2007-08 NBA General Discussion Thread

[AYHJA]

Well, there is always the chance that if the C's do make it out, having homecourt will aid them...I don't think that the Lakers have lost at home yet...First time for everything, but if the Spurs can't do it, I don't think Boston or Detroit can...The Lakers should be rested and ready, and most importantly listing one Kobe Bryant on their roster eager to cement his legacy w/o Shaq stealing all the credit...

[AYHJA]

I think Hornets Lakers will be an awesome series, but I think that even if the Hornets make it past the Spurs, the Lakers will get them in 5...

The boy is on fyah..!

[darklighter1]

Well congrats to you Lakers fans....dammit!

[Chuckiedoo]

Yes Sir... And soon they will play the Celtics

[Chuckiedoo]

Look what some fella from yahoo sports wrote:


IF people can argue MJ was the greatest!...even though Bill Russell won almost twice as many championships...and Oscar Robertson was a far better allaround player then anyone!....

Kobe at 29 years old is better then MJ was at 29...

Why Kobe Bryant is better than Michael Jordan:

Reason 1: Better defense, better players, more competition, and better basketball overall.

Kobe plays in the modern defensive era of traps, doubles, and zone defenses. From the year 2001, the NBA effectively legalized zone defensive, thus discouraging 1-on-1 play. Compare this to Michael Jordan's weaker era, where had to luxury of playing "iso" all game long. Kobe cannot even post up without getting doubled.

Many people think zone's are weak defenses, that is because so many teams don't play it properly. While they may be weak against great passing teams with shooters, if played properly, zone defenses are great against dominant individuals (Kobe, Garnett, etc) that have a weak supporting cast. The whole world plays zone. Even in College basketball, the "purest" form of basketball, the teams play almost entirely zone defense. Around the world, other countries use zone all the time. And if you want to see its effectiveness, just look at the 2006 summer games.

Furthermore today's NBA is far more competitive. Not only does Kobe have to deal with zone, he goes up against taller, bigger and stronger defenders than Jordan ever did. Back in the 1980's most of the shooting guards Jordan played against were 6''2 to 6''4. Kobe can shoot over shorter players like that with unbelievable efficiency, yet he plays against players that are 6''5 to 6''9. In the 80s, outside of a few good teams (Lakers, Celtics, Pistons, Knicks) there was really not that much competition. Today, even the worst teams in the league (i.e bobcats, hawks) are good and can hold their own with any team they face.

Sure, the 80's was a more physical brand of basketball. But physicality, does not translate into effectiveness. If you ask any great scorer which is harder: 1) Playing with double and triple teams or 2) Having to deal with stiff-arms and armbars, they would chose the former. And furthermore, you think Kobe doesn't face armbars/stiff-arms? How can you guard Kobe without using your hands? It is impossible. With the rules the way they are, Kobe should be getting two free throws on almost every trip down.

Reason 2: Individual skill sets

Michael Jordan revolutionized the game of basketball and defined the future of the SG position. Then Kobe Bryant came along, and perfected this. When you compare their two skill sets, it goes like this:

Kobe Bryant: Better shooter, better ball-handler, better range, better play maker, better passer, better off-hand, better scorer, better killer instinct.

Michael Jordan: Smarter player, more efficient, more consistent defensively.

The both have the about equal footwork and "clutch" abilities.

In 2006, Phil Jackson said that "Kobe is better than Michael with the basketball." Even when Kobe was only 21 years old, Phil already said that Kobe is a better playmaker:

"I think it's the best that I've ever seen a player of mine play with an overall court game. I'm asking him to do so much, and he's accomplishing it. I never asked Michael to be a playmaker."

Link: http://espn.go.com/page2/s/clo ser/020212.html

So why is Michael Jordan revered while Kobe Bryant is not?

Michael Jordan had such a big impact on basketball financially and economically. In the early 80's, the league was in recession and basketball wasn't that big. When Michael Jordan came around, the league and its sponsors (Nike, Gatorade, etc), took a great player in Michael Jordan and turned him into an icon. Michael was a master of controlling his image, and appealing to the people. This is something Kobe has not managed to do. Jordan could do no wrong with fans, and possessed an almost saint-like status. It is this nostalgia and this image of Jordan that fans have come to love. This is why they cannot accept that Kobe Bryant is better than Michael Jordan. By better, I don't mean statistically. Jordan will always have better numbers, averages, and accolades than Kobe. Period. But skill-wise and ability-wise, Kobe has surpassed him in this tougher era of basketball.

Lastly, there is a popular myth that Jordan won 6 titles as a one-man show. This is far from the truth. He played with:

-3 All-Stars (Pippen, Rodman, Grant)
-2 of the games best defenders (Pippen and Rodman)
-1 of the 50 greatest players of all-time (Pippen)
-2 The games best 3 point shooters (Kerr and Kukoc)

Even without Michael Jordan, Pippen and the bulls managed to get a whopping 55 wins.

[darklighter1]

That guy that wrote all that....a retahd (my Boston accent). Nah I kid I kid. He's a great player! I know. That's all they did was compare Kobe and Jordan here on the Boston radio sports station ALL DAY! So I'm a little burned out on the subject. To me Jordan will always be the best I've ever seen but I do think Kobe is the closest to him. But LeBron is the guy I think that could be greater than them all. But anyway it'll be fun and maybe by the end of this series I'll have changed my mind. :?:

[AYHJA]

I agree with the the article...I've been watching basketball for a long time man, and dude is right...Joe Dumars was the prototype 2 guard in those days...Joe Dumars was 6'3", and couldn't hold Kobe in a phone booth...The league has changed man, name 1 SG in the NBA during the time of Michael Jordan that had a similar skill set...Who was the NBA's version of Tracy McGrady..? Mike was mad nasty, and had he played in Kobe's version of the NBA, I'm sure he could have adapted just as Kobe has...But Kobe can do 30, 6, and 6 every night, and do so at a high level...

LeBron is a physical talent, just because he scores they put him in the same breath as Kobe, but dude wouldn't play lock down defense if it was on his favorite CD...I think Carmello is a better talent TBH...

At any rate, congrats DL1, The C's made the dance...Bad news is that they'll be playing L.A.... :laff:

[Chuckiedoo]

Preach to him...

[AYHJA]

The Lakers missed about 4 shots in a row that could have put the C's down in the 3rd...An off shooting night for both teams, but the Laker's just missed some critical shots...Game two could be the key, I trust that if the Lakers loose game 2 they'll even the series in LA., and whomever wins game 5 should take the whole thing...

[darklighter1]

The Lakers missed about 4 shots in a row that could have put the C's down in the 3rd...An off shooting night for both teams, but the Laker's just missed some critical shots...Game two could be the key, I trust that if the Lakers loose game 2 they'll even the series in LA., and whomever wins game 5 should take the whole thing...

Oh it's over now.. ;)