Kobe's feat isnt if you ask me, and here is why...

[FlyHigh07]

this guys is nothin more than a stat padder

he has games where he scores alot and post no assists, then you see him in the next game where he scores jack , but padd up the reb + asst stats to bring it up to avg stats...

son!!! Let's see you play like Kobe ER! I ing mothercuking thought SO!!!!!!!!!

[mavsfan1000]

this guys is nothin more than a stat padder

he has games where he scores alot and post no assists, then you see him in the next game where he scores jack , but padd up the reb + asst stats to bring it up to avg stats...

I wouldn't go that far. He's just not as great as advertised. I'm not going to change my opinion on this so it is pointless to continue arguing on this. Kobe had a series of his life against the spurs a few years ago. Shaq allowed him to his damage because of all the attention Shaq took. The same thing with Wade in the finals last year.

[SRJ]

I am not a Kobe Bryant fan. I think the Shaq-Kobe team could have lasted longer than it did, and in my view Kobe was the most responsible part of that breakup (but that's another thread entirely). Kobe has done some baffling things in the past, like the road loss to Sacramento in 2004 when he only shot twice in the entire game, and of course last year's game seven loss to Phoenix when he only shot twice in the second half. He is an egomaniac among egomaniacs, and I think that at times in his career he has demonstrated a contempt for the team concept and a casual at ude about winning basketball games.

That said, it would be incorrect of me not to acknowledge his amazing play of late. I don't know if a player in any sport has played a four game stretch like this.

When Chamberlain dominated the league in a similar way, he and Bill Russell were the only true athletes playing the center position. Judging by the footage I have seen and by the gaudy point totals of the decade, defenses were stiff, stagnant, reactive, doling out a lot less contact on the floor than in today's game.

During Jordan's best scoring days, the defense and athleticism around the league were improved compared with Wilt's era, but still not what we have seen today. At his position Jordan stood alone athletically. He was basically the prototype for the long leapers we have today - in the late eighties, only Clyde Drexler was comparable to Jordan. Most of the other great shooting guards of that time were perimeter players like Walter Davis, Alex English, Dale Ellis, and Jeff Malone - effective complementary players to be sure, but unable to take over games by getting to the rim. Also consider that the Chuck Daly-style defense - fewer possessions on offense (thus keeping the scores lower), lots of switching and other off the ball activity, emphasis on physical play - was pretty much only being used by Daly then - it wasn't until the mid-1990's when this style took hold around the majority of the league.

Kobe surpassing Jordan and Chamberlain, even for four games, under current conditions is nothing short of astonishing. In this stretch, he has managed to integrate his matchless scoring skill into the framework of the team when they need it badly.

If this isn't praiseworthy, you're not a critic of Kobe Bryant; critics are fair people. And it would be patently unfair to continue to bash Kobe for playing the best basketball of his or anyone else's life.

[JamStone]

I am not a Kobe Bryant fan. I think the Shaq-Kobe team could have lasted longer than it did, and in my view Kobe was the most responsible part of that breakup (but that's another thread entirely). Kobe has done some baffling things in the past, like the road loss to Sacramento in 2004 when he only shot twice in the entire game, and of course last year's game seven loss to Phoenix when he only shot twice in the second half. He is an egomaniac among egomaniacs, and I think that at times in his career he has demonstrated a contempt for the team concept and a casual at ude about winning basketball games.

That said, it would be incorrect of me not to acknowledge his amazing play of late. I don't know if a player in any sport has played a four game stretch like this.

When Chamberlain dominated the league in a similar way, he and Bill Russell were the only true athletes playing the center position. Judging by the footage I have seen and by the gaudy point totals of the decade, defenses were stiff, stagnant, reactive, doling out a lot less contact on the floor than in today's game.

