--NBA Discussion--

[Moinllieon]

Of course T-Mac would say that. What did you expect him to say: "Oh I can do that too"? Kobe, in the days after he had scored 81, has been saying that he didn't believe/register that he could do it either. What's your point? Kobe have been quoted saying he doesn't think he could score 81 too?

Some people(the media) say Jordan made his team better. Steve Kerr(50% career 3 pointer)....Paxon(over 40%)...Rodman(excellent rebounder)...Scottie(Hall of Famer)...how did Jordan make his team better when his teammates are already good.

Of course, the fact that Kerr and Paxon could shoot 40% to 50% had nothing to do with MJ being on their team? Who do you think is better, George or Kerr? Smush or Paxon? Which do you think had better talent there? Isn't the fact that you think so "highly" of Paxon and Kerr the best evidence on how much MJ makes his teammates better?

Now Scottie is a great player, but in terms of talent/ability, Lamar Odom is almost an equal to Pippen in everything (worse defender, but makes up for it for being taller and a better shooter). Has Odom "gotten better" with Kobe?

Is this a HUGE knock on Kobe? Not really. Remember who he is being compared to here. It's like comparing a baseball player to Babe Ruth or a soccer player to Pele and finding them wanting. It's not an insult. But if Kobe wants to reach MJ's level of greatness (which, let's face it, is one of 2 outcomes for Kobe's career. He's either going to be seen as 1) MJ-redux or 2) selfish brat who didn't know how good he had it when riding on Shaq's coattail), he's going to have to work on that part of his game/demeanor. Any realistic Lakers fan would agree.

It's like saying Flip Saunder a great or coach of the year now when he's coaching Detroit.

And this doesn't make any sense at all. How does this connect with what I'm saying about Kobe?

[duguxiaojing]

Steve Kerr(50% career 3 pointer)....

Really? are u sure about that? thats a friekn high 3 point percentage

Anyways.... after 25-26 Jordan realized he couldnt carry the team by himself and started trusting(and tearing apart ) his teammates. He let the game come to him instead of forcing the action(which is what Kobe is doing now he's admitted that a few times this season). Honestly at this point Kobe is a MUCH MUCH better finisher then Lebron...but I think if i were to choose, I would pick Lebron over Kobe. Just because he scores within the offense(usually) and he does make his teammates better. I dont mind the fact that Kobe shoots alot..he usually has to, what annoys me is when he tries to play 1 on 5, or when he launches a 20 foot fadaway with 16 on the clock....

Lebron might never be the finisher that Kobe is...but who knows only time will tell. Back in 96(?) Kobe threw up 3 air balls vs the Jazz in OT..Lebron still has alot of room 2 grow.

[crazylife123]

Of course T-Mac would say that? What did you expect him to say: "Oh I can do that too"? Kobe, in the days after he had scored 81, has been saying that he didn't believe/register that he could do it either. What's your point? Kobe have been quoted saying he doesn't think he could score 81 too?

You're saying what Pat Riley is saying. If someone shoots 70 shots(46 shots actually) anyone could do 81. But why is it after 40 years, only Kobe could do it? Is it because none of the players didnt want or need to? I highly doubt that's the case. Everyone wants to do what Kobe has accomplish. It's just that they dont have the abilities to do it. I know T-Mac would want to or even tried with his 60+ points games but he wasn't capable of doing 80+.

Of course, the fact that Kerr and Paxon could shoot 40% to 50% had nothing to do with MJ being on their team? Who do you think is better, George or Kerr? Smush or Paxon? Isn't the fact that you think so "highly" of Paxon and Kerr the best evidence on how much MJ makes his teammates better?

MJ had good teammates. He passed the ball...they make the shots. Kobe passed the ball...they miss. If the whole team beside Kobe(60%) is shooting under 40% and losing by 20+...should Kobe keep on trying to pass the ball to them. Kobe can't trust his teammates. Kobe's assist will be better when he get players that can shoot.

Now Scottie is a great player, but in terms of talent/ability, Lamar Odom is almost an equal to Pippen in everything (worse defender, but makes up for it for being taller and a better shooter). Has Odom "gotten better" with Kobe?

Lets just say this...if Kobe had Jordan's teammates, they'll fight for the western conference this year.

