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48% for the playoffs so far is going up from the regular season I believe...
Kobe's career stats go down in the playoffs.
Most of the greats go up in the playoffs.
48% for the playoffs so far is going up from the regular season I believe...
Kobe's one of those players who plays the same way in the regular season as he does in the playoffs. That's a credit to him never coasting in the regular season like some other stars have, take for example Shaquille O'Neal. Kobe is extremely compe ive in the regular season. That's a big reason why his playoff stats don't take a huge jump. And they don't go down. They're pretty consistent with his regular season stats.
Kobe's career stats:
25.3 PPG
5.3 RPG
4.7 APG
45.5% FG
34.0% 3PT
Kobe's playoff stats:
25.3 PPG
5.1 RPG
4.9 APG
45.0% FG
33.7% 3PT
Wilt and Magic and Bird and Kareem didn't really improve their regular season stats in the playoffs. People don't mention that when talking about their legacies.
Jordan was more the exception than the norm when it comes to something like that.
WEll Jamstone just posted that his stats stay relatively the same, regular season or postseason.
And this just isn't even true. At least from a FG% standpoint, mostly everyone's stats I've studied go down in the playoffs for obvious reasons (better defenses). D
If their overall stats improve it's because their minutes increases.
Kobe just made some crazy ass shots to put Phoenix down for good and nobody posts in this thread?
Kobe is the best player in the game ...
I conceded Lebron but after this playoffs i take the le back ...end of thread ...
Props to Kobe, he's on another level and it's a treat to watch him play.
Kobe is a killer, ask the Suns
'Killer' Kobe Silences Suns
Kevin Ding
The Orange County Register
It was a long time ago that Kobe Bryant said there were just two killers in the NBA. Michael Jordan was still playing, which should answer both the when and who questions.
It was back then that Bryant sat in the locker room at the Rose Garden in Portland in the middle and best season of the Lakers' 2000-02 three-peat, just before playing an elimination game against the Trail Blazers. An interview with Scottie Pippen came on the TV in the locker room, and Bryant half-listened.
Then he said to Pippen but really to himself: "This is your last day of work."
The Lakers finished Pippen's team that day in their first chance.
They did the same to the Phoenix Suns to end the Western Conference finals Saturday night.
This is what Bryant, the killer, does ... and it was perfectly appropriate that he did so this time with blood on his hands. It was his own, which he actually likes because he feels that seeing it motivates him during games, from a first-quarter cut on his left ring finger.
But with the gold "E" in "LAKERS" on his chest splotchy with blood Saturday night, Bryant scored 11 of the Lakers' last 14 points — and assisted on the only other field goal.
"He's the best player in basketball," Suns coach Alvin Gentry said. "And I don't think it's even close."
With the victory, Bryant moved into a tie with Pippen for most playoff victories with the same coach — and he is literally the same, Phil Jackson: 110. Difference is that Bryant has many more days of work, starting Thursday night in the NBA Finals.
Bryant averaged 33.7 points, 8.3 assists, 7.2 rebounds and 1.2 blocks in perhaps the best playoff series he has ever played. He was magical in all three games in Phoenix, even though the Lakers lost two of those. Bryant hadn't played a playoff game here since losing that Game 5 in 2007, after which he asked for the trade that he's now glad never happened.
But that sort of unhappy ending to a series is now the clear aberration for Bryant, whom longtime teammate Derek Fisher said Saturday night "literally can will the ball in the basket" when necessary.
And to relish the opportunity to drive that dagger into the opponent so much, you need a rare coldness.
He did it down the stretch Saturday night. He has done it often in making the Lakers so heavy-footed when the opponent's fingertips are all that's left on the cliff.
Bryant has at least 30 points in the past eight consecutive road games with the Lakers in a close-out opportunity. It's an NBA record. Even Jordan only did it five consecutive games.
This is the killer for you.
"We couldn't quite get over the hump," Gentry said. "Every time we got it close, Kobe made an incredibly tough shot that was well defended. For that, there is no answer."
Said Lakers forward Lamar Odom: "There were a couple plays where he trusted us and we didn't come through, and he decided to take the game over."
One Laker, in particular, is glad Bryant did. Sasha Vujacic's flagrant foul gave the Suns renewed fire. Asked about wanting to kill Vujacic for that, Bryant said afterward: "He's still breathing."
If not for Vujacic's gaffe 1:41 into the fourth quarter, Bryant doesn't have to bring out the best in him for everyone to see, though. Bryant had 26 points entering the fourth quarter.
He finished with 37 points. He had tied Jerry West in the previous game for third-most playoff games with at least 30 points in NBA history. With this game, Bryant tied Kareem Abdul-Jabbar for second place to Jordan.
Although work remains to be done against the Celtics, people are coming off the debate about Bryant vs. LeBron James and moving on to Bryant vs. Jordan. It's true that if Bryant wins his fifth NBA championship this season, he's right behind Jordan's six.
Odom brought up Bryant's goal to be the best player ever after this game. Odom noted that it's easy to say that people want to be the best, but it's hard to believe.
