LeBron James is youngest player to score 9000 points in NBA History

[DisgruntledLionFan#54,927]

Wow, you mean he shoots better close to the rim than from far away? Astonishing!

And yet... he's shooting 31.7% from 3 point range this year.

So what about the great, unstoppable, wonderful shooter that Kobe is! He's hit on 32.5% of his 3s this year! My god, the .7% difference is astonishing!

From the 3pt line and in(without dunks/layups), Kobe shoots 43% to LeBron's 36%.

LeBron is a better finisher than Kobe(and the sole reason why his shooting % is better), but there's no question Kobe is the better shooter.

Astonishing would be your take in light of the facts.

[Medvedenko]

Lebron is playing awesome this year and will get better...statistically who knows where he'll be...it's tough to gauge and will depend on teammates and systems. Remember, playing the triangle no player has averaged close to 10 assists per game since Phil was coaching it. It's just not that type of offense. Also, Kobe now has a low post threat as he did when Shaq was on board. I will say this....he still takes way to many ty shots and forces a little especially when he's hurt.

Lebron misses a load of games due to a bruised knuckle.....Kobe plays hurt all of the time....

[DisgruntledLionFan#54,927]

If Lebron develops a consistent outside shot(and I expect him to in 2-3 years), he could be right up there with MJ, IMO, when his playing days are over.

[Medvedenko]

Remember, once he starts slowing down physically he'll get his jump shot....his stats will stay the same.

[TheNextGen]

Let me put it another way.

If you had a guy who could knock down set shots frequently and consistently, say, at a rate of 54%, but whenever you put him into a game situation he tried to do too much and take idiotic shots while falling down, running into other players, such that his FG% for the season was 18%, would you call him a GOOD shooter? Or a player who has the POTENTIAL to shoot well and just doesn't? Would you seriously justify someone who hits 1/5 shots in a game a GOOD shooter?

Because last I checked, the NBA doesn't reward any points on potential.

If anything, NEITHER Kobe or LeBron should be considered excellent shooters. LeBron has limited range and Kobe takes stupid shots.

From the amount of "stupid" shots Kobe trys...he sure makes a fair amount of it.

in essence...Lebron makes the same amount of "smart" shots as Kobe making in "stupid" shots...therefore, Kobe is a better shooter.

[Cry Havoc]

From the amount of "stupid" shots Kobe trys...he sure makes a fair amount of it.

in essence...Lebron makes the same amount of "smart" shots as Kobe making in "stupid" shots...therefore, Kobe is a better shooter.

48.5% vs. 44.5% overall this year. Not the same.

Would it make you guys feel better if I amended it to say that Kobe is a better shooter purely on talent, but the fact that he's ed with his shot selection and teamplay means that he's not as effective as James is? I would be willing, for the sake of argument, to make that concession. The fact that James is shooting 4% higher this year should not be dismissed from the initial statement, however.

I just don't get it. If Kobe is the offensive juggernaut that those are claiming, if Kobe's got so many more moves than LeBron, why doesn't he use them instead of tossing up garbage? I stand by my statement that NEITHER of these players are great shooters, because they both have obvious deficiencies.

[Medvedenko]

I just don't get it. If Kobe is the offensive juggernaut that those are claiming, if Kobe's got so many more moves than LeBron, why doesn't he use them instead of tossing up garbage? I stand by my statement that NEITHER of these players are great shooters, because they both have obvious deficiencies.

Please quite while you're ahead......

81 points in ONE GAME shooting a very high percentage I might add......
averaged 36 per game for a season
4 50+ games in a row
averaged 40 per month for 2 separate months.....
62 in 3 q's....blahablah

[Cry Havoc]

Please quite while you're ahead......

81 points in ONE GAME shooting a very high percentage I might add......
averaged 36 per game for a season
4 50+ games in a row
averaged 40 per month for 2 separate months.....
62 in 3 q's....blahablah

Perhaps I misstated that. I DO agree that Kobe is unstoppable offensively. However, I do not feel that he is worthy of this Jordanesque air that some people attempt to describe him. He is not the best offensive player in the history of the game, nor is he close to being.


But I meant this as a comparison to LeBron. How great would Kobe be if he used his head more often when shooting?

[Medvedenko]

Some would say you need to be a little crazy to make those shots he attempts and having the balls to do so seperates him from everyone else. Yes, he does take too many contested triple pump fake looking fadeaways from time to time....but consider that practise

You're right his shot selection can be a little haphazzard.