Is this a HUGE knock on Kobe? Not really. Remember who he is being compared to here. It's like comparing a baseball player to Babe Ruth or a soccer player to Pele and finding them wanting. It's not an insult. But if Kobe wants to reach MJ's level of greatness (which, let's face it, is one of 2 outcomes for Kobe's career. He's either going to be seen as 1) MJ-redux or 2) selfish brat who didn't know how good he had it when riding on Shaq's coattail), he's going to have to work on that part of his game/demeanor. Any realistic Lakers fan would agree.

You think Shaq did it for the 2000-2002 championships. He would've never get any rings without Kobe....and Kobe wouldn't get one without him as well. D-Wade is carrying all the load now for the Heats. Shaq can't do anything without D-Wade. When D-Wade go down, the Heats suffer with a losing record. Shaq is done. This is probably his last year. I feel sorry Pat Riley to pay him 20 Mil. He's worth probably 7 Mil max. I'm glad that Buss sent Shaq away. He's useless now.

[Moinllieon]

You're saying what Pat Riley is saying. If someone shoots 70 shots(46 shots actually) anyone could do 81. But why is it after 40 years, only Kobe could do it? Is it because none of the players didnt want or need to? I highly doubt that's the case. Everyone wants to do what Kobe has accomplish. It's just that they dont have the abilities to do it. I know T-Mac would want to or even tried with his 60+ points games but he wasn't capable of doing 80+.

I'm not saying someone. I'm saying T-Mac, who has the talent to do everything Kobe can do. In season high attempts game, T-Mac went 17-33 and 3-7 in 3's. If he continued to the same pace onto 46 shots (assuming 13 threes attempts, same as Kobe), he would have ended up with: 54 points (Kobe, not counting the 18 FTs, had 63 points from the field). So it is definitely within his capability to do so (if he is more accurate than he ususally is and gets 20FT attempts, which is basically what happened to Kobe that night, he shot better than he usually does and got 20FT attempts). Not everyone wants to do what Kobe did, some people want to win games.

MJ had good teammates. He passed the ball...they make the shots. Kobe passed the ball...they miss. If the whole team beside Kobe(60%) is shooting under 40% and losing by 20+...should Kobe keep on trying to pass the ball to them. Kobe can't trust his teammates. Kobe's assist will be better when he get players that can shoot.

And they made shots because MJ actually made it possible for them to make shots. Part of passing is not to "bail yourself out of a bad situation", as Kobe seems to do too much these days, but to "set your teammates up", which Kobe doesn't do as often as he need. And alot of that comes from a mutual trust. If your teammates don't trust you to pass them the ball in situations where they can excel, do you think they will excel? Making Lamar Odom a weakside spot up shooter does NOT make Odom better. (BTW, calling Kobe a 60% shooter is laughable. On most nights Kobe shoots 40%.)

Lets just say this...if Kobe had Jordan's teammates, they'll fight for the western conference this year.

And if MJ had Kobe's teammates this year, the Bulls would be Champions. What's your point? MJ made his teammates who they were. He made Paxon and Kerr deadly spot-up shooters, which was them at their best, etc. What does Kobe do? He made Odom a spot up shooter. What's the point? MJ was the point guard on his team, wasting energy bringing the ball up the court, getting his teammate involved. Does Kobe allow himself to stoop to that level? No, of course not! (Another piece of evidence showing Phil Jackson really just doesn't care at the moment.)

You think Shaq did it for the 2000-2002 championships. He would've never get any rings without Kobe....and Kobe wouldn't get one without him as well. D-Wade is carrying all the load now for the Heats. Shaq can't do anything without D-Wade. When D-Wade go down, the Heats suffer with a losing record. Shaq is done. This is probably his last year. I feel sorry Pat Riley to pay him 20 Mil. He's worth probably 7 Mil max. I'm glad that Buss sent Shaq away. He's useless now.

Useless now? I'm thinking Kobe and D-Wade probably feels differently about it right about now. Right after claiming Kobe doesn't have enough help (which, by the way, was Kobe's choice), you claim now that Shaq is useless? (Oh, and Shaq would have won without Kobe, he got to a Finals without Kobe, Kobe... haven't made the playoffs without Shaq.)