"Not many guys want that responsibility," Odom said.
Bryant adjusted his routine this series to do more shooting before games and less at the early shoot-arounds on game days. Jackson pretty much lets Bryant make all his own calls on that sort of thing now. But then, that'll be the best relationship in NBA playoff history with the Lakers' next victory – and Bryant has given Jackson every reason to trust.
Despite the sleeve on his sore right knee, Bryant shot 52.1 percent from the field and 88.1 percent from the foul line in these six games. And in the end, he killed.
It's what he does.
+1 Kobe won that ing game last night. Period.
If Kobe can beat this Celtics team....ill consider him on the same level as MJ, regardless of accomplishments..
As much as I hate to admit it, he is reaching MJ level, but won't surpass it. He was never on a team that would destroy other teams on a consistent basis like a couple of those bulls teams.
Back in they day, it was usually a matter of how much the bulls were going to beat you by. It's like teams have a subconscious barrier that keeps them from annihilating other teams, but that barrier did not exist with those bulls teams never giving you a chance to come back and just running up the score on you by not letting off the gas.
+1
The 1996 and 1997 season, the Bulls averaged 70.5 wins per season in those 2 years and had it not been for the injuries in the 1998 season they might have reached close to 70 in that year as well. After the triangle offense was introduce to the Bulls from 96-98 they were a dominating force in the league.
I was more impressed with the first Bulls threepeat.
During the 1996-98 les, the Lakers, Celtics, and Pistons were all completely finished. The great players in the league by then were not on great teams. Shaq bailed on Orlando. Hakeem had his short pair of les, Charles tried to coattail on that Houston run, and the rest of the league was still trying to find the next group of young stars. Jordan's best opponents in that second run were the Patrick Ewing Knicks and the Stockton-Malone Jazz. Great players on pretty good teams. But also proven not nearly as great a compe ion because neither could win les in those two years Michael went away or after Michael retired from the Bulls.
At least in the first Bulls threepeat, they beat Pistons to finally get to the Finals, beat a Magic Lakers team even though they were old, beat a Blazers team that had gone to the Finals before, and beat Charles in his prime on a very good Phoenix team. I was more impressed by those Bulls.
The Bulls were dominant no matter which of those championship teams you look at. But I think they had to do more to win their first three les. The league was theirs for the taking in that second threepeat run.
No doubt, the first three peat was impressive. Those Pistons and Lakers team dominated the last 4 years of the 80's and the Bulls took them out in that single year. I don't buy into the Lakers were getting old though because even though Kareem retired, Magic was still in his prime (31) and young players like Worthy were only getting better.
There is always an asterisk in that first 3 peat however because of the disparity of the wins of teams. If you look at the 1992 season in which the Bulls won 67 games, the disparity in wins between them and the second seeded Knicks was 16 games and 10 games for the 1st seeded Portland Trailblazers. Thats ridiculously huge. The 8th seeded Hawks won only 38 games which is below today's standards.
Nonetheless the first 3peat bulls had less to work with to win those les which makes it impressive, you're talking about a roster of
C - Bill Cartwright
PF - Horace Grant
SF - Scottie Pippen
SG - Michael Jordan
PG - John Paxson
BENCH
B.J. Armstrong
Stacey King
Will Perdue
Kobe would havw been a good 3rd option on the 98 Bulls team
Dont flame me Laker fans, that was a great team
Young players like Worthy?
James Worthy was 30 years old at the time of the 1991 Finals.
Kobe comes off the bench on that 1998 Bulls team. He's not replacing Michael at shooting guard or Pippen at small forward and he simply doesn't have the mentality to play point guard.
But let's not get this twisted, even coming off the bench, he'd be the second leading scorer on the team.
This is a pretty re ed statement if you knew anything about the triangle offense. Obviously you don't so I'll give your ignorance a pass.
Notice the keyword 'POINT GUARD' Kobe is not a pass first player. He jacks up shots at will defeating the whole purpose of a POINT GUARD
I know enough about the triangle offense. That's not why I don't think Kobe wouldn't be able to play PG with those Jordan Bulls. Kobe would play the Fisher/Paxson/Kerr role with Michael playing the midpost. You think Kobe can stand out on the elbow points or top of the key just chucking spot-up three point shots while Michael and Scottie get the vast majority of post-ups in the triangle?
Yeah, ok.
And you think Ron Harper is starting over Kobe.
Yeah, ok. You're an idiot.
No, I'm saying Kobe wouldn't start at point guard for those teams.
With Kobe's scoring ability, why would you waste him as a spot-up shooter?
Sure, let's start Kobe and have him out on the perimeter where 95% of his shot attempts are going to be spot-up jumpshots. Um no.
Let him come off the bench and be the main scorer in the second unit.
Kobe would be starting on that 98 team. It's as simple as that. He's a much better version of Ron Harper in just about every way.
Just because he starts doesn't mean he wouldn't move down to the 2 when Jordan got a rest.
LOL at Kobe and passing the ball
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