Its obvious that it wasn't Shaq or Kobe that put LA over the top. It was Robert Horry. They didn't win without him, but he won without them.

 

They'll have to get by Detroit first.

 

whats with all the bball threads?

Send him to preschool where he can sit with the other crybabies.

 

Give Phil Jackson a crack at him. He handled Rodman.

 

he wants the knicks. pacers need a point guard. hmmmm

 

you cant say shaq was what he used to be. and i didnt say shaq didnt help the lakers win, i said he wasnt THE reason. I think kobe helped the team more, but of course shaq was part of it.

shaq + penny was a Very good combo, couldnt get all the way
shaq + kobe = championships
shaq + DWade = Very good, but I dont think it will ever get a title. shaq doesnt have that much time left

 

not sure why this is in red, since it is fact.

 

stephon = death to any team

 

 

I put it in red because, although the results are fact, the reason I stated was false. All this Shaq & Kobe bickering. :shakehead The fact is that champions are made up of teams. Who knows if, with Shaq at his best and with Kobe, the Lakers would have won anything if Horry doesn't hit the big 3 pointer in Sacramento, or if Fisher doesn't hit 50% on his 3-pointers against San Antonio, or if just one play goes differently in the Laker's 17-point comeback in Portland. Same can be said of other champions. A key play here, a key play there. No one player is the reason a team wins a championship. There are only key players without whom a team will not have won. Shaq, Kobe, Horry, Duncan, Pippen, etc. All you can say is that without any one of them, the Larry O'Brien trophy would have gone elsewhere.

 

Shaq + '05 Lakers would've beaten Kobe + '05 Lakers 9 out of 10 times.

 

Detroit is over-hyped. The Eastern conference was "watered down" last year. You do remember what happened with the Pacers last year? If they remain healthy and avoid stupidness, they are a team to watch in the East.

Shaq is the main reason why LA won the championship. LA sure has a great record after he left. A good example is to bolster my point is the Bulls winning because of Jordan. Pippen was an exceptional player and benefited from playing with Jordan. Jordan was a leader and would make his teammates better. Kobe the most talented, man that's a joke. Even funnier is that you claim that he is "the next best thing" to MJ.

 

Wade>kobe

 

 

scottie > kobe > wade

 

id say artest is worse if he doesnt wanna be there

 

I agree 100%. Every championship team has a player that steps up. Steve Kerr hit a few amazing 3's when he was playing for the Bulls during their reign. He wasn't a star, but contributed when needed. Superstars enpower the team. The Bulls had a lot of average players, but playing with Jordan and Pippen really made them shine. I personally don't see that in Kobe's actions.

 

but, Coach Ron Jeremy did a lot of screwing...

Pat Riley needs to head back to Lala Land, he won't take the Maimi Twinkies any further than the Eastern Conference Finals...if THAT even.

 

detroit is not overhyped. you are crazy. they were insanely close to winning the title. how is that overhyped? they were under rated because everyone was just talking about how bad the east was.

the pacers are crap this year, even though they were the most overhyped team in the league...

Heat are .5 game over the lakers. why? because shaq is old and is hurt all the time, and kobe can carry a team, but needs a little help to get over the hump, someone like a scottie pippen. not to mention the lakers are in the west, which is much tougher, aside from the central division with my bulls

I dont see what you are trying to say with the bulls comment? no one is arguing pippen was better...he did get the bulls to the playoffs without MJ though.

and Kobe is the closest thing to jordan. you are insane if you think otherwise. who else is more like jordan? I am not saying he is close, but the CLOSEST

you my friend, do not know a thing about anything

 

Can they trade him to one of those European teams?

 

Better yet trade him to Texas Tech and lets see him pull that shit with Bobby Knight...

 

Kobe shouldn't even be mentioned in the same sentence as Jordan. He isn't close to Jordan in anything. Compare the stats, simple as that. Also, here is a good comparison http://www.usatoday.com/sports/colum...zillgitt_x.htm

Kobe isn't close to Jordan, simple as that. Jordan was the arguable the best in the game. Kobe isn't even the best in the league.

