June 11, 201016 yr Great defense leads to poor judgment by offensive players IMO. You have to do everything so well against Boston that it's hard to keep focus all game long. Again, I agree to an extent. But, 7 TO's. Kobe Bryant. He has to be better than that. I don't care who they're playing. If that's excusable for Kobe, then he's vastly overrated. That's not acceptable from any elite player against any opponent. Again, several of those TO's were from laziness/carelessness. Lobbing the ball across court, not protecting it on the dribble, etc.
June 11, 201016 yr He said he will be playing but Phil said he will be talking to the doctors before making any decision. Dude's tough. Hopefully he can play through it.
June 11, 201016 yr He said he will be playing but Phil said he will be talking to the doctors before making any decision. If he doesn't play, the Kobe and Gasol will have to pick it up a notch. I have zero confidence that Lamar Odom is going to offer much in this series. After watching Big Baby eat him alive, I'm a little disappointed in Lamar to say the least.
June 11, 201016 yr Again, I agree to an extent. But, 7 TO's. Kobe Bryant. He has to be better than that. I don't care who they're playing. If that's excusable for Kobe, then he's vastly overrated. That's not acceptable from any elite player against any opponent. Again, several of those TO's were from laziness/carelessness. Lobbing the ball across court, not protecting it on the dribble, etc. I just think people have to be realistic. Any time you play a better defense they are going to make you pay for mistakes. Kobe isn't impervious to lapses in judgment, it's just that the Celtics are going to capitalize off of his poor plays more often than others would. Did you think Wade, James and Howard would struggle and Kobe would just be unfazed? He may not have played his best, but he was easily the best Laker on the floor last night and didn't play that bad. Give the Celtics their due. LeBron had 7 TO games against the Celtics and he is a better ball handler than Kobe so I don't see how it is just a total shock. If he doesn't play, the Kobe and Gasol will have to pick it up a notch. I have zero confidence that Lamar Odom is going to offer much in this series. After watching Big Baby eat him alive, I'm a little disappointed in Lamar to say the least. If Lamar or Bynum one do not step up I don't see how the Lakes can win this series without the Celtics being even more abysmal than they have been in this series on the offensive end. At some point Ray Allen's shots will go in again and Pierce is due a big game.
June 11, 201016 yr I just think people have to be realistic. Any time you play a better defense they are going to make you pay for mistakes. Kobe isn't impervious to lapses in judgment, it's just that the Celtics are going to capitalize off of his poor plays more often than others would. Did you think Wade, James and Howard would struggle and Kobe would just be unfazed? He may not have played his best, but he was easily the best Laker on the floor last night and didn't play that bad. Give the Celtics their due. LeBron had 7 TO games against the Celtics and he is a better ball handler than Kobe so I don't see how it is just a total shock. If Lamar or Bynum one do not step up I don't see how the Lakes can win this series without the Celtics being even more abysmal than they have been in this series on the offensive end. At some point Ray Allen's shots will go in again and Pierce is due a big game. I am realistic. Seven TO's from an elite-level player, a player who some place in the best-ever argument is unacceptable against anybody. That doesn't mean it won't happen, but Kobe hasn't played up to his ability, IMO. I don't think Lebron played to his ability against Boston either, but it seemed like he was unfocused at times. These guys are paid big bucks to play basketball. If they can't keep their focus for 48 minutes every two or three days in the NBA finals, perhaps they should reevaluate. Ray Allen has gone through extended slumps before, though I tend to agree. LA can't count on him shooting this poorly for three more games. However, I'm not as optimistic about Pierce as you are. Artest is a tough matchup for him and I wouldn't be surprised if life continued to be tough for Pierce for the remainder of the finals, unless Artest gets in foul trouble. Big difference in abusing Radmanovic and Luke Walton as opposed to Ron Artest. He's lost some quickness, but he's strong and Paul Pierce is a perfect matchup for him. Pierce isn't overpowering, nor quick. Artest doesn't have to worry about Pierce blowing by him and I think his strength and physicality bothers Pierce a little. I expect him to continue to play well on the defensive end. It took an unexpected performance from multiple Boston bench players to beat LA last night with little from Bynum or Odom. I wouldn't say they can't win in that situation, because they nearly did. In Boston. But, it sure makes it tougher and puts a lot of pressure on the others, like Kobe and Gasol and Fisher. This has been a strange series to me. I'll be honest, I don't know what to expect. I still think LA at full strength is better, but not invincibly so. And, the way things have gone, I wouldn't be surprised if Adam Morrison scores 20 in the fourth quarter Sunday in his street clothes to carry LA to a 3-2 series lead. The only thing that would surprise me at this point is a star player stepping up at crunch time and actually helping his team win.
