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Understanding “Overrated”

Friday, April 26th, 2013

by Cory Jefferies

 

If some of the greatest players in the history of North American sports can be overrated from the narratives told about them and the social statuses given to them to describe their level of greatness, surely it isn’t too hard to figure out how or why a great player can be overrated DESPITE the player’s GREATNESS.  ”Overrated” doesn’t automatically run mutually exclusive to extremely horrible, over-hyped players.  I think 99% of fans miss this point.  Well, maybe more like 87-90%.

Let me point out 3 types of overrated players:
#1. You can be HORRIBLE & OVERRATED (see JaMarcus Russell’s draft day position).  See Tim Tebow, Mark Sanchez, Ryan Leaf, and Kwame Brown’s draft position, plus their actual production.
#2. You can be AVERAGE & OVERRATED.  For example, see discussions on whether or not guys like Derek Fisher or Robert Horry are Hall of Famers.
#3. You can be GREAT/ELITE and STILL BE OVERRATED.  See Steve Nash winning two consecutive MVP awards.  See Derrick Rose’s MVP season where he averaged 23 ppg & 8 apg but was outplayed in every sense by LeBron James.  See Michael Vick’s best season in Philly and Donovan McNabb’s career in Philly as well (DESPITE his otherwise nice playoff resume).  Just because you are elite doesn’t exempt you from being overrated.  If people say that Kobe Bryant is better than Michael Jordan, even though Kobe’s surely one of THE greatest players ever, he’s simply overrated.
My point: Whether you are awful, marginal, above average, mediocre, good, or very good, the narrative people have for you can make you overrated.
Cory Jefferies for War Room Sports

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Genius Unchained: Bernard King vs. Isiah, Larry, and History

Tuesday, April 9th, 2013

by Chuck Modiano

Part II of Bernard King: The NBA’s Invisible Genius

“What he did to us I had never seen before. We caught him in the middle of a three-year stretch where he was playing better than any small forward in the history of the game.” –Isiah Thomas

Bernard King — The NBA’s Invisible Genius —  is also playoff legend. In his first two seasons, he led the Knicks to back-to-back first round upsets. In his very first Knick playoff game against the Nets in 1983, King scored 40 points on only 21 shots, and when he took at least 20 shots he scored 40 points seven times in eleven chances. Only once did Bernard exceed 27 shots. His two epic 1984 series against the Pistons and Celtics caught the NBA nation by storm, but the local explosion began in January.

King’s 40 game-stretch of 30 points on 60% shooting highlighted by back-to-back 50 point games was the result of an offensive genius who was finally given permission to display his artwork [see Genius Contained]. At a time when ESPN was covering rugby, King’s 40 game stretch got little attention, but his legendary post-season work is well-known. Instead, King’s playoff legacy has been hijacked.

Isiah Hijacks Bernard in 94 Seconds: You have seen the video clip. Isiah Thomas puts on a 94-second performance for the ages by sending the deciding game into overtime. Even though Isiah lost the duel (44-35), game (127-123), and series (3-2), he still won the war. Today, “16 points in 94 seconds” trumps Bernard’s historic series average of “42 points on 60% shooting”. Only Jerry West and Michael Jordan have ever surpassed 40 points in a playoff series, but neither could approach 60% shooting.

“I’ve never seen any one player dominate a team like King. There is no way to stop him.” —Dave Bing [HOF 1990]

Michael Hijacks Real Flu Game: What if you wrapped up the “Flu Game” by Jordan, “The Duel”  by Bird and Wilkins, and added a dash of Willis Reed? Then you get Bernard battling Isiah in Game 5 with a 102 fever and mangled hands that were getting freeze-sprayed throughout the game. In Jordan’s famous 1997 “Flu Game”, he scored 38 points on 48% shooting. In Bernard’s Flu/Duel/Freeze-Spray Game he topped Jordan with 44 points on 65% shooting. There would be no pictures of an old-school King bending over or being held up by his teammates — only his legendary game face. Jordan’s game ranks #2 in ESPN’s 25 best playoff games since 1978. King missed the cut. On to the Celtics.

