How do you go about ranking Kobe Bryant?

[ImKobe]

It sure didn't help that Kobe shot like 42% in that series.

OKC series

Kobe - 31.2 ppg 51.5%TS
Bynum - 16.6 ppg 51.3%TS
Pau - 12 ppg 50.2%TS

But let's blame KB, despite him being more efficient than the two bigs combined .



Oh yh and I ain't forgot about this either. Literally threw the series away. Bro wide open throwing the ball away instead of shooting the easy J (with Bynum right there to put it back in if he misses) for a 2 for 1 too.

[ArbitraryWater]

OKC series

Kobe - 31.2 ppg 51.5%TS
Bynum - 16.6 ppg 51.3%TS
Pau - 12 ppg 50.2%TS

But let's blame KB, despite him being more efficient than the two bigs combined .



Oh yh and I ain't forgot about this either. Literally threw the series away. Bro wide open throwing the ball away instead of shooting the easy J (with Bynum right there to put it back in if he misses) for a 2 for 1 too.

The pure insanity / cognitive dissonance to blame Gasol for this loss when the lakers increased their 9 pt 4th quarter lead to 11 when Kobe entered with 8 minutes left, ony for Kobe to shoot them out the game with brick after brick going 2/10 is madness.

Kobe entered, took the first 6 shots, all but 1 a brick, froze everyone out in an instant.

Classic.

He obviously had a poor game.

wouldnt want you to overstate it sorry

[999Guy]

Kobe is a guy who stats underrate. His well-rounded game with ability to excel on-ball and off-ball made him able to fit many systems (=flexibility) and also fit along other ball-dominant stars (scalability). Even though someone like Lebron is individually statistically superior to Kobe, there is an argument to make that Shaq/Kobe was a better duo than Shaq/Lebron would be. It's not clear cut but it's possible that Kobe is a worse individual player but fits better alongside better teammates which makes him more valuable for building a championship caliber team. That's where I'd start if I was arguing for Kobe anyway.

A more extreme analogy would be James Harden vs. Reggie Miller. Harden is individually better but many people would rather build a championship team with Reggie because his skills fit better alongside other high level (on-ball) players.

Was the Kobe Shaq fit even that good?


Shaq’s lob and put back gravity gave Kobe some easy driving lanes, Kobe’s playmaking and athletic slashing gave Shaq easy drop offs and easy dunks.


But for the most part it was turn taking. They didn’t have many dynamic interactions on court. This isn’t Jokic-Murray here at all.

Purely chemistry wise, Kobe and Gasol had way more going. But they clearly weren’t as good if a duo as Shaq-Kobe anyway. Which is to ultimately say, chemistry tends to be overrated.


LeBron and Shaq would overwhelm the West physically in a preposterous way. It wouldn’t even be that fun to watch. LeBron and AD overwhelmed preposterously in the bubble and I barely remember any noteworthy things about it.


Like fixing a cup of coffee, prime LeBron and Shaq rape the early 00’s West in mundane fashion with almost no drama. On or off court.

[ImKobe]

The pure insanity / cognitive dissonance to blame Gasol for this loss when the lakers increased their 9 pt 4th quarter lead to 11 when Kobe entered with 8 minutes left, ony for Kobe to shoot them out the game with brick after brick going 2/10 is madness.

Kobe entered, took the first 6 shots, all but 1 a brick, froze everyone out in an instant.

Classic.




wouldnt want you to overstate it sorry

? Kobe kept them in that game in the 2nd half. Did he miss shots late? Yes. Does that excuse that particular play Nope. Gasol didn't do shit in that series. KB had 22 on 7/17 in the 2nd half. Gasol didn't even crack 15 all series. I'm tired of all the excuses for Pau when people treat him as some superstar in retrospect.

[1987_Lakers]

? Kobe kept them in that game in the 2nd half. Did he miss shots late? Yes. Does that excuse that particular play Nope. Gasol didn't do shit in that series. KB had 22 on 7/17 in the 2nd half. Gasol didn't even crack 15 all series. I'm tired of all the excuses for Pau when people treat him as some superstar in retrospect.

