Lets get this over with! Kobe vs Magic

[Father Time]

Race is just a socially constructed concept, anyway.

[blix]

apples and oranges comparison - cal me lazy, but whatever. Too many different aspects of their career to compare. completely different players as well, so it comes down to comparing rings, scoring average, supporting cast, etc - which isn't really a fair comparison. i'm satisfied with the understanding that i get to watch 2 of the greatest players ever.

[iamworthy]

apples and oranges comparison - cal me lazy, but whatever. Too many different aspects of their career to compare. completely different players as well, so it comes down to comparing rings, scoring average, supporting cast, etc - which isn't really a fair comparison. i'm satisfied with the understanding that i get to watch 2 of the greatest players ever.

Agree 100% with the last sentence of your post. I brought this up because It seems everyone..in the media is fixed on this topic. From espn, to Jerry West, even Magic Johnson.

[TommyTheCat]

The day that we stop having to identify race, the better we will all be.

exactly and it starts with us

ps. i know you didn't mean anyting negative by it. just a pet peeve of mine

[Cyclical]

No comparison. Magic blows him away.

Kobe is a great talent and one of the best scorers of all-time but there's more to the game of basketball. Magic could play any position on the floor (including center as he showed against the sixers while winning a ring.) His court vision was second to none and he always made his team better. Kobe may have more ways to get the ball in the hole by himself but it ends there. I hated Magic in the 80's but that's only because he made me suffer. You never knew what he was going to do on the floor. You can see Kobe's moves a mile away.

[Grime_Wizard]

Kobe has 3 rings when he was a role player and 1 ring as the main guy on the team, while Magic has 5 as the main man

[bballcool34]

Kobe has 3 rings when he was a role player and 1 ring as the main guy on the team, while Magic has 5 as the main man

This is (Please Use More Appropriate Word).

From now on, you must refer to Paul Pierce--even in 2008- as a role player on the Celtics.

[Ben-N1ce]

Kobe has 3 rings when he was a role player and 1 ring as the main guy on the team, while Magic has 5 as the main man

This is (Please Use More Appropriate Word).

From now on, you must refer to Paul Pierce--even in 2008- as a role player on the Celtics.

The difference is Pierce Ray or KG could have all been good choices as MVP. Kobe wasn't even close to Shaq in the Finals. Are you kidding me?

Finals..and obviously Shaq's FG % was considerably higher...It's not even close.

2000 Shaq 38 pts 16.7 reb 2.6 asst
Kobe 15.6 pts 4.6 reb 4.2 asst

2001 Shaq 33 pts 15.8 reb 4.8 asst
Kobe 24.6 pts 7.8 reb 5.8 asst

2002 Shaq 36.3 pts 12.3 reb 3.8 asst
Kobe 26.8 pts 5.8 reb 5.3 asst

But to answer the question. Magic > Kobe

[bballcool34]

Kobe has 3 rings when he was a role player and 1 ring as the main guy on the team, while Magic has 5 as the main man

This is (Please Use More Appropriate Word).

From now on, you must refer to Paul Pierce--even in 2008- as a role player on the Celtics.

The difference is Pierce Ray or KG could have all been good choices as MVP. Kobe wasn't even close to Shaq in the Finals. Are you kidding me?

Finals..and obviously Shaq's FG % was considerably higher...It's not even close.

2000 Shaq 38 pts 16.7 reb 2.6 asst
Kobe 15.6 pts 4.6 reb 4.2 asst

2001 Shaq 33 pts 15.8 reb 4.8 asst
Kobe 24.6 pts 7.8 reb 5.8 asst

2002 Shaq 36.3 pts 12.3 reb 3.8 asst
Kobe 26.8 pts 5.8 reb 5.3 asst

But to answer the question. Magic > Kobe

Kobe had some epic WCF (which really kinda was like the Finals back then considering how weak the East was).

But, yeah, Shaq outplayed him because he was the best player on those teams.

You did my homework for me though--compare Pierce's numbers to Kobe's in 01 and 02.... Kobe was far from a role player---playing with one of the most dominant players ever doesn't change the fact that he was impressive as well....I brought up Pierce because I thought the other guy was a Celtics fan (he's not)---but the point remains that just because Kobe played with the best player in the league, and perhaps the best player in his prime this decade, doesn't make him a role player--you can be a star without being the best player on the team--the Celtics right now are certainly built like that.

