Nobody Cares About Team USA

Kobe's Empire wrote:i was only on fire because "the champs" started this flame and i know other laker fans support my ideas and thoughts.

Make no mistake about it, this IS a debate, not a flame... at least not yet. This goes for both of you. As CL might say, "don't hate the player, hate the game".

Here's my take on it. I think Shaq and Kobe put in GREAT numbers and did equally impressive things for the team during our 3 championships...

However, nobody came up more in crunch time than Kobe Bryant. I disagree with the fact that he would shoot poorly for 3 quarters. His FG percentage would be below average if that were true.

Shaq is without question the most dominant player to ever play the game. Although he did come up in the clutch for us, Kobe was the guy who would come up big for us when we needed him, particularly in the playoffs. Kobe was dropping 30ppg and dishing out assists during the playoffs as well.

If you look at the playoffs, Kobe would penetrate and draw defenders and dish it out to guys who could get open looks-- whether it would be Fisher on the perimeter or Shaq in the paint. Unfortunately, Kobe's remarkable court awareness and his ability to penetrate with ease doesn't show up on the stat sheets.

There were times where Shaq carried the Lakers, but there also were times when Kobe did just as well.

"Duncan's teammates carried him" LOL

riiight. They carried him to 52.9% fg shooting in last years playoffs? They carried him so he could get up to block 3.3 shots per game? They carried him to the glass so he'd pull down 15.4 rpg?

Tim Duncan career regular season fg% - 51.0
Tim Duncan career playoff fg% - 50.5

Kobe Bryant career regular season fg% - 45.6
Kobe Bryan career playof fg% - 43.9

KTHX BYE

I agree with you that Duncan's teammates didn't carry him. He got support when he needed it from his teammates, but they definitely did not carry him throughout the season and playoffs.

The reason Duncan's FG% is higher than Kobe's is because he's shooting down low, taking closer shots, and he can use his power to get open looks. Kobe is more of a perimeter shooter and slasher and it's MUCH harder to get points that way.

It's more difficult for a dominant SG to get points than an dominant big man. It's simple.

It's understandable to compare McGrady and Kobe, because they both play the same position. But if you're going to compare Kobe and Duncan, it makes no sense because they have to play two completely different games.

Duncan gets more open and closer looks than Kobe does.

ok so basically to sum it up...duncrap is the same thing in the regular season and in the post. if u had read my post above, u would have read that duncrap cannot give u more than what he gives u every night. You know what kobe will give u, but u know he will come through int he clutch and he will give u more than what is expected. His teammates are a big part of who he is. If we was on a sorry team, he could not to anything. As someone said before, he even admitted that his teammates carried him at times. Duncrap is just another 7 footer on the court in the last half of the fourth quarter. KOBE turns into your executioner in the last half of the fourth quarter. Simple as that. GREAT PLAYERS ARE MADE IN THE CLUTCH. Kobe is Mr. Clutch. Duncrap draws a double team like Kobe and Shaq does, but his supporting cast hits their shots and is consistent. The Lakers are all Kobe and Shaq. Fisher is inconsistent at times. So is Fox, so is George, so is everyone else on the bench. And if they do hit their shots one game, their defense breaks down play after player.

Let me put it this way. The Laker Role players have NEVER, EVER carried shaq and kobe (except for maybe 1 game this year where george led the team with 21 points). Kobe and Shaq have ad to carry the lakers. Kobe carries the Lakers at important times, that people don;t take into consideration. Shaq gets the MVP of the Finals because there is no one to gaurd him. ALl the defenders are guard size and focus on Kobe. So why not give it to Shaq with a 6'11, 240 center on him instead of giving it to kobe with 60 defenders his size on him? Shaq gets the glory when the games count, even though Kobe makes it happen. It;s just another game when kobe has to carry them. Kobe pulls shaq through in the clutch. He doesnt get regocnition because Shaq is the leading scorer.

How many times has duncrap done anything close to clutch? If Duncrap hit his freethrows in game 1 against pheonix, they would not have been beat by a prayer by steph. This is why the spurms suck so much in the fourth quarter.......THE FOURTH QUARTER IS CLUTCH TIME. Duncrap is the opposite of Clutch, and his teammates need to feed off of him. Therefore, the led is given up. If Robert "Traitor" Horry just hit 1 damn shot this year, we would have went on to win another ring.......