I have never been a Kobe fan, though admitting his unquestioned greatness. But I will accept that I often thought the criticism he gets is fair. But after watching Wade and especially LBJ during these finals two things stand out in comparison to Kobe:
1) Their arrogance. Now Kobe is arrogant as , but it's more self-belief and confidence. The kind of stuff you see a lot from Dirk lately as well. It's a kind of "I got it" at ude. Other than that you never hear from Kobe off the court. From the Miami guys it's more like self-en lement, believing they own the world and people should lay a red carpet whenever they walk. From The Decision to the Heatles, Wade verbally abusing the refs anytime he wanted to mocking Dirk's illness, it really makes you wonder whether these guys believe the world is at their feet.
2) Kobe's work ethic. For a moment there in the ECF I thought LeBron had started to improve his technique like Kobe, but the Finals shattered that belief. To see how well refined Kobe's moves, footwork and pretty much his game are, makes you appreciate how hard he works. You certainly don't get that from LeBron, but with Wade approaching 30 you'd think his outside shot should be a bit better now as well.
Let me know what you guys think. But don't turn it into a Kobe-wankfest.