But whichever, I'm tired and I feel like I'm arguing with someone who is misunderstanding my point. I'm not attacking Kobe's performance in any way, shape, or form. I'm making some rather broad critiques on Kobe's style of play this season (and last season too). If Kobe wants to win, I mean, really WIN. He needs to put in much more work on establishing mutual trust with his teammates. I don't care how talented his teammates may be, this batch or next batch, they aren't going to work well with Kobe if he continues this way. How do you think Kobe's next set of teammates are going to feel if they think Kobe faulted the Lakers' bad performances on the last set of teammates?

[crazylife123]

I'm not saying someone. I'm saying T-Mac, who has the talent to do everything Kobe can do. In season high attempts game, T-Mac went 17-33 and 3-7 in 3's. If he continued to the same pace onto 46 shots (assuming 13 threes attempts, same as Kobe), he would have ended up with: 54 points (Kobe, not counting the 18 FTs, had 63 points from the field). So it is definitely within his capability to do so (if he is more accurate than he ususally is and gets 20FT attempts, which is basically what happened to Kobe that night, he shot better than he usually does and got 20FT attempts). Not everyone wants to do what Kobe did, some people want to win games.

so you're saying that Kobe have no desire to win at all and only wants to break records which it is quite a complishment. no one works harder than kobe. why would other players around the nba say he's the hardest working player right now....or even the best player in the league or even MVP status.

People laughed at Kobe because of last year runs...now some praise them. I wonder what will happen when he wins a championships.

And they made shots because MJ actually made it possible for them to make shots. Part of passing is not to "bail yourself out of a bad situation", as Kobe seems to do too much these days, but to "set your teammates up", which Kobe doesn't do as often as he need. And alot of that comes from a mutual trust. If your teammates don't trust you to pass them the ball in situations where they can excel, do you think they will excel? Making Lamar Odom a weakside spot up shooter does NOT make Odom better. (BTW, calling Kobe a 60% shooter is laughable. On most nights Kobe shoots 40%.)

bail himself out? what are the percentage that his teammate was shooting this whole season? how could make them have the same intensity and drive? you just have to have it. it's the coaches responsibilities to make them a better player...to shoot better...defend better...how do you expect kobe to do that...i highly doubt jordan taught all that to his teammate. those guys had the desire to win.

I used the toronto game as an example for Kobe's 60% game. If he didn't do what he had to do, the lakers would've lose...am I right or wrong here?

And if MJ had Kobe's teammates this year, the Bulls would be Champions. What's your point?

you're smoking something here to say this.

Useless now? I'm thinking Kobe and D-Wade probably feels differently about it right about now. Right after claiming Kobe doesn't have enough help (which, by the way, was Kobe's choice), you claim now that Shaq is useless? (Oh, and Shaq would have won without Kobe, he got to a Finals without Kobe, Kobe... haven't made the playoffs without Shaq.)

Lets just see who will get another championship first. Kobe or Shaq. Weird though...Shaq has an all star team right now but that team suck as hell right now.

[Moinllieon]

so you're saying that Kobe have no desire to win at all and only wants to break records which it is quite a complishment. no one works harder than kobe. why would other players around the nba say he's the hardest working player right now....or even the best player in the league or even MVP status.

Did I say that? No, you said that. You said that everyone wanted to do what Kobe did by breaking a record (actually, he didn't break any records, he came distant second). And I said, winning matters more to most people. Never did I say Kobe doesn't want to win. Maybe you should stop trying to assume just because I am critical of one aspect of Kobe's game, I'm saying the same thing that alot of other people are. Maybe you should realize all I'm saying is that he needs to work on making his teammates better if he wants to win a championship. Maybe you should get off of that self-righteous podium and actually read what I'm posting instead of what you assume I am.

People laughed at Kobe because of last year runs...now some praise them. I wonder what will happen when he wins a championships.

If Kobe does win a championship, then it'll be because he has changed the way he plays. My only criticism is the way Kobe has played his games.

bail himself out? what are the percentage that his teammate was shooting this whole season? how could make them have the same intensity and drive? you just have to have it. it's the coaches responsibilities to make them a better player...to shoot better...defend better...how do you expect kobe to do that...i highly doubt jordan taught all that to his teammate. those guys had the desire to win.

