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Is Kobe at his best ever?

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TonyMontana
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Is Kobe at his best ever? 

Post#1 » by TonyMontana » Sat Jan 10, 2009 7:53 pm

He's proved time and time again on the biggest of stages that he can come through in the clutch.
He's a pure scorer/shooter, he's a better foul shooter and a defender.Kobe's been able to free himself for a 3-point shot a lot better no matter how many people are guarding him and where he's at on the court.

His faith and trust on his teammates has grown and he now has confidance in his teammates to come through when needed. His encouragement of, and belief in his teammates clearly shows by the improvement of Pau, Ariza, and at times Bynum.He has so much confidence in them whether they miss the shot or not, and he is there for support as any leader should.

He has made his teammates play with a confidence, also he has improved his teammate this season beyond my expectations.He smells blood or weakness he digs deeper into the wound and exposes their weakness, and holds no hostages.

Overall I think Kobe is at his best and I think he has elevated himself to the same level as some of the greatest players that have ever played this game.
Will he climb hire as time goes on?
My guess is Yes, when it comes to Kobe there isnt anything that I'll put past him.
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Re: Is Kobe at his best ever? 

Post#2 » by lakersfanatic » Sat Jan 10, 2009 9:03 pm

Top form as before i wouldn't think so only because of his age and how hard he has been playing these past few years... But best judgment, experience, shot selection, trusting his team mates.. etc.. a Definitely yes.

He's been our go to guy regardless, no questions ask. The best part is he can get himself free for shots even with 2, 3 defenders on him. Sometimes you do see him do much but i think he's only conserving his energy for the latter half of the season where teams will player harder and tougher. That's when kobe will turn it on and that's where we'll see amazing. NBA, where amazing happens lol
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Re: Is Kobe at his best ever? 

Post#3 » by doozyj » Sat Jan 10, 2009 9:19 pm

Not to mention, his maturity has improved as well. Kobe is truly a role model at this point of his career. Look to see him get his 2nd MVP this year.
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Re: Is Kobe at his best ever? 

Post#4 » by RocketPower23 » Sat Jan 10, 2009 9:26 pm

doozyj wrote:Not to mention, his maturity has improved as well. Kobe is truly a role model at this point of his career. Look to see him get his 2nd MVP this year.



Even though Kobe has picked up his play recently, LeBron still has the MVP wrapped up.
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Re: Is Kobe at his best ever? 

Post#5 » by The Skyhook » Sat Jan 10, 2009 9:40 pm

KB8MVP wrote:
doozyj wrote:Not to mention, his maturity has improved as well. Kobe is truly a role model at this point of his career. Look to see him get his 2nd MVP this year.



Even though Kobe has picked up his play recently, LeBron still has the MVP wrapped up.


Yea unless Lebron were to get hurt or Kobe started getting like 50 point games with triple doubles Kobe isnt going to win MVP.
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Re: Is Kobe at his best ever? 

Post#6 » by snaquille oatmeal » Sat Jan 10, 2009 10:04 pm

TonyMontana wrote:He's proved time and time again on the biggest of stages that he can come through in the clutch.He's a pure scorer/shooter, he's a better foul shooter and a defender.Kobe's been able to free himself for a 3-point shot a lot better no matter how many people are guarding him and where he's at on the court.

His faith and trust on his teammates has grown and he now has confidance in his teammates to come through when needed. His encouragement of, and belief in his teammates clearly shows by the improvement of Pau, Ariza, and at times Bynum.He has so much confidence in them whether they miss the shot or not, and he is there for support as any leader should.

He has made his teammates play with a confidence, also he has improved his teammate this season beyond my expectations.He smells blood or weakness he digs deeper into the wound and exposes their weakness, and holds no hostages.

Overall I think Kobe is at his best and I think he has elevated himself to the same level as some of the greatest players that have ever played this game.
Will he climb hire as time goes on?
My guess is Yes, when it comes to Kobe there isnt anything that I'll put past him.

you know I always thought that there was some merrit to people that claim that Kobe has not played his best on the biggest stage of them all "the NBA FINALS". But I also think that it was not all his fault. I thought that during the 3 championship runs Kobe came up big during the playoffs then let Shaq take over in the finals by design. I just hope that if we make it to the finals that he exels like only Kobe can.
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Re: Is Kobe at his best ever? 

Post#7 » by RASMARX » Sat Jan 10, 2009 10:30 pm

I'm a little concerned by how much he has been scoring lately, upper 30's, and the Lakers winning by just a few points like last night. Lakers still seem to be searching for that balance, which I would argue has a lot to do with Bynum's inconsistency.
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Re: Is Kobe at his best ever? 

Post#8 » by ronnymac2 » Sat Jan 10, 2009 10:40 pm

Yeah, his shot selection imo has gotten better. It seems he is using more of the mid-range and shooting less 3's. As a leader, he has picked up where he left off last season. Because of the team he has, he can at times display more of his all-around game.

I don't know if he's playing his best basketball ever, but he's playing the way we need him to play for us to be successful. That's all I care about, so I'm happy.
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Re: Is Kobe at his best ever? 

Post#9 » by Dexmor » Sat Jan 10, 2009 11:26 pm

Yes. That is why I got so mad when somebody said he is slowing down and Gasol is now our best player.
He was averaging 25 points because he was passing so much. He is our pg to even though nobody says it, he brings up the ball and makes the plays. That is why I think he is the best player ever. He gets better every single year. I hope that keeps up for years to come. This year his giving up the ball and the right time and taking over at the right time and making his teammates better is something he has improved on alot.

