Kobe has yet to beat a great team for his ring

[Multi-Billionaire]

As a Colorado native and a die-hard Nuggets fan, I'm predisposed to hate Kobe Bryant. But that doesn't mean I don't respect the hell out of his game and appreciate his place in NBA lore...which might jump up a notch if the Lakers beat the Celtics in the 2010 NBA Finals.

 

For his first NBA title, Kobe bested an Indiana Pacers squad on the decline of a solid era (after being up three games to one, that six-game series was never in doubt). For his second, Kobe took down Allen Iverson's one-man Philadelphia show in five games. His third NBA championship came after beating the Jason Kidd-led New Jersey Nets in a four-game snoozer sweep. And number four came last summer when Kobe's Lakers defeated Dwight Howard's inexperienced Magic team in five games, all of which lacked drama except Game 4.

 

Fair or not, if Kobe wants to enter the territory of "His Airness", he has to beat a great team in June...and that hasn't happened yet during his so-far brilliant career. Should his Lakers beat the Celtics in this year's NBA Finals, basketball historians can't hang that criticism on Kobe any longer.

 

http://www.denverstiffs.com/2010/6/1/1497008/the-missing-item-on-kobes-resume

[Guru]

So its his fault the East has sucked for most of his career?

[Real Deal]

Too bad he has beaten far dominant teams on the way to the Finals, including the Duncan-led Spurs (that he mentions multiple times in his article, and I'll talk about in a second), an extremely tough Blazers team and a contending Kings squad, having HUGE games in those match-ups.

 

Those Spurs are so high on his list, but who did they take out for their four titles? They took out a Jason Kidd-led Nets team (must be bad, since he mentions it as such), LeBron James' one-man show in Cleveland in a sweep (similar to Iverson's Philly team he mentions as "weak"), a 54-win Pistons team that limped into the Finals to defend their title, and their fourth championship came against the weaker Knicks team after completing just half a season (lockout).

 

Oh, and of course, LA beat a Denver team that fans thought would be in the Finals last season.

 

I could go on and on, but I'm already bored with it.

[Multi-Billionaire]

You can't deny this fact... ;D

 

For the first time in his seven (seven!) NBA Finals appearances, Kobe Bryant has the opportunity to do something he's never done: defeat a fellow NBA champion.

 

 

Don't worry though he'll get his chance, but will he take advantage? Remains to be seen.

[Warren2ThaG]

This was made because you know Kobe will win his 5th on his way to a 3peat.

[Erick Blasco]

This is a short-sighted argument. I was thinking about this when looking at how legitimately awesome this Finals matchup is. The last time a pair of teams met in the Finals with championship cores came when the Spurs faced the Pistons this decade. Before that, you have to go back to pre-Jordan.

 

The 2008 Lakers weren't a championship core. Only three players had a ring (I think Luke Walton won a ring in 2003), only two as valuable rotation players, and only Kobe remained of the team's top three players (unless you count Fisher as that team's third option).

 

The Bulls and Rockets never met in the 90's. The only East team that won a Finals in the early 2000's was that Pistons squad. Miami has never been back since 2006, and the Spurs haven't been back since beating Cleveland in 2007.

 

This is only the second champ vs. champ Finals matchup the NBA has seen in a long while.

 

Also, the only teams to beat a championship team in the Finals since the Jordan era were the 2004 Pistons knocking off the three-peat, and the Spurs beating those Pistons.

 

Are we going to criticize Pierce, Wade, and Shaq for never beating championship teams in the Finals? Jordan only did it once, and it was at the end of the Showtime era. None of the Lakers did it. The Celtics didn't do it. Neither did the Heat.

 

Can you use this argument as a small strike against Kobe as a legendary player? Perhaps, but you also need to understand the context.

 

Needless to say, this series will go a long way in enhancing reputations.

Edited June 2, 2010 by Erick Blasco

[Big Penny]

:wallbash3: :wallbash3: @ this article

 

only three players had a ring (I think Luke Walton won a ring in 2003),

Luke's first was 2009

[Sħãlïq™]

So its his fault the East has sucked for most of his career?

LOL So true.

[Real Deal]

For the first time in his seven (seven!) NBA Finals appearances, Kobe Bryant has the opportunity to do something he's never done: defeat a fellow NBA champion.

So the same can be said about Shaq, then...Pacers, Sixers, Nets, and Mavericks.

 

Kind of weird...Jordan only defeated a "fellow NBA champion" just once in his career (Lakers, but no Kareem, Riley or Cooper), and took out the Sonics, Blazers, Jazz (2), and Suns.

 

Hakeem Olajuwon took out the Knicks and Magic in the Finals...guess he really hasn't done anything, either.

[Erick Blasco]

:wallbash3: :wallbash3: @ this article

 

 

Luke's first was 2009

 

Ahh okay. I thought his rookie year may have been 2003.

[GamerGuy]

Ahh okay. I thought his rookie year may have been 2003.

It was. Back then, rookie Luke Walton came off the bench in the Finals and played an excellent game against the Pistons. It was either in game one or two, can't remember, but yeah.

[Nitro]

Also, the only teams to beat a championship team in the Finals since the Jordan era were the 2004 Pistons knocking off the three-peat, and the Spurs beating those Pistons.

 

The Spurs won the title in 2003, not the Lakers.

[The Regime]

3 more games until this theory is put to rest.