Didn't watch the game and my VCR screwed up... however.... Kobe put up the winning shot so easily because Parker had him in a switch (Bowen took Fisher) and Parker failed to box him out. Kobe's good, but the Lakers don't even win 60% of the games were Kobe plays and Shaq doesn't. This statistic was flashed as a graphic during the Portland series. I assume it's correct or NBC would have gotten a lot of calls. Robinson's worn out, Popovich can't coach and the Spurs have developed an inferiority complex.
...with good reason. When the other team is better than you and beats you I wouldn't call it an inferiority "complex", more like accurate self-perception. Kobe is a great player but he isn't better than Duncan or Shaq when healthy IMO. I actually haven't seen Bowen double off of Kobe much. Kobe has beaten some very good defense played against him. (Bowen has backed up his defensive reputation, I give him that, but he also has backed up my concerns about being a guy that brings too little on the other end. Personally, I think if Peja can come back I think Sac has a very good chance to beat the Lakers. They won't miss all the looks the Spurs seem to get and miss in crunch time.
Where did I say Elie would shot down Kobe? I said he'd help to contain him. He's a similar defender to bowen IMO (maybe not quite as good, but close and much better offensively). Kobe is great but unlike MJ he CAN be contained. Kobe's shooting % is down this series. What is really killing the Spurs more than Kobe is their inability to score consistently. As bad as K. Smith was defensively, D. Fisher's game is not taking it to the hole. He's a spot up 3 pt shooter. How often do you ever see D. Fisher taking the ball to the rack, even against defensive bums like Francis? Rarely. As for the psychological edge, who does LA play these days that's mentally tough? The choking Spurs? The out of control, schizophrenic Blazers? The Kings with their soft as charmin superstar? If Hakeem and Clyde could find a way to neutralize Kobe and Shaq, I like the 95 Rockets supporting cast over what LA has.
Kobe is better than Duncan. I think this series has shown that. Kobe has the killer instinct that Duncan lacks.
Give Tim Duncan Shaq and we will see how much killer instinct Kobe really has or atleast how much killer instict he would BE ABLE TO SHOW. Considering him leading the Lakers would not even come within 20pts of a team with Duncan or Shaq, or Duncan and a high quality second star vs a Kobe led team.
Freak, while it is true that when Shaq is in the game Kobe is not double or triple teamed, I don't ever see his man rotating off to double down on Shaq. I think Popovich is a little smarter than to send THAT defender down on Shaq and leave the 2nd best player on the team wide open to do whatever. Also, when Shaq is out of the game, and Kobe is in, he DOES get double and triple teamed regularly, and I see him deal with those as deftly as he deals when it is just one man guarding him. Kobe isn't quite as good as he looks when Shaq is in the game....but he is very close.
The fact remains that Duncan had a chance to take the game over in the 4th, and failed miserably. Obviously, the Lakers aren't as good without Shaq. But, if you give Kobe the ball with 10 secs left in a game, there's no one better.
And Shaq and Duncan are the best players in the league at getting you to that point in the 4th quarter. Duncan is still going for 30, playing good defense, and getting teamates open looks. If he had Sac or Dallas's shooters around him he would be on the verge of a 2nd title. I don't care how good a pro you are, you are supposed to pass the ball if a teammate is open. Pro's are supposed to knock down open shots. Even MJ, who anyone has to admit is a notch above Kobe in his prime, new to pass the rock in that situation (Paxon, Kerr shots). Kobe is a great player and maybe the 3rd best player in the league (when Shaq is healthy), but I don't think he is the force of either and we won't be able to truly tell until Shaq isn't such a force playing along side of him.
How exactly did Duncan fail? he drew double and triple teams, and passed it to open teammates who either refused to take, or bricked open shots. Duncan's teammates failed him.
I disagree. It's much easier to triple team a post player like Duncan than it is Kobe. I'd take Kobe over Duncan, Kobe's more clutch. They may have Shaq but down the stretch they go to Kobe. The guy's only 23, it's scary how good he's going to be. Kobe's only weakness as a player right now is his post defense. Bigger guards can abuse him in the post. Other than that, he's almost a perfect bball player.
Bowen left Bryant to help on Shaq, more than once. I saw it and have it on tape. The very fact that it happens even one time, shows you the mindset of a defender when Shaq is in the game -- he doesn't give the man he's guarding his full attention. I don't understand why people fail to consider how much easier it makes it when you're not the main priority of a defense. It's easier to be 'clutch' in the 4th quarter when you a) aren't the main focus of the defense, and b) are allowed to take possessions off all game. The physical pounding and harassment that a Duncan goes through compared to a support player like Bryant makes it just a wee bit tougher.
I don't remember seeing Bowen rotate off...but if he does, that is just as representative of Bowen/Popovich being stupid as it is that Shaq is unstoppable. There is no reason why Parker/Ferry/Rose/Whoever shouldn't be helping on defense over Bowen. I do agree that Kobe has it easier than many other superstars, but as someone else pointed out, it is a lot harder to double team a guard than a forward/center. And when Kobe is in the game sans Shaq, I don't see a significant difference in his effectiveness. Chalk it up to him being able to take possessions off, or however you want to explain it. I will chalk it up to him being one of the top 3, if not the most talented, guard in the league. But this is all subjective, because no one can say with any certainty how well Kobe would do if he was in a McGrady type situation.
If I have a choice between a 23 year old Shaq, Duncan or Kobe, though it is no easy decision I pick them in that order. For one, once Kobe loses a little spring in his step his production will fall 3 fold over those other two.
HUH??? Didn't the Jazz, with two Hall of Fame players in Stockton & Malone, make it to the Finals twice? Didn't the Suns, with two Hall of Fame players in Barkley & KJ, make it to the Finals? Didn't the San Antonio team have two Hall of Fame players, in Robinson & Rodman? Didn't the NY team have one Hall of Fame player in Ewing? Didn't Orlando have Shaq, whose game hasn't really improved that much....especially not defensively? How can you compare any team LA has faced in the last two years to any squad the Rockets beat during their title runs? If those teams are weak, then what the hell do you call the teams LA has run through?
The common thread amongst all but the SA duo in Icehouse's list: they never won a title. They may be good - or great - players, but were they mentally prepared to win a title? Probably not, especially not the Magic at that point. That was the argument.
Jordan got smarter and savvier (and maybe even better) as the spring slowly unwound. I'd expect no different of Kobe.
one thing i want to say about a matchup between the 94/95 rockets and the lakers of this season or last season, is that young robert horry may have more athletic ability, but old robert horry would literally know everything that young robert horry wanted to do. hell, he may REMEMBER trying to do things against himself that he uses against his younger counterpart.
