Humble, classy Durant: Kobe is the best player in the world

[oh crap]

Kobe Bryant and the defending NBA champion Los Angeles Lakers hope to put a stranglehold on their Western Conference quarterfinals series with the upstart Thunder tonight as the set shifts to Oklahoma City.

The Lakers held serve on their home floor and took a 2-0 series lead on Tuesday when Bryant poured in 39 points on a poor shooting night overall for Los Angeles, allowing the Lakers to hold off the Thunder, 95-92.

Pau Gasol was also a presence with 25 points and 12 rebounds to help offset a 37.5 percent team shooting effort for Los Angeles.

"I just thought our shooting was horrendous tonight. Another really bad night of shooting, guys with open looks," said Lakers coach Phil Jackson. "We're going to have to be much better to beat them in Oklahoma City."

Bryant, who was held to 21 points in Game 1 on 6-of-19 shooting, hit 12-of-28 shots Tuesday and made all but two of his 15 free throw attempts. He scored 15 of his points in the fourth quarter, perhaps serving as the most important number, as a hungry Thunder squad was able to stay in contention right until the final buzzer.

"I had to get something going," said Bryant of his late-game surge. "Taking what the defense gives you, being creative and creating those opportunities. In the fourth quarter is where I have to provide the spark, whether it's off the pass or scoring myself."

Kevin Durant was on point to end with 32 points, eight rebounds and four blocks, but missed a potential go-ahead three-pointer with 7.9 seconds left.

Russell Westbrook added 19 points and Jeff Green 12, as Oklahoma City's supporting cast was less than impressive. Green ended 2-for-11 from the floor and was off the mark on an attempted game-tying three on the final play of the game.

"Kobe's the best player in the world. He made tough shots tonight, got to the free throw line and got them over the hump," Durant said. "That's what great players do. He makes tough shots, and you have to live with it."
The Thunder got some good news on the travel day for the series when the league announced that Scott Brooks was named NBA Coach of the Year. Brooks took over Oklahoma City last season when the club was a miserable 3-29 and turned it into a 50-win team this year.

"He's someone that I think is incredibly consistent as a person," Thunder general manager Sam Presti said. "He is unaffected through adversities and also through successes, and I think thats an important quality we want to have as we move forward."

Last Sunday's Game 1 marked Oklahoma City's return to the playoffs for the first time since the then-Seattle SuperSonics won the Northwest Division back in the 2004-05 campaign.

Since the NBA changed its playoff format in 1984, there have only been three occasions when a No. 8 seed has shocked a No. 1. The last time an eight topped a No. 1 was in 2007 when Golden State upended Dallas.

"This is the first-time playoff experience for a lot of us, including myself, and you're playing against one of the best coaches of all sports, one of the best players ever and a team that has 1,000 games of playoff experience," Brooks said. "You learn from playing against the best players and the best teams, and we're going to keep fighting and figuring out ways to beat them."

Game 4 of the set is scheduled for Saturday in Oklahoma City.


http://www.miamiherald.com/2010/04/22/1592548/1-los-angeles-lakers-2-0-at-8.html

This kid is teaching some of these veterans lessons in how to be a class act.

[An Unbiased Fan]

Durant has a bright future, and clearly has his head on straight. When Kobe retires, it's Durant's league.

[JamStone]

That's because LeBron James is from another planet.

Kobe might be the best player in the world. LeBron is the best player in the universe.

[JoeTait75]

Durant isn't stupid. Kobe thrives on perceived disrespect, same way Jordan did. You have to kill him with kindness. LeBron did the same thing with Kobe early in his career- buttered him up at every opportunity.

[picc84]

Obviously he's wrong, but i've noticed something. A bunch of players have been saying Kobe is the best this year when we all know he's not, some of them going out of their way to do it. I have a theory that might be a little crazy.

I think the players all know Lebron is the best, but I don't think they like him very much. At the very least they respect Kobe a lot more, maybe just in terms of seniority. But there's no reason for this many players to be jocking Kobe over Lebron besides that they just don't like him.

Maybe its the sideline theatrics and dancing, or the whole chosen one thing. I don't know. Its the only explanation ive got.