“He had splints on both of his middle fingers, both dislocations… Bernard is ill and can’t come to the shootaround. They’re feeding him intravenously… Now, we can’t hit him on the break because he can’t dribble with the pain in his hands. So we’re thinking, how the hell are we going to win with this guy?”  – Hubie Brown [HOF 2005, Contributor]

Celtics Hijack Bernard: Watch the tapes: they literally hijacked him. They fouled him. They smacked him. They mugged him. You don’t think those Celtics played rough? Watch tape of Larry Bird leveling Bernard just a couple of years earlier. Lebron couldn’t relate, and Kevin Durant would snap in two. Now watch Larry just walk away. Not even a “my bad”. Watch Bernard dust himself off. No problem. That was basketball in the 1980’s before sports media turned every minor NBA scuffle into The Watts Riots.

“One guy would foul you, and the foul is already called, and then two other guys would hit you.  And that’s a fact.”  – Bernard King

 The Bitch Is Back: Before and during the series, those Celtics talked smack:

“He ain’t getting 40 on us. We’re going to stop the bitch.” — Cedric Maxwell [Retired Jersey, 2003]

“They’re in the grave, and we’ve got the shovel in our hands”.  — Kevin McHale [HOF 1999]   

King would drop 43 and 44 in Games 4 and 6 and bring some humility back to Boston for Game 7:

“Nothing Max and I tried to do worked.” – McHale

“We held him. We pushed him. We were draped all over him. The guy was just unreal.” — Maxwell

King vs. Hall of Fame East Wing: The 1984 Celtics played four Hall-of-Famers in their prime and their 5th best was a former NBA Finals MVP [Maxwell]. All of Bernard’s fellow starters would have been Celtic back-ups. That’s not conjecture. Guard Ray Williams — the Knicks third leading scorer at 15 points per game – became a Celtic backup the very next season and averaged only 6.4 points. Larry Bird couldn’t make Ray better.

In Game 7, Bird would turn in a stellar 39-point triple-double, King would get leveled early by Robert Parish, and the Celtics would move on and beat The Lakers for the championship. Bird’s Game 7 and series was treated by media as proof of Bird’s edge over King while few asked: “What if Bird and King swapped teammates?”

 “The best thing about having that series over was saying goodbye to Bernard King… If they had gotten by us, they would have had a good shot at a championship” – Larry Bird

King vs. Bird: Before Lebron James was born, Bernard King and Larry Bird were raising the small forward position to new heights. Both were named Most Valuable Player in a split-decision: the media chose Larry and players and coaches chose Bernard [see King of Peers]. So it was fitting they would meet. Well, they sort of met.

For seven games Bernard can be seen chasing Larry all over the court while King received tag-team beat-downs from Maxwell and Mchale.  Bird was left to “guard” an aging Truck Robinson, and float like a free safety.  Anyone who has ever played a hard game of pick-up basketball – let alone a grueling NBA series — understands this advantage.  Often missing from media analysis was how Bird’s hall-of-fame teammates made him better – especially defensively [see King of Peers]. Few asked: “What if Larry had spent his energy guarding Bernard?”

“I didn’t guard Bernard. I knew I had no chance guarding Bernard.” – Larry Bird

King vs. “The Winner Myth”: In their first five seasons, Wilt, Michael and Lebron all put up prolific numbers – except for wins. During his only five seasons without Oscar Robertson or Magic Johnson, same goes for Kareem.  Kobe after Shaq had a 3-year hangover before help came. ALL these legends had losing seasons, and only once during those 23 seasons was 50 wins exceeded. As for the Knicks, Willis Reed and Walt Frazier were definitely winners (must read: When the Garden Was Eden), but they needed each other. In their six seasons apart, the Knicks never had a winning record.

“At the end of the day, rings don’t always define someone’s career.” – Lebron James

King vs. Ewing’s Ghost: Patrick Ewing is also a winner and owns a phenomenal unsung achievement: his Knicks advanced in the playoffs for eight consecutive years. The handful of legends to match this all had superior teammates. Sadly, King and Ewing would only start one game together — the 1991 All-Star Game. Bernard’s astonishing return to All-Star status with a new knee, new team, and new game (post-up to face-up) came six years later. Think about that.