I don't know if it would make him a better player but I don't understand why he doesn't try eating great. He is famous for eating crappy but I would think if he would eat really really well it would greatly benefit. Look how good of shape he is and how much he can play. Imagine he ate the right foods.
He also made a smart move by switching to lowtops. It increases speed and comfort. It's a little less safe for the ankles but it's safer for the feet and I recently switched to lows because I got a foot injury. I have what Luke has.
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Re: Is Kobe at his best ever? 

Post#10 » by Kobay » Sun Jan 11, 2009 12:59 am

I really think he looks more explosive this year. I hope he doesn't get tired by the end of the season.
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Re: Is Kobe at his best ever? 

Post#11 » by Dr Aki » Sun Jan 11, 2009 1:12 am

kobe's just playing smarter not more explosive

and recently, hasnt been forcing it as much either

so far, i'd only call it a temporary peak in form
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Re: Is Kobe at his best ever? 

Post#12 » by iamworthy » Sun Jan 11, 2009 2:24 am

Quote from Kobe:

"It’s obviously important to have homecourt advantage, so we look at it as a challenge to achieve that goal,” Bryant said. “Obviously we have a long way to go. It’s a great opportunity. We have quite a few home games here, so we look forward to trying to stretch this out a little bit. We have plenty more gears to go to. Plenty more. I haven’t even played in third gear yet.”


Thats just scary!!
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Re: Is Kobe at his best ever? 

Post#13 » by Erik Eleven » Sun Jan 11, 2009 6:56 am

Yes. I think so. Never saw him play more in control.

He's going about business like a skilled surgeon right now — idling his way to wins, scoring 30 like it's nothing. In the past, he hasn't thought his way through the games as well as he does now. He's flat out masterly so far this season.

Can't wait for gear six.
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Re: Is Kobe at his best ever? 

Post#14 » by magic1fan » Sun Jan 11, 2009 7:29 am

nastneemz81 wrote:
KB8MVP wrote:
doozyj wrote:Not to mention, his maturity has improved as well. Kobe is truly a role model at this point of his career. Look to see him get his 2nd MVP this year.



Even though Kobe has picked up his play recently, LeBron still has the MVP wrapped up.


Yea unless Lebron were to get hurt or Kobe started getting like 50 point games with triple doubles Kobe isnt going to win MVP.



see to me that just shows the media bias. kobe is right there in points,rebounds,and only slightly lower in assists. his teams record is rght there with lebrons. his defense,freethrow shooting,and 3 point shooting are way better than lebrons. so how is it people are saying lebron has this all wrapped up? seems to me like a biased charity award for lebron this year,like he is just due,just because. that's not fair at all.
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Re: Is Kobe at his best ever? 

Post#15 » by magic1fan » Sun Jan 11, 2009 7:31 am

Erik Eleven wrote:Yes. I think so. Never saw him play more in control.

He's going about business like a skilled surgeon right now — idling his way to wins, scoring 30 like it's nothing. In the past, he hasn't thought his way through the games as well as he does now. He's flat out masterly so far this season.

Can't wait for gear six.



it's crazy to see a guy who has played close to 15 seasons(including playoffs),and still be top tier in the league. he didn't take time off like jordan. he went to the olympics,saved us in the gold medal game,put off surgery,and still hasn't missed a beat. if he can get a few more rings,he is definately in the discussion for goat,imo.
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Re: Is Kobe at his best ever? 

Post#16 » by nonplayerzealot » Sun Jan 11, 2009 8:41 am

TonyMontana wrote:Overall I think Kobe is at his best and I think he has elevated himself to the same level as some of the greatest players that have ever played this game.
Will he climb hire as time goes on?
My guess is Yes, when it comes to Kobe there isnt anything that I'll put past him.


I think his best sustained performance ever was in the latter half of 2001 where he was playing balanced, within the offense, and good D. Made smart decisions, looked to set up teammates first, took smart shots, didn't try to freelance -- this play was due to the epiphany he said he had during his sprained ankle, watching his teammates clicking on the floor. He's playing this way now, but the 2001 run included the entire playoffs. Want to see him continue this style of ball for the rest of the season.

Some may think 2008 is his best since he won MVP, but imo, he's had better seasons than 2008 and I don't care much for the crablice who do the voting.
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Re: Is Kobe at his best ever? 

Post#17 » by Erik Eleven » Sun Jan 11, 2009 9:32 am

So far, he's playing much better this season than last. I remember that season ^. He was amazing for a long, long stretch. Cool and collected, like now. But I think we can forget about MVPs from here on out. LBJ will most likely bring home the next five or six.
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Re: Is Kobe at his best ever? 

Post#18 » by AceFresh » Sun Jan 11, 2009 9:38 am

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Re: Is Kobe at his best ever? 

Post#19 » by Sedale Threatt » Sun Jan 11, 2009 4:54 pm

He's been playing at such a high level for so long, I don't know how you can definitively proclaim any one particular stretch as The Best. I will say that I love that he's edging close to 50% from the floor; impressive considering he shoots so many jump shots. I also love that he's cut way down on the 3-pointers.
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Re: Is Kobe at his best ever? 

Post#20 » by BNT1120 » Sun Jan 11, 2009 9:16 pm

kobe is thee best player right now

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