I dont know of any hostility between MJ and Kobe. Over the past few years, sports media esp ESPN has tried to compare Kobe with Jordan, mentioning things like this shot was jordanesque and this and that. Kobe went on the record and said he doesnt like to be compared to anyone, nor he is trying to emulate any one players game be it Magic or be it MJ. I believe there is a bit of arrogance involved there too. Kobe wants to be recognized for his own style and game, not compared to another star from another decade. Does that make sense?
You follow cricket right? So tell me if a cocky player like Shoaib Actor ever admitted to emulating Imran Khan or Waqar Younis for example or if Abdul Razzaq ever admitted to emulating Javed Miandad, and so on. These guys want to be remembered for their own play and for their own victories in the game, not to be compared to someone from the past.
Did you think Kings would tie the playoff series against Spurs? Even Charles who I think is the biggest bangwagoner for Spurs was lost for words last night. He’s been giving props to Kings and Kobe lately.
Quite a game last night between Lakers and the Suns. The stage is set for game 7. Now is the time for Kobe to shine and Phil Jackson to prove how good he really is. I doubt they will be able to defeat Phoenix in Phoenix though.
^ Hats off to the suns… wat character they have shown after that devasting loss in game 4. Steve Nash is da MAN … very well deserved MVP
I was surprised how Lakers finished the game; they dominated the paint all game and at the end, Kobe decides to be Kobe of old ??? I guess the suspension of Bell was a blessing in disguise as Kobe was keen on taking advantage but at the end, it costed them a pivotal game.
Interesting article on Playoffs 2006
by Bill Simmons
You know what we’ve been doing in Round 1? We’ve been running down a dream, that’s what.
We’ve had at least two games to watch every day, including an old-school Tuesday that featured four in one night. We’ve had flagrant fouls, near-brawls, shoving matches, trash-talking, arguments between teammates, even an ultra-bizarre incident involving somebody’s frank and beans. We’ve had buzzer-beaters, choke jobs, multiple 40-point games, Mamba’s personality transformation, four ESPN Classic-level games and the stirring possibility of three Game 7’s this weekend. We’ve had superstars raising their games and other stars sputtering to comical degrees. And after two weeks of games, only one thing is certain: When Bill Walton announces a Lakers game and pretends not to be related to Luke Walton, it’s really, REALLY disorientating.
Whose stocks have risen and fallen over the first two weeks? Let’s take a look at the Dow Report… More here
I'm not so sure despite being up 3 games to 1, that this should be considered a choke-job on the Lakers behalf.
Neither team is really "complete." The Lakers are young and lack the player-base/maturity to be competitive, yet they've somehow managed to make it to the playoffs. They can thank Kobe Bryant and Phil Jackson for that. The Suns have zero size without Amare Stoudemire, and their lineup remains suspect even with Kurt Thomas healthy. They've managed to do well and be competitive this season, just as the Lakers have. They can thank Steve Nash and Mike D'Antoni for that.
I think it's a flippin' miracle that either of these teams have managed to do as well as they have. I don't see either of them making it past the next round. Should either of 'em manage to defeat the rather deep Clippers, they certainly won't make it past whoever they face in the Conference Finals.
Nash is a great player but he doesn’t deserve MVP this season. Last year, it was all fine and dandy. But this year, if going by wins, Dirk Nowtizki should be MVP.
If, by a great season, either LeBron or Kobe. But certainly not Nash. Him getting MVP is ludacris. John Stockton never won MVP. Gary Payton (in his prime days) never won MVP. Why? Just because both players played in the Jordan era. This MVP voting should be decided by GMs of NBA teams rather by bunch of reporters who never played a single pro game in their life time.
Kobe shot only 3 shots in the second half of the game. What was he trying to prove? He should have atleast died 'trying'. He should never ever be compared to Jordan.
p.s Who the F is Luc Walton..thanks to daddy, he is a NBA starter?
I wasn't all that surprised from Kobe's second half in game 7 as he was much criticized for 'taking over' in game 6. He wanted to give his team a chance, but sadly no one stepped up. One thing that was working for them (the paint) was not there in game 7 ... Kwame missed just too many easy shots inside and that just took away their game plan. Now if Kobe was to be Kobe of old again and they still lost a close one, then you know how the media would have treated him. So, i guess he didn't so bad. About the Walton guy, he has improved a lot... thanks to daddy or not, he deserves to start in that Laker team.
