Barnes finally talks about that moment.

[Real Deal]

Kobe would've flinched if Michael Jordan did that to him? Like that really matters? Wow dude...

 

I would flinch if a 15-year old, with no money, did that to me, an inch from my face. Money means nothing in this situation. I can't even believe this is in the discussion.

[Tyler81]

In my opinion, Kobe was fired up with adrenaline and it was mid-game so his mind was all basketball. He also knew Matt Barnes wouldn't really do it because he is smarter than that, but any of us would flinch no matter who is in the act of hurling a ball at our faces

[bigdog17k]

I'm rich, so no need to react to anything.

[The Regime]

This arguement doesn't make any sense at all.

Edited May 30, 2010 by Confidence

[xx.]

If a 4 year old little Asian girl came up to me and snapped her fingers in front of my face, I would flinch.

 

/thread

[Multi-Billionaire]

Again, you guys have been using your own perspectives in seeing the situation.

 

We can't see it from our perspectives, because we're not even a millionaire. Kobe/ mega superstars are about $500 mil rich. We have to try to place ourselves in their shoes... and we can start talking/ discussing about understanding them... if you want to understand them.

 

You can't say you understand a half billionaire if you're always in money problem and have to catch up with paying bills.

 

Obviously, we know Kobe is a lot more talented than us in basketball... but if that factor alone doesn't make us understand his "not flinching" or his mindset, then we have to take it further... what is the next obvious thing that makes us different from Kobe? It's obviously the millions that he has/ we don't have.

 

 

Ask yourself this: if money is not a problem for you, what would you really do? Not only in this situation, but in life. When money is not problem/ you're not limited to it, then you can start thinking like rich people do. That's the common biggest difference between us and the rich... how they process situations are different than us... because they're not limited in some areas of life that we are. That's why you always see how-to-get-rich books titled "Think Like a Rich Man" or "Think Big"... notice the word "think". They don't title it "Work Like a Rich Man".

 

The biggest difference between the rich and the poor is the way they think. So, again, we can't use our own perspectives in seeing this situation if we want to understand that situation better.

 

 

How can we keep saying "Kobe is a beast" "Kobe is not human"... when we clearly don't understand something when we described it as "not human"?

 

We can't say we don't understand something/ someone if we don't try to see where they're coming from.

Edited May 30, 2010 by Snake

[The Artesticle]

wow dude

[Multi-Billionaire]

^Not to respond to your post...

 

But seriously, we always hear "I work hard, why am I never rich?"

 

It's because they work hard, instead of work smart.

 

 

Employees who work hard remain employees, working for money, paying bills and having to pay mortgage/ credit cards for the rest of their lives. And when they're 50, they're still working every day just to keep to survive. They have the "what else do I gotta do to make money?" mentality.

 

But employees who work smart always engage in brain works and want to know one thing: how can they make money work them (instead of them working for money)... can you see in this case, your money is your employee, not you being the employee working for money. When you begin questions like "how do I get rich? How do I make money work for me?" your brain keeps working/ running, instead of quitting like "I'll never be rich." when your brain shuts down for the rest of your lives at least regarding this subject. When you say things as they are, "it's terrible, it's beautiful, it's scary, it's funny" they are your reality and they will happen to you. So if you say "I'll never be rich" then you'll never be rich. But if you interject reality with questions "I'm not rich, but I wonder how can I get rich?" "I can't afford that house, but how can I afford it?" then your brain starts to work and if you keep it up, you will see a very big different result say 5-10 years... instead of "I can't afford it" and the house will never be in your reality.

 

So think like the rich people... It's also a lot more fun than thinking like homeless people, that's for sure.

 

Kobe is definitely rich... so we can't keep using our own "not rich" perspectives and try to understand him. That's why we keep saying he's a beast, he's not human. We have to place ourselves in his shoes and begin to see things through his eyes. But when you're stinkin rich like he is I guess you'd feel like you're a beast.

Edited May 30, 2010 by Snake

[Real Deal]

LOL, I was going to post a longer reply...but come on. If I had a baseball bat, and pretended to swing it at Donald Trump, he would flinch. If he didn't, he's a zombie. That's the end of this discussion.

[Multi-Billionaire]

Well sure if you're to swing a baseball bat at him... but I was already saying some rich people are dumb who feel like they're invincible and I'm not talking about those people. I'm talking about the smart rich people.

 

And you're countering with violence... I'm saying Donald wouldn't be intimidated with anything related to money... if you bragged to him you have 10 houses in your home state, why would it make him flinch when he has hotels and skyscrapers all over the world? That's my point... that's his strength... basketball is Kobe's strength. To intimidate Kobe with a basketball, which is his strength, and I'm sure Kobe was prepared even if Barnes was serious and really hit him in the face with the ball, he would have got the flagrant and Lakers would have free throws... I'm sure Kobe was expecting it to happen to the point he wanted it to happen. Like "try me, you punk!" And money factors in, like "you're only $30 mil guy trying to jaw at me the $500 mil face of the NBA superstar?"