No, it's Kobe's responsibility. If you think Phil had something to do with making MJ's teammates better, then you are fooling yourself. MJ molded Scottie, Horace, Paxon, Armstrong, Kerr, Rodman, and Kukoc to what he wanted, to their best, not Phil. No, MJ didn't teach his teammates how to shoot, but he molded his teammates and put them in positions to do what they do best and excel. Kobe isn't doing that, he needs to improve in that aspect.

As for his teammates having the "desire to win". Funny how many championships Pippen won without MJ. Oh yeah. Oops. Desire to win my foot.

I used the toronto game as an example for Kobe's 60% game. If he didn't do what he had to do, the lakers would've lose...am I right or wrong here?

I'm sorry, was I talking about just one game? Heck, John Starks outscored Michael Jordan one game too.

you're smoking something here to say this.

No, I'm not. MJ would have broken these players down and made them better, would have made them into what MJ wanted them to be and made them a better team. Something that Kobe hasn't mastered yet. Once Kobe does, he'll be winning championships too. (If you need another reference, think of what Bill Belichick did in New England. Took a bunch of castoffs, put them in position to suceed, and you end up with a team that's more than the sum of its parts and wins championships. MJ did that with his Bulls and would have done it to this team. Kobe, still need to get to that point.)

Lets just see who will get another championship first. Kobe or Shaq. Weird though...Shaq has an all star team right now but that team suck as hell right now.

The Heat has a better record than the Lakers. So how is the Lakers "winning" while the Heat "sucks as hell"? Doesn't that make the Lakers "suck worse than hell"?

[Huumanshadow]

First of all, i think crazy underestimate Shaq way too much. The value of Shaq is not just his scoring power or his rebound power, it is his power to drawn players to him to open up the court for the rest of the team. I read many interviews from players saying that Shaq present on the field demand attention and it take their focus away from other players. I admit that Shaq not himself lately but this is to be expected from someone who return of many injuries. Anyone that think Shaq is getting old needs to stand and be dunk over by Shaq to realizes that he still got some game left. As a team, i say the Heat is better then the Lakers (but i wish they kept Eddie Jones, Posey sucks). Why? because of Shaq, he agree to be pay less so the team can get better players. Shaq himself said many times that he wants the focus to be on Wade, that Wade is the heart of the team and Shaq just one of the muscle. Compare to the 20+ shot a game as a Laker to a 15 shot a game he is averaging now, of course his numbers are going down.

Historical Note: Wilt could of scored more pts, its funny, when wilt scored the 100th points the whole stadium rush the court and celebrated and the game was only in the middle of the 4th quarter!! everyone just started rushing the court that they could no longer continued the game, considering the score was 169-147 the other team could of still have a chance of winning, wilt could of scores at lease 10+ more points.

About Kobe, i'll admit that he had a great game that 81 pts. but i'm with the people that think 81 is not impossible for many players today. i remember 02 when it was Shaq bday and he said to the team 'i wanna hit 60, give me the ball' they did and he hit 60 and sat for the entire 4th period. Kobe did the same thing a few weeks ago when he hit 60 and sat the rest of the game remember? Kobe is a good players, but to say that he is better then MJ is getting ahead of ourselves. 81pts is not as amazing to me as when MJ scored 13 baskets in a role in 91 final. When you're team mates is doing bad is not a sign for you to take over the game. you step up, but you take them along for the ride. There is a good chance that Kobe will get MVP, but we all have to remember the lesson the Suns learned last year, that it is not how much you scored, but how much the other team scored that determine playoffs.

[crazylife123]

Historical Note: Wilt could of scored more pts, its funny, when wilt scored the 100th points the whole stadium rush the court and celebrated and the game was only in the middle of the 4th quarter!! everyone just started rushing the court that they could no longer continued the game, considering the score was 169-147 the other team could of still have a chance of winning, wilt could of scores at lease 10+ more points.

** Marc Stein ESPN.com

Yes. Better than Wilt Chamberlain's 100-point night.

You'll recall, sadly, that there's no footage of Chamberlain rumbling for triple digits in Hershey, Pa., on March 2, 1962. Which makes it tough to commission an in-depth analysis comparing Wilt's feat (scoring 100 of his team's 169 points that day) to Kobe's (81 of 122). But there's really no need. The folks who did see the 100-pointer and the game's historians would be forced to tell you that the entire fourth quarter was a back-and-forth scramble between one team trying desperately to get Wilt the record and another trying to keep him from getting it. Wilt himself is quoted on the Basketball Hall of Fame's Web site as calling that fourth quarter "a farce."