Just how many Knick championships were lost during that time? In his senior year at Georgetown, a swarmed Ewing opened up the floor for his teammates while averaging only nine shots per game –fourth most on the team. We already know how close King came with Billy Cartwright as his #2. With Bernard, Ewing gets to keep his Russellesque role, and both men experience career firsts: single-man coverage. Today, HBO would be running Knick documentaries called “When the Game was Theirs”. After finally getting The Hall call today, King reflected:

“The only regret I have is that [Ewing] and I didn’t team together. Because I believe in my heart of hearts that we would have won a championship.”. — Bernard King

 

Chuck Modiano of POPSspot, for War Room Sports

I.   “Who is Bernard King”: The NBA’s Invisible Genius
II.   Genius Unchained: Bernard King vs. Isiah, Larry, and History 
III.  Genius Contained: Bernard King vs. Hubie Brown
IV.   Genius Explained: Bernard King vs. Youtube (coming Thursday)
V.     The King of Peers: Bernard King vs. Media (coming next Friday)
VI.   The Jordan Rules: Bernard King vs. Michael (coming next Saturday)

 

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Who is Bernard King?: The NBA’s Invisible Genius

Tuesday, April 9th, 2013

by Chuck Modiano

G – Magic 
G – Isiah
F – Larry
F – Bernard
C – Kareem/Moses

No last names are necessary.

These men make up the 1st team All-NBA stars in Bernard King’s last two Knick seasons before he blew out his knee in March 1985 – the same year he led the NBA in scoring. This is the company King kept.

In 1984, King would produce a half-season scoring tear never duplicated in NBA history; upset the Pistons in the greatest playoff series performance in NBA history, and almost single-handedly upend the 1984 Celtics — one of greatest teams in NBA history.  In 1984, Bernard could be found in dated Converse commercials, rap songs, and Sports Illustrated covers which bowed to “His Royal Highness”.

With an unstoppable Carmelo Anthony balling like its 1984, and reports of Bernard’s induction into the Naismith Hall of Fame, The Invisible King will receive another bow this week.

While starving King fans will naturally celebrate, something just isn’t right. King’s 15 minutes of crumbs come too little, too late – 15 years to be exact.

We could only hope this week will help jump-start the only real NBA debate. Bernard’s rightful place in the Hall of Legends.

Where did The King stand amongst the greats? Let’s ask them

“Bernard King was the toughest matchup of my career. And I say that from the heart.” – Julius Erving [HOF 1993]

“Bernard King… is the best forward in the league, hands down”.  – Larry Bird [HOF 1998]

“We are just in awe of Bernard” — Isiah Thomas [HOF 2000].

Now consider that Larry and Isiah’s praise came before the 1984 playoffs and epic Showdown in Motown where

KING AVERAGED 42 PLAYOFF POINTS ON 60% SHOOTING!

No other player in NBA history has ever averaged over 40 playoff points on 60% shooting in the playoffs – not Wilt in ‘62, not Jerry in ‘65, and not Michael in ‘88.  Not Kareem, Shaq, Kobe, or Lebron.

Only Bernard King.

King also did it while battling Isiah, the flu, and mangled hands.

Afterwards, King was asked about his “hot streak”. Bernard asked back:

“At what point is it no longer considered just a roll?”

Answer: The rest of your life Bernard. The rest of your life.

King’s perceived eruption on a national stage was no hot streak.

What happened right before it was even more historic, but never documented until now:

IN 1984, KING AVERAGED 30 POINTS ON 60% SHOOTING FOR 40 STRAIGHT GAMES! [1]

Lebron and Carmelo, please read that again.

No other player in NBA history has likely ever matched this half-season stretch [2].

In the playoffs, the unstoppable King simply took more shots. That’s all.

For the few mesmerized souls who watched those games on WWOR Channel 9, King’s “30@60for40” validates that we aren’t suffering from nostalgia gone wild.

Bernard King was who we thought he was.

Unlike Knick legends Patrick Ewing, Walt Frazier, and Willis Reed, no one more than Bernard transforms grown Knick fans into babbling children, gets stuffy 50 year old accountants to jump around like Spike Lee, and elicits reactions of: “I swear I saw Jesus in shorts”. No, not “Black Jesus” ala Earl Monroe’s other nickname — just “Jesus”.

