Kobe's ability as a "closer" needs to be called out

No you can't.

Celtics would be down 3-2 , not done.

 

Um.. that's not the point. My point was, if you're going to nitpick about who won what game, it works both ways. So, I don't see how Derek Fisher winning game 3 and big baby winning game 4 cannot offset each other. And then yes, the Celtics would be on the brink of elimination which is almost the same thing as the Lakers being eliminated 4-1.

 

Ok? i don't get this similarity.

 

I hate the Lakers. I hate Kobe more. That said, this article is absurd.

 

dont have time to read the thread but watever stats and %'s i dont care, bottom line is he is the best closer in the game and Ill take him or Dwayne Wade everytime to win the game for me

 

yup, and Wade is a close 2nd

 

This seems to be a recurring theme with Kobe Bryant fans.

 

I don't have time to read your entire post, but whatever it says I know that you are going to lose more games than me if you choose Kobe as your closer and I choose someone who's proven to actually perform better in fourth quarters (e.g., Lebron or Carmelo).

 

Yes, it does. Kobe fans completely ignore facts and like to go on how they perceive the game. The problem is that they forget all the game winners Kobe misses. They forget that before he hit the game winner he had three misses and two turnovers when he could have iced the game earlier. They just remember that he nailed a shot at the buzzer and ESPN called him a god.

 

All I will say is if LeBron played like this in the 4th Qt he would be getting killed by the media like he did last series against Boston.

Seems like they are sort of letting Kobe off of the hook.

 

Yep. Kobe won a ring thanks to Shaq and so he's known as clutch. LeBron, the superior player, has no help so he is called a choker. The statistics tell a different story. LeBron is the better 4th quarter player.

 

the point was kobe has not been "closing games" and if it wasn't for derek fisher in the 4th quarter of game 3 this series would be over.

 

Lakers win championship.

Bet it.

 

That's 2 quarters out of how many? Performance meterics don't tell the whole story. Lebron can hit all kinds of threes in the 4th, but only to bring them back, so those metrics may show him to be a better closer, but that's the error. Kobe hits shots to close teams out. It's hars to measure that unless you actually watch games. It would be very difficult for stats to measure that specifically.

 

Celtics win championship.

Book it!

 

I'm no fan of No. 24; in fact I despise his whole diva / alleged rapist persona. However, if you need a player to make one shot to win a game, who else would you put ahead of him on that list?

Jordan missed (I believe) 25-30 game winning shots in his career. I think we can agree he was a great closer.

I think that the same blind eye that Kobe fans look out of can be shared by those who think Kobe is overrated. The guy has the premier set of offensive skills in the league bar none. Players, coaches, GM's, and very biased sports media generally agree that he is the best.

 

I'm tired of the media, the fans and every other basketball viewer saying "He hit it when it matters most" or "He hit it when it counts".

That's the stupidest thing I've ever heard. Every shot counts, and every made shot takes away the need for a closer. Was it Dirk Nowitzki who was praised God after he hit a "clutch" shot when he missed all of his previous shots?

 

Lebron is the better closer, but he doesn't do it as "flashy" as Kobe. Kobe makes every shot look hard, so inevitably, when he hits a "hard" shot in clutch time, people's mouths will drop to the floor. If Lebron takes it hard to the hole or gets to the line, no one bats an eyelash. From a basketball POV, I'll take Lebron in the 4th any day of the week over Kobe.

 

Jordan was a great closer, because he was a winner. Jordan could have had the exact same "closing" ability, but without Pippen or the team he had, no one would be talking about Jordan and his unparalleled clutchness.

 

Do you happen to know what the percentages were for Jordan? Sure, he may have missed what seems like a large number of potential game winning shots, but what was his shooting percentage in the final minutes of close games throughout his career?

I don't have those numbers handy for Jordan, but I do know that for Kobe, those numbers are not only unimpressive, they are also well below many of his peers. Kobe is overrated. He is also a great basketball player.