So how do you explain Kobe outshooting the entire Mavs roster in one game? That team just can't contain elite SG's. Put a bunch of dudes without the footspeed to check an elite penetrating wing, add a dumb coach who keeps fouling Shaq like he was the Oneal of 2000 and you have a recipe for a ton of free throws.
How do you figure that (the bolded part)? Find me a jumpshooter in this league who gets more trips to the line than Kobe Bryant.
To say Kobe doesn't get as many calls as LeBron is silly. He get bailed out plenty of times. LeBron absorbs a lot more punishment than Kobe (and Wade) without getting calls because of his strength. He also takes more hard fouls and cheap shots than both guys put together.
I don't know if you watched Kobe more than I, but I know Kobe doesn't get bailed out like LeBron does... especially when the game is on the line. LeBron gets so many questionable calls, he's always picked on for a reason.. Yeah he is strong, but that's not the reason why people are fouling him.. it's the same as if Kobe were to drive and get a foul called on him. The fact that LeBron drives more and doesn't really have an outside shot (IMO not consistent enough) shows you the differential in the FT's between LeBron and Kobe. But, I think he has gotten way too much treatment, especially early in his career, and the refs haven't stopped it.
Look at his hotspots though, he drives a lot too.. That's where he gets his calls. I watch the Lakers almost every night that they play, I am not being biased, and I'm sure as hell nothing close to a Lakers fan. I'm just saying that if you were to watch him, he doesn't get fouls on jumpers, he gets foul shots on either hand checking (or little things like that, when the opposing team is in the penalty) or when drives and gets fouled inside the paint.
You actually have it backwards.. LeBron doesn't complain as much as Kobe.. but if you breathe on LeBron its a foul... and another thing, I think LeBron gets away with a lot when he's guarding someone defensively.. He's had so much history with him fouling ppl when the game is in a crucial point (like the end of the game).
You might need to watch LeBron more. Seriously. We all know both guys sometimes get cheap fouls and bailouts. But on the particular issue of getting hit and no foul being called, it is not close. LeBron gets clobbered anywhere from wrist to shoulder and the refs miss it a lot. Kobe is a very strong guy but he could not take the amount of regular punishment LeBron gets. With his temper and the way he snaps at referees, Kobe would have twice as many technicals. P.S: I realize Kobe gets hit more than his share of times compared to most NBA players.
Lost in this entire conversation about who gets bailed out more is a crucial fact: Kobe is primarily a jump shooter, while Lebron and especially Wade take a lot more physical punishment and drive to the basket a lot more consistently than Kobe ever did, even when he was a young man. Still, I am pretty sure Kobe gets on par the same treatment as Lebron and Wade, even though he does not drive to the basket nearly as much.