 

Pretend you make $10,000 a week, then some guy making $2500 a week talking smack/ hard to you and acting like he's big time. Would you flinch? No. You would be amused.

 

 

Kobe was competitively amused by Barnes, I'm sure.

 

 

Say what you want that money does not matter, but it does. Max players have swagger and they trot on the court... you don't see players like Anthony Carter trots/ dances/ thumps his chest... maybe once in a while, but to do it often?

 

It reminds me of Damon Jones... that guy got $3-4 mil per year by playing with LeBron and he thought he was big time... he acted like a clown, got shipped to Bucks and disappeared lol That's what I meant by dumb rich people... they don't last. But again, I'm not talking about those rich people.

[Real Deal]

I don't even know what you're talking about anymore. I guess I will hold a stack of cash, act like I'm throwing it at Trump, and see if he flinches.

 

Why would I flinch when someone is talking trash? That wouldn't make ANYONE flinch.

 

Flinching means you act quickly by ducking, blinking, draw back suddenly, avoid contact instantly, etc. How do one's words, or someone's money, make me flinch (or not flinch)?

 

Tiger Woods: "I am the first billion dollar athlete, Brandon!"

Brandon Neal: "OH [expletive]!" *blinks and ducks his head*

[Multi-Billionaire]

^Don't think like that man, or you'll never be rich in your life.

 

Cmon you are good with girls... what is your mentality when it comes to girls? Are you the one who says "she'll never go out with me?" ("I can't afford it/ I will never be rich") or are you the one who says "how can I make this girl go out with me?" ("how can I afford it?/ how can I be rich?")... because whatever you say/ think is your reality. Get away from the "I can't" mentality and to the "how can I...?" mentality.

 

Similarly, you can't give up on trying to figure out Kobe Bryant... Well I'm sure Trump would flinch if you try to harm him physically, but you can also do some mental damage and make someone flinch (like you said "blink" or make them react).

 

 

If you're the "I'll date her" guy then that should carry on to the financial aspect of your life... "I'll be rich"... instead of "she'll never go out with me" or "I'll never be rich"... because whatever you think will be your reality.

Edited May 30, 2010 by Snake

[misterx]

isnt it just a ballfake? i do it all the time when i play...

[Multi-Billionaire]

isnt it just a ballfake? i do it all the time when i play...

 

It's a ballfake but clearly blatantly swinging toward his face like only inches away from contact. If I was the ref I would probably call a T on Barnes.

 

But it's true that when you're in the moment, it can make you block things easily...

[YugoRocketsFan]

Snake, you are clearly forgetting what Chris Childs did to Kobe.

[moeroadkill]

are we even talking about basketball?

[Multi-Billionaire]

Snake, you are clearly forgetting what Chris Childs did to Kobe.

 

Fight is not really an intimidation... Fight doesn't discriminate if you're rich or poorer. If Trump punches me for no reason, I will fight him as long as he plays fair... like not pays someone to murder me after the fight lol. I believe physical confrontation is easier for most men to handle than mental confrontation/ intimidation.

 

What Barnes did to Kobe was mental confrontation... he was trying to mess with Kobe's mind. And in mental confrontation, I believe being rich plays a big part in your intimidation skill.

 

Have you ever been intimidated going to a rich/ exclusive club/ place? I have, and I believe at least once in your life, if you're not rich (yet), you have too. Why would we be "intimidated" in this environment? Because they have more and we have less? It's really an inexplicable thing only the rich (who've made it from being poor/ self made) can explain because they've lived both lives. But if we're still on the poor side, we can only make educated guesses.

 

 

---

 

 

But certainly, if you have more money, your intimidation "skill" is more advanced... it comes naturally to you. So I just don't see a $30 mil guy trying to mentally intimidate a $500 mil guy... it's just not happening. Maybe it's not about money, and it's basketball and yeah Kobe was focused, but I'm sure in similar situations, most guys in Kobe's shoes would have thought "I'm a $500 mil guy and you're a small time MLE player, by all means, try me." Money adds swagger to your "game".

[Smitty]

Snake...you are reading WAY too much into this, man. Just leave it alone.

[NomarFachix]

Wow dude, Snake... Just cut your losses and move on.

[magicbalala245]

Just STFU please. This is the [expletive]ing stupidest idea I heard from someone's post hands down no one can beat this guy's post. If I were to pull a gun on you and let's say your rich and I'm poor you wouldn't be intimidated by me if I pulled a gun on you? Get the [expletive] out. Having money does affect the way you think but not in a [expletive]ing basketball game. No one goes dribbling down the court saying I got more money then him so I'm a better player then him. If that's the case Tracy will be thinking Lebron James is weak since Tracy did make more money then Lebron this year.

