Kevin Love says Kobe is the best player in the game

I wasn't trying to compare Jordan to Kobe in any way especially clutch factor. Jordan would have never allowed the 2010 game 7 to happen to him. I remember expecting every shot that Jordan took in the 4th to go in and I've never felt that way about Kobe. I do think Kobe is more clutch than Lebron strictly because in the clutch its harder to get to the hoop and Kobe is a better tough shot maker but players like Jordan and Reggie are in a whole different level of clutchness to me.

 

You don't know that but like most Lebron fans you talk about it with so much certainty and use it as evidence of Lebron's greatness when it hasn't even happened. When he gets 4-5 he will have earned a different perception and trust me a lot of people will give him the credit he deserves for doing that.

 

http://www.foxsportsflorida.com/02/.../landing_heat.html?blockID=660956&feedID=3565

"Yeah," Heat coach Erik Spoelstra said when asked whether agreed with what Johnson noted about James' front-runner status. "I think he's the best player in basketball."

"No one wants to win a championship worse than LeBron James," Wade said. "But when it comes to player talent, it's no argument from that standpoint (of James being the NBA's best player). Obviously, Kobe is arguably one of the greatest players of all time. But when you talk about the most dominant players in this league and the best players, it's no secret LeBron James is that player.

"I think he's having an MVP kind of year. . . . No question that he is front-runner for MVP."

"Yeah, I agree," Heat forward Udonis Haslem said of James being the MVP front-runner. "I don't think it's debatable at all. He's definitely the best player in the league. I'm not just saying that because he's on my team."

 

See Game 6, championship clinching game against sonics, 96 finals. Jordan shot under 30 percent or close.

Shots don't fall sometimes, guys like kobe and MJ don't mentally deter and keep attacking. MJ is a better player, more efficient, clutch, you name it. He is the greatest of all time and mastered the game mentally and on the court. Next to him, far behind, is bryant. MJ said it himself, Kobe i s the only one who has put enough work in to even be in the conversation. Signed and sealed, MJ

 

Another Great one who says he'd rather play with Kobe to win. He even says lebrons the best in the league right now, but if he wanted to win(although he'd have more fun playing with lebron, he'd choose Kobe

http://espn.go.com/los-angeles/nba/story/_/id/7551496/larry-bird-love-play-los-angeles-lakers-kobe-bryant

Once again, it seems like most of the espn and people who love the box scores will vouch for lebron and a majority of the players who go against and play with these guys and some of the greats from before choose Kobe

 

Who cares what Wade thinks. Just because he doesn't realize that he is the most important player on the team and not LeBron doesn't mean the rest of the world can't see it.

 

Do you honestly think wade was going to say no, I am the best player or I am the guy who does things in the clutch and when the team needs the bucket, etc...they are teammates and professionals. Bosh already said who the team trust most and counts on for the big moments, why would wade create a story for the news saying otherwise.

 

LOL, you should check 1996 finals game 6 before you speak. Jordan had a worse closing game and a worse final series compared to Kobe's 2010 finals.

 

Wake up, LePippen was the 2nd fiddle in Heat too, at least for last year's playoff. LeBron played well in one Bulls series didn't change that. Kobe clearly outperformed Shaq in 3 west conference series in 2001 and was still 2nd fiddle.

 

Kobe didn't get 19points as the 2nd fiddle. And when the focus was on LeBron in 2007, he shot 35%. So Kobe got way more points when he was the man, and he got way higher efficiency when he was the 2nd fiddle.

And Lakers were so good in 2001 playoff because Kobe outperformed shaq in first 3 series. Your argument is always so ridiculous it's not even worth reading.

 

Kobe had 10 points in 4th quarter though he did shot 25% for that final game. And somehow he's not clutch?

In game 4 of 2009 finals, Lakers down 5 in closing seconds, Kobe drove to 4 Magics before passing to Gasol for an open dunk. Next possession, Magic was so scared of Kobe that they doubled Kobe in backcourt to make sure he passed up the ball, then Fisher had the space to hit the tying 3. In OT, he's doubled again to give Fisher another open to hit the go ahead 3. Of course their teammates stepped up, because they were so open in clutch time due to Kobe.

 

You mean the 3 where he elbowed Jameer Nelson in the face and knocked him onto the floor?

 

I am fully aware of the 1996 Jordan game and it wasn't worst than Kobe's. Jordan went 5-19 with 7 assists while Kobe went 6-24 with 2 assists. The difference in games is that Jordan didn't just keep jacking up shots and actually got his teammates involved. I am a huge Kobe fan but that guy's shot selection during that game was embarrassing. He so badly wanted to dominate a game 7 that he couldn't stop himself from taking terrible shot after terrible shot. You can't compare the performances when Jordan took 5 less shots and had 5 more assists I stand by my statement that Jordan would have never allowed what happened to Kobe to happen to him.

 

So Fishers superlong 3 was because Kobe got him so open? No...it's because a defender laid off him instead of getting up on him. You and your revisionist history.

 

yea, with 5 seconds left, the defense isn't going to lay off a shooter...kobe drew the attraction in and that is what he does. Even if he is shooting 2 percent, the whole nba is on their toes if he has the ball with the last shot on the line and with that he draws a lot of attention. They guy wasn't laying off of him with 5 seconds left in the finals because he got lazy and decided ah why not...

 

The dude was laid off of him because he made a mistake. It didn't have jack ish to do with being concerned about Kobe. It was just bad defensive positioning. You guys, I swear. LOL.

Steve Kerr wide open jumper because Jordan commanded a double out of a set. Orlando ran a trap but the other guard (Nelson I believe, IIRC) had a responsibility to get up on Fisher and he gave him too much space on what was still a very long shot.

What next, you gonna give Kobe credit for the 0.4 shot too?

 

Hey, I know he forces a lot of shots, but hes a unique talent. I don't think he is anywhere near MJ, but he is the next best thing far away....Bird said it best, his mentality and approach is something oyu just can't overlook. He trust himself too much, but he backs it up by being the hardest worker, and yes when he is on the court, defenses are so worried bc he is attacking th attentino on him and that allows his teammates more freedom than any statistic will show. But it takes a team and it takes a player, its about cohesion, in the end of the day you act like any one with shaq could've won a title....great players come and go, 5 titles just doesn't happen especially with you as a 20PPg and closer on all of those titles. You overlook it pretty casually, it seems your one of those people that just doesn't like the guy, call him a rapist or wahtever else but he can do no right in your eyes it seems. As far as lebron, hes the best guy in the league to fill the stats, he can impact the game in so many ways, and probably has more gifts than anyone in the History of the league, yet he does lack something mentally that I haven't seen in stars adn there is just something not there and all the players seem to see it and it still means hes great, but theres that edge that he does not have mentally and that matters when it comes to winning games.

 

I'm not overlooking 5 titles. What I will do is place them in the proper perspective. He was a 2nd option for 3 of those, no different than numerous "can't do it without them" 2nd options for other teams. If you don't try to give McHale equal credit for the 86 title then don't try to do the same for Kobe, just for example. He has led a team to 2 titles and very few folks can say that. He is a great player. That doesn't mean I'm going to give him primary credit for the first 3 rings like we do to other primary options, or say stuff like Fisher was only open on a difficult 3 pointer because of him. I personally think he is the 2nd best SG and a top 10 player.

 

Kobe had 15 boards for god sake. He normally got like 5. You can afford to throw 10 bricks as long as you get the ball back. Kobe definitely had a better closing game whatever way you put up.