Truth be told, here is what many Knick fans in bars swear to this very day: at his pre-injury peak Bernard King was a better small forward than Larry Bird and a greater scorer than Michael Jordan.

If that sounds crazy to you, please consult his peers again:

“I have never feared anybody that I’ve played against – Bird, Magic, Doctor, Michael – and I respect and love all of those guys… Bernard King is the only guy that ever scared the hell out of me.”  – Dominique Wilkins [HOF 2006]:

Listen to Dominique. Few in media will publically utter such words for fear of ridicule or straight-jacket. But we are not the crazy ones.

It is the rest of the sports universe that has gone insane.

Unless long dead, there is no other athlete in any sport whose gap between greatness and recognition is larger — even after this week.

The humiliations are endless.

Will Bernard make the Hall of Fame this year? Should King have made the NBA’s 50 greatest players list? Will the Knicks finally retire his iconic #30 jersey?

The questions themselves demean NBA history. What about media?

In February, Lebron had six straight games of 30 points on 60% shooting, and ESPN.com lost their efficient minds, but no mention of King. Last year ESPN issued its 25 greatest playoff performances since 1978, and no King again. Sorry B, your 42 @60% and legendary Game 5 just weren’t dominant enough.

In 1984, The New York Times closely chronicled King’s nuanced brilliance in “Mysterious Moves” and “Never a Knick Like Him””, but on the 25th anniversary of that magical season, another small forward stole the show with a 10,000 word profile: Shane Battier:  “The No-Stats All-Star”.

What about the greatest player in Tennessee history, half of the famed Bernie and Ernie Show, and legendary Kentucky killer? When Kentucky coach John Calipari told his 2010 team that Bernard was talking pre-game trash in Tennessee’s locker room, the youngsters responded:

“Who is Bernard King?”, ”What number is Bernard King?”, and  “I’m guarding him?”

Ouch!

How did we get here?

Is there some vast hide-King conspiracy? Not quite, but corporate interests have reduced the NBA’s Golden Era to “Magic vs. Bird”, and lesser victims include Kareem, Julius, Moses, Isiah, and the great small forward of the 1980’s.

Bernard’s knee injury alone doesn’t explain it either. No one adds up career stats for Sandy Koufax, Gale Sayers, Earl Campbell, or Bill Walton. We know what happened to them.

Reasons for King’s vanishing includes playoff-lore hijackings by Isiah, Larry, and Michael [see II: Genius Unchained]; his unspectacular style, his early-career substance abuse, his forgotten Warrior years, his teammates, and his plodding coach Hubie Brown [see III. Genius Contained].

It also involves a dysfunctional Hall of Fame and sports media largely incapable of recognizing historic greatness without historic teammates. Despite being voted Most Valuable Player by their peers, King (1984), young Michael (1989), and Lebron (2006) were all denied those awards by media, and had their status as “winners” questioned. Where players see lack of support, media perceives lack of maturity, but only a lack of imagination could deny King as champion beside Patrick Ewing [see V: The King of Peers].

King’s past has been forgotten, a healthy future rarely imagined, but most of all, his present genius was never fully realized too far beyond his own peers, local fans, and a few journalists [3].

Bernard’s game was historically unique, but he often gets lumped into a sea of history’s high-volume scoring forwards. While The Tennessee Terror stormed on the NCAA scene with 42 points in his very first game as a freshman, his truer legacy can be found in his nation-leading 62% shooting.

Lebron James is receiving great credit for shooting 56% this year, but King shot 56% over a 5-year pre-injury prime (1980-85) and did it without any all-star teammates. The playoffs are where shooting percentages go to die (see Karl Malone), but King shot a stunning 58% in 18 Knick playoff games. Only the greatest ones maintain accuracy against playoff defense — our very best test for “unstoppability” across eras.

King also defied every selfish scorer stereotype. He was not a one on one player, never needed isolations, never took bad shots, and did it all within the game’s flow. He was a scoring scientist whose quick release, midrange mastery, and disciplined shot selection have gone the way of Kareem’s skyhook [see IV: Genius Explained].