In the forthcoming flood of Kobe replays, you'll see that there's nothing farcical about Bryant hauling the Lakers back from a 71-53 deficit. You'll see a Raps team that kept the game sufficiently close in the final quarter to keep Kobe out there shooting, and nary an intentional foul by the Lakers to get the ball back (as Wilt needed).

Against a Toronto team that somehow held him to 11 points when the teams met in early December -- which also has to be some historic footage now -- Bryant wound up with 55 points after halftime. Fifty-five. For a little perspective, please note that matches the best scoring game in Kareem Abdul-Jabbar's career. That's the same Abdul-Jabbar who, before becoming a Lakers assistant coach, was merely the NBA's all-time scoring leader.

Don't forget, furthermore, that no less an authority than Michael Jordan has been known to say that a perimeter player has it way harder when it comes to making a legitimate run at Wilt's record, taking an array of longer and/or tougher shots. Factor in the ball-handling responsibilities and the energy required to play defense all over the floor and you can understand MJ's theory. This might also help back it up: Jordan himself topped out at 69 points as his one-night best and needed overtime to get there.

It's weird though. People never say Wilt was a ballhog or selfish when he got 100 pts but yet people talk sh!t about Kobe. Wilt's team was already winning from the beginning while Kobe's team was down 18 pts.

Some people and the media should just chill and watch a night of greatness.

If Kobe could get 2 more rings, almost everyone will start to believe that he's the greatest ever. As of right now, every expert and analyst quoted Kobe to be the greatest scorer and clutch scorer but not the greatest ever yet until he wins a few titles. I would say 1 ring but people would just say "He got lucky...can he do it again?"

**Note: "When Wilt hit 100, a few seconds before the end, the fans swarmed onto the court. The game was held up until they were removed."

It was not the middle of the fourth but only a few second at the end of fourth quarter. Wilt needed all 48 minutes to get one hundred. Kobe had only 42 minutes. Imagine if he had 6 more minutes.

Source: http://espn.go.com/nba/news/1999/1012/110634.html

[duguxiaojing]

It's weird though. People never say Wilt was a ballhog or selfish when he got 100 pts but yet people talk sh!t about Kobe. Wilt's team was already winning from the beginning while Kobe's team was down 18 pts.

Actually, Wilt was ragged on for almost half of his career. Russell was the ultimate winner, while Wilt was the ball hogging loser9which is proboally unfair). People dont talk shiat now because he is retired(and deceased now) with a bunch of records...the same thing will happen with Kobe if he wins some titles with out shaq. If you look at the latter part of Wilt's career he focused much more on rebounding and defense, team aspects...heck he even led the league in assits one year. Anyways check Wilt's stats i think about 7 years into his career his scoring takes dip.

If Kobe could get 2 more rings, almost everyone will start to believe that he's the greatest ever. As of right now, every expert and analyst quoted Kobe to be the greatest scorer and clutch scorer but not the greatest ever yet until he wins a few titles. I would say 1 ring but people would just say "He got lucky...can he do it again?"

If Kobe wins two more rings he will have to change his style of play IMHO. But no doubt if he wins two more rings he will be considered a top tier player of the all time greats. But playing the style he plays right now im not sure if that's possible..again not entirely his fault due to the lack of help.

[Moinllieon]

Marc Stein isn't exactly the greatest mind in basketball there.

Nevermind for a moment, that Wilt scored 19 more points than Kobe without the benefit of a 3 point shot, a margin that Kobe would not have made up in 6 minutes (do the math yourself, I don't feel like explaining). In his 100 point game, Wilt also grabbed 25 rebounds, unfortunately, Kobe didn't do much of anything besides scoring. (can you blame him though? No, of course not.)

So instead of falsely propping up Kobe's night to make up that 19 point difference with the record (and sounding like an idiot in the process), Marc Stein really should just praise Kobe's accomplishment on its own. Why does he need to demean the greatness of Wilt to praise Kobe?

[crazylife123]

Marc Stein isn't exactly the greatest mind in basketball there.

