Kobe vs MJ

Kobe vs MJ

Those who say Kobe is better than MJ are seriously wacked out on something, but I’m yet to determine what that something is. Kobe has 5 rings Michael has 6, people say that when Kobe gets his 6^th he will be the greatest ever. Some people, one of my class mates included say that Kobe is already the greatest to step onto a basketball court. So going on a statistical analysis and a championship basis also compared to who they had to play against in the same era I will now look at who is the better player.

The following video shows a comparison between the game style of both superstars http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v27Hk5OIe-k&feature=player_embedded

To start with I will look at Michael Jordan’s era and who he faced along with who he played alongside during the years he won his 6 rings.

In 1991when Michael Jordan won his first NBA championship they came up against the show-time Lakers which included Magic Johnson arguably the greatest point guard in NBA history. It also included Vlade Divac and Big game James Worthy. In the playoff series Michael averaged 31.1 points per game, 6.4 rebounds per game and 8.4 assists per game. He did this while shooting at 52.4% from the field, 38.5% from three point range and 84.5% from the free throw line as well as pulling in 40 steals. The bulls won this series 4-1. The team that Jordan played alongside include Hall of Famer Scottie Pippen and big man Horace Grant in this series Pippen averaged 21.6ppg, 8.9rpg and 5.8apg.

In 1992 when Jordan won his second ring he had to beat the Portland Trail Blazers in the finals, the Trail Blazer had Clyde the glide Drexler who went on to be a Hall of Famer and Centre Kevin Duckworth. They defeated the Trail Blazers 4- .In the 1992 playoffs Jordan averaged 34.5ppg, 6.2rpg and 5.8apg whilst shooting at 49.9% from the field, 38.6% from three and 85.7% from the free throw line. Jordan also gained 44 steals. Again in this series he was the leader of a team that comprised of Pippen and Grant. In these playoffs Pippen averaged 19.5ppg, 8.8rpg and 6.7apg.

The three peat, in 1993 when the bulls managed the three peat they had to defeat a Phoenix Suns team comprising of Charles Barkley, Kevin Johnson and Kurt Rambis. They defeated the Suns 4-. In the 1993 playoffs Jordan averaged 35.1ppg, 6.7rpg and 6.0apg whilst shooting at 47.5% from the field, 38.9% from three and 80.5% from the free throw line. Jordan also grabbed 39 steals. Again during this season he played alongside Pippen and Grant however Grant was nearing the end of his career and hardly put up amazing numbers. Pippen however averaged 20.1ppg, 6.9rpg and 5.6apg, showing that Jordan again was the leader of this team.

In 1996 after two years away from the game Jordan returned to lead his team again to an NBA championship, this time they had to beat a Seattle Supersonics team that included Hersey Hawkins, Shaun Kemp, Nate McMillan, Gary Payton and Detlef Schrempf. They defeated the Supersonics .In these playoffs Jordan averaged 30.7ppg, 4.9rpg and 4.1apg whilst shooting at 45.9% from the field, 40.3% from three and 81.8% from the free throw line and getting 33 steals. In these playoffs Jordan had a surrounding cast of Pippen and Rodman. Pippen averaged 16.9ppg, 8.5rpg and 5.9apg indicating again that this was Jordan’s team.

In 1997 when going for his 5^th ring in 5 playing seasons Jordan and the Bulls had to defeat Karl Malone, John Stockton, Jeff Hornacek and the Utah Jazz. They defeated the Jazz 4-2. In these playoffs Jordan averaged 31.1ppg, 7.9rpg and 4.8apg while shooting at 45.6% from the field, 19.4% from three and 83.1% from the line; he also grabbed 30 steals and played game 5 with the flu to help win the championship. Again the supporting cast was Pippen and Rodman, Pippen averaged 19.2ppg, 6.8rpg and 3.8apg again indicating it was Jordan’s team and not someone else’s.

The second three peat, and Jordan’s 6^th ring in as many seasons. This time around they would have to overcome the same Utah Jazz team of the previous season, again it took them six games and they won the series 4-2. In these playoffs Jordan averaged 32.4ppg, 5.1rpg and 3.5apg again with a shooting percentage of 46.2% from the field, 30.2% from the three and 81.2% from the line. He also gained 32 steals. Jordan again was the leader of this playoff series with Pippen and Rodman as his sidekicks. Pippen averaged 16.8ppg, 7.1rpg and 5.2apg.

