kobe was just hot in game 2, he was hitting his shots at an extraordinary percentage despite the fact that Battier was guarding him to perfection.. this won't happen every game, if anything, this will give Kobe false confidence to keep shooting, and then he cools down, and he shoots his team right into a second round choke job.. don't give him too much credit.. yes, amazing player, the best in the league (better than LeBron), but he's not always the game 2 Kobe, and even though the majority of the league CAN'T stop him one on one, we happen to have 2 of the few players than can actually stop him when he's having an average "kobe" game, not a Jordan on god mode type of game.. I'm surprised he didn't go for 81 again with him swishing every damn shot..
I understand talking trash to get under their skin and try to make them break... but Kobe does it ALL THE TIME. He constantly talks trash to Shane and it never has any affect, at all. When Battier says time and time again that Kobe is the best player on the planet and he can't be stopped... and then Kobe goes out on the court and yells, "you can't stop me!" at Shane after every basket... you tell me who is getting under whose skin.
Kobe is an idiot. If Battier can't guard him then why did he make Kobe a volume-shooting chucker who lost in Game 1? Why did Kobe get so frustrated when Shane took the ball from him that he jumped on top of him and started throwing knees and elbows. This is the best series of the second round and people are tuning in to see the NBA's second favorite child acting like a no class punk in response to a team that just works hard and wins.
I'm not going to lie, I would hysterically if the fans started shouting out R-A-P-E, not because it's a good idea but because after all of these years people still can't let it go. I think our fans should just support the Houston Rockets. Let's not stoop to the Lakers levels. Yell for your team, don't yell at the other team. That's just my opinion.
If people didn't already have enough motivation to shut him down his constant trash talking gives that to them, so personally I don't mind it just gives Shane even more desire to go out and kick his ass. If Shane does to him what he did in game 1 tomorrow I hope Shane doesn't make a big deal of it but just whispers in his ear 'why arn't you running your mouth now madam?'
Yeah, the constant shaking of the head and stares to our bench (and cameras) after EVERY shot he makes is just a joke. And so far in 2 games he's thrown 2 intentional elbows (one to Shane, one to Artest), and kneed Shane in the abdomen. Then he says that is just "physical playoff basketball". No Kobe, that is just you being a classless punk b****. That is one thing I respected about Brandon Roy last series. He played a PHENOMINAL series and you never saw him talking trash or any of those antics.
Either you were too young to remember it, or your memory ain't so good anymore. Michael Jordan routinely mocked his opponents (and even his own teammates). He did when he was young, and he did it when he was old. Remember when broken ribs delayed his second comeback? That was because Ron Artest didn't take too kindly to Jordan's remarks regarding how little money he made in comparison to him.
True but MJ did not scream to everyone in the building that someone couldn't guard him after every made basket. Then again, MJ still went to the rim hard at the age of 30 and still dominated practically every night. At this stage in Kobe's career I think his trash talking is more about convincing himself than anything else. I'd be pissed too if I was reduced to being a jump shooter.