Nevermind for a moment, that Wilt scored 19 more points than Kobe without the benefit of a 3 point shot, a margin that Kobe would not have made up in 6 minutes (do the math yourself, I don't feel like explaining). In his 100 point game, Wilt also grabbed 25 rebounds, unfortunately, Kobe didn't do much of anything besides scoring. (can you blame him though? No, of course not.)

So instead of falsely propping up Kobe's night to make up that 19 point difference with the record (and sounding like an idiot in the process), Marc Stein really should just praise Kobe's accomplishment on its own. Why does he need to demean the greatness of Wilt to praise Kobe?

Well, then why aren't people doing the same for Kobe?...instead of just enjoy one of the greatest performance in NBA history....why the criticism?

If Wilt was playing today basketball, he would never have a chance to score that much point. Plus, when he got the 100 points, his teammates didnt even try to play defense against the other team. Once the other team had the ball, all they did was foul them right away so Wilt will have enough time to get 100 points.

Marc Stein just stating facts on what people saw that day and even what Wilt himself said of that night.

Is Wilt great? Of course, he is... Is Kobe great? No...why not? Well, because he's Kobe and everyone hates him no matter what he accomplish.

I guess it's fine though. MJ was hated back then. Heck..I hated him too...but I know what he could do and respect him for that now. the same goes for Kobe.

[Moinllieon]

Well, then why aren't people doing the same for Kobe?...instead of just enjoy one of the greatest performance in NBA history....why the criticism?

I hope you are talking to other people instead of me. I'm not talking about the 81 point night when I made my points about Kobe's playing style. If he could score 60+ points every night, of course his team would win all the time, but he can't. So he needs to change it up to win at a consistent level.

If Wilt was playing today basketball, he would never have a chance to score that much point. Plus, when he got the 100 points, his teammates didnt even try to play defense against the other team. Once the other team had the ball, all they did was foul them right away so Wilt will have enough time to get 100 points.

Marc Stein just stating facts on what people saw that day and even what Wilt himself said of that night.

There's a difference between stating a fact and stating facts to prove something. His facts might not be flawed (though, like he said, there was no footage of that night, so we won't really know), but his conclusion is. I'm just saying his conclusion is stupid.

Is Wilt great? Of course, he is... Is Kobe great? No...why not? Well, because he's Kobe and everyone hates him no matter what he accomplish.

I guess it's fine though. MJ was hated back then. Heck..I hated him too...but I know what he could do and respect him for that now. the same goes for Kobe.

There's also a difference between respect and like. You can definitely dislike someone and still respect him. Like, for example, I think MJ is a pretty big a-hole who was always looking out for himself and how much he could win and did not give a flip about anyone else. But that doesn't mean I don't respect him as probably the greatest basketball player of all time. But still, MJ, at an early stage, played alot like how Kobe is playing now. MJ had to change his style of play to win championships, Kobe will have to do the same.

[duguxiaojing]

Wonder how many points Kobe's goin 2 score 2night?? I predict......43

[crazylife123]

Wonder how many points Kobe's goin 2 score 2night?? I predict......43

i was going to say 35 points...but he only had 30 last night. i knew he's going to have more assist last night. Kobe is trying work with his teammate. He gave them 3 quarters to do so. When they couldn't he took the game on his back and lead to another victory.

With sh!tty teammates, he deserve the MVP award.

[duguxiaojing]

i was going to say 35 points...but he only had 30 last night. i knew he's going to have more assist last night. Kobe is trying work with his teammate. He gave them 3 quarters to do so. When they couldn't he took the game on his back and lead to another victory.

30 is actually pretty decent I checked the box score at the half and he wasnt shooting to well, i guess he heated up in the seond half.

With sh!tty teammates, he deserve the MVP award.

What about Nash? That guys having another MVP season but hes doing it pretty quietly.(well he's actually putting up nice numbers, hes had a wack of 20 assits games but not many guys are talking about Pheonix.)

Also poor Chancy Billups will never get any love .

LA VS Detroit next its hopefully it will be a good game. Some Detroit players were down playing Kobe's 81 its going to be interesting 2 see how Kobe does against their D.

[crazylife123]

30 is actually pretty decent I checked the box score at the half and he wasnt shooting to well, i guess he heated up in the seond half.