June 11, 201016 yr I am realistic. Seven TO's from an elite-level player, a player who some place in the best-ever argument is unacceptable against anybody. That doesn't mean it won't happen, but Kobe hasn't played up to his ability, IMO. I don't think Lebron played to his ability against Boston either, but it seemed like he was unfocused at times. These guys are paid big bucks to play basketball. If they can't keep their focus for 48 minutes every two or three days in the NBA finals, perhaps they should reevaluate. Ray Allen has gone through extended slumps before, though I tend to agree. LA can't count on him shooting this poorly for three more games. However, I'm not as optimistic about Pierce as you are. Artest is a tough matchup for him and I wouldn't be surprised if life continued to be tough for Pierce for the remainder of the finals, unless Artest gets in foul trouble. Big difference in abusing Radmanovic and Luke Walton as opposed to Ron Artest. He's lost some quickness, but he's strong and Paul Pierce is a perfect matchup for him. Pierce isn't overpowering, nor quick. Artest doesn't have to worry about Pierce blowing by him and I think his strength and physicality bothers Pierce a little. I expect him to continue to play well on the defensive end. It took an unexpected performance from multiple Boston bench players to beat LA last night with little from Bynum or Odom. I wouldn't say they can't win in that situation, because they nearly did. In Boston. But, it sure makes it tougher and puts a lot of pressure on the others, like Kobe and Gasol and Fisher. This has been a strange series to me. I'll be honest, I don't know what to expect. I still think LA at full strength is better, but not invincibly so. And, the way things have gone, I wouldn't be surprised if Adam Morrison scores 20 in the fourth quarter Sunday in his street clothes to carry LA to a 3-2 series lead. The only thing that would surprise me at this point is a star player stepping up at crunch time and actually helping his team win. Anyone who puts Kobe (or LeBron) in the GOAT comparison should stop and just admit that their bias has blinded them and made them incapable of evaluating the situation. Kobe plays like Jordan, but outside of 3 point and FT shooting, Jordan was much better overall. I would hope that most of us would take the 35 year old Jordan against Utah over this 31 year old Kobe, and if you go to the prime of their careers it's not even a competition. Kobe is the best competitor in the league but he still isn't any where close to where Jordan was. I don't care how many titles he gets the two should never be compared IMO. Put Jordan with Hakeem Olajuwon or Ewing (like Kobe had Shaq) early in his career and he's challenging Bill Russell for most titles all-time. Back to the subject at hand though, I just think you're putting Kobe on too high a pedestal. He's human, he's not used to having to play both ends of the floor in the playoffs and he's not used to being guarded like the Celtics do. What player in the Western Conference playoffs presented the problems that Rondo or Allen give Kobe? Westbrook is good, but he was too green to do anything against the Mamba. You don't have to guard Wes Matthews or Grant Hill. It's tiring to have to play both sides of the ball, especially against a defense as good and physical as Boston. Forgive Kobe if he has some mental lapses caused by fatigue or just excellent defense. As for nearly winning, LA got dominated last night statistically. I don't think they would have won even without the subs stepping up for Boston. Paul Pierce closed out the game, and if he had to come back in earlier I think he still would have been enough to get the W for the Celtics.
June 11, 201016 yr The Shrek and Donkey quote got no love in this thread all day? Weak sauce... Funniest presser I believe I've ever watched.
June 11, 201016 yr Big Baby lost my respect when he cryed like a baby after Garnett chewed him out. He teared up against Orlando or Cleveland this year also. He was screaming he "messed up" after an ill advised shot led to an And 1 situation for the opponent.
June 11, 201016 yr Anyone who puts Kobe (or LeBron) in the GOAT comparison should stop and just admit that their bias has blinded them and made them incapable of evaluating the situation. Kobe plays like Jordan, but outside of 3 point and FT shooting, Jordan was much better overall. I would hope that most of us would take the 35 year old Jordan against Utah over this 31 year old Kobe, and if you go to the prime of their careers it's not even a competition. Kobe is the best competitor in the league but he still isn't any where close to where Jordan was. I don't care how many titles he gets the two should never be compared IMO. Put Jordan with Hakeem Olajuwon or Ewing (like Kobe had Shaq) early in his career and he's challenging Bill Russell for most titles all-time. Back to the subject at hand though, I just think you're putting Kobe on too high a pedestal. He's human, he's not used to having to play both ends of the floor in the playoffs and he's not used to being guarded like the Celtics do. What player in the Western Conference playoffs presented the problems that Rondo or Allen give Kobe? Westbrook is good, but he was too green to do anything against the Mamba. You don't have to guard Wes Matthews or Grant Hill. It's tiring to have to play both sides of the ball, especially against a defense as good and physical as Boston. Forgive Kobe if he has some mental lapses caused by fatigue or just excellent defense. As for nearly winning, LA got dominated last night statistically. I don't think they would have won even without the subs stepping up for Boston. Paul Pierce closed out the game, and if he had to come back in earlier I think he still would have been enough to get the W for the Celtics. I am taking Kobe all day everyday. When MJ played there wasn't anyone playing the 2 that could challenge him. Nowadays, because of MJ, there are guys with his physical abilities and basketball skills everywhere. While MJ is quite possibly the greatest ever the gap between him and Kobe and LeBron and DWade is not as big as some people like to believe.
