Lebron is strong at the rim, but the Conference finals against Orlando is the only time I can remember him making an effort to post anyone up, and that didn't turn out so well. They're both world-class athletes. Kobe is a much better shooter and Lebron takes a lot of ill-advised shots. I'll take experience and skill over raw talent any day.
I never said he would necessarily post Kobe up. Just that when Lebron attacks the rim, with his physical strength, someone much weaker and smaller like Kobe (6' 4.5", 210 pounds versus a legit 6' 8" 270 pounds) doesn't stand a prayer unless he has a 7 foot shot blocker like Gasol or Bynum backing him up. "Much better" shooter? Where are you getting this from? I don't have all the advanced statistics with me, but over his career, Bryant is a 34.0 percent 3 pt shooter, and James is at 32.9 percent. This year, they are averaging an identical 33.3 percent from that range. From the field, James is 47.5 percent over his career, and Kobe is 45.5 percent. They both get to the basket a bunch, maybe LBJ slightly more, so this indicates their mid-range shooting is also comparable. Free throws are really the only area where Kobe has somewhat of a significant edge; while James has improved in that area in the last few years, he is 79.7 percent, while Kobe is 87.9 percent so far this season. Visually, I think Bryant is probably a little bit better as a shooter, but "much better"? That's just stupid hyperbole. Yes, because LBJ, the two-time reigning MVP, is such a raw, undeveloped talent at this point, right? In terms of overall "skills", they're pretty close. Both do different things well, but in a one-on-one competition, the large forward will trump the shooting guard. Focus- John Wall is completely unstoppable already, only six games into the season. Just an amazing force. It's strange how many superlative guards have come along in the last 5-6 years, and how relatively few forwards.
I would say he is comparable to Dwight Howard in that his freak athleticism is masking deficiencies in his skill-set. His jump shot is not that great, he doesn't box out all that well, and he's out of position on defense a lot. I hate to argue with numbers, because statistics can be twisted to make any point if one tries hard enough. Lebron's percentages get skewed by how many shots he takes in the paint, and how many of the misses don't count because they were called fouls. He shot 71% in the paint last season. Kobe shot 41.8% outside the paint in 09-10, Lebron shot 36.7%. In the playoffs last year, for shots outside the paint but inside the three point line, Lebron shot 37% and Kobe shot 46%. Check it out for yourself. In the Celtics series last year, Lebron shot 19-58 outside the paint, just 32.8%. From watching the games, I'd say that Kobe is also a much better jump shooter with a defender in his face.
I caught the end of that Jazz game. Wow. If they can turn that on every once in awhile, that shit will be ridiculous. It's crazy. I bet you're happy KIMaster even though its the regular season. I agree though, Spoelstra is on a short leash, he has to be.
Well, you have kind of proven my point. Their 3 pt percentages are identical, and Kobe is better from the charity stripe and mid-range, but not "much better". Between NBA guys considered "good" and "bad" shooters, the difference in mid-range jumper percentage is 10 percent or even more, not 5. I seem to recall Kobe having similar struggles, despite a legitimate, excellent post scorer in Gasol to take some of the pressure off. Why does everything have to be such black-and-white hyperbole? Either someone is great or he sucks. Either someone is much better at something or they're exactly identical. People in general tend to do this way more than people in previous generations, but it's kind of ridiculous. There are more than two or three points on a spectrum. Focus- I wasn't before, but after this Boston game, I'm concerned about the Miami Heat. The loss at Boston at opening night was total inexperience playing together. The 3 point loss on the road against a very good, inspired Hornets squad was also understandable, as was the bizarre, one in a million aberration against a Jazz squad which is capable of playing amazing at its best. But to lose against the Celtics at home? With plenty of rest? After they had just lost for the first time at American Airlines Arena, and were similarly inspired to avenge their opening night loss to Boston? I never would have imagined they would lose that one. It's very early, but it's definitely looking like Spoelstra is in way over his head.
I don't think it's Spoelstra. I think they need time to gel as a team. Right now, they are all so busy trying to not step on each other's toes, the offense suffers. They need to bump up the intensity from the tip. I know that is usually the job of the coach, but these guys should be self-motivated. Since they all signed, they talked about showing the world they could play together and now its time to back it up. Their plan all along was to have Wade or James drive the ball and then dish it, especially on fast breaks. Problem is, they arent getting as many fast break opportunities because Wade and James have to help with the rebounding, so there is no outlet to be had. They dribble it up and the other teams have learned to stay with their man and not double the ball. So now Wade and James are forced to go 1on1 and its wearing them down.