About the MVP, Dirk is right up there. Dallas did show improvement over the past years and they did get recognition i.e. Coach of the Year to Avery J. I would have been happy with Dirk too... Nash carried his team without Amare which is a gr8 accomplishment; ending with the 2nd best record in tough West is no fluke.
It will be interesting to see the offseason moves for Lakers. Lets see if they can make a championship calibre team while Jackson is still in town.
^ He wanted to 'give his team a chance' by not participating? I am afraid I don't understand the logic. Suns got lucky that game 6 went in O.T otherwise Kobe did what he had to do to win it. He was required to step up again rather than depending on the likes of Luc. to win the game. Speaking of Luc, Kevin George is a far better player and should have got more playing time.
Even Phil looked shocked in the post game interview. He looked disappointed at Kobe's effort. Kobe is a great player but he will always get boo'ed out of Staples centre
Luke Walton is one of my favorite players in NBA today. He knows when to pass the ball. As for comparing Jordan to Kobe and saying Kobe has to learn when to take over games, when to be passive, well I say it is easy to say that when you can rely on a guy who’s the best player at his position at that time.
Also easier when you have guys who can finish, can defend.
It’s stupid to say Kobe has to learn that, because Kobe did it for years with Shaq. It all boils down to, can you afford to be passive when your team is not doing anything? The answer is a simple NO.
It’s all part of Kobe’s Ultimate Plan. He knew he had a young team who could not win a championship this season so the best thing to do is plant the seed in their heads of getting blown out in a Game 7. This they will remember for the next few years and they will be more intense when they are ready to compete for a championship.
Kobe is on another level - and for that he will be hated outside of L.A.
2nd seed in West? Do you even know how ****ed up NBA playoff format is? Dallas has more wins than Pheonix - so base on that Dirk should have been an MVP. If you look at the voting for MVP, it wasn’t even close as many of these stupid sports writers were predicting. This NBA MVP became joke back in 1995 when they gave MVP to David Robinson over Hakeem.
These Pistons are as good as any team in the past ten years. Right at the same level with the 1996 Bulls and the 2001 Lakers. That is to say that the only teams as good or better than these Pistons had a prime Jordan and a prime Shaq. There is nobody that good in the league this year.
I maintain that the Pistons are going to breeze their way to a title. I've been saying it for months. So I'll just have to let the rest of the playoffs speak for themselves. At one point this season, people still thought the Heat would beat the Pistons. Now that's just laughable. Soon the idea of the Spurs or Mavericks beating the Pistons will be almost as laughable. That's my opinion anyways.
There is a big battle for 2nd place right now going on, and it's called the NBA playoffs. The Pistons are going to steamroll any team they play.
Kobe is on another level - and for that he will be hated outside of L.A.
I think you are giving Kobe (as a person) more credit than he deserves. The way I read his body language in the second half was more of a discouraged player or a kid who wanted to show 'see, if you can do it without me' attitude. Highly unprofessional if you ask me. I've never seen Jordan or Iverson proving a point like that.
He should have come out with his head high..not with an agenda which only he understands. Player's attitude doesn't make franchises..they are just a big part of it. Ask Vice Carter of Toronto, Steve Francais of Houston or a more current example would be Stephan Marbury of NY. You are paid to do the job, stick to it and do your best.
I think it's better if you don't re-instate what Inside the NBA staff think of Game 7.
Do I believe Kobe was a little ticked off about how his young team responded in a game 7? Yes, but I believe he was being offensively passive from a shooting standpoint in hopes of his teammates catching on offensively and thus defensively similar to what happened in games 2-4. Kobe was doing in the first half what all his detractors are saying he should have been doing in the second half which was taking over, yet the team was still down 15 points. I believe Kobe remebered the numbers he put agianst the Suns during the regular season and yet the Lakers still lost. So why would this game be any different? The only way the Lakers could beat the Suns was through a collective effort offensively and defensively and Kobe understood this. The Lakers were essentially playing no defense from the get go, and this was obvious by the Suns shooting 61% throughout the game. This Lakers team made it as far as a one man team can go in today's NBA.
Did you think Kings would tie the playoff series against Spurs? Even Charles who I think is the biggest bangwagoner for Spurs was lost for words last night. He’s been giving props to Kings and Kobe lately.
