HANG TIME HEADQUARTERS – Ignoring Kobe Bryant for as long as we have here at the hideout is a crime against basketball that should not be excused.
With Bryant rehabbing a knee and not playing particularly well, he’s been a bit out of sight and out of mind throughout the preseason (there’s also that crew down in Miami that has kept us all busy).
That’s still no excuse for ignoring the reigning back-to-back NBA Finals MVP, who insists that he is not feeling the heat just because there is a new challenger for the title.
In fact, Bryant sounds as calculated as always in his approach (check the video above) and seems to be in his usual Mamba Mode, complete with Lakers coach Phil Jackson using his own techniques to keep his star on top of his game.
Bryant insists he doesn’t need an extra motivation, per my main man Mike Bresnahan of the Los Angeles Times, who details exactly what the Lakers need from Bryant:
What he needs is to rediscover his shot and strength in the knee, something that will presumably happen a few weeks into the season. The Lakers begin the regular season Oct. 26 against Houston.
Bryant made only two of 10 attempts Wednesday against Sacramento and stuck around to shoot after Thursday’s practice with assistant coach Chuck Person.
“I don’t think it’s ever been frustrating. It’s just understanding that it’s a process. I’ve been through it before,” Bryant said.
Bryant was slow to come back from off-season surgery on the same knee in 2006. He sat out the first two regular-season games and scored fewer than 20 points in four of his first eight games.
Things turned out all right for him that season. He ended up making a historic run in March 2007, becoming the first player since Wilt Chamberlain in 1962 to accrue four consecutive games of at least 50 points.
For now, however, Lakers Coach Phil Jackson couldn’t remember a player of Bryant’s stature (think Michael Jordan, or, to a lesser degree, Scottie Pippen) struggling so badly with accuracy in exhibition play.
“I don’t think so,” Jackson said. “He’s playing without being quite ready. He’s trying to get some of it in game situations rather than having the ability to practice and do all the things that build up to that where he’s going to be in rhythm and shooting the ball right. We’re taking a little bit of a shortcut.”
No offense to Phil here, but we’re going to let history be our guide.
Bryant still in the prime of his career, despite all the hot air about him regressing and taking a step back (surely you remember that preposterous argument made by many last season, before he led the Lakers on their march to the title).
Bryant will be at his big game best this season, especially against LeBron James, Dwyane Wade, Chris Bosh and the Heat!
Definitely, Kobe IS feeling the Heat now. It has been the talk of the basketball world since they won the championship. Granted, they ARE on the top of the NBA, but after they won the championship, one of the reporters asked the Black Mamba about a possible Wade/Bosh or LeBron/Bosh or Wade/LeBron tandem, and he simply said, “I don’t want to talk about it. Those guys are monsters. I’ve been with them on the Olympic squad, and they are monsters. Let me cherish this victory for a moment, and let’s talk about that later. Just the thought of the two of them playing together gives me the chills”. The offseason began, and Fisher found himself under negotiation with the Heat. Bryant learned about it, and he PLEADED Fish to stay with L.A. to make the three-peat possible. Do you guys know when did these events happened? It was the night after Pat Riley pulled rabbits out of his hat.
The biggest free-agent names in the NBA was a success for Miami, because they have landed three of the most coveted free agents during the off-season, and most GM’s were very jealous about Miami that it came to a point where they were asking David Stern whether the Big Three made any breaches during the off-season. Stern simply said no, because Bosh Wade and James pulled off the things legitimately.
I suppose that the Lakers are not the only ones who feel the Heat; the CBA next season proves that the entire league is under fire from Miami. As for Kobe, no disrespect, but if you and your Laker team is going to win this last run with Phil Jackson, a Finals against Miami will be the sweetest one indeed.
Blah Blah Blah Blah!! Dude the heat, overall, suck! Yes the three amigos look cute in their new uniforms. But the bench sucks, and the coach is unproven. So until the strengthen the bench and get a better coach, the heat to the people in miami will be fun to watch. But not a championship team. You heat fans need to wake up and smell something, i dont know what, but something because their is no way the heat can beat the LAKERS this season.
couldn’t agree more
totally correct!!!