 

Detroit BARELY made it to the finals last year. The Heat took them to 7. Wade had 4 points in game 7. He played injured. Indiana probably would have taken them to 7 if they had a full team. Detroit was very very lucky to make it to the Finals.

I am a Bulls fan, but I don't think a team in the NBA will beat the Spurs in the playoffs. They play as a team, play smart in the playoffs, and know how to win.

 

OMG can you read? I AM NOT SAYING HE IS CLOSE, ONLY THE CLOSEST. no, hes not the best in the league, but he is VERY close. he is by far, the closest player to the kind of player jordan was. how can you argue that? give me an example

 

There are players that have some of Jordan like styles of play. The only person in the league that has some characteristics of Jordan is Lebron. Time will tell if he develops into a legend. Kobe has really nothing in common with Jordan. He has a similar style of play(as do many players because they grew up watching Jordan), but Kobe doesn't have Jordan's knowledge of the game, skill, or drive. Did you take time to look at Kobe's playoff stats???? It's a disgrace that you state that Kobe is the closest player to Jordan.

 

I am telling you there is no one closer to jordan than kobe. lebron is not even close.

last year kobe averaged 27.6 / 5.9 / 6.0

this year boards/asts down, but points up, TO down.

granted this isnt as good as jordan's numbers, but they are close, and very damn nice. he can take control of a game like jordan. tmac can also do this, although he is a little different

I should mention I hate lebron. he does not make anyone else better, regardless if kobe does. lebron is a one man show and thats all he will ever be IMO.

 

stats...bunch a BS. the fact is, kobe is the ONLY legitimate superstar off guard that has won a recent championship. until lebron, tmac, or any other 2 guard has this on their resume...kobe is the closest to jordan because at the end of the day, it's about winning. stats come in a distant runner-up.

 

he is a bad influence but you can't deny he is a strong force year in and out (except last year of course). lol

 

...along with Webber

 

Kobe is averaging 22.6 in the playoffs, hardly a stellar performance. Jordan averaged 33 points. Are you guys watching the NBA? Legends perform in pressure situations. Kobe hasn't performed in the playoffs, simple as that. Kobe isn't close to Jordan in anything. Also, why wasn't Kobe the Finals MVP. Shaq was the heart of that team.

 

you're going off topic here. the debate is who is closest player to michael jordan in the game right now...it's not about who was more valuable to the lakers, shaq or kobe. i dare you to come up with another 2 guard that can compete with kobe's all around game and hardware in the NBA today.

 

Closest is a stupid arguement. No one in the NBA is close to the skill level of Jordan. You guys are obviously Kobe fans, so anyone I name won't get a fair shake. Dwayne Wade is right there. He needs to work on his 3 point shooting though.

 

Anyone who says player x is the next Jordan is fucking retarded. No one has ever made a bigger impact on the NBA and basketball in geneal than Jordan did, and no one ever will.

Its more than stats people.

 

Thank You! Jordan did put up some great numbers though. The difference is that Jordan had an outstanding knowledge of the game and knew how to play as a part of a team.

 

Lakers just beat Dallas, IN DALLAS. Kobe went for a Jordanlike 43.

 

maximized, you are not understanding. no one here has said kobe is the next jordan, or that he is close to as good as jordan. we are saying that he is the closest thing to jordan out of all the other players.

I am a HUGE jordan fan, more than anyone on this board, and in no way am I a kobe fan at all, but that doesnt change anything.

I believe there will never be another jordan, especially in that bitch lebron. but there HAS to be someone closest to MJ, no matter how far away, and that player is kobe

 

what a coincidence

 

stupid is saying the pistons are over-hyped. no one introduced that kobe is the "heir apparent" because no one is arguing that mj wasn't the greatest, or that kobe was a close 2nd. but, if you can't find someone that is better all around at the 2 than kobe today, then there is no argument...cause you've already lost. dwayne wade, while a great player with boundless potential, isn't anywhere until he wins a championship. same with lebron and tmac.

 

so what's the big deal ?

 

also, the only reason the dwade / shaq heat are better than the final shaq / kobe years is because of the controversy they had with each other. if they stayed friendly through all the years, they might still be winning championships, until the spurs and detroit overtake them