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How would the first 2 games of the Finals be?

Would the Lakers with Jordan win at least 1 game...maybe 2?

They could've won game 1. Jesus at the 2 couldn't help them tonight though.

if MJ was on the team, they'd be up 2-0, and the Celtics would forfeit the next 2 games..

if it was MJ, it would be 2-0 Lakers with KG crying.

Jordan has only been down 1-0 in the finals and has always had the lead in the series thereafter. He has always won 2 games before the other and 3 games before the other team and 4 games of course before the other team in the finals and then the fact that he would have a big man that scores in the post. MJ would be set.

If we're talking the Jordan from the first 3 championships, then we'd probably be up 2-0. If it's the Jordan from the latter 3, then possibly 1-1 or maybe still 0-2.

A lot of other Laker players would play a hell of a lot tougher or they wouldn't even be on the team by the time the Finals came around. The Bulls being a great defensive team always started with the example of M.J. leading the way, and later on Pippen as well. I don't see Kobe rallying his troops on defense like that.

I think Jordan's superior post play would be an avenue to attack the Celts and get other players shots. Jordan is not going to get only 2 FT attempts in a half. And if they try to stick a big thug like Posey on him, he would be going right past him to the hoop, not fading away all night.

This idea that Ray Allen has that he can play with Kobe (and he always steps up to do so) should be an insult to the level of talent Kobe is at. Jordan would laugh at such a attempt and prove him wrong, badly wrong, just like he did to Drexler.

Kobe spent much of the last few years learning how to defer to his teammates or whatever amount of that gas pedal leverage was necessary to help the team. But I have still not seen him be able to leverage his own hot streaks vs keeping the team involved to the level MJ did.

Every game the Bulls won certainly was not a predictable pattern of MJ gets people involved early and then takes over at the end. Sometimes he took over in the first half. Sometimes he had a consistent great game all the way throughout scoring 40 and yet still finding other players. I really don't see that efficiency with Kobe. It still seems very much about Kobe either playing in a lower gear to help his teammates or else flipping the switch and going all out Kobe time.

Kobe has copied the MJ playbook to an astonishing degree and at times the mirror is uncanny. And yet, there are still cracks there or something of a incomplete distorted picture at times, and its bizarre watching him and almost getting the impression he is thinking what would M.J. do here. But sometimes getting the choice wrong and picking the face up jumper option too often or the circus shot in traffic when he should be choosing the drive or post up option.

At the end of games is where they diverge quite a bit. Kobe's game often gets increasingly farther out and 3 point oriented. While Jordan's tended to do the opposite. MJ would go close and try to find his easiest shots, the up and under, fadeaway off the block, or isolate and go to the hoop getting a foul. He did love to take game winners by creating space for a jumper, but not for a whole 4th quarter.

So yeah, I think there's a good chance the series would look different right now. Heck just change 9-26, from the first game to 12 or 13 from 26 and you are probably looking at a Laker steal of game 1.

Jordan of the first 3 peat would have been tough to beat... The 2nd 3 peat was aa Jordan that you would see shoot 11-27 alot of times, but his team was so skilled defensively, he could get away with it..

A guy that can handle the ball and score gives them more trouble... Which is why the Celtics feared LBJ and his game way more than Kobe... You need to attack their defense, not just settle for what it gives you..

Please just stop with these MJ/Kobe comparison threads. And this is coming from someone who doesn't think Kobe is as close to Jordan as many people think he is. Still, leave it alone.

Kobe is Kobe and his play will stand on its own.

would a better player make the team better? what a groundbreaking thread.

dcash4 wrote:would a better player make the team better? what a groundbreaking thread.

If you were to simply throw Jordan onto the Lakers than who knows what would happen. If he had been with the team all season it would be another story all together. I think that Jordans impact was rooted much deeper than just game time. His influence on his teammates during practice was what pushed them to become they dynasty that they were.

If it was Jordan, the Lakers would win the series in 3.

Come on, this sort of scenario doesn't work because it directly plays into the biases that people have for or against Kobe/Jordan. Kobe fans will say "it would make no difference", Jordan fans will say "they would've won both or one game".

You can only compare the two by what they've accomplished in their own eras, not by somehow looking into the crystal ball and deciding what would happen.

If Jordan was on the the Lakers instead of Kobe, every game would be a 100 point blowout, with Jordan scoring 100 points a game.

I think the Lakers would have won game 1 but game 2 it wouldn't have mattered whether is was Kobe or MJ the Lakers just were not going to win that one.

What if it was Wilt Chamberlain instead of Gasol on the Lakers? Would the Lakers still be down 2 - 0?

tracey_nice wrote:What if it was Wilt Chamberlain instead of Gasol on the Lakers? Would the Lakers still be down 2 - 0?

No chance.

if lakers had mj instead of kobe, the first 2 games of the final would have been in la..becasue that team would win 65+ games

^^^ Well, considering the Celtics won 66 games and hold the tie breaker, the first two games would of still been in Boston.