During Jordan's best scoring days, the defense and athleticism around the league were improved compared with Wilt's era, but still not what we have seen today. At his position Jordan stood alone athletically. He was basically the prototype for the long leapers we have today - in the late eighties, only Clyde Drexler was comparable to Jordan. Most of the other great shooting guards of that time were perimeter players like Walter Davis, Alex English, Dale Ellis, and Jeff Malone - effective complementary players to be sure, but unable to take over games by getting to the rim. Also consider that the Chuck Daly-style defense - fewer possessions on offense (thus keeping the scores lower), lots of switching and other off the ball activity, emphasis on physical play - was pretty much only being used by Daly then - it wasn't until the mid-1990's when this style took hold around the majority of the league.

Kobe surpassing Jordan and Chamberlain, even for four games, under current conditions is nothing short of astonishing. In this stretch, he has managed to integrate his matchless scoring skill into the framework of the team when they need it badly.

If this isn't praiseworthy, you're not a critic of Kobe Bryant; critics are fair people. And it would be patently unfair to continue to bash Kobe for playing the best basketball of his or anyone else's life.

Extremely well written post. I enjoyed reading that.

[SRJ]

Extremely well written post. I enjoyed reading that.

Thanks! *bows*

[DOMINATOR]

Extremely well written post. I enjoyed reading that.

i agree

[bdictjames]

What pisses me off is that there are still trolls lurking around the Internet still convinced that Kobe is a ballhog.

[ManuTim_best of Fwiendz]

You have no idea about what you are talking about.

Read it again. I wasn't saying his performance wasn't great.

I'm not knocking Kobe and this specific performance, because he was definitely on a ROLL and you WANT to see players take advantage of that. For entertainment value. I was merely highlighting the fact that I thought Kobe should have kept his mouth shut about the stupid "suspension" criticisms.

So then I merely noted that HIS LAST TWO GAMES HE DID LOOK LIKE HE WAS PLAYING FOR HIS INDIVIDUAL GLORY in mind.

It has nothing to do with dissing his skills, and his new record in history.

Nowhere have I said he was "ballhogging for the sake of it." He was hogging the ball technically on Friday. But he's shooting over 50 percent and given the greenlight. So you can't really complain. I even said that 4 in a row was incredible for stamina's sake later on in the post. Nowhere did I say that the record in itself isn't valuable. It is because you don't see players doing it every day. But I don't think I"m wrong in my personal view, in disagreeing with Kobe's reasons. I don't think he should treat his amazing games as a priority, like you would in the sport of Golf, or Tennis.
Now this isn't to you, but just a general statement to some of the comments on here.
Apologists on here, say they haven't started winning until Kobe started going ape . But that's bogus, it helps, but it's certainly not REQUIRED of him to force the issue of hogging the offensive load. They just got Lamar and Walton back shortly before they started winning again. With that logic, you can say their record in the first half of the season when they were an over 50 team. 15-7 Required Kobe him to score, 35, 8, 7 because they were winning when he was doing that right?...

Come on, you know the reason for the losses wasn't because Kobe was averaging 30 points and making 10 assists a game. It had more to do with the fact that they were shorthanded. So don't try to use the card, "HE NEEDS TO BE SCORING 60 points because they were losing seven in a row!" I'll admit that these recent wins had much to do with Kobe going nuts. At the same time, don't say stupid things like Kobe HAS to do this or THEY LOSE.
If he did, then he would have done it when Lamar and Luke were out, it'd make a lot more sense.


Kobe didn't start scoring 60 because he felt he had to DO this, he just went NUTS and hit a good week because he decided to step up his play and some of his stronger teammates made it that much easier for him to get in teh zone! Don't try to justify his recent 60 point outbursts as justification for the Lakers being better off with Kobe taking more of the offensive load and being the only reason why they're winning again. Otherwise Kobe should have been shouldering Lamar and Waltons offensive output, to prevent them from that 7 game skid in the first place.