King also suffered from a pre-Jordan era where it was thought impossible to score like Mike, but win like Magic. If Jordan is any indication, Bernard was too unselfish. Jordan had more athleticism, style, and shot attempts, but not accuracy [see VI: The Jordan Rules].

Today, Bernard is mostly remembered for his 60 points on Christmas Day, and scoring 50 points on back-to back nights in 1984. Mr. Hot Streak has now become Mr. Hot Game, and The King of Efficiency has been largely reduced to Jamal Crawford – a career 41% chucker.

Before Lebron’s February outburst, the last great scoring streak came from Kobe Bryant in 2004. Back then, Scoop Jackson tried to educate the youth when he asked the obvious:

“What’s up with the love? [Bernard] had scoring stretches that lasted seasons, not just games.”

Jackson continued:

“He was a genius interrupted… The universal love that evaded his career was found scrolled inside a book penned by his peers.”

Jackson’s question was ignored, so a decade later the kids want to know:

“Who is Bernard King?”

Have a seat son and move over Mr. Battier, King’s invisible genius must be explained.

II.   Genius Unchained: Bernard King vs. Isiah and Larry (coming Tuesday)
III.  Genius Contained: Bernard King vs. Hubie (coming Wednesday)
IV.   Genius Explained: Bernard King vs. Youtube (coming Thursday)
V.     The King of Peers: Bernard King vs. Media (coming next Monday)
VI.   The Jordan Rules: Bernard King vs. Michael (coming next Tuesday)

Or you can always just ask his peers:

“Man, Bernard King, he was the truth.”  — Bob McAdoo [HOF 2003]

 

Chuck Modiano od POPSspot.com, for War Room Sports

[1] Beginning on January 14, King scored 1219 points (482-808) over the next three months spanning 40 regular season games (ending right before regular season’s final meaningless game before the playoffs)

[2] It is highly unlikely that King’s 40 games of 30 points on 60% shooting has been duplicated – even when factoring eFG. The highest FG% for a 30 PPG season is Kareem Abdul Jabbar who scored 32 points on .577 shooting in 70-71 and an incredible 35 points on .574 shooting in ’71-’72. Adrian Dantley also scored 30.3 points on 57% shooting in ’81-’82.

[3] Many journalists have helped keep King’s memory alive. Special thanks to Ira Berkow,  Dennis D’Agostino, Bobbito Garcia and Ali, Alan Hahn, John Hareas, Scoop Jackson, Bruce Jenkins,  Bill Simmons, Dave Zirin, and others.

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Does LeBron James have the potential to be better than Michael Jordan?

Wednesday, November 7th, 2012

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Michael Jordan: The Gift and the Curse

Friday, June 1st, 2012

By Brandon McConnell

The game of basketball has been around for years.  We have seen multiple teams win championships over the years using different ways of getting there.

In the ’80s, we had three teams in that decade that won multiple championships, which included the Lakers, Celtics, and Pistons.  All of these teams had something in common.  They were complete teams that played together in order to accomplish one common goal. 

The Lakers had a starting lineup that included:
Magic Johnson
Byron Scott
Michael Cooper
James Worthy
Kareem Adul-Jabbar

The Celtics had a starting lineup that included:
Dennis Johnson
Danny Ainge
Larry Bird
Kevin McHale
Robert Parrish

The Pistons had a starting lineup that included:
Isaiah Thomas
Joe Dumars
Mark Aguirre
Bill Laimbeer
James Edwards

All the above championship teams had players who came together and played team basketball.  These teams had productive bench play and no one was trying to outshine their teammates.

Then came the birth of Michael Jordan.  A player who took over the NBA by himself, taking on all teams.  He led the league in scoring almost every year.  If you grew up in the ’80s and ’90s, you wanted to “Be Like Mike”.  Michael Jordan, not purposely, taught little kids to be selfish and go after your individual stats to succeed in basketball.  After many years of losing to the Celtics and Pistons, Michael realized that it took a team effort to become a championship.  He finally figured it out, and partnered with Scottie Pippen and other great role players to win six NBA championships.

