Is Kobe Bryant's legacy on the line?
ABC has shoved it down our throats throughout the NBA Finals.1GREAT, adjective
remarkable in magnitude, degree, or effectiveness; full of emotion; chief or preeminent over others; markedly superior in character or quality; remarkably skilled; used as a generalized term of approval
The Boston Celtics are going up against “the greatest player in the world,” color analyst Mark Jackson said of Kobe Bryant during the second quarter of Game 5.
But if the Bryant and the Los Angeles Lakers lose in Game 6 or 7 in Boston, is Kobe really the greatest?
The greatest player doesn’t get held to 17 points at home and allow his team to butcher a 24-point lead in Game 4.
The greatest player doesn’t score 15 points in the first quarter and only 10 more the rest of the way in an elimination game on Sunday.
The greatest player doesn’t miss 60 percent of his floor shots and average four turnovers a game in the first five games of a series.
And the greatest player sure doesn’t demand trades and pick up the “uncoachable” label from his Hall of Fame coach in the offseason.
So Mark Jackson, now that you’ve actually watched an NBA Finals, stop with the comparisons to Michael Jordan (six Finals MVPs to Kobe’s zero).
Yes, Kobe Bryant is a great player.
A tremendous player with three championship rings. But the naysayers will always point out that all three of those titles came while playing alongside Shaquille O’Neal, the MVP of each of those Finals.
So that would make Bryant a great, All-NBA guard who has won it all with Shaq, i.e. Dwyane Wade. But even Wade earned the Finals MVP in 2006 when he won a title with Shaq.
If the Lakers don’t win the Finals this year, is Bryant greater than LeBron James? James went to the Finals a year ago with a supporting cast that isn’t half as talented as the Lakers.
Is he greater than Tim Duncan (three Finals MVPs)? Larry Bird (two Finals MVPs)? Magic Johnson (three Finals MVPs)?
Kobe and the Lakers still have two games to turn this series around, but if Bryant doesn’t come up huge (a synonym of great) in Games 6 and 7, even Mark Jackson is going to have a hard time calling Kobe “the greatest” again.
Labels: Editor, Kobe Bryant, Los Angeles Lakers
posted by The Editor at
7:00 AM
1 Comments:
But notice he said "in the world" not "ever". When/if the announcers say that Kobe is the greatest player ever..then obviously we compare him to legends like MJ, Bird, and Magic.
I don't think its fair to compare Last year's Spurs/Cavs matchup to Lakers/Celtics. Lakers beat the Spurs in five games..pretty much the same Spurs roster from last year. Spurs doesnt have as many great players to space the floor with. Celtics have KG, Ray, Pierce, and also Posey to space the floor. Only when Rondo is on..Kobe is able to provide help side Defense.
I wont give stupid excuses about the lack of spectacular performances from Kobe. It's been painful to see how he plays..because I like so many others are used to him scoring 40s and taking over games. But he has been playing up against the best team defense in NBA. In many replays its shows Kobe pretty much guarded by 3-4, even 5 guys. His legacy is not on the line..its only the beginning for the Lakers new run.
Just one more..Shaq was obviously off his peak and much less effective when playing with Wade. Wade had a best finals performance (ESPN)..not taking away anything..but he played against DALLAS (yeah..definitely known for Defense) and you know the way Wade gets to the freethrown line.
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