Better player in his prime? Bird or Kobe?

[Derivative]

Who's the better player at his prime, Kobe or Bird?

Kobe 2005-2006:
35.4 ppg, 45%fg
5.3 rpg
4.5 apg
1.8 spg
28.0 PER
0.224 WS/48

Bird 1987-1988:
29.9 ppg, 52.7%fg
9.3 rpg
6.1 apg
1.6 spg
27.8 PER
0.243 WS/48

[Smook A.]

Larry Bird, no question.

Better all around player and his FG% was almost 8% better than Kobe's.

[Nowitness]

Have to go with Bean. Prolly the greatest prime ever, best scorer of all time, second greatest perimeter defender (Bird played worse defense than me), a amazing rebounder for his size, excellent vision and selflessness and above all he won. Bird played on stacked teams where he was often the third wheel and played in the worst era of basketball whilst Kobe ruled the best.

[TiagoSimoes]

kobe's stats look godly and they are, but the truth is that he stat padded hard in a terrible team.
i like bird more as a player and i think his style get you more wins than kobe's.

Peak Bird>Kobe

Career Kobe>Bird (cause of injuries)

[Lakers2877]

Come on. Silly question. Even ultimate competitor Bird would laugh at this

[Rose'sACL]

Have to go with Bean. Prolly the greatest prime ever, best scorer of all time, second greatest perimeter defender (Bird played worse defense than me), a amazing rebounder for his size, excellent vision and selflessness and above all he won. Bird played on stacked teams where he was often the third wheel and played in the worst era of basketball whilst Kobe ruled the best.

[Lakers2877]

Larry Bird, no question.

Better all around player and his FG% was almost 8% better than Kobe's.
Better all around player? Are we excluding defense?

[TiagoSimoes]

Have to go with Bean. Prolly the greatest prime ever, best scorer of all time, second greatest perimeter defender (Bird played worse defense than me), a amazing rebounder for his size, excellent vision and selflessness and above all he won. Bird played on stacked teams where he was often the third wheel and played in the worst era of basketball whilst Kobe ruled the best.

:facepalm

and kobe definetly didnt won in that season, and would not put up those stats on a great team.

[TheMarkMadsen]

Kobe had a prime that lasted basically as Lin as Birds entire career.

Those years.. Well Kobe is scoring 5 points more while not lacking far behind bird in assist at all tough call.

[red1]

I'll take the rapist by a hair

[Nowitness]

:facepalm

and kobe definetly didnt won in that season, and would not put up those stats on a great team.

Where is your proof like I provided?

[Warfan]

Ill go with Larry Legend. Great bball IQ, shooting, passing & playmaking, shooting, off-the ball. His skill set was just off the charts and during his prime he was an elite scorer & very good rebounder.


Have to go with Bean. Prolly the greatest prime ever, best scorer of all time, second greatest perimeter defender (Bird played worse defense than me), a amazing rebounder for his size, excellent vision and selflessness and above all he won. Bird played on stacked teams where he was often the third wheel and played in the worst era of basketball whilst Kobe ruled the best.

:biggums: Alt or you didn't quote properly??

[TiagoSimoes]

Where is your proof like I provided?

u didnt provide any proof either, u just stated ur very biased opinion. in my opinion ur post was pretty bad, but i can see you are one of those kobe stans that believes that he is the best ever, so i shouldnt be expecting more from you

[Rodmantheman]

http://www.neontommy.com/sites/default/files/users/user556/Larrybird.jpg

[TheMarkMadsen]

Have to go with Bean. Prolly the greatest prime ever, best scorer of all time, second greatest perimeter defender (Bird played worse defense than me), a amazing rebounder for his size, excellent vision and selflessness and above all he won. Bird played on stacked teams where he was often the third wheel and played in the worst era of basketball whilst Kobe ruled the best.

Obvious troll with an alt he doesn't know how to log out of. Here's his thoughts from another recent thread



Looks like Colby may have to watch another team mate who carried him carry another team to a title (Shaq/Miami and now Pau).

[Rodmantheman]

http://media4.s-nbcnews.com/j/MSNBC/Components/Photo/_new/100201-showdown-hmed-1051a.grid-6x2.jpg

[PickernRoller]

The Bean.

[Rodmantheman]

http://static03.mediaite.com/sportsgrid/uploads/gallery/terrible-commercials/birdmagicdrj.jpg

[knicksman]

if you have an ounce of logic then 5>3 but anyways both are better than bran 5>3>2*

[Magic 32]

We don't really know what 35,5,5 would translate into on a championship caliber team.

It would probably look like 2007-08 on steroids.

33,6,6 on 47 FG%.

Sadly we will never know.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UkxOW8GsbvU

[Lakers2877]

2006 Kobe is on par with the best Mike. And kobe career wise is not close to Mike. I am by no means a Kobe homer. I love my Lakers yeah but if you deny what Kobe did to a strong WC in 06 you are a hater, pure and simple. Im a Laker fan who is 37 so i saw Magic Showtime the 3 peat but i have never seen anything like 06 Kobe. I was at the 81pt game. 10 rows right behind the hoop he scored 55 on. Ive been to superbowls nba finals nfl playoff games usc rose bowls bur ive never witnessed an athletic display or achievement like Kobe that night or season. He out scored the WC Champs 61-60 thru 3 quarters. Think about that....

