I'd drag out the stats...but I'm a bit lazy. Still, I remember a certain 53-point game from him that went to double OT. The man is a beast. A very hateable beast, but nevertheless a beast.
Didn't Kobe outscore the mavs 62-61 last season? Kobe is better than T-mac in all aspects except for passing and playing as part of the team. He has an incredible array of moves that even T-mac doesn't have. Kobe has also toned his game down from the high flying days. If you watch the ways Kobe can score w/o dunking, that pretty much sums it up as to why Kobe is better than T-mac as a scorer.
oh really? in many ways, the team's improvement in 2005-06 was often overshadowed by the individual scoring accomplishments posted by Bryant which resulted in the finest statistical season of his career. The season included many spectacular individual performances including a game on December 20th in which Bryant scored 62 points despite playing only three quarters against the Dallas Mavericks. Entering the fourth quarter Bryant had, by himself, outscored the entire Mavericks team 62-61, the only time a player has done this through three quarters since the advent of the 24-second shot clock. On January 22, Bryant scored 81 points,[4] in a 122-104 victory against the Toronto Raptors. In addition to breaking the previous franchise record of 71 set by Elgin Baylor, his point total in that game was the second highest in NBA history only to Wilt Chamberlain's legendary 100-point game in 1962. yes, i know that was last year. when was the last time someone else has done what Kobe is doing? quit hating on him as a player. how about the 53 he put on us in December?
i think kobe is the best player in the league right now. i've thought so for about 2 seasons now. there's no one in the league who can match him. he has such great footwork, allowing him to utilize a ton of offensive moves. not to mention his incredible stamina. scoring wise, there's no one that comes close. kobe is just the best right now. t-mac used to be just as amazing as kobe when he had that stellar orlando season, but now he seems content to let yao help him carry the burden. its obviously better for tracy to be able to have a superstar bigman on the floor with him, but man, t-mac in the orlando days was off the hook. im pretty sure we'll see a glimpse of that in the playoffs though. i hope he comes into the playoffs rocking that leg sleeve he used to wear. that was so dope man!
You mean he had to deal with the same strategies used against big men and other greats of the game like Hakeem, Shaq, Duncan, etc? Who would've guessed it's actually harder to score when that happens .
lol, true. but double-teaming post guys is a time-honored tradition. that's why we never expect our hakeem's or shaq's to get 50 and 60 points games. when a guard gets on a roll, the fans want a show. now if they had double-teamed effectively like say jvg's knicks on vince carter in the playoffs, that's cool, you gotta try to win. but when you aren't really trying to keep the other team from scoring and just don't want a big number posted on you and just leave others wide open all over the court to make that happen, then that's weak.
McGrady DID do it with Yao out, and no one "creamed their pants". What is that old saying again? Oh yeah, the grass is always greener... On a side note, weren't the two guys (McGrady and Kobe, that is) at one point seriously discussing the possibility of playing WITH one another? I will just say I am glad that didn't come to fruition.
In the context of your post, you were discussing the Lakers' struggles to win and Kobe's leadership, then you followed it up by saying "If T-Mac was doing it"...I am just reminding you that he did lead his team to a fantastic record without possibly the league's MVP before his injury. On the other hand, when Luke and Odom went down the Lakers hit a big slide.
ok, i misinterpreted your post. the team dynamics between the Lakers and Rockets is different I suppose. for the Lakers to win, maybe they NEED Kobe to be selfish. as opposed to the Rockets, maybe the NEED T-mac to be less selfish.
kobe has 17 of the lakers first 24 points. wow. i dont see how any of you guys can play down this accomplishment...he is doing this while shooting at a high clip for the amount of shots he is taking per game. so far tonight...7-11.
Seems like Kobe's 60pt ends. ESPN scoreboard shows that he scored 19 pt in the first half and Lakers won by 35-25 'coz the tab shows that the result is "Final".