What about Nash? That guys having another MVP season but hes doing it pretty quietly.(well he's actually putting up nice numbers, hes had a wack of 20 assits games but not many guys are talking about Pheonix.)

Also poor Chancy Billups will never get any love .

LA VS Detroit next its hopefully it will be a good game. Some Detroit players were down playing Kobe's 81 its going to be interesting 2 see how Kobe does against their D.

duguxiaojing...would agree with detroit vs la in the finals will be more entertaining than any other teams? for it would be...last year...i''d watched only one game of the final. it was so boring...the rating was so low. no matter what...ABC needs the lakers to be in the final to get good ratings.

but there's no doubt that the piston will take the title this year...mutha #$%& are too good.

[duguxiaojing]

duguxiaojing...would agree with detroit vs la in the finals will be more entertaining than any other teams? for it would be...last year...i''d watched only one game of the final. it was so boring...the rating was so low. no matter what...ABC needs the lakers to be in the final to get good ratings.

hey CL123, i would have loved to see LA in the finals last year, actually i would have loved to see them in the playoffs ,but then again LA is my team. But honestly, Detroit would have wrecked them so bad... I'm keeping my hopes up about this year. It looks good so far and hopefully this season wont end up as a nasty replay of last season with the wheels coming off after the allstar break. If Kobe keeps this 35PPG+ up for the second half , I think LA can make it, but I dont know even Kobe can take that kind of a grind. Anways it has been an interesting season so far.....


Anytakes on the dunk contest ??

My dream contestants:

Josh Smith (he was friken awesome last year!!!! that jordan/domnique hybrid windmill with nique's jersey blew my mind, even more then his reverse 360)

J-Rich: Can go toe 2 toe with any dunker IMO

Lebron James: only seen him in one Dunk contest and he was mediocre..but still he jumps so high..i cant picture him as simply an in game dunker.

Steve Francis: wont happen..i know, but he has a bunch of dunks we havent seen yet.

Vince: He has let me down every year since 2000 . Maybe it will change this year

Kobe: He dont think he will join either, but I want him to prove that he can really do that 360 around the back he did in the adidas commercial..JR smith could barely go around the back and dunk.

hmm anyone I miss? any sleepers?

[- L1n -]

The dream dunkers contest i pictured would be

Vince carter

Jason richardson

Desmond Mason

Josh Smith


they r wat i call tier 1 dunkers of today, notincluding this yrs rooks.

Lebron - i don't no haven't seen him do anything wither the above 4 could'nt do

Kobe - i consider kobe more a shooter than dunker, yes he can dunk. But not against them 4.

Francis - hmmmm his pretty good



But yes i still believe Vince Carter and Jrich is the best 2 dunkers of all time, i know Josh did great last yr, but those dunks i believe can be done by these 2.



ps: That yr when fred jones won was the biggets ripoff dunks i ever seen, he did 1 good dunk.

[dan J]

Kobe just scored 81 points tonight.

My jaw is still on the floor.

and for you Kobe fans who want to own the history, go bid on this.

ps. I know the whole back story to the auction is pretty lame. but just thought I'd share.

[duguxiaojing]

The dream dunkers contest i pictured would be

JSmith is in for sure it seems, he's name is on the NBA.com site for reparticipating champs. I would LOVE to see Jrich vs Jsmith....I see a 720 dunk coming from 1 of them if it happens. Plus the off the backbord through the leg might be the most insane dunk of all time. Hopefully they wont keep richardson out because of the "rising stars" bs .

Mason is an awesome dunker...but i think we've seen his best dunks already. For some reason he's dunks look better when hes doing them in warmups then in dunk contest.

And...of course Vince...who's out with back spasms...he was hinting on a reverse foul line dunk, and in 2000 he was talking 720's, and a "dunk and a half" whatever that is...hopefully we will see it this year. Vince isnt getting any younger and he dosnet get up as high as he used 2, but he's still a top 5 dunker easy.

ps: That yr when fred jones won was the biggets ripoff dunks i ever seen, he did 1 good dunk.

True..but it was a nice dunk he reached REALLY far back for that oop. Plus Richardson messed up his last dunk. respect to him for trying to do something crazy instead of just settling for the W

and for you Kobe fans who want to own the history, go bid on this.

LMAO