[Inferno]

Bean

[Rodmantheman]

http://dimemag.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/10/Screen-Shot-2013-10-10-at-11.31.57-PM.png

[T_L_P]

2006 Kobe is on par with the best Mike.

Until the Playoffs started.

[dubeta]

Kobe never had a HOF prime, he just lasted long enough in the league to be on various stacked teams and end up with 5 rings

And are we gonna act like the 35ppg season wasnt a complete statpad chucking season? dude was happy dropping 40 and losing, running up the score and was always worried about getting shots

take away that 35 ppg season and kobe is just a ordinary 25 ppg scorer on 45% shooting, no different from a joe johnson or a james harden

All star level? Sure, but nowhere close to HOF or any of the top 10 GOATs

[red1]

Kobe never had a HOF prime, he just lasted long enough in the league to be on various stacked teams and end up with 5 rings

And are we gonna act like the 35ppg season wasnt a complete statpad chucking season? dude was happy dropping 40 and losing, running up the score and was always worried about getting shots

take away that 35 ppg season and kobe is just a ordinary 25 ppg scorer on 45% shooting, no different from a joe johnson or a james harden

All star level? Sure, but nowhere close to HOF or any of the top 10 GOATs
give bean some credit. when you combine that work ethic with rape-level intensity then you know have a top 15 player with or without shaq/phil/gasol

[Magic 32]

Until the Playoffs started.

He was asked to play poor man Steve Nash. Phil used him to confuse the Suns while feeding the bigs and slowing the tempo.

Almost worked.

[Rodmantheman]

https://media3.giphy.com/media/2XskdWz9y363OIIeLPq/giphy.gif?t=1

[rmt]

Have to go with Bean. Prolly the greatest prime ever, best scorer of all time, second greatest perimeter defender (Bird played worse defense than me), a amazing rebounder for his size, excellent vision and selflessness and above all he won. Bird played on stacked teams where he was often the third wheel and played in the worst era of basketball whilst Kobe ruled the best.

Can't decide whether this is revision of history or a great case of sarcasm. On second thought, it must be sarcasm since Kobe and selflessness don't belong in the same sentence. Could it be that a Kobe stan actually believes this drivel?

[Cold soul]

Kobe peak was little better than Bird, but not by much.

[Rodmantheman]

http://images.rapgenius.com/234d08250d7b780f84b30a602881ba6e.348x200x63.gif

[konex]

LMAO Kobe at anytime he was a starter is better than Bird

[plowking]

Are the replies in this thread serious?

[ArbitraryWater]

We don't really know what 35,5,5 would translate into on a championship caliber team.

It would probably look like 2007-08 on steroids.

33,6,6 on 47 FG%.

Sadly we will never know.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UkxOW8GsbvU

Um, we saw what 35-5-5 would translate to on a championship team, in 2008... Translated to 28/6/4.. why the f*ck would his rebounds and assists go up anyway?

[ArbitraryWater]

Wait for Hands of Iron to come in here and kill this thread

[Magic 32]

Um, we saw what 35-5-5 would translate to on a championship team, in 2008... Translated to 28/6/4.. why the f*ck would his rebounds and assists go up anyway?

He already had nagging back and finger issues in 2008.

And don't you think a 3 or 4 lower ppg would translate into better assists and rebounding number?

2002-03 with better and more sophisticated scoring. 33, 6, 6

[JohnFreeman]

Bird

[LAZERUSS]

In terms of peak play, Bird edges him out. I have been critical of both for their many post-season choke jobs, but in Kobe's defense, he was LAs best player in the San Antonio Spurs series of the 00's (and arguably the best player on the floor in at least two of them.)

In terms of career, again, it's close. I don't have a problem with either one at 9 or 10.

[stalkerforlife]

Both are top 5 all time.

I'll call it a push.

[SHAQisGOAT]

Larry, not saying it's far but it's clear.

Kobe has a great case for 2nd greatest peak for a SG, respect to that, but c'mon... This shouldn't even be all that MUCH of a debate, seriously.

Bird has a top5 peak of all-time, Kobe just doesn't...

[Anfernee]

The answer is clearly Bird.

[FKAri]

Bird's known for his prime....Bird.

[Hands of Iron]

Wait for Hands of Iron to come in here and kill this thread

Given the replies, it just simply isn't worth it.

[TheMarkMadsen]

Um, we saw what 35-5-5 would translate to on a championship team, in 2008... Translated to 28/6/4.. why the f*ck would his rebounds and assists go up anyway?

Why do you resort to making up fake stats?

Kobe never averaged only 4 assist in 2008

In the playoffs he averaged 30/6/6/2 which was the length of a finals run..

So it's pretty realistic to think Kobe on a championship team could put up 33/6/6 in 06 is it not?