[TampaDude]

Wow...looks like I really opened up a can of worms with my post...

Kobe is probably the best overall right now, but LeBron is the future...if he stays healthy, he could end up being one of the greatest of all time. LeBron is SO strong and physical...he's almost unstoppable when he drives to the basket.

Remember, in only his 4th season in the NBA, he took a team of scrubs to the FINALS! Now, THAT'S awesome!

[Cry Havoc]

http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/news/s...1220_windhorst

CLEVELAND -- In the NBA in December, this is about as good as the theater gets.

A tight game in the final moments, crowd on its feet, two of the best players in the world guarding each other and looking to be the hero. LeBron James and Kobe Bryant didn't quite have the Hollywood ending -- the game ended with a thud and not a splash -- but they did provide some drama.

During a timeout with just over three minutes left to play the same discussion was held in both huddles. James wanted to cover Bryant and told teammate Sasha Pavlovic to go guard someone else, in pretty much those exact terms. Bryant gave his directive to coach Phil Jackson, who wasn't totally sold, but went with his star's wishes.

"Why not?" Bryant said later. "I look forward to those matchups, that's what I do as a defensive player."

"If you want to win ballgames, you have to be able to defend the best player," James said. "I think we both took on the challenge."

They had all last summer. When Team USA practiced, James looked for a chance to guard Bryant at any chance and described the sessions as "very intense."

They may be summer teammates and both wear the swoosh, but they are far from close. James, after all, came down on Shaquille O'Neal's side in the Laker Wars.

James went right at Bryant, nailing a 17-footer to tie the game. Then, moments later, he got free from Bryant off a screen and turned the corner and drew a foul. His two free throws with 1:44 left gave the Cavs the lead.

So when Bryant got his hands on the ball with about seven seconds to play and his team still down those two points, he wanted to end it. He spun, rocked and hoisted a 3-pointer over James' fingertips. He may have preferred to drive past James, but a sore groin may have changed his mind. The rotation and the aim were true, but Bryant's touch was just a little off as it banged the back of the rim.

" I knew he was going for the win. I turned around and it looked like it was going to go in," James said.

When the Cavs got a favorable whistle when Daniel Gibson and Derek Fisher collided, James and his club were able to wrestle away a 94-90 victory. It was a big one for the Cavs, who had lost nine of 11 games including an embarrassing blowout at Madison Square Garden Wednesday night. It was a cooler for the Lakers, who had won seven of eight.

LeBron's now taken the last four meetings with Kobe, though they've taken turns outplaying each other individually. This one went James' way in about every category. He put up 33 points, extending his lead over Bryant in the race for the scoring le slightly, with 10 rebounds and five assists.

Bryant wasn't his usual self with the groin issue, which has been bothering him for a week. He made just 8-of-22 shots for 21 points, though he did come up with a huge offensive rebound with 10 seconds left that earned the Lakers one extra possession.

"I was pretty frustrated," Bryant said. "I can't explode like I want to I've got to rely on my jump shot a lot more."

Bryant was just 1-of-6 shooting in the fourth, when the Cavs held the Lakers to 5-of-22 overall and just 12 points. It was the sort of defensive effort, combined with James' heroics, that was the trademark of so many Cavs' victories in their remarkable run to the Finals last season. And the sort of stuff that has been missing for much of this year.

But both James and Bryant know it's just one round in their ongoing battle, one sure to be rekindled next month at Staples Center and again in private Team USA practices next summer in China.

"We just made more plays at the end of the game to win," James said. "It's a long season."

----

Looks like he's already better on defense than many are willing to give him credit for.

[milkyway21]

is LeBron mad at Coach Brown during that Cavs vs NY game?
Brown in a hot seat?

In that game, LeBron James did indeed bump coach Mike Brown. Replays are indisputable. Frustrated and jawing at the referees, he spun around back toward the bench and slightly nudged Brown, simply expressing frustration. You turn around, you're mad, you want to hit something. In that immediate moment, Brown fit the bill. No harm done.

It shouldn't be spun into anything bigger than incidental contact. It's not the pinnacle of James' displeasure with what's going on with the Cavs these days, or a defining moment that means irreparable damage has been done during this recent slide.

Brown is on the hot seat, but he was there long before the poor performance in New York. James has always been unhappy that Brown's style doesn't allow Cleveland to run more, yet that same style has produced consecutive 50-win seasons and a Finals appearance...

[TheNextGen]

Looks like he's already better on defense than many are willing to give him credit for.

If defense means "groin Injury" then you are right.