[jaespur21]

not a kobe fan but hes good.....putting 50 up is impressive. best i could do in high school was 25 and that was against southside

[sabar]

Kobe is the best player in this league.
Ball hogging is when you have say... Latrell Sprewell struggling to shoot 40% for a season chucking up shots.

[jacobdrj]

As long as Kobe is shooting over 50% from the field, you don't have much room to talk smack.

Word.

[RonMexico]

Purple & Gold is a little . ManuTim_bestofFwiendz, you said it right. Kobe's feat is impressive, but let's put it in perspective: he can throw up 50+ against teams in the playoffs and the Lakers will still lose... book it.

[jaespur21]

probably but Kobe putting up 50 against playoff teams still gives them a punchers chance......PHX barely survived them in the playoffs last year and so far this year and even last season the lakers have played the spurs tough

[1Parker1]

If most players took that many shots.........they would get 50-60pts every night. Just look at the box scores of all games, which I just did. There were lots of players shooting 50% from the field but only taking half as many shots as Kobe.

Its all bull ......everyone just sees the scoring, but not how many shots he took. , he took other peoples shots away from them.

You guys are crazy. Do you see the kinds of shots Kobe takes? He has like triple defenders on him sometimes and still manages to shoot the ball into the basket with crazy fadaways or from about 3 feet beyond the 3 point line. Do any of you understand hte kind of physical and mental shape you have to be in to do that in a span of 48 minutes? And he barely gets any rest.

, who's he going to pass the ball to instead? Smush Parker. You can't argue with a guy scoring over 200+ points in 4 games in 53% shooting.


Damn, maybe I should change my name it 1Kobe1. The more people who hate on his game, the more I like the guy!

[1Parker1]

The whole "The only thing that matters is championships" argument is so ing played out and cliche. Can't you people think of your own catch lines rather than just regurgitating what some other clown you saw on TV said?

Championships are important. We get it. I'm sure most players have the dream to win a championship, but only one team wins a year. Winning championships aren't the only reason people like basketball -- people also like basketball because it's fun sport to play and watch. Spectacular team performances are fun to see. Witness individual accomplishments are fun to see as well. Watching an player so skilled at his sport is amazing, especially when that player's team is winning as well.

If this doesn't impress you, do yourself a favor and turn off your TV until June.

I don't understand how a basketball fan cannot find it entertaining to watch this.

[Skip Bayless]

Im not convinced. this streak means nothing to me, because its all about the rings. he has yet to win one without Shaq so who should care about a meaningless streak like this? he is NOT the next Jordan, he is not a champion, and he will never be half the man MJ was both on and off the court

[1Parker1]

No, you're wrong. Almost everytime Kobe goes off, the Lakers win. That validates his strategy, especially considering they got nothing outside of Odom and Walton. Bynum has shown some promise, but that's about it. Even Tex Winter, consummate team guy that he is, admits Kobe scoring at will represents their best chance to win.

Kobe is simply the most complete offensive player in the game today, and certainly among the best of alltime. I would say he's pretty much approaching Jordan territory if he hasn't caught up to him already. Kobe is the only guy routinely trapped and double-teamed 35 feet out. He can drive as well as Wade, AI or Vince, but his ability to hit a contested 35 footer means opposing defenses have to respect his perimeter shooting almost as soon as he crosses the midcourt line. All this "makes his teammates better" is just a mirage and overblown. The Lakers had no business being in a seventh game against Phoenix, but Kobe got them there by out-Nashing Nash. Kobe has shown he can be a creator, it's just a matter of whether or not his teammates are competent enough to execute. When they're not, Kobe has to take matters into his own hands. It's as simple as that.

The other thing you have to keep in mind is that it's probably not easy for those guys to play with Kobe, and it's not easy for Kobe to play with guys that are significantly less talented than him. If you've ever watched a Jason Kidd team, one thing you'll notice is that Kidd could easily average 18-22 assists per game instead of the 11 that he gets if his teammates had the same kind of court vision that he does. He sees things way before they develop and sometimes his teammates aren't always in the right spot to receive a pass because they don't have that sixth sense on the court that Kidd does. I think it's kinda like that now for Kobe. It wasn't a problem when he had Shaq down low along with excellent role players.

