Pretty much everyone has decided that Kobe is the better player. Both are in a league of their own, but LeBron is better. In Bryant's 5th year, he shot 46.4% from the field and 30.5% from 3 point range. He shot 85.3% from the free throw line, which is the second highest average in his career. He also had 1.7 steals, 0.6 blocks, 5 assists, and 28.5 ppg. Experts would agree that Kobe is the better shooter and the better defender.
Year 5 LeBron (this year) is shooting 48.6% from the field, 30% from beyond the arc, and 70.9% from the free throw line. James' FG percentage is higher than Kobe has EVER SHOT in his entire career. LeBron has also improved his shooting from his rookie season by 6.9%. Interestingly enough, both Kobe and LeBron shot 41.7% from the field in their rookie seasons. LJ is also averaging 2 steals, 1 block, 7.5 assists and 30.3 points per game - better than Kobe in every category. Keep in mind that Kobe was also playing for a Laker team that won 3 NBA titles in 3 consecutive years and LeBron, more or less, has to carry the Cavs on his shoulders.
What about rebounds? LeBron is averaging 8.1 per game. Kobe averaged 5.8. Statistically speaking, LeBron is a better player than Kobe was during his 5th year. He is also the League's best scorer in the 4th quarter...ahead of Kobe by about 90. LeBron is also #1 in player efficiency rating, while Kobe is 6th
LeBron's deflated career averages, for the most part, are also better thank Kobe's averages this season - a season where the media has all but crowned Bryant the MVP.
Year 5 LeBron (this year) is shooting 48.6% from the field, 30% from beyond the arc, and 70.9% from the free throw line. James' FG percentage is higher than Kobe has EVER SHOT in his entire career. LeBron has also improved his shooting from his rookie season by 6.9%. Interestingly enough, both Kobe and LeBron shot 41.7% from the field in their rookie seasons. LJ is also averaging 2 steals, 1 block, 7.5 assists and 30.3 points per game - better than Kobe in every category. Keep in mind that Kobe was also playing for a Laker team that won 3 NBA titles in 3 consecutive years and LeBron, more or less, has to carry the Cavs on his shoulders.
What about rebounds? LeBron is averaging 8.1 per game. Kobe averaged 5.8. Statistically speaking, LeBron is a better player than Kobe was during his 5th year. He is also the League's best scorer in the 4th quarter...ahead of Kobe by about 90. LeBron is also #1 in player efficiency rating, while Kobe is 6th
LeBron's deflated career averages, for the most part, are also better thank Kobe's averages this season - a season where the media has all but crowned Bryant the MVP.
You could argue that Kobe is a better scorer than Jordan. And it would seem that an easier argument to make is that Kobe is a better player right now than LeBron James. I have to disagree. Kobe is graceful, he is a great driver, he can shoot the lights out...I mean he scored 81 points against the Raptors. But you cannot. Stop. LeBron. The dude can fly. If he decides to dunk it, you're going to get posterized. If he wants to shoot it, he'll do it better than Kobe. "Hibachi," Gilbert Arenas would say. He has willed the Cavs to 4th place in the Eastern Conference. Kobe's Lakers are in 2nd place in the West. Everyone knows the Western Conference is better...just like the AFC is better than the NFC...and that's why the Patriots blew out the Giants.
When it's all said and done, King James > Kobe.
6 comments:
Funny how you mention that LBJ is shooting 70% from the line, a year after shooting 69%, and don't think that that is a horrid weakness in lebron's game. The reason why Kobe's FG% is less than lebron's is because he attempts so many more 3's a game. The fact that Kobe is the best lockdown defender in the league should have been afforded more than just one sentence in your heavily biased blog. Kobe played with Smush Parker and Kwame brown last year and managed to get his team to the playoffs in the WEST. He was barely in the talks for MVP last year. C'mon now. Yea, The King can dunk at will. Yea, well so could Dominique. They played about the same on ball defense, too. Kobe is a killer, an absolute KILLER!
you mentioned the laker team that won 3 consecutive championships...Only one player remains from that team besides kobe: D Fisher. No Shaq, no Horry, & Co. This Laker team has no playoff experience outside of kobe and fish. Kobe right now is a more polished player, never mind kobe in his 5th year. Yea we get it, Lebron is on pace to hit 20,000 at a younger age than kobe (though he shoots free throws as if he were tossin em up left handed). Those are the facts. But Kobe is the best player on both ends of the floor. You said it yourself, 'the experts would agree'. Have Lebron win a championship before you start these lebron loveposts. He'll probably wait until the celtics and pistons age and wither before taking the crown. Just like Jordan did in the early 90's with aging Bird and not-so-bad anymore BadBoys.
Last thing...in 2002 Kobe averaged 30 points, 7 boards and 6 assists and over 2 steals, won first team all Defense and wasn't even in the running for the MVP. Look it up and put that in your blog. This year he's heating up during the second half of the season when his team needs him the most. He gets skipped over every year because people think he's selfish. This season he's distributing more and people are saying that he has so much more talent around him. He just can't win. I guess he'll just have to settle for his 3-going-on-4 rings. Draft Lebron first in fantasy leagues. I'll take Kobe inside of two minutes to go in a playoff game.
Lebron flat out the 2nd best player amongst the greatest basketball players on the planet...that is nothing to be ashamed of. Kobe is the best. I am tired of hearing about how many 4th qtr points LBJ has...Kobe is only 90 points, give or take, behind and has set out a ton of minutes in the fourth quarter watching the second team of the lakers handle 20 point leads. If in his fifth year Kobe would have had similar talent around him to Lebron you would have seen a totally different stat line. He had to share the ball with Shaq in his prime. Kobe would have averaged 38 pts a game as he was a selfish player at that time. Kobe also has that Jordanish ability in the clutch that Lebron doesn't have. I would even go so far to say there has never been a player with the ability to execute in the clutch as Kobe. Watch highlights of Kobe knocking down 26 ft jumpers to win/tie a game with no time on the clock. End the LBJ Kobe comparison. Kobe is 1 and LBJ is 2, end of story.
It's funny how everyone is so ready to say LeBron's the best player in the NBA. Everyone bases their arguments on stats. Well people, stats do lie.
Lebron's shooting percentage is higher than Kobe's, that's because of how many dunks he gets. You also talk about how LeBron averages more assists. That's more of a product of Kobe not holding the ball as long in a possession as Kobe does. Kobe has a consistently complete game. LeBron just dunks. Say what you want to about his defensive stats, numbers don't tell the story. Kobe is a great defender, LeBron is barely adequate.
A lot of people are saying that LeBron is the second best player in the league right now. Personally, I think he's probably the second best scorer, and around 5th or 6th best player. Dwight Howard's better (different position, but much bigger impact on games), Chris Paul is better, obviously Kobe, KG, Tim Duncan, and arguably Tony Parker. Now if you're asking who has the best numbers in the league, then obviously LeBron wins hands down. But basketball is more than numbers.
kudos to the anonymous poster who deflates the 5th year comparison of Kobe and LeBron.
For all the Kobe apologists, why does Lebron's team beat the Lakers every time they play? Did anybody watch the 2 head-to-head matchups this year? Who shined in the 4th quarter and led his team to victory both times? (Hint: it wasn't Kobe)
And last but not least, who takes inferior players and leads them to victory vs. throwing them under the bus and demanding a trade?
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