You know how idiotic you would sound if Heat didn’t win the championship, granted they make the finals, right?
i look at it this way, miami will have the hardest time trying to beat boston cuz f you really think about it logically, the 3 guys like attacking in the paint. but boston has always done an excellent job at closing it off very well as you seen them do to lebron this past playoffs. and now the fact, lebron wade and bosh have to “pass” instead of score is gonna make it more frustrating to those guys. i feel boston from a defensive standpoint will give the heat the biggest challenge on the defensive end, and as for the lakers, bosh will have a hell of a time trying to score against bynum and pau. cuz we all know miami’s starting center is worthless. lebron has a matt barnes and a artest to deal with which will frustrate lebron in situations, and we know lebron forces it way to much when hes frustrated. wade has to guard kobe and shannon brown. kobe can score from all angles and will wear wade out, and shannon is quicker than wade is and more athletic. if shannon can improve a little more offensively he could be a go to scorer if kobe isnt on. then you have no one at the pg position in miami and everyone knows fisher hits big shots, and blake is very underrated. oh did i mention odom could guard too? miami is going to have a weak inside defensive game. lebron wade and bosh are gonna have to think of something, cuz i think they are thinking they can win off talent, and durant said it best “hard work beats talent when talent doesnt work hard.”
are you serious?!!
First of all there is a reason why the heat got three great 3 point shooters: miller, jones, house and they also got lebron ilgauskas, chalmers who can knock it down beyond the arc. The only reason the Celtics would pose as a problem is because they are a great overall team as well.
No one can can defend lebron one on one, not even a great defender like artest (who makes the worst decisions with the ball….. more than anyone) cant .
Most likely lebron will defend kobe, not wade…… seeing that artest sucks at offense and anyone can defend him. And brown is faster than wade???!! hahahaha u are funny! There is a reason why wade is called the flash!
Also Wade and Lebron both have more stamina than Kobe.
What will decide the winner is their teamwork, not fantasy and bias one on one match ups like you described
@Ryan “the 3 guys like attacking in the paint.” You’re right there. But remember, these 3 guys won’t be able to score all the points for the team to win. They have proven scorers in Eddie House, Mike Miller and James Jones which they will definitely look to get involved as they can’t create their own shot. Bosh can use his quickness and soft touch in the paint to score. If they double, they leave Wade and James open. They drive, either an easy layup/dunk, or the D collapses on him. They he throws it off to Wade. Wide open shot, or make the extra pass to one of their shooters. Easy trey. Teams will look to play a Man-Zone against these guys, but I think they can beat it.
DId you see the box scores the other night when the Heat played the Hornets? 24 points by half time, 13 point 2nd quarter. A 36 point 3rd quarter only because Bosh scored 20, and an 11 point 4th quarter.
Get real, 3 players can;t win a championship. I’m not saying the LAKERSWILLWIN like my name suggests, this was my last season username. But I Really don’t believe the Heat will make it past Boston or Orlando. Maybe Orlando since they tend to choke under spotlight pressure, but no way they are beating Boston. It IS dumb to make predictions THIS EARLY but based off how crappy Miami plays WITHOUT their 3 stars, its just hard to see them making it past the 2nd round. Like, really. Not being biased at all. I’ve grown to really like LeBron as a player and I have no hard feelings for him leaving Cleveland (ALTHOUGH THE MANNER IN WHICH IT WAS TAKEN CARE OF SUCKED)…. LeBron will have a wonderful season and I’m not saying I Hate the Heat because the 3 man trio… But I’m just being real, which all of you should do for just a second.
this was a preseason game so it doesnt really say much about anyone on the team, its just a testing of roster lineups, chemistry, etc. You need to look at it this way, if La takes out gasol and bryant against any team, how formidable are they really? If you really want to look at preseason games then consider the lakers losing to the jazz without deron who is arguably in the top 5 point guards in the league, that pretty much proves that the lakers dont take preseason seriously and I cant tell you many other teams that do. