Kobe vs LeBron finals would not have been as good as people think

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Kobe vs LeBron finals would not have been as good as people think 

Post#1 » by Blazers-1977 » Wed Aug 14, 2019 3:06 am

People keep saying how we missed chance of a great series between them but I think the series won’t have been anywhere near as good as people think :

In 2009 and 2010 Kobe clearly had better supporting cast than LeBron so the Lakers win easily even if LeBron outplays Kobe

In 2011 and 2012 LeBron Clearly had the better supporting cast and Heat would win easily even if Kobe outplays LeBron .


Besides we got two amazing series in 2010 and 2011 ( and 3 if you count 2013 in the stretch )
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Re: Kobe vs LeBron finals would not have been as good as people think 

Post#2 » by Imon » Wed Aug 14, 2019 3:21 am

I dunno about the 2011 Lakers.
Kobe's supporting cast was actually pretty good it's just that the key guys on that Lakers team weren't playing to their potential.

IIRC I think Kobe sprained his ankle or something in the 1st round against Chris Paul and the NOH and Gasol was going through some weird personal issues. Combine that with the fact that the Lakers were trying to make their 4th Finals in a row and you get a team that wasn't playing to their maximum potential.
On paper though that team was pretty formidable. IMO Gasol in his prime is better than Bosh in his prime, Kobe is better than Wade, but the Lakers don't really have an answer for Lebron other than chemistry (I know someone is gonna say Artest is a good defender but, I mean, he's not stopping Lebron only JJ Barea can stop Lebron).
Also, people forget how good Lamar Odom used to be before the Lakers trade wrecked him. He was a 6'10" PF who could handle the ball well, score, distribute a bit, and rebound. Odom was the 6th man of the year that season.

I think if the 2011 Lakers were playing to their potential a hypothetical 2011 Lakers/Heat Finals would actually be a good series.
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Re: Kobe vs LeBron finals would not have been as good as people think 

Post#3 » by lakerz12 » Wed Aug 14, 2019 3:29 am

OT, one is 5-2 in the Finals and the other 3-6 but I'm supposed to chalk that up to everyone except them. Seems fishy.
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Re: Kobe vs LeBron finals would not have been as good as people think 

Post#4 » by Statlanta » Wed Aug 14, 2019 3:38 am

It would make the Kobe-LeBron conversation completely TOXIC, more than it is now.

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Re: Kobe vs LeBron finals would not have been as good as people think 

Post#5 » by SK21209 » Wed Aug 14, 2019 3:47 am

I don’t think the 09 Lakers would beat the 09 Cavs easily. The 09 Cavs won 66 games; they weren’t completely fools gold, the Magic were just a particularly poor matchup for them.

With Big Z, old Ben Wallace, JJ Hickson, and Varejao, the Cavs has some decent bigs to throw at the Lakers front line. Still think the Lakers win, but I don’t think it was a foregone conclusion.
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Re: Kobe vs LeBron finals would not have been as good as people think 

Post#6 » by Blazers-1977 » Wed Aug 14, 2019 3:52 am

Imon wrote:I dunno about the 2011 Lakers.
Kobe's supporting cast was actually pretty good it's just that the key guys on that Lakers team weren't playing to their potential.

IIRC I think Kobe sprained his ankle or something in the 1st round against Chris Paul and the NOH and Gasol was going through some weird personal issues. Combine that with the fact that the Lakers were trying to make their 4th Finals in a row and you get a team that wasn't playing to their maximum potential.
On paper though that team was pretty formidable. IMO Gasol in his prime is better than Bosh in his prime, Kobe is better than Wade, but the Lakers don't really have an answer for Lebron other than chemistry (I know someone is gonna say Artest is a good defender but, I mean, he's not stopping Lebron only JJ Barea can stop Lebron).
Also, people forget how good Lamar Odom used to be before the Lakers trade wrecked him. He was a 6'10" PF who could handle the ball well, score, distribute a bit, and rebound. Odom was the 6th man of the year that season.

I think if the 2011 Lakers were playing to their potential a hypothetical 2011 Lakers/Heat Finals would actually be a good series.


Problem was 2011 Lakers were inconsistent all season long except that 6 week stretch after the All Star Break (So last two weeks of February and March ) where they went in a run but that was the exception to the rule that year .


Gasol and Artest had declined that year , and so did Kobe which is why other than that 6 week stretch they were really inconsistent that year
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Re: Kobe vs LeBron finals would not have been as good as people think 

Post#7 » by Blazers-1977 » Wed Aug 14, 2019 3:53 am

lakerz12 wrote:OT, one is 5-2 in the Finals and the other 3-6 but I'm supposed to chalk that up to everyone except them. Seems fishy.


And Kobe played with a Peak Shaq for 3 of those titles , and never played a team which added the 2nd best player in the league after they made back to back finals
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Re: Kobe vs LeBron finals would not have been as good as people think 

Post#8 » by Snakebites » Wed Aug 14, 2019 3:55 am

lakerz12 wrote:OT, one is 5-2 in the Finals and the other 3-6 but I'm supposed to chalk that up to everyone except them. Seems fishy.

In fairness, Kobe wasn't even the best player on the team for 3 of those championships.

Ring counting is a rather shallow and ineffective way of comparing players.
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Re: Kobe vs LeBron finals would not have been as good as people think 

Post#9 » by triple_threat » Wed Aug 14, 2019 3:57 am

lakerz12 wrote:OT, one is 5-2 in the Finals and the other 3-6 but I'm supposed to chalk that up to everyone except them. Seems fishy.


One dude only made the finals 3 times as the clear cut best player on his team.
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Re: Kobe vs LeBron finals would not have been as good as people think 

Post#10 » by BoWagner » Wed Aug 14, 2019 4:09 am

No way in hell that 09 and 10 cavs supporting cast can match up against the Lakers

Kobe had Ariza/Artest,Gasol, Bynum and Odom while Lebron had Mo "Fake Pippen" Williams, Carlito a.k.a Varejao and Lebron James Sr.

Don't be fooled with that Cavs regular season either, A 60+ win season doesn't always mean that you are formidable team in the playoffs, that has been proven time and time again.

Also take note Kobe was it his peak that time while Lebron hasn't fully developed his skills yet.

That 2009/2010 matchup Lakers vs. Cavs is lopsided.

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Re: Kobe vs LeBron finals would not have been as good as people think 

Post#11 » by JordansBulls » Wed Aug 14, 2019 4:38 am

2009 Cavs had Ben Wallace and 2010 Cavs had Shaq, both of which won titles for franchises.
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Re: Kobe vs LeBron finals would not have been as good as people think 

Post#12 » by triple_threat » Wed Aug 14, 2019 4:52 am

JordansBulls wrote:2009 Cavs had Ben Wallace and 2010 Cavs had Shaq, both of which won titles for franchises.


Yup. Kobe couldnt win with shaq malone Payton. Kobe and lbj suck
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Re: Kobe vs LeBron finals would not have been as good as people think 

Post#13 » by Blazers-1977 » Wed Aug 14, 2019 5:35 am

JordansBulls wrote:2009 Cavs had Ben Wallace and 2010 Cavs had Shaq, both of which won titles for franchises.



A totally washed up Ben Wallace and Shaq you mean
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Re: Kobe vs LeBron finals would not have been as good as people think 

Post#14 » by levon » Wed Aug 14, 2019 5:38 am

It's a risk I'd be willing to take OP
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Re: Kobe vs LeBron finals would not have been as good as people think 

Post#15 » by Blazers-1977 » Wed Aug 14, 2019 6:01 am

levon wrote:It's a risk I'd be willing to take OP


2010 we got a great finals between the Lakers and Celtics which went 7 games


2011 we got a great finals between the Mavs and Heat and arguably the greatest Cinderella story in Modern history at least till that point

2012 yah Thunder were beat 4-1 but remember the Thunder crushed the Lakers in that playoffs 4-1 as well . Lakers were way too aged to stand a chance against the Heat



So maybe 2009 would have been the real only shot but the Cavs still easily lose probably in 5 maybe 6. That year it would be better actually if The Celtics stay healthy and you get a rematch with both teams at their full strength
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Re: Kobe vs LeBron finals would not have been as good as people think 

Post#16 » by NO-KG-AI » Wed Aug 14, 2019 7:08 am

Probably about as exciting as their regular season matchups. Where LeBron outplayed Kobe by a clear margin, and his teams went 16-6 against Kobe's.
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Re: Kobe vs LeBron finals would not have been as good as people think 

Post#17 » by pr0wler » Wed Aug 14, 2019 7:26 am

lakerz12 wrote:OT, one is 5-2 in the Finals and the other 3-6 but I'm supposed to chalk that up to everyone except them. Seems fishy.


I never knew LeBron played with one of the greatest centers of all-time, and must've forgot when the Lakers had to face the most talented team ever assembled multiple years in a row. Oh wait.
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Re: Kobe vs LeBron finals would not have been as good as people think 

Post#18 » by XxIronChainzxX » Wed Aug 14, 2019 8:01 am

lakerz12 wrote:OT, one is 5-2 in the Finals and the other 3-6 but I'm supposed to chalk that up to everyone except them. Seems fishy.


Yeah. If only LeBron to play with a top 10 player in his prime who was better than him for his first half decade or so.

To wrap your head around the absurdity of Shaq + Kobe from Kobe's perspective, it's the equivalent of LeBron + Jordan.

Unlike KD, Kobe absolutely earned those titles but when comparing him to LeBron it's 2-1 vs. 3-6 and that counts a ton of Finals that LeBron was there for only as a GOAT candidate. And Kobe's very narrow win over the Celtics (though LeBron has had his own there).
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Re: Kobe vs LeBron finals would not have been as good as people think 

Post#19 » by Gooner » Wed Aug 14, 2019 8:02 am

Blazers-1977 wrote:
lakerz12 wrote:OT, one is 5-2 in the Finals and the other 3-6 but I'm supposed to chalk that up to everyone except them. Seems fishy.


And Kobe played with a Peak Shaq for 3 of those titles , and never played a team which added the 2nd best player in the league after they made back to back finals


Kobe never had a big 3, like LeBron had, twice.
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Re: Kobe vs LeBron finals would not have been as good as people think 

Post#20 » by Gooner » Wed Aug 14, 2019 8:03 am

Snakebites wrote:
lakerz12 wrote:OT, one is 5-2 in the Finals and the other 3-6 but I'm supposed to chalk that up to everyone except them. Seems fishy.

In fairness, Kobe wasn't even the best player on the team for 3 of those championships.

Ring counting is a rather shallow and ineffective way of comparing players.


It's not as shallow as stat counting.

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