[Droid101]

Why do you resort to making up fake stats?

Kobe never averaged only 4 assist in 2008

In the playoffs he averaged 30/6/6/2 which was the length of a finals run..

So it's pretty realistic to think Kobe on a championship team could put up 33/6/6 in 06 is it not?
https://warosu.org/data/biz/img/0002/68/1396999744451.jpg

[Artillery]

Bird never missed the playoffs in his prime

[TheMilkyBarKid]

Bird, quite easily.

[pauk]

Larry Bird.

[Harison]

Bird is the word.

[ImKobe]

Could go either way. Bird's efficiency stems from having an amazing team around him while Kobe played mostly with scrubs in his prime (if we're talking 05-08, which is his true prime). Kobe's prime lasted about a decade, from 01-11, Bird's entire career lasted 13 seasons, and he never even broke 30 ppg.

Bird is a better shooter and a rebounder than Kobe, but Kobe is the better pure scorer, playmaker and defender. They are actually pretty close, and it's really hard for me to just say that Kobe's better in those categories, because the numbers are really close and Bird has the edge in AST/TO ratio and assist numbers per 100 poss.

Bird's from a different era though, he dominated his era more than Kobe did his, both are pretty much interchargable on the GOAT list though. Bird I admit has so far had a bigger impact on basketball history and us NBA fans actually owe him a lot for reviving the NBA with the Magic rivalry

[played0ut]

Bird. I think Kobe is immensely skilled, but when it comes to a 'team' aspect, he's sorely lacking compared to Bird.

Bird can affect the game offensively like Kobe, but unlike Kobe, he plays great team ball. The right passes and plays, and involves his teammates.

Perfect anecdote to this would be Kobe Bryant explicitly saying that he's willing to pass the ball, but when the ball is in his hands all he can see is the net. He even tells his teammates that if they're open, to explicitly demand Kobe to pass.

I think that's great on Kobe to be so willing. BUT while Kobe needs to be called out to play team ball, Bird does it naturally and without prompting.




So Bird for me.

[ImKobe]

Bird. I think Kobe is immensely skilled, but when it comes to a 'team' aspect, he's sorely lacking compared to Bird.

Bird can affect the game offensively like Kobe, but unlike Kobe, he plays great team ball. The right passes and plays, and involves his teammates.

Perfect anecdote to this would be Kobe Bryant explicitly saying that he's willing to pass the ball, but when the ball is in his hands all he can see is the net. He even tells his teammates that if they're open, to explicitly demand Kobe to pass.

I think that's great on Kobe to be so willing. BUT while Kobe needs to be called out to play team ball, Bird does it naturally and without prompting.




So Bird for me.

A very solid argument for Bird right here :applause:

That's the only part about Kobe that I seriously hate. He's a very talented passer if he focused on it like in the 2012-13 season, when he was forced to be the playmaker due to all point guards being injured, he was able to play PG for 40 minutes per game and win 28 out of 40 of the games after a horrible start to the season despite having no bench and Nash, Hill, Artest, Pau injured.

I seriously hope he took notice of his game from that period and he'll try to do the same once he comes back. He doesn't have to be a full time point guard or a playmaker but he could help his team win more by doing so.

[SuperCereal]

White niqqa Bird!

[Sakkreth]

Bird. This thread...

[Odinn]

Like we can not see through the OP who is a Jordan-stan, currently riding LeBron's d!ck with a thread that contains Bird and Kobe which have well-deserved case against LeBron.

Prick.

[ArbitraryWater]

He already had nagging back and finger issues in 2008.

And don't you think a 3 or 4 lower ppg would translate into better assists and rebounding number?

2002-03 with better and more sophisticated scoring. 33, 6, 6

2003 was his all-around game at it's peak during the regular season.. Stop trying to make excuses and wanting to have it all... Kobe wouldn't suddenly be 5 ppg better AND have his rebounding/assist at a career high.. bullshit.

ESPECIALLY not on a title contender, you loon.

[Quickening]

Could go either way. Bird's efficiency stems from having an amazing team around him while Kobe played mostly with scrubs in his prime (if we're talking 05-08, which is his true prime). Kobe's prime lasted about a decade, from 01-11, Bird's entire career lasted 13 seasons, and he never even broke 30 ppg.


Kobes FG% has never been impressive, he must have had scrub team mates his whole career...

[ArbitraryWater]

Why do you resort to making up fake stats?

Kobe never averaged only 4 assist in 2008

In the playoffs he averaged 30/6/6/2 which was the length of a finals run..

So it's pretty realistic to think Kobe on a championship team could put up 33/6/6 in 06 is it not?

My mistake, 28/6/5....

Anyway, no, it's not realistic at all... You bring out your best in the playoffs, and 2008 Kobe was peak Kobe, having his best playoff run.. His leadership and game management was at a high, that goes beyond stats..

Kobe, never, in his whole life, would put up 33/6/6 over a 82 game span... absolutely ridiculous.

But I guess that's all you guys are left with... hypotheticals, wishful thinking..