Wow, a smart and logical post by a Mavericks fan? I truly applaud you! I wish we had more Mavs posters like you.

[1Parker1]

Purple & Gold is a little . ManuTim_bestofFwiendz, you said it right. Kobe's feat is impressive, but let's put it in perspective: he can throw up 50+ against teams in the playoffs and the Lakers will still lose... book it.

He may not have to in the playoffs. If you'd bother watching any basketball other than your "Favorite team's" you'd realize that the Lakers are currently hampered with injuries and are only now coming from from them. Odom, Walton, Kwame Brown...all three starters missed significant amounts of time this season. It take s a while for players to get back in rythmn. Lakers were on a 7 game losing streak and pretty much close to getting out of playoff contention. In that streak Kobe the "non-ball hog" () was averaging a mere 30 points and 5.8 assists. In fact in their loss against the Nuggets.......Kobe had 30 points, 9 assists, and 6 rebounds...and that ended up being a blowout loss.

If his teammates get back to learning how to shoot the ball, he won't have to score 50+ points, but the fact that he can drop that many points on you in any given game... maybe in any given quarter, makes him dangerous. Kobe is probably the only player in the league that could probably win a game all by himself. So yea, if the Spurs are playing the Lakers...I'd be pretty scared of them for that simple fact alone.

[1Parker1]

Im not convinced. this streak means nothing to me, because its all about the rings. he has yet to win one without Shaq so who should care about a meaningless streak like this? he is NOT the next Jordan, he is not a champion, and he will never be half the man MJ was both on and off the court

With that logic, the Mavs current win streak means nothing to me because its all about the rings, and they have yet to win a single championship...period.

[dallasmavsnfuego214]

Im not convinced. this streak means nothing to me, because its all about the rings. he has yet to win one without Shaq so who should care about a meaningless streak like this? he is NOT the next Jordan, he is not a champion, and he will never be half the man MJ was both on and off the court

i have a feeling this really is Skip BAyless

[lebomb]

Ive come back in the NEXT day and noone has answered my question on this subject............

Noone thinks Mcgrady, Carter, Wade, Lebron, Arenas, Ginobilli, or Timmy D could put together a string of 4 games of over 50 in a row if they were to receive 30-40 touches in said games??? I think they could.

Everyone keeps pointing out a SINGLE 30-40 touch game and how many points the player had......BUT!!!! Kobe got to put up that many shots in 4 consecutive games!!!!

, I think he is allowed to put up that many shots all season period.....GREEN LIGHT!!!

[DisgruntledLionFan#54,927]

Noone thinks Mcgrady, Carter, Wade, Lebron, Arenas, Ginobilli, or Timmy D could put together a string of 4 games of over 50 in a row if they were to receive 30-40 touches in said games??? I think they could.

Kobe got to put up that many shots in 4 consecutive games!!!!

No, and one thing you're forgetting is fatigue.

[lebomb]

No, and one thing you're forgetting is fatigue.

LOL, these guys are athletes.....best of the best.....fatigue???

I looked at some of Kobes previous games before the unmitigated "green light" he was given........his numbers were the same as everyone elses for shot attempts......15-22 shot attempts produced around 25-30pt games......add another 15-20 attemps and you are in the 50pt range.

I just cant believe noone else sees this...............

[samikeyp]

Hey...let Kobe keep doing this....he's on my fantasy team.

[DisgruntledLionFan#54,927]

Why wasn't Carmelo in the 50 point range when he was averaging 27 shots/game in the 10 games prior to being suspended?

He cracked 40 one time(42).

Sorry about the fatigue crack, I forgot they all play 48 minutes/night and shooting the ball 30 times/game while being doubled is refreshing.

My bad.