[TruSkool]

ill put kobe ahead of magic if the lakers win the ring this year....if not, it will always be magic no matter how many more kobe wins..

legacy is about stepping up at the right time.

[Wile E. Coyote]

i think we could have won that bulls series if worthy and scott weren't out towards the end of it

Of any Lakers series I've watched since 1987, that one drives me the craziest. I couldn't stand losing to the Bulls. UGH!

[Wile E. Coyote]

Game 6: 1980 NBA Finals.

42/15/7.

Can Kobe put up a Finals performance like that?

[Kilroy]

Game 6: 1980 NBA Finals.

42/15/7.

Can Kobe put up a Finals performance like that?

Magic will always be a bigger Laker to me than Kobe... Fair or not, he just was so much more fun to watch...

Granted, he played no D and if Kobe played no D, his numbers would be better too, but Magic will always be the greatest Laker to me... Followed by Kareem... Then Kobe.

I think if Kobe hadn't had so much trouble playing with Shaq and had that episode where he was calling out players and demanding a trade, he might be higher for me. Maybe none of that stuff was his fault but it still tarnishes his career here a little bit.

Magic and Kareem didn't always get along but they seemed to always be Lakers first and egos second.

Fair or not, that's the way I see it. And nothing's really going to change my mind.

Kobe's the greatest player since Jordon... No one else is even close. But Magic is the greatest Laker.

[semi-sentient]

Kobe's the greatest player since Jordon... No one else is even close. But Magic is the greatest Laker.

Duncan? Shaq?

Kobe is the greatest scorer since Jordan, but those two are greater in terms of, well, greatness.

Once Kobe proves that he can elevate his game the way those guys did, especially since we sorta kinda need it right now, he'll be considered alongside those two in terms of greatness.

[Kilroy]

Kobe's the greatest player since Jordon... No one else is even close. But Magic is the greatest Laker.

Duncan? Shaq?

Kobe is the greatest scorer since Jordan, but those two are greater in terms of, well, greatness.

Duncan maybe...

But outside of a season or 2 where he was motivated and dominated just about everything, Shaq was pretty one-dimensional... Not great on the glass... Terrible at the line (Which is a big deal because he spent so much time at the line)... Not great on D. Just a real big dude, with good footwork and an ego bigger than the entire league that allowed him to impose his will on everyone for a while.

Kobe is more than just the greatest shooter... He's the most well-rounded, best on D, most skilled, greatest competitor, best closer, smartest, and most devoted to the game since MJ.

Duncan was most of those things too and maybe in Duncan's case it is close... And in many ways, I like Duncan better than Kobe... He was almost as unstoppable. Not quite as good defensively, or as a closer and didn't quite have the crazy will to win. But he was a great passer and teammate and was willing to sacrifice just about anything for his team...

But if MJ is the yardstick by which player greatness is measured, Kobe is the greatest since MJ.... And I'm not that huge of a Kobe or MJ fan.

To me Magic will probably always be the greatest basketball player ever... Mostly because Basketball is a team sport and to me Magic was the epitome of a team player yet still with the skill to single-handedly take over a game and carry the team. He was physically gifted, skilled at just about every position, and fundamentally sound.

Once Kobe proves that he can elevate his game the way those guys did, especially since we sorta kinda need it right now, he'll be considered alongside those two in terms of greatness.

I hear you and emotionally I agree to a certain extent, but I think to be fair... Kobe has elevated his game when we needed him... Time and time again. I hesitate to think what our record would have been not just this season, if he hadn't. And in the playoffs this year, we'd have been looking like LeBron and the Cavs if Kobe hadn't taken it to the next level.

Last game was an anomaly... Not indicative of Kobe's consistent level of play...

[semi-sentient]

Last game was an anomaly... Not indicative of Kobe's consistent level of play...

I certainly hope so. Another 2008 type Finals performance is going to be damning for not only Kobe, but our hopes of beating the Celtics.

It's worth noting that Kobe raped the WC back then as well, but then we all know what happened against the Celtics. I don't blame it all on him because no one else showed up and the defense smothered him, but this time he's getting help so there are no excuses.

[H00PDREAMS]

If Lakers loose to the Celtics. No discussion Magic will remain the MAN for me. Kobe looses a chance for his 6th ring to the Celtics is damning. He must beat the Celtics! I don't care if he gets 7 rings if he can't beat the Celtics he should never be considered the best Laker ever. And I am a big Kobe fan!