Edited May 30, 2010 by magicbalala245

[EastCoastNiner]

I actually understand his point, but he he went too far out to try and explain it in each of the following posts.

 

He's just saying that people of a higher status aren't intimidated of people of a lower status?

 

Would a king be scared of a peasant?

[Multi-Billionaire]

He's just saying that people of a higher status aren't intimidated of people of a lower status?

 

Mentally, yes. Physically, no. Physical confrontation doesn't recognize status. People can fight anybody. I believe I can fight (physically) the ultra rich, the middle class, or the homeless. But mentally, it's another level of the game.

 

(One of) The reasons is in physical confrontation, you're damn clear what's the other person's intention on you is: to beat you up. What do you do when you know someone wants to beat you up? At least you know that fact, and you know something to do with it: to fight back, to withdraw, or to make peace... people use their own way. However, in mental confrontation, it's trickier, a lot more. Simply because we don't know what the heck their intention is on us. They could mean mean things but all they have to do is smile and their intention is masked off perfectly, and we'll probably never find it (their intention): are they genuinely nice to us, are they politically nice to us, how should I respond? Or, some guys may look mean but they wouldn't hurt a fly.

 

It's easier to act when you know what the other's intention. In mental confrontation, it is often vague. People of higher status financially are usually a master of changing and controlling the pace of this mental game to their liking (again because they have access to some areas of life that people of lower status financially don't), that's what makes it hard (for people of lower status) to fight them in this mental confrontation. There are some people who wouldn't let their own status affect their mental game, but you will find very few of them. Usually, financial status plays a big factor in your daily mental game.

 

Pointing gun at me is a form of physical confrontation, magicballa.

 

 

---

 

 

OT: For readers to know, I consider myself middle class, or maybe even on poor side if you wanna stick to the format:

 

Ultra rich: $1 mil/ more per month

Rich: $1 mil/ more per year

Affluent: $100K - $1 mil per year

Middle class: $25K - $100K per year

Poor: $25K or less per year

 

 

But there're many rich people who are really poor in their soul (doesn't know how to manage money) that's why when they stumble on money, they go broke soon... people like Antoine Walker or multi-million lottery winners who go broke in a few years. Because inside of their soul, they're still poor but just have a lot money.

 

And there're many poor people who are really rich inside of them. E.g. knowing how to turn a $1000 into millions (money working for them)... Michael Dell started his business in his dorm room.

 

 

As they say, money doesn't make you rich, your thinking/ words do.

Edited May 30, 2010 by Snake

[Real Deal]

Problem is, we're talking about a single ball fake to someone's face. The ability to NOT flinch or blink has NOTHING to do with money, at all. Doesn't matter if Barnes did it with a basketball on the court, with his hand, or with a crunched-up piece of paper out at a park.

 

Hell, you don't even have to achieve intimidation to make someone flinch.

 

This particular situation is not related to money, in any way, shape or form. It's related to Kobe's focus and anger, simple as that.

[Multi-Billionaire]

The problem is when you say...

 

The ability to NOT flinch or blink has NOTHING to do with money, at all.

 

... you're saying it from YOUR "non millionaire" perspective.

 

To understand why Kobe didn't flinch, we need to see it from the "$500 million man" perspective such as Kobe's himself in how he deals with mental confrontation/ intimidation like that in those situations... is vastly different than how we "non millionaire" deal with things.

 

Pretend you have $5 million now in your bank, I guarantee the way you speak, the way you walk, the way you communicate with other people, your overall body language will change. Even if it's subtle, there will be change. Don't say you're an angel I will be the same when I have $5 in my wallet, or $5 million, that's BS... that's not reality. Similarly, how you deal with things psychologically/ mentally is different when you have $5 in your pocket... or $5 mil. Absolutely.

 

 

When you said if MJ had done it to Kobe, Kobe still wouldn't have flinched... I don't buy it. Similarly, Barnes has a much better chance of intimidating a minimum salary player than he would, say, Amare Stoudemire.

 

 

In other words, spoil yourself once in a while and think you're as rich as Kobe... and begin to see situations in your "millionaire" minds. Just think, what would you do if money is not a problem for you? You're never thinking TOO big... it's much more fun than really destroying yourself by thinking you'll never be rich/ you don't deserve to be rich... a mentality actually common in society.

 

 

This is my last post regarding this subject... like Smitty said, I will leave it alone now.

Edited May 31, 2010 by Snake

[Real Deal]

LOL, okay. I will continue to think with my non-millionaire perspective...and you too.