Add these playoff numbers mentioned above with the 6 finals series MVP’s 5 regular season MVP’s, 14 All Star game appearances, 10x Scoring Champ, 3x Steals leader, 9x NBA All Defensive first team and 10x All NBA first team, just shows how much of an all-round player that Michael was. He changed the game for the better and will be forever remembered for this.

Now I will have a look at the teams Kobe has had to defeat and who was on his team for the 5 championships he has to his name.

Kobe’s first ring came in 2000 when the Lakers played the Indiana Pacers in the NBA finals, the Pacers line-up included Reggie Miller and Chris Mullen. The Lakers won this series 4-2. During the 2000 playoffs Kobe averaged 21.1ppg, 4.5rpg and 4.4apg while shooting at 44.2% from the field, 34.4% from the three and 75.4% from the line. Kobe also achieved 32 steals for the playoffs. In these playoffs Kobe played alongside Shaquille O’Neal, Robert Horry and Derek Fisher. Shaq averaged 30.7ppg, 15.4rpg and 3.1apg making this Shaq’s team not Kobe’s. Meaning that Kobe was Shaq’s sidekick like Pippen had been for Jordan.

In 2001 when Kobe was going for his 2^nd ring the Lakers had to get past the Philadelphia 76ers team that was made up of Allen Iverson and Dikembe Mutombo. The Lakers won this series 4-1. In the 2001 playoffs Kobe averaged 29.4ppg, 7.3rpg and 6.1apg whilst shooting at 46.9% from the field, 32.4% from three and 82.1% from the line; he also reeled in 25 steals. Again Kobe had the same players with him but with the addition of Horace Grant. Shaq averaged 30.4ppg, 15.4rpg and 3.2apg making this once again Shaq’s team with Kobe as his sidekick.

The three peat, in 2002 for the three peat the Lakers had to first defeat the New Jersey Nets and with them Jason Kidd and Brian Scalabrine. The Lakers swept the Nets to record the three peat. In the playoffs Kobe averaged 26.6ppg, 5.8rpg and 4.6apg whilst shooting at 43.4% from the field, 37.9% from three and 75.9% from the line. Kobe also had 27 steals during the playoffs. Alongside Kobe again stood Shaq, Robert Horry and Derek Fisher to help the Lakers seal the championship. Shaq averaged 28.5ppg, 12.6rpg and 2.8apg again making this Shaq’s team not Kobe’s.

7 years after Shaq had left the Lakers, Kobe finally had his 4^th ring in 2009. To get this they had to defeat the Orlando Magic and Dwight Howard. They won the series 4-1. In the 09 playoffs Kobe averaged 30.2ppg, 5.3rpg and 5.5apg, shot the ball at 45.7% from the field, 34.9% from three and 88.3% from the line. Kobe also netted 38 steals. During the 09 playoffs the Lakers also had Pau Gasol, Lamar Odom, Derek Fisher and Andrew Bynum. This was the first championship that Kobe had led a team to with Gasol averaging 18.3ppg, 10.8rpg and 2.5apg.

In 2010 the Lakers came up against the Boston Celtics that comprised of Paul Pierce, Ray Allen, Kevin Garnett, Rajon Rondo and Kendrick Perkins. The Lakers won this series in 7 games 4-3. Kobe again led the Lakers to a championship averaging 29.2ppg, 6rpg and 5.5apg, shooting at 45.8% from the field, 37.4% from three and 84.2% from the line. Kobe also stole the ball 31 times during these playoffs. The Lakers that year included Pau Gasol, Ron Artest, Derek Fisher, Lamar Odom and Andrew Bynum. Pau averaged 19.6ppg, 11.1rpg and 3.5apg.

To me I believe that Kobe only has 5 rings because he had Shaq leading the team for three of them the other two he was the team leader.

Kobe’s other achievements are that he is a 2x NBA Finals MVP, 1x Regular season MVP, 14x All Star appearance, 4x All Star MVP, 2x Scoring Champ, 9x NBA all defensive first team and a 10x All NBA first team.

Comparing the two of them like this makes me believe that Michael Jordan is the greatest player ever, however they both play a very similar game, in fact Kobe’s game is almost identical to Michael’s. Michael came first and changed the game. Kobe is playing like a ghost of Michael Jordan. If I were to say who is the greatest I would say Michael Jordan with Kobe not far behind in 2^nd when he gets a few more rings leading a team then and only then can he be equal with the great Michael Jordan.