But I have seen more players say outright that they don't like Lebron the person than i've ever seen say the same about Kobe, even if they were thinking it.

[JamStone]

Durant isn't stupid. Kobe thrives on perceived disrespect, same way Jordan did. You have to kill him with kindness. LeBron did the same thing with Kobe early in his career- buttered him up at every opportunity.

If asked, I think LeBron would still say Kobe is the best player in the league right now. I don't think it's only LeBron "early in his career."

[TheManFromAcme]

Obviously he's wrong, but i've noticed something. A bunch of players have been saying Kobe is the best this year when we all know he's not, some of them going out of their way to do it. I have a theory that might be a little crazy.

I think the players all know Lebron is the best, but I don't think they like him very much. At the very least they respect Kobe a lot more, maybe just in terms of seniority. But there's no reason for this many players to be jocking Kobe over Lebron besides that they just don't like him.

Maybe its the sideline theatrics and dancing, or the whole chosen one thing. I don't know. Its the only explanation ive got.

But I have seen more players say outright that they don't like Lebron the person than i've ever seen say the same about Kobe, even if they were thinking it.

Radical theory? Yes. Farfetched? No.
But from what I've been able to gather about Bron, including his funny antics on the floor, he doesn't seem like a bad kid. Doesn't forget where he comes from. Gives props to the games best and legends, isn't a controversial figure, etc., etc.

[JoeTait75]

Obviously he's wrong, but i've noticed something. A bunch of players have been saying Kobe is the best this year when we all know he's not, some of them going out of their way to do it. I have a theory that might be a little crazy.

I think the players all know Lebron is the best, but I don't think they like him very much. At the very least they respect Kobe a lot more, maybe just in terms of seniority. But there's no reason for this many players to be jocking Kobe over Lebron besides that they just don't like him.

Maybe its the sideline theatrics and dancing, or the whole chosen one thing. I don't know. Its the only explanation ive got.

But I have seen more players say outright that they don't like Lebron the person than i've ever seen say the same about Kobe, even if they were thinking it.

I think it's more out of respect to Kobe than disrespect to LeBron. Of all the elite players in the league Kobe has been around the longest and done and won the most. So he's going to get these kinds of tributes.


If asked, I think LeBron would still say Kobe is the best player in the league right now. I don't think it's only LeBron "early in his career."

Maybe. But early in his career LeBron went out of his way to ladle praise on Kobe. You don't see that so much anymore.

[bostonguy]

Are Kobe and Lebron cool with each other off the court? I mean they obviously respect each other, but do they get along when the game isn't being played?

[JoeTait75]

Are Kobe and Lebron cool with each other off the court? I mean they obviously respect each other, but do they get along when the game isn't being played?

They seem to get along fine. When you think about it their personalities and games complement one another really well. Each guy has strengths the other guy does not have.

[picc84]

I think its a little of both.

For what its worth I think Lebron is a fantastic teammate, and its no wonder his teammates love him. He also has a lot of personality and seems like a fun guy. But I also think he's an arrogant douche with an ego the size of Jupiter, and is so arrogant he doesn't realize that things he says and does can show up the other team and insult their players. Then there's the whole hype machine and Chosen 1 tattoo and other stuff. I think it gets under the other players skins'.

Like I said, more players have vocalized a personal dislike of Lebron than I have heard of Kobe, even as bad as Kobe's image was all those years. They obviously know Lebron is the best player. Has to be something to it. I think its that, and the seniority/respect thing with Kobe.

[JoeTait75]

I think its a little of both.

For what its worth I think Lebron is a fantastic teammate, and its no wonder his teammates love him. He also has a lot of personality and seems like a fun guy. But I also think he's an arrogant douche with an ego the size of Jupiter, and is so arrogant he doesn't realize that things he says and does can show up the other team and insult their players. Then there's the whole hype machine and Chosen 1 tattoo and other stuff. I think it gets under the other players skins'.

Like I said, more players have vocalized a personal dislike of Lebron than I have heard of Kobe, even as bad as Kobe's image was all those years. They obviously know Lebron is the best player. Has to be something to it. I think its that, and the seniority/respect thing with Kobe.