While becoming a champion, Michael Jordan birthed children like Allen Iverson, Kobe Bryant, and Tracy McGrady.  These and other players came into the league with the belief that they had to win championships by solely leading their teams and by putting up the majority of shots like Michael did in order to become great.  Kobe Bryant quickly learned, due to veteran leadership around him, that it takes a team to win championships.

The offspring of Michael Jordan has finally grown up to become great players.  They are finally teaching the up and coming players that team basketball is the way to go.  Just take a look at the 2012 Kentucky Wildcats, who were dynamic underclassmen that came together to achieve one goal and that was a National Championship.  The Kentucky Wildcats all compromised their individual success in order to gain team success.

The NBA is finally getting back to great team basketball.  The Dallas Mavericks won last year with great team effort.  They even had bench players like Jason Terry and J.J. Barea who really made the difference during the 2011 NBA Finals.  This year you have the San Antonio Spurs, who just had a 20-game winning streak snapped, playing the best team ball I have ever seen.  If you want to see basketball the way Dr. James Naismith designed it, watch the San Antonio Spurs.

We can all thank Michael Jordan, because he showed us how life was when you have all the individual honors and no championship and how life is when you make your teammates better and win multiple championships.

Brandon McConnell of “Respect Da Game”, for War Room Sports

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The Kobe Effect

Tuesday, April 17th, 2012

By Brandon McConnell

Kobe Bryant is arguably one of the best players that has ever picked up a basketball.  He has won 5 rings with the Los Angeles Lakers and is searching for that 6th ring to catch his idol Michael Jordan. 

This year while Kobe has been trying to lead his team to a championship, he has suffered a few injuries.  Right now, he has missed the past 5 games due to an injured shin.  In Kobe’s absence, the Los Angeles Lakers have put up a 4-1 record, consisting of an impressive win on Sunday versus last year’s NBA Champion Dallas Mavericks.

The amazing thing about the Lakers’ recent play is the production they have been receiving from role players Metta World Peace (can’t believe I just typed that), and Matt Barnes.  Last week, World Peace led the Lakers past the Spurs with 26 points, when he only averages 7.4 points a game.  Matt Barnes led the team past Denver on Friday with 24 points, when he averages 7.7 points a game.  Why are these guys not producing on a more consistent basis?  Could it be the KOBE EFFECT?

KOBE EFFECT – The act of decreasing in productivity due to the lack of shots and confidence while in the presence of Kobe Bryant.

Let’s see if this theory holds any weight when it comes to teammates that won championships with Kobe.

The first year he won a championship, the Lakers traded for Glen Rice to help the team get over the hump.  Glen Rice averaged 22.3 points a game with 45% shooting the year before he became a Laker, and averaged 15.9 points a game at 43% shooting the year they won the championship. 

The next year Mitch Richmond joined the Lakers and won a championship.  He averaged 16.2 points per game at 40% shooting with the Wizards, then joined the Lakers and averaged 4.1 points per game at 40% shooting.

Finally, Ron Artest aka Metta World Peace averaged 17.3 points per game at 40% shooting with the Rockets, then joined the Lakers and averaged 11.7 points per game at 41% shooting.

For some reason, perimeter players have the hardest time being successful with Kobe Bryant.  Is it because Kobe shoots the ball too much?  Is it the stress of playing on a championship caliber team?  Is it the lack of trust Kobe has for his teammates, which results in the lack of shot attempts they receive?

One thing I’ve learned in the last week is the Lakers are real contenders, but if Kobe Bryant doesn’t realize that he actually has good players around him, that can realistically help him win that 6th ring, then he can just pop in the Luniz cd, cause all he will have is “FIVE ON IT“!