[HoopsNY]

Kobe was one of the main reasons why the series started 2-0 for OKC, he was horrific to start that series.

Yea, not denying it wasn't his best series and he had his fair contribution towards the loss, but the first game was a blowout. Pau went 2-2 in the 4th in garbage time, otherwise he was 3-9 for the game.

You gonna tell me that they lost solely because of Kobe in that series? Not to mention, taking away his contribution in the final game as opposed to others?

[ArbitraryWater]

? Kobe kept them in that game in the 2nd half. Did he miss shots late? Yes. Does that excuse that particular play Nope. Gasol didn't do shit in that series. KB had 22 on 7/17 in the 2nd half. Gasol didn't even crack 15 all series. I'm tired of all the excuses for Pau when people treat him as some superstar in retrospect.

Kobe did his job in the 3rd quarter.

The team also performed well without him.

Then he stunk up the joint to historic levels.

They were +6 with Kobe on the bench.

Kobetards try to create this myth about how all of Kobes chucking was necessary, but it wasnt. The team was just fine without him. With Kobe on the floor they were -9 this game.


Nobody makes excuses for Pau. Kobe is just hed to different standards.

This isnt about Pau. Franky hes irrelevant to this thread.

Kobe joined the game up 11, a lead his team maintained and increased without him, and then went 2/10 (1/9 before the useless buzzer beater) in the final 8 minutes.


THAT threw away the series.

[ImKobe]

Kobe did his job in the 3rd quarter.

The team also performed well without him.

Then he stunk up the joint to historic levels.

They were +6 with Kobe on the bench.

Kobetards try to create this myth about how all of Kobes chucking was necessary, but it wasnt. The team was just fine without him. With Kobe on the floor they were -9 this game.


Nobody makes excuses for Pau. Kobe is just hed to different standards.

This isnt about Pau. Franky hes irrelevant to this thread.

Kobe joined the game up 11, a lead his team maintained and increased without him, and then went 2/10 (1/9 before the useless buzzer beater) in the final 8 minutes.


THAT threw away the series.

Pau was a negative in every single game in the series. Kobe had a positive +/- in 2 of them. Pau shot 2/7 in the 4th (he went 2/2 in the 4th in G1 in a blowout loss vs OKC's 2nd unit) & was 0/5 in games 2-5.

All I know is Kobe tied the game and then Pau threw the ball away when he was open for a J with a chance to take the lead and it led to a KD game-winner. Pau and Bynum shot worse than Kobe for the series (worse TS%) and that's with Kobe shooting 11% from 3. When Kobe had his best game of the series in elimination, neither of them showed up in the 2nd half (2/12 combined) and they got blown out.

Keep making excuses for Pau.

[John8204]

Okay question for the thread aside from Jordan what other Shooting Guard would you rank ahead of Kobe

[HoopsNY]

Okay question for the thread aside from Jordan what other Shooting Guard would you rank ahead of Kobe

Wade

[SouBeachTalents]

Wade

Peak for peak? Yeah, you could definitely make that argument.

All-time though? He's a good 10-15 spots behind Kobe

[John8204]

Peak for peak? Yeah, you could definitely make that argument.

All-time though? He's a good 10-15 spots behind Kobe

Yeah I wouldn't have him top five...maybe top ten I would rank Wade with James Harden

[SouBeachTalents]

Yeah I wouldn't have him top five...maybe top ten I would rank Wade with James Harden

Yeah, Wade is maybe a top 10 SG.

[dankok8]

Top 10 SG for Wade is really underrating him. You take Jordan, Kobe and West over him. Others are a hard sell. Peak Wade is just so much better than the likes of Harden that extra longevity doesn't move the needle.

[John8204]

Top 10 SG for Wade is really underrating him. You take Jordan, Kobe and West over him. Others are a hard sell. Peak Wade is just so much better than the likes of Harden that extra longevity doesn't move the needle.

George Gervin and Allen Iverson were both better than Wade in my opinion. But on topic maybe you could put West over Kobe which makes Kobe top 15 at worst.

Wade is in the class with Reggie Miller, Pete Maravich, Clyde Drexler, and James Harden. Having watched Reggie and Wade...I think Reggie was better.