Can't argue with any of this.

[picc84]

Are Kobe and Lebron cool with each other off the court? I mean they obviously respect each other, but do they get along when the game isn't being played?

From what I know from LA media sources, they talk/text regularly on the phone and collaborate on fundraiser type things together sporadically. They're obviously very competitive with one another but I think they have a bond forged from the pressure/criticism gotten from being at the top. I think they can relate to each other.

On some level its the same way with fans. I see Cavs fans going through the exact same things we used to go through with how people have divided about Lebron, fairly and unfairly, and also have seen Cavs fans who seem to have gotten a new respect for Laker fans after experiencing what we went through for a while. A lot of stuff I see said toward Lebron on boards I see and go 'hey, I remember that stuff. sucks to be them now'.

Not on this forum, of course. I mean places that aren't the Compton/South Central of NBA message boards. :lol

[JoeTait75]

On some level its the same way with fans. I see Cavs fans going through the exact same things we used to go through with how people have divided about Lebron, fairly and unfairly

It's a little different because

a.) LeBron is from around here. It seems like everyone on the west side of Akron either knows him, knows his family, knows his friends, knows people who know him, etc.

b.) LeBron is clearly the best player in the history of our franchise. Really, he is our franchise. Kobe is not the Lakers franchise- they were great long before he got there and they'll be great after he's gone. We were in the shitter before LeBron got here and we'll probably be back in the shitter after he's gone*- like the Bulls and MJ.

*- Won't be this summer.

I really can't identify with a Lake Show fan on this or anything else, frankly. We don't have the same frame of reference on any level.

[picc84]

You misunderstand. I mean the fans have the same frame of reference from rooting for the best player in the league with a polarizing image/personality and MJ comparisons. I've seen people say they hate Lebron for reasons I didnt even know you could hate someone for, primarily because he's on top of the league while also having a divisive personality.

I recognize a lot of the attitude's toward Lebron on some the boards because they were all I heard for a # of years. And it seems a lot of Cavs fans do too, in the vice versa.

[JoeTait75]

You misunderstand. I mean the fans have the same frame of reference from rooting for the best player in the league with a polarizing image/personality and MJ comparisons. I've seen people say they hate Lebron for reasons I didnt even know you could hate someone for, primarily because he's on top of the league while also having a divisive personality.

I recognize a lot of the attitude's toward Lebron on some the boards because they were all I heard for a # of years. And it seems a lot of Cavs fans do too, in the vice versa.

Okay, I get that. I never really realized how many people are just haters.

[Obstructed_View]

Obviously he's wrong, but i've noticed something. A bunch of players have been saying Kobe is the best this year when we all know he's not, some of them going out of their way to do it. I have a theory that might be a little crazy.

I think the players all know Lebron is the best, but I don't think they like him very much. At the very least they respect Kobe a lot more, maybe just in terms of seniority. But there's no reason for this many players to be jocking Kobe over Lebron besides that they just don't like him.

Maybe its the sideline theatrics and dancing, or the whole chosen one thing. I don't know. Its the only explanation ive got.

But I have seen more players say outright that they don't like Lebron the person than i've ever seen say the same about Kobe, even if they were thinking it.

I don't think anybody really believes that Kobe's the best player in the world, but it's not really worth the fight from the people that love to perpetuate that myth.

[An Unbiased Fan]

Obviously he's wrong, but i've noticed something. A bunch of players have been saying Kobe is the best this year when we all know he's not, some of them going out of their way to do it. I have a theory that might be a little crazy.

I think the players all know Lebron is the best, but I don't think they like him very much. At the very least they respect Kobe a lot more, maybe just in terms of seniority. But there's no reason for this many players to be jocking Kobe over Lebron besides that they just don't like him.

Maybe its the sideline theatrics and dancing, or the whole chosen one thing. I don't know. Its the only explanation ive got.

But I have seen more players say outright that they don't like Lebron the person than i've ever seen say the same about Kobe, even if they were thinking it.
The majority of players I talk to tell me that Kobe is still the best. Obviously he's hurt right now, so I guess you can say Lebron is the current best by default, but before he was injured, Kobe was the best player this year by most accounts.