Brandon McConnell of “Respect Da Game”, for War Room Sports

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Kobe Bryant vs Father Time and Mother Nature

Thursday, January 12th, 2012

By Bradley Anderson

Kobe Bryant is arguably one of the most polarizing figures in sports history.  He is also without much argument the second best shooting guard to ever live, and to some a top 5 player of all time.  We’ve witnessed an amazing 15-year career which has given us rings, scoring titles, an 81-point BIG-BANG EXTINCTION LEVEL EVENT, we’ve seen him cheat on his Vanessa, we’ve seen him snitch on Shaq, we’ve seen him shoot, dunk, finger roll, dunk…and shoot again.  Some say “he doesn’t trust his teammates”, “he’s too selfish”, “he’s a pistol/gun/uzi/bazooka/scud/ball-stopping hog who refuses to pass” (but would you pass to Kwame, Smush, and Derek?).  ”He isn’t Mike” (this is my favorite because I used to use that both in my own mind and to others).  At 33, most professional basketball players are winding down from their prime years if not preparing for that exit stage left in 2 to 4 years.  Production dips, 25 ppg scorers become 16 ppg scorers, 2 steals a game becomes 0.8 steals per game…and ultimately…those guaranteed 22 shots per game becomes 10 or 11.  This isn’t basketball, this is the human experience.  You cannot box with God, Father Time, or Mother Nature…you will lose.  Michael Jordan didn’t listen and Kobe Bryant isn’t listening.  With 15 years of service in, it’s not without reason that the whispers of fading athleticism and diminishing skills have become an audible undertone.  It’s reasonable.  The average player Kobe’s age is suffering “the slow down”.  But with 15 years already in, Kobe should be stopping.  He’s not.

Just some Facts:

First NBA player this season to score over 40 points, with a 48-point outburst against the Phoenix Suns on 1/10/2012.  He followed that up the very next night with a 40-point performance in Utah, making him one of only THREE players in NBA HISTORY (Shaq and Kareem) to post back-to-back 40 point nights in their 16th NBA season.
He’s averaging more points (on less shots), more assists, and more rebounds per game than in any of his three previous seasons.

-1st in ppg, 1st in total points scored.

-Every other player in the top 10 is 26 years old or younger

-Has 364 points through his first 12 games this season. That is the third most since 1985 among players who are at least 33 years old. (Kobe [who has done this while being in the league
 16 seasons], Bernard King [my favorite 3-man of all time], and Michael Jeffery Jordan [who had the benefit of fewer miles…Kobe has 14 playoff appearances]).

-In NBA history, only 2 other players have scored 48 points in a single game and have been in their 16th season.  The other two are HOF’ers, multiple Finals MVP winners, and NBA MVP winners.

-109 games with 40 points or more. Most by active player.

-17 in the 1st quarter vs the Suns – most in a quarter by a player 33 or older since MJ.

Comments from Kobe’s mouth courtesy of Tuesday night’s post game interview:

“Not bad for the seventh-best player in the league”… [referring to an online ranking of the NBA's top 500 players].
 

“If I play bad or have one bad game like I did in Denver, everybody cries for a change or cries for the fact that I’m too old.  It’s just a bad game with a bad wrist” [referring to his 16 points in a loss against the Nuggets on New Year's Day].  ”You got to figure out a way to get it done.”

From his teammate, Derek Fisher: 

“He’s always going to be aggressive and assertive to score, but he’s picking his spots and he’s doing it in a very efficient manner”…
“That [the 48 vs the Suns] ranks it right up there with the best of them because it doesn’t look like he’s trying to do it.  He’s just doing it within the flow of the game. That’s been very effective for him and for us.”

From 2-time NBA MVP Steve Nash: 

“He’s the best player in the game, so you come to expect that type of performance from him, if not regularly, then throughout the season at different times…He was phenomenal.”

Suns’ leading scorer from Lakers-Suns game Channing Frye:

“If he don’t care about his wrist, I don’t care about his wrist…Everybody makes a big deal about it, but he’s been scoring 28, 30 a game.  So let’s just call it what it is.  He’s a great player, he’s the best individual player in basketball, and every night he comes to work.  For us, we don’t like losing to the Lakers.  But they came out and played a good game, and he played an amazing game.”

The thing that puts Kobe in that rare air…we are witnessing COMPETITIVE GREATNESS…willing himself to win rounds in a fight against Father Time and Mother Nature.

Bradley Anderson of The War Room, for War Room Sports                               

 

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What are your thoughts on Joe Johnson of The Atlanta Hawks?

Wednesday, December 28th, 2011

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Mitchell Butler visits The War Room During The NBA Lockout

Wednesday, December 28th, 2011

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Overseas Ballers: Mike Jordan Edition

Thursday, December 15th, 2011

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