I'll be real interested to see how the Cavs re-work their strategy tonight. Seems like everybody doubled-up on LeBron during the season and now that the Magic are letting him get whatever kinda numbers he wants, while shutting everybody else down, they don't know what to do. Layer that with Dwight palming Le B's attempts in the paint and it's a wrap.
i agree with batmon on almost everything so far kobe proved to be a adjustable/mature player in the last game creating and giving up on his own (relatively strugglin) personal touches
kobe is the best one man team player out of the 3 he is getting a lot of other option play practice from this less energetic nuggets D tonight lebron might be tired from the series and the lake show will be executing well
LA IS GOING TO THE FINALS AGAIN. F*ck YES. I AM SITTING HERE AT A WAREHOUSE LISTENING TO THE RADIO, BUT F*ck IT. KOBE BRYANT IS THE BEST PLAYER ON PLANET EARTH, STILL.
Kobe gotta get a ring w/out Shaq to solidify his legacy.
Kobe is more responsible for The Lakers 2000 championship than Shaq...he's accomplished more than any other player could by leading this team to the Finals in back to back years..
Kobe gotta get a ring w/out Shaq to solidify his legacy.
Kobe is more responsible for The Lakers 2000 championship than Shaq...he's accomplished more than any other player could by leading this team to the Finals in back to back years..
Sure, but I don't think that's how it's perceived by most. Regardless of what Kobe's actual contribution was, getting the ring post-Shaq is a big deal in the public eye.
I'm really looking forward to a Lakers/Magic Finals.....two evenly matched teams...two great offenses....Van Gundy needs a ring more than Kobe or Phil..Pat Riley stole his championship team and Shaq poured salt on the wound.....The battle Lebron and Kobe are having now is much more exciting than the two actually playing for it all....Lebron isn't playing the Magic tonight,he's playing Kobe.
Kobe gotta get a ring w/out Shaq to solidify his legacy.
Kobe is more responsible for The Lakers 2000 championship than Shaq...he's accomplished more than any other player could by leading this team to the Finals in back to back years..
So if he doesnt get a ring in the future, the public will say deem him great for simply gettin to the Finals in back to back years?
Kobe gotta get a ring w/out Shaq to solidify his legacy.
Kobe is more responsible for The Lakers 2000 championship than Shaq...he's accomplished more than any other player could by leading this team to the Finals in back to back years..
So if he doesnt get a ring in the future, the public will say deem him great for simply gettin to the Finals in back to back years?
No matter what he does the public will raise the bar after each accomplishment....if he wins the title this year, he will be expected to win next year and the year after..nothing has ever been expected of Shaq...I honestly think it's absurd to involve Kobe Bryant in any Shaq or Lebron conversations....If Kobe wins a ring this year he belongs in the Top 10 players of all time..other than that his legacy is equal,if not greater than Shaq's already.
Kobe gotta get a ring w/out Shaq to solidify his legacy.
Kobe is more responsible for The Lakers 2000 championship than Shaq...he's accomplished more than any other player could by leading this team to the Finals in back to back years..
So if he doesnt get a ring in the future, the public will say deem him great for simply gettin to the Finals in back to back years?
No matter what he does the public will raise the bar after each accomplishment....if he wins the title this year, he will be expected to win next year and the year after..nothing has ever been expected of Shaq...I honestly think it's absurd to involve Kobe Bryant in any Shaq or Lebron conversations....If Kobe wins a ring this year he belongs in the Top 10 players of all time..other than that his legacy is equal,if not greater than Shaq's already.
Obviously, the debate is highly subjective. Not only does Shaq have one more ring than Kobe but he was the Finals MVP three times over. I'm not saying that makes him better than Kobe but most of these measures of "who's better?" rests on some arbitrary statistical comparison and if Kobe never wins another ring, the common perception - right or wrong - will be, "he couldn't win without Shaq." It's impossible to know if that was true in the past but at least, if he wins now, we can show it to be true.
I don't see how getting to the Finals back to back means much. Look at Malone and Stockton and the Jazz; they made the Finals in back to back years...and lost. History doesn't give them credit for "almost there". They're respected players, no doubt - shoe-ins for the Hall of Fame but inevitably, any storyline created around them will include "but they never won the championship."
So yeah, maybe the expectations on Kobe are ridiculously high but jesus christ, dude came into the league to take over Jordan's spot as top dog; it's not like he didn't encourage those expectations.
