Leave the Scowl at Home, Kobe

[BandWagon Cavs Fan]

Man why are they hatin on Kobe like that....I dont really like him but he's still a beast. Let him do him sons, PEACE

[hitmanyr2k]

Agreed. Battier remains one of the most overrated defenders in the game. Kobe has scored 44+ on Battier four times, 50+ twice. Very good defender but not as good as is claimed. He's not too quick laterally sometimes is so locked in on his man-on-man responsibilities that he doesn't help out on team defense. I'd say top 15 perimeter defender in the NBA, not top two or three.

Kobe is a d-bag but this article was unfair.

Unfair? The article didn't even mention Kobe purposely kneeing Battier in the head and then planting an elbow for good measure. Kobe is a talented piece of . Everyone knows this. Battier didn't proclaim himself the great Kobe stopper. He gives respect to his opponents and does his best to defend them. That's all. Just because you think Battier is overrated doesn't mean it gives Kobe an excuse to be an asshole.

[1Parker1]

Kobe is a d-bag but this article was unfair.

What makes this article unfair exactly?

[TheMACHINE]

you guys are trippin. The calm and collected Kobe is the fake kobe...the talking Kobe is the real one.

[djohn2oo8]

you guys are trippin. The calm and collected Kobe is the fake kobe...the talking Kobe is the real one.

I have never seen someone talk so much and can't even fight.....whoops, there goes kobe

[TheMACHINE]

I have never seen someone talk so much and can't even fight.....whoops, there goes kobe

You must mean Ron Artest...Kobe has probably gotten into more fights then Artest in the NBA.

[Xylus]

That Battier clip is pretty cool. Dude gets kneed and elbowed in the head, gets up, and walks away like nothing happened. Doesn't seem like you can get under his skin.

[ambchang]

Would be funny if Battier started screaming to the broadcasting crew at the end of game 4 "I can guard him!" *Scrowl* "I can guard him!"

Players that needs to be "fired up" by their teammates antics needs to grow up. You are getting paid millions to do your best every single game. If playing in a tough playoff series with the championship within reach is not motivation for you, and you need to see your team captain scream like a neanderthal to the broadcasting crew to be "fired up", you don't belong on a championship team.

[iggypop123]

whats the big deal. lebron did it last night in that boring game

[MambaJuice2408]

Quite honestly I don't see Kobe this scowl very often. SO i kinda think the author is a bit misleading in that sense.

Only times I see Kobe boast about his ways are against guys who think can challenge him or guard him.

For instance, Shane Battier gets alot of press in being a good defender against Kobe, which he is. So Kobe goes out there to prove that Battier can't stop him. I'm sure Kobe did the same things few years back when Raja Bell was the Kobe stopper for Phoenix.

IMO Kobe doesn't do this all the time. Only when there's a respectable defensive ace on the other team that will actually make him work. Kobe gets a thrill off these challenges that guys can stop him. It makes him dig deeper into his bag of tricks and also have to think about how to counter Shane's defensive tactics. I'm pretty sure Kobe get's so excited at the thought of playing against this type of player that he cannot help get but get excited when he goes off for a huge night. 13 years in the NBA, the guy has seen it all, this is one of the few motivational techniques that still work for him.

[Cry Havoc]

Agreed. Battier remains one of the most overrated defenders in the game. Kobe has scored 44+ on Battier four times, 50+ twice. Very good defender but not as good as is claimed. He's not too quick laterally sometimes is so locked in on his man-on-man responsibilities that he doesn't help out on team defense. I'd say top 15 perimeter defender in the NBA, not top two or three.

Kobe is a d-bag but this article was unfair.

This is an intentional ploy by the media, as they always do, to add e to a series.

Remember when the Sonics had the answer to Duncan? Remember the Denver series where Nene played really well against him in Game 1, and suddenly Duncan had totally been neutralized by one player, they didn't need to double-team, and the series was lost?

This happens to almost every player. The media loves to anoint players in suck a manner, because it allows for even further evaluation of compe ion and more hype to surround two players who are going to be guarding each other over a series.

[DDS4]

If that's what gets Kobe going, so be it.

Not everyone can kick ass stoically like TD.

[resistanze]

I don't think the issue should be Kobe talking . MJ talked A LOT of , so did Bird. And I don't want to hear the argument "well MJ can, he's the the GOAT!" No. He's still a .

The thing with Kobe is that it seems all forced. From the way he talks smack, the way he tried to be a leader in the locker room when reviewing game tape, to the way he answers questions in the media (wet the bed?? lmao). The boy needs to find himself.

[Lars]

I'd say top 15 perimeter defender in the NBA, not top two or three.

Name me three better perimeter defenders than Shane.

[ezau]

You know what? I could easily become Kobe's biggest fan if he doesn't do his weird and disgusting antics on the court. There's no doubt he's downright great but he acts as if it's always a Sunday: No class.