Baron said it the best a few months ago, he was,"Lebron is like that 40-0 contender who has knocked out a bunch of stiffs. Kobe is that 55-2 champ who comes up huge in big fights, and can beat any fighting style".

[Obstructed_View]

Baron said it the best a few months ago, he was,"Lebron is like that 40-0 contender who has knocked out a bunch of stiffs. Kobe is that 55-2 champ who comes up huge in big fights, and can beat any fighting style".

Speaking of perpetuating myths...

[Cry Havoc]

LeBron James is on another tier above Kobe (and everyone else) at this point. It's no longer up for debate. When's the last time Kobe went for 40-8-8 in a playoff game?

[TheMACHINE]

These basketball players dont know jack about basketball. Durants wrong...and so is all the other basketball players that pick Kobe. They should talk about things they are experts in.

[JoeTait75]

LeBron has been better than Kobe since 2005-06.

[TheMACHINE]

LeBron has been better than Kobe since 2005-06.

yup...but at the end of both of thier careers, they will be measure on who HAD the better career.

[JoeTait75]

yup...but at the end of both of thier careers, they will be measure on who HAD the better career.

Absolutely. BUT... they will grade on a curve. Two titles for LeBron in Cleveland will be worth four for Kobe in LA.

[Giuseppe]

It's nice for James to be chaperoned by the Media. Nobody is hung out to dry like the old days when they took off after MJ & Daddy for their respective ringlessness. James is 7 years in and he's ringless. Protecting the brand is what the NBA is all about now. MSM is contracted to secure that brand. They're at the point of attack. They control the horizontal. They control the vertical. Nobody is left behind, ie. Iverson, Jackson in Charlotte now, the like. The watershed moment? Admittedly it was Bryant at Colorado. Stern could have left him forsaken and at the mercy of the pitchforks, tar & feather. He didn't. He kept Kobe's bed warm and his own (and his minions) mouth(s) shut tight. I'm sure the devil is in the details, but, James is the beneficiary of this near maniacal branding of NBA. He can go merrily along, throwing powder in the air, posing like Madonna, all-the-time barren of ringage.

[JoeTait75]

It's nice for James to be chaperoned by the Media. Nobody is hung out to dry like the old days when they took off after MJ & Daddy for their respective ringlessness. James is 7 years in and he's ringless. Protecting the brand is what the NBA is all about now. MSM is contracted to secure that brand. They're at the point of attack. They control the horizontal. They control the vertical. Nobody is left behind, ie. Iverson, Jackson in Charlotte now, the like. The watershed moment? Admittedly it was Bryant at Colorado. Stern could have left him forsaken and at the mercy of the pitchforks, tar & feather. He didn't. He kept Kobe's bed warm and his own (and his minions) mouth(s) shut tight. I'm sure the devil is in the details, but, James is the beneficiary of this near maniacal branding of NBA. He can go merrily along, throwing powder in the air, posing like Madonna, all-the-time barren of ringage.

You of all here should know how difficult it is to win a title in Cleveland.

[Goran Dragic]

You of all here should know how difficult it is to win a title in Cleveland.


Unlike Kobe thought, Lebron was willing to take the challenge on. When Kobe was drafted by the New Orleans Hornets, he was too much of a sackless cuck to take the challenge on and demanded a trade to a bigger market team.

[An Unbiased Fan]

LeBron James is on another tier above Kobe (and everyone else) at this point. It's no longer up for debate. When's the last time Kobe went for 40-8-8 in a playoff game?
Uh, Game 1 of last year's Finals. Against the team Lebron lost to with HCA.

40/8/8 in Finals >>>>>>>>> 40/8/8 in 1st round against .500 team

[oh crap]

:lol

[Giuseppe]

You of all here should know how difficult it is to win a title in Cleveland.

I remember sitting in the Agora, drinking 3.2 beer and watching 1964 film of the last title.

[picc84]

Lebron wasn't even the second best player in 2006.

[picc84]

Ok.

[oh crap]

you're one weak ass troll, get out of here with that shit. rofl, durant giving kobe praise= being "beneath" him in every aspect? :dizzy

[SPURSCHAMP]

lebron the best