That said, if the Lakers win this year, of course people would expect them to repeat! Look at how many back to back championships there have been since the Lakers' repeat in the late '80s?
I honestly think it's absurd to involve Kobe Bryant in any Shaq or Lebron conversations....
The battle Lebron and Kobe are having now is much more exciting than the two actually playing for it all....Lebron isn't playing the Magic tonight,he's playing Kobe.
Comments
Its not that clear.
The Cavs dont have a Shannon Brown emerging for them as an x-factor like Boobie Gibson was a minute ago.
LeBron has been off-the-charts and K.O.B.E. is business as usual.
i'm talking 4th qtr/closing games....Lebron can get around those double teams with ease...He trust his teammates too much late in games.
Not that clear at all.
If you put Kobe on the Cavs and Lebron on the Lakers who you betting on??
kobe proved to be a adjustable/mature player in the last game creating and giving up on his own (relatively strugglin) personal touches
b/w
cavaliers are decomposing before the half
lebron teardrops
If you put Kobe on the Cavs he'd take Mike Brown's playbook and smack him in the head with it
Lebron in the Western Conference would not have won MVP
His scoring average was higher against the West
U still stuck on that 2002 illusion of the West being tuffer than the East?
Better passing = Lebron
he is getting a lot of other option play practice from this less energetic nuggets D tonight
lebron might be tired from the series and the lake show will be executing well
nuggets offense please wake up
'08-'09 Lebron lead Kobe in the following categories...
All of them.
joey crawford is trying to bail the nuggets out
where is playoff chauncy
go nuggets but i am nervous
Kobe gotta get a ring w/out Shaq to solidify his legacy.
lebron will be tired
magic would be a nuggets redux
so
la will win
pau getting a ring irks me though
Kobe is more responsible for The Lakers 2000 championship than Shaq...he's accomplished more than any other player could by leading this team to the Finals in back to back years..
Sure, but I don't think that's how it's perceived by most. Regardless of what Kobe's actual contribution was, getting the ring post-Shaq is a big deal in the public eye.
So if he doesnt get a ring in the future, the public will say deem him great for simply gettin to the Finals in back to back years?
No matter what he does the public will raise the bar after each accomplishment....if he wins the title this year, he will be expected to win next year and the year after..nothing has ever been expected of Shaq...I honestly think it's absurd to involve Kobe Bryant in any Shaq or Lebron conversations....If Kobe wins a ring this year he belongs in the Top 10 players of all time..other than that his legacy is equal,if not greater than Shaq's already.
Obviously, the debate is highly subjective. Not only does Shaq have one more ring than Kobe but he was the Finals MVP three times over. I'm not saying that makes him better than Kobe but most of these measures of "who's better?" rests on some arbitrary statistical comparison and if Kobe never wins another ring, the common perception - right or wrong - will be, "he couldn't win without Shaq." It's impossible to know if that was true in the past but at least, if he wins now, we can show it to be true.
I don't see how getting to the Finals back to back means much. Look at Malone and Stockton and the Jazz; they made the Finals in back to back years...and lost. History doesn't give them credit for "almost there". They're respected players, no doubt - shoe-ins for the Hall of Fame but inevitably, any storyline created around them will include "but they never won the championship."
So yeah, maybe the expectations on Kobe are ridiculously high but jesus christ, dude came into the league to take over Jordan's spot as top dog; it's not like he didn't encourage those expectations.
That said, if the Lakers win this year, of course people would expect them to repeat! Look at how many back to back championships there have been since the Lakers' repeat in the late '80s?
heh.
Are u serious? Nothing?
So he just slipped into the league w/out ANY EXPECTATIONS?
Did the media not ride his jock in Orlando when he "went to the finals"?
Was Blue Chips an illusion? Top 50 of all-time?
Did the media not pay attention when he jumped ship to L.A.?
Did Pat Riley not come out of retirement because of Shaq? He sure didnt do it when Wade was solo.
Wasnt the Phoenix/Kerr gamble a big deal?
No Expectations?
U cant be that much of Shaq hattur?
Dude, what battle is that exactly? The one the NBA and Nike and Vitamin Water have hyped beyond control?
I like the puppet ads as much as the next guy but if Lebron can't even make the finals, that whole conversation is a non-starter.
"Absurd"