Los Angeles Lakers Thread...

[Geech]

My guess is that the series will for 6 games and Celtics will win. Wait they better win :-p

[Gatchaman]

Originally Posted by tbailey

i completely agree
like i said in my previous posts i was just trying to say that Kobe might eventually be debated as the greatest player ever
it will take a few more championships and MVPs

but lets also sort of down play how great Jordan was

1. he could never defeat the really good teams of the 80's i.e. the Celtics and Pistons. They always dominated the Bulls in the playoffs

2. Scottie Pippen is quite possible one of the most underrated players of all time

3. Weak Eastern Conference simply made Jordan look even better

4. Jordan didn't exactly have the toughest competition in the Finals
the Lakers had an aging team and Magic was hurt
Portland had a pretty good team but also aging
I'll concede that the Suns were a pretty good team
The Sonics - well they had Payton and Kemp but that's about it
and the Jazz had the aging Stockton and Malone

these are not exactly the great teams of the 80's

5. Jordan didn't really help the Wizards out too much when he played there

6. in the prime of his career - he was defeated by the Magic in the 1995 playoffs

Jordan is the greatest player of all time
but untouchable - hmm not too sure about that

1. Jordan was carrying the Bull's in the 80's by himself. Scottie and Horace Grant were both just coming into the league in the late 80's.

2. Scottie was a supoerstar in his own right. But even he couldn't take the Bulls back to the championships after Jordan's 1st hiatus.

3. The eastern conference during Jordan's time was the better of the 2 leagues. (Detroit, New York, Miami, even an aging Celtics) were all more physical and talented than was we have now adays.

4. The Suns with Barkley, Utah with Stockton and Malone in their primes, Drexler and the Trailblazers were not old and were very talented, and the Sonics with Payton and Kemp were all very very good teams. Jordan and the Bulls were just that good in beating all of them.

5. Of course he didn't help much. The guy was 38! Yet he was still top 10 in the league at that time.

6. Jordan and the Bulls were defeated by the Magics because Jordan just came out of retirement and was clearly not in basketball shape. But the following year he and the Bulls swept the same team winning 72 games in the regular season.

So please don't compare Kobe at this point to Jordan. It's not even close. Like I said Kobe at times does Jordan like things, but this is only his 1st year playing team ball as the leader of the Lakers. He has a LONG was to go to be compared to Jordan, Magic, Bird, West, Russell....and so on.

[Hylas1896]

Since the Jazz lost to the Lakers in the playoffs, I'm rooting for the Celtics in the finals. I actually don't mind the Lakers so much, but they have plenty of rings, and I want to see the underdog win.

[HelixSix]

Originally Posted by Gatchaman

Like I said Kobe at times does Jordan like things, but this is only his 1st year playing team ball as the leader of the Lakers.

Ever since Shaq left Kobe has been the leader of the team. And he has been trying to play "team" ball during that entire period as well. The difference is his team finally has come to play now.

Heck he even went to the extent of not shooting at all in playoff games so that people wouldn't label him as things (ballhog, team killer) that he just wasn't. Those times that he passed the ball and set his guys up all game and they lost proved just how bad the rest of the team was. Whether he put up 40 points, or passed all game and put up 15, people would hate on him cause the team lost.

Now he goes a half without scoring, but his team holds the lead. When the opponents adjust at halftime he simply turns it on and scores 25 in the second half. And people praise him now because the team is winning.

[Gatchaman]

This years success is not all Kobe. You got to give most of the credit to Phil Jackson and the coaching staff for making Kobe play team ball and for developing the players around him. Also credit to Kupchack for stealing Gasol from the Grizzlies.

[tbailey]

Originally Posted by Gatchaman

1. Jordan was carrying the Bull's in the 80's by himself. Scottie and Horace Grant were both just coming into the league in the late 80's.

2. Scottie was a supoerstar in his own right. But even he couldn't take the Bulls back to the championships after Jordan's 1st hiatus.

3. The eastern conference during Jordan's time was the better of the 2 leagues. (Detroit, New York, Miami, even an aging Celtics) were all more physical and talented than was we have now adays.

4. The Suns with Barkley, Utah with Stockton and Malone in their primes, Drexler and the Trailblazers were not old and were very talented, and the Sonics with Payton and Kemp were all very very good teams. Jordan and the Bulls were just that good in beating all of them.

5. Of course he didn't help much. The guy was 38! Yet he was still top 10 in the league at that time.

6. Jordan and the Bulls were defeated by the Magics because Jordan just came out of retirement and was clearly not in basketball shape. But the following year he and the Bulls swept the same team winning 72 games in the regular season.

So please don't compare Kobe at this point to Jordan. It's not even close. Like I said Kobe at times does Jordan like things, but this is only his 1st year playing team ball as the leader of the Lakers. He has a LONG was to go to be compared to Jordan, Magic, Bird, West, Russell....and so on.

These are really good points but again please read my previous posts carefully

i said that if Kobe wins a couple of more championships in the next 3 to 4 years there should at least be a debate that he is the greatest player of all time

what does upset me, though, is when people start comparing other players to Jordan i.e. several years ago Iverson was "The Answer" and now LeBron "The King" is compared to Jordan

if anybody is going to be compared to Jordan imho it has to be Kobe
Iverson and LeBron are amazingly good but they are not in the league with Jordan, Bird, Magic, and Kobe

Kobe should at least be mentioned with Bird, Magic, and Jordan

but then again the disappointing performance last night doesn't help my case too much

if the Celtics play defense like that throughout the series look for them to win - but Phil Jackson, being one of the greatest coachs of all time, will hopefully find an answer to the Celtic defense

[Señor Villa]

The Lakers will in it in six games. Lakers bench is more deep than the C's. I'm glad the Lakers are young enough to win a few more. Next year when Andrew Bynum comes back look out! I see 65 wins or more. The Celtics have a bunch of old washed-up stars that could not do it all these years. The Celtics put together these players to win it this year and after that they will all get the pink slips. The Celtics are jealous because the Lakers have won 3 times since the Celtics won last in 1986.

[Ali]

Originally Posted by mibir

Jordan has scored 69 points in a game, which isn't bad I'd say. Regardless, I would say career high for points in a game is one very small portion of what a player needs. Hell, Jordan was even Defensive player of the year once. Not to mention 6 championships, in each of which he was the MVP. Throw on top of that another 5 NBA MVPs and 2 Olympic Gold Medals and you have some numbers that I don't think Kobe will ever reach. That's not to say Kobe isn't an amazing player, I just don't think he'll ever reach the caliber of Jordan. He has a lot to accomplish in his remaining years.

Well, put. Not to mention that Jordan's behaviour off the court was far better. He didn't cheat on his wife and created a scandal.

[Blade]

Go Boston.

Thought the Lakers would run-away with game 4 on Thursday night. Surprised the Celtics came-back and won.

1 game to go.... and Bye Bye Kobe!

Alizee nor I like Kobe

[tbailey]

i'm really upset about the game last night
i hate those type of comebacks

all can say is next year with Bynum in the lineup watch out

and if a i remember correctly Alizee told me that she likes Kobe