Kobe: Top Ten?

Now that Kobe has won one without Shaq, the big question hangs out there: Does Kobe crack the list of the top-ten all-time greatest pro hoopers? Well...

No.

Granted, this is one man’s judgement. And that one man based that judgement on the following variables:

> Stats
> All-around game (i.e., both ends of the floor)
> Impact on his team
> Level of dominance within his era
> Ultimate success (i.e., NBA/ABA rings, NCAA championships, Olympic medals, etc.)

By those measures — granted, not the most quantifiably sound, but still — I came up with eleven names before I got to Jellybean’s son. Behold:

1. MJ
2. Wilt
3. Russell
4. Kareem
5. Bird
6. Big O
7. Magic
8. Shaq
9. Duncan
10. Doc
11. Dream
12. Kobe

All right, Umi. Tell me why I’m wrong.

-G

P.S. Let me say pre-emptively that while Dream has two against Kobe’s four, Kobe wasn’t integral to his team’s success until 2000-01. From Game 2 on, Kobe was a monster in that series (it still pains me to remember). The first two rings he more or less earned on Shaq’s back (and remember, he was a downright CHOKE as a young pro). Also, Dream’s Rockets played during the Jordan era, and were only able to grab their rings during MJ’s temporary retirement. You think Kobe’s sitting with four rings if he came into the L in 1984? No way.

Flashback

Funny non-hoops memory of the 10th greatest player who ever was...

By the way...

While we were busy watching basketball that's actually good, the Erz hired Eddie Jordan as head coach and traded Reggie Evans to Toronto for Jason Kapono.

So to recap: The same team that couldn't get out of the first round now has a no-defense head coach, a three-point shooter who doesn't play D and can't get his own shot, and the #17 pick in a weak-ass draft.

Are YOU excited? I don't know, man. I just don't know.

-G

I’m not hatin’ on Kobe, but...

I’m really not. But I just read a little aside from Bill Simmons — related to Kobe’s supposed super-clutchness — that almost made me yell “Thank you!” out loud. Christ, how I get tired of hearing fans, coaches, analysts, etc., matter-of-factly tell you: “Hey, if you’re running a team that has to make a shot with two seconds left on the clock, you want the ball in Kobe’s hands.” You do? Don’t get me wrong: Kobe is good in the clutch. No doubt. But of ALL the players in the league, Kobe is your go-to?

Simmons:

Important note: Kobe's reputation as a "killer" at the end of games remains overblown. The site www.82games.com just posted a study of game-winning shots from the last five-plus seasons (regular seasons and playoffs since the 2003-04 season) that revealed Kobe was shooting 14-for-56 (25 percent) with one assist and five turnovers, and made 12 of 15 free throws. So let's say that was 70 possessions total, including Sunday night. ... He only had one assist in nearly six years??? That's why Orlando quadruple-teamed him in that spot. Kobe is a phenomenal streak shooter, and he has a real talent for catching fire with a lead and closing games out ... but you can stop him in one-shot situations simply because he's his own worst enemy. He wants to be a hero, he's shooting it, and that's that.

Thank you.

When it comes to the clutch discussion (or lack thereof), Kobe benefits from great branding — but reality just doesn’t back it up. You want clutch? Look at LBJ’s stats in crunchtime. Look at Melo’s. Shit, look at D-Ho’s (.661 from the field — a.k.a. two feet from the basket)!



All that said, I’m really curious to see what goes down tonight. Brilliant as Kobe has been, Orlando should be up 2-1 right now (and that’s with Pietrus disappearing, and SVG playing Jameer and Redick waaaay too much). If the Magic get their business done tonight, we officially have a series on our hands.

-G

Finals Predictions

Since I went 0-2 in my Conference Finals predictions, this posting is tantamount to a joke. But here it goes anyway...

First off, I don’t feel foolish in any way for how I saw those series playing out. Should I have known that Kobe was finally going to become the player we’ve all wished he would become — not just an alpha dog, but a true leader? Should I have known that the supporting cast of a 66-win Cavs team would completely disappear when it mattered? (And I mean, dis-a-f**king-pear. Vanish. Shit, that was almost a magic show.) Should I have known that “Coach of the Year” Mike Brown would consistently throw a double team at D-Ho, despite the fact that it resulted in kick-out passes to Rashard for open threes again and again and again? No, no, and no.

I will take my hat off to Kobe and D-Ho, though — two guys I took a dump on before those series started, who proved me all kinds of wrong. They both came up HUGE for their teams, particularly when it mattered most. (Especially D-Ho, who absolutely took over and ripped Cleveland’s heart out — team and city. And you know what? That’s exactly what Jesus would’ve done.) So, you know, mea culpa and all that shit.

Now, the Finals.

Ultimately, I see it coming down to two things: 1) Kobe absolutely taking over — the right way (i.e., being a leader, getting the best out of his team for 44 minutes, then assuming the reigns in the clutch) — because he knows this is his last realistic shot at getting a ring sans Shaq, and 2) Orlando straight-up getting out-coached. No offense to Stan Van Gundy here, who completely destroyed Mike Brown, but Phil Jackson isn’t going to let him get away with that shit. PJax will throw fouls at D-Ho like an Allied commander threw soldiers at German machine guns at Normandy (DJ Mbenga and Josh Powell can give him 12; maybe goofy Adam Morrison can throw in another 6). Jesus Fan #1 has never been on this kind of stage before, and he’s shaky at the line anyway...so good luck there. Beyond that, Dwight is highly prone to dumb fouls; I see him sitting on the bench a lot this series (with SVG fuming at his side, hilariously). Kobe and Ariza are going to be all over Rashard and Hedo, so forget those guys shooting 57% from beyond (or whatever insane percentage they made in the last series).

Ultimately, how big a factor will D-Ho be? He has a penchant for showing up only every-other-game. But in these playoffs, he’s always come through when it really mattered. I’ll say it again: he absolutely crushed Cleveland in Game 6. I mean, Jesus Christ on a white horse (no irony intended), it was breathtaking to watch. So who knows? If he can muster that up and steal a game in L.A., then I can see...

No, stop. As an Erz fan, the future of the East looks downright scary with Orlando in it. (Never thought I’d be saying that.) But right now? This is Kobe’s time. (Never thought I’d be saying that either. But here I am, saying it.)

This is Kobe’s time. This is Kobe’s time. This is Kobe’s time. Damn.

Lakers in 6.