June 11, 201016 yr I am taking Kobe all day everyday. When MJ played there wasn't anyone playing the 2 that could challenge him. Nowadays, because of MJ, there are guys with his physical abilities and basketball skills everywhere. While MJ is quite possibly the greatest ever the gap between him and Kobe and LeBron and DWade is not as big as some people like to believe. Ok for instance: .........................................Jordan...........................................Kobe............. Championships.......................6.................................................4 (*5)........... Finals MVP.............................6.................................................1................... Season MVP...........................5.................................................1.................. Scoring Titles........................10................................................2.................. All-Star/Seasons played.........14/*15.........................................12/14............ Defensive POY.......................1..................................................0.................. 1st Team NBA.......................10................................................8.................. 1st Team Def........................9..................................................8................. ROY....................................yes...............................................no................. Career Stats Jordan-........30.1 PPG, 6.2 RPG, 5.3 APG, 2.35 SPG, .8 BPG. 49.7 FG%, 32.7 3PT%, 83.5% FT. Kobe -.........25.3 PPG, 5.3 RPG, 4.7 APG, 1.50 SPG, .6 BPG. 45.5 FG%, 34.0 3PT%, 83.8% FT. Still think it's close? Kobe really can't even catch MJ, because next season he will have matched how long Jordan played. Truthfully it would be this season, because you shouldn't count 94-95 IMO because he only played 17 games in the regular season and he had been away from basketball for almost 2 years. Through the same amount of seasons played, Kobe is ahead in only two categories in 3 PT% and FT% and by a slim margin. Also, Kobe won his first 3 titles in about the worst era for the NBA since the early days. When VC and TMac are prime tickets you know it's bad, it was the years after Jordan and most of the league wasn't that good. That's not trying to take anything away from the Lakers, they were the best team I can remember besides Jordan's Bulls, but you can't say Jordan had no competition without mentioning that. They played the Pacers who weren't bad, the 76ers who wouldn't have sniffed a Finals in today's NBA and the Nets who would have no hope for getting to the ship in today's East IMO. My eyes tell me that Jordan was on another level from anyone else, and I think the stats back that up. If they played one on one 10 times (and both were in their primes) I think Kobe might be able to squeeze out 3 wins and IMO that's being extremely generous. No disrespect to Kobe, he's been the best player of the post-Jordan era but I think comparing him to Jordan and skipping guys like Magic, Russell and Chamberlain is disrespectful especially to Magic.
June 11, 201016 yr Ok for instance: .........................................Jordan...........................................Kobe............. Championships.......................6.................................................4 (*5)........... Finals MVP.............................6.................................................1................... Season MVP...........................5.................................................1.................. Scoring Titles........................10................................................2.................. All-Star/Seasons played.........14/*15.........................................12/14............ Defensive POY.......................1..................................................0.................. 1st Team NBA.......................10................................................8.................. 1st Team Def........................9..................................................8................. ROY....................................yes...............................................no................. Career Stats Jordan-........30.1 PPG, 6.2 RPG, 5.3 APG, 2.35 SPG, .8 BPG. 49.7 FG%, 32.7 3PT%, 83.5% FT. Kobe -.........25.3 PPG, 5.3 RPG, 4.7 APG, 1.50 SPG, .6 BPG. 45.5 FG%, 34.0 3PT%, 83.8% FT. Still think it's close? Kobe really can't even catch MJ, because next season he will have matched how long Jordan played. Truthfully it would be this season, because you shouldn't count 94-95 IMO because he only played 17 games in the regular season and he had been away from basketball for almost 2 years. Through the same amount of seasons played, Kobe is ahead in only two categories in 3 PT% and FT% and by a slim margin. Also, Kobe won his first 3 titles in about the worst era for the NBA since the early days. When VC and TMac are prime tickets you know it's bad, it was the years after Jordan and most of the league wasn't that good. That's not trying to take anything away from the Lakers, they were the best team I can remember besides Jordan's Bulls, but you can't say Jordan had no competition without mentioning that. They played the Pacers who weren't bad, the 76ers who wouldn't have sniffed a Finals in today's NBA and the Nets who would have no hope for getting to the ship in today's East IMO. My eyes tell me that Jordan was on another level from anyone else, and I think the stats back that up. If they played one on one 10 times (and both were in their primes) I think Kobe might be able to squeeze out 3 wins and IMO that's being extremely generous. No disrespect to Kobe, he's been the best player of the post-Jordan era but I think comparing him to Jordan and skipping guys like Magic, Russell and Chamberlain is disrespectful especially to Magic. Very well said. Not only are the numbers in favor of Jordan by a landslide the in person test goes to him as well. I was 14 when Jordan came into the league and have seen both players careers. Kobe is a great, great player but he is not as great as Jordan.
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