The Heat. I don't get it, Wade's turnovers are mind boggling. Obviously they will need a little time to get used to playing with each other but the fact that all three of them look worst as the season progresses is so strange. I'm not sure I'd be worried, this early in the season they could make quite a run with all that talent. As for the one on one thing anyone who played basketball has to know LeBron is winning that game. Don't give me stats from when they guarded each other one on one in a game because that is useless. LeBron is so powerful and his handle is more than adequate to take Kobe to the hole, all he has to do is keep his body between Kobe and the ball. I think Dwight Howard might not be able to beat Kobe, Kobe would make him pick up his dribble almost immediately. If you played hoops you know one on one has an entire different set of skills than playing with five guys. I could beat players that were much better than me simply by backing them in and making little hook shots and layups. As far as one on one goes I can't think of anyone off hand that could take the king.
Well, that's a coach's main job. To motivate his ball club. To get them to play a little bit harder in the 4th quarter. That's the difference between a good and a bad coach. And considering that with the exception of opening night, all the Heat losses have been by 5 points or less (and one went into OT), it's safe to say that with a good coach who motivates the ballclub, the Heat would be 8-1 right now. Since they all signed, they talked about showing the world they could play together and now its time to back it up. I'm not sure that's the reason; both Wade and James are terrific passers that can throw outlets. However, it's definitely true that they haven't gotten out in transition much, and it has hurt their success against the good teams. One reason I also think they are less successful is that they don't quite get as many whistles as they're used to. For the past few seasons, Wade has gotten bailed out by the refs more than anyone else in the league, (often on completely phantom fouls) and LBJ was in a tie for Kobe for second place. But with both guys on the same team, the refs aren't so willing to throw them a free throw party, and so individually, James and Wade are each getting fewer calls. Some of the really strong forwards with a good handle and jump shot could. Paul Millsap comes to mind; that would be interesting. Possibly Amare Stoudemire, although he is weaker on defense. Josh Smith would have a good chance, too. But I agree; LBJ would probably be at least a slight favorite against anyone else.
I think E.S. needs to kick up the yelling. The now over played clip of him talking about toning done egos was said by him tentatively at best. He needs to drop some F bombs, especially with "WTF" and then draw up some plays. It doesn't seem like they have set plays they are trying to execute each time they have to do an half-court offense. Everyone looks at each other trying to figure out what the best option is instead of running a specific play or a specific focus. That is a coaching issue. I honestly don't want to jump on the media bandwagon and say "E.S. is gone by Mid December if they don't start blowing people out." but there are two precedents. Oh and I can't stand LeBron whining about "Oh, everyone is playing us harder." God Old LBJ pisses me off, but new LBJ pisses me off even more. And my I say, with no hesitation or sarcasm. Welcome Back Ray Allen. We've missed you. I want people who spill the bullshit about "Oh people don't play or try hard in the regular season NBA. That's why I watch college, because its so pure, and those kids are playing because they just love the game" to watch how Ray Allen is playing. Jesus christ. I don't even like the Celtics, but that man is playing THE sport known as basketball.
Kevin Love puts up a 31-31 Holy fucking shit. I may have to start paying attention to the Wolves again if Love's going to keep having these incredible games.
I'm generally on the Lebron side of the argument between the two, but Kobe is definitely the far superior mid-range shooter (10-15ft), and if I wasn't being lazy I'd link the stats for you (go to hoopdata). It's absolutely a 10+% difference. That's his bread and butter; the high pick that he comes off of and pops from about 15, or the extended post/fallaway J. He has that down as well as anybody in NBA history, and certainly far better than LBJ (probably the weakest aspect of his game). This stat-line definitely jumped out at me when ESPN streamed it, but it's not that surprising being that it was from K. Love. Play him 40 minutes, and this will happen quite often (not 30/30's, but 20/20's). The guy is a rebounding monster, and I suppose Rambis' reluctance to play him is the fact that he's not a great defender or an efficient scorer. But still, anybody that's good for ~7 offensive rebounds a game HAS to be in your lineup for 36 minutes.
Huh. Apparently, LBJ is way better at scoring at the rim than Kobe (73.3 percent to 58.6 percent), much better inside of 10 feet (53.5 percent to 46.2 percent), and only a tiny bit worse from 16-23 feet, (40 percent to 41 percent) in addition to the aforementioned equality in three pointers. However, you're absolutely correct; from 10-15 feet, Kobe Bryant crushes James; 49.7 percent to 32.2 percent. I totally didn't realize the disparity was so monstrous from that distance; I guess their relative similarity from 16 feet out to three fooled me. Kevin Love is a rebounding monster, but it also helped playing against the Knicks. I'll give credit to Bill Simmons on this one; like he said in his podcast, "a lot of guys are going to have career games against the Knicks this season". Their pathetic defense, and lack of rebounding and interior toughness allowed Love to grab 12 offensive rebounds, which might be even more impressive than his 31 total. 31 total rebounds is less than an entire team has in a typical night; 12 offensive rebounds is MORE than a team has in a normal game.
You all can suck it. "Cavs (+21) over HEAT Let's say the Ewing Theory takes over, Cleveland totally overachieves (it's already in the works) and snares the No. 6 playoff spot with 42-43 wins. And let's say Miami underachieves a little, suffers a couple of injuries and settles at No. 3 with something like 58-59 wins. Wouldn't a Cavs-Heat first-round series be the greatest feel-good underdog versus evil juggernaut clash America has seen since "USA 4, USSR 3"? How phenomenal would those Cleveland crowds be for those home games?" <a class="postlink" href="http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/page2/story?page=simmonsnfl2010/week10picks&sportCat=nfl" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;">http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/page2/st ... ortCat=nfl</a> I am officially not the only one to think that the Ewing Theory could be in effect this year in Cleveland.
Simmons must not understand his own theory; I had always thought it meant improving over the last year, not winning 20 fewer games during the regular season and being bounced sooner in the playoffs. Regardless, Cleveland is not getting to 42-43 wins this year with that roster. They will win less than 40. We can make a friendly bet about this if you wish.
Paul Millsap, presently averaging 21.5 ppg, 9.5 rpg, 2.9 apg, 1.3 spg on 58.2% FG on an 8-4 team...is not even on the All-Star Ballot. (Meanwhile, players like Derek Fucking Fisher are) It doesn't matter, since he wouldn't have gotten voted in by fans anyways, but it does indicate how completely fucking clueless most of the "NBA media" is. Now, it would be one thing to predict that Millsap would be one of the top 10-15 players in the league this early in the season. But it should be absolute common sense that his stats would be 15+ ppg and 8+ rpg with increased playing time, (more than good enough to make the ballot) or that Okur isn't coming back until a few months into season.
Okay, you need to seriously sit down. Here is the Ewing Theory in Simmons words. Basically it means losing the All-Star (LeBron) and not just NOT sucking, but going on to dominate and win all the way. Like the Giants did after losing Tiki Barber. So please stop invoking the Ewing Theory here. It does not apply. The Bulls are 2-1 on their circus trip. That makes me happy. I'm even happier Tony Parker is getting divorced, Eva could have always done better than that French bastard. What's even more fucked up he hit on a former teammates wife. Shame. The Bulls should have beat them. Interesting as fuck how if there is drama for an athlete in any other sport the players suffer. In the NBA, "Oh I have a rape charge, I'm putting up 60." "Oh, I have the flu, I'm putting up 30." "Oh my wife is divorcing me? I'm going to put up x" I didn't check his score because I hate Tony Parker. Derek Fisher does not deserve getting on. Not in the least. But he gets in by default because he keeps Kobe from going insane and killing his teammates. That's worth something right?
Yep, that is ridiculous. I knew Milsap was going to be a stud, and I knew the Jazz were going to say to Boozer, "Hey, we'll send the movers to help you with that whole free agency thing". I didn't see the apg numbers coming, but I won't be surprised to see him end up with 19.5 and 10 this season. When Boozer was out injured last year, Milsap did the exact same thing. The kid can ball, plain and simple. In the meantime, I kinda like watching the Heat struggle when the media immediately started the whole "Can they beat the 72-10 Bulls record?" shit before the season even started. People need to understand that these guys aren't in the point of their careers that Ray, Paul and KG were when Boston got everyone together. It's really easy to say, "Oh yeah, I'll sacrifice for the sake of the team", but it's another thing entirely to do it. The biggest difference I see between Miami and Boston is that KG, Paul, and Ray all understood the deal: KG handles the defensive end, Paul handles the offensive end, and Ray shoots the back breakers. Miami doesn't have that kind of understanding.
What I think that everyone is forgetting about the Boston 3 is not just their maturity, the guys were losing the love of the game at that point in their careers. All 3 of them were stranded in bumblefuck for YEARS. Especially KG and Ray. Trapped in small markets with absolutely no fucking help. Pierce was in Boston, but shit wasn't happening there either. I think it was easier for all 3 of them to come together because it was like the Chilean miners coming together to get out. LeBron, Wade and Bosh weren't there. Maybe Wade and Bosh were on there way if the situation stayed the same for 3-4 more years, but the desperation wasn't there that the other 3 had. Also, Eric Spoelstra needs to take the Doc Rivers approach put down the clipboard and the Xs and Ox every other play and just shout "Play together! If we play together we win the game! All we need to do is play together!" for 20 seconds. If you watch a Boston game, if the other team looks alive, they will always cut to a huddle where Doc is shouting that.
That's not really true of Ray Allen. He was on a fantastic Bucks team that made the Eastern Conference Finals, perennially won 50+ games, and also featured Glenn Robinson and Sam Cassell as part of its Big Three. If not for losing Scott Williams, who knows how far they would have went? He played on a good Sonics team that won 52 games and made it to 6 games against the Spurs in the Western Conference semi-finals along with a prime Rashard Lewis, and then spent another two years on a mediocre Sonics squad. However, at no point did he have to carry an abysmal team for years and years on offense and defense that would have otherwise been roughly the worst in the league, like Garnett did, even when the Wolves had Cassell and Sprewell. (When Garnett would be out, the Wolves would be outscored by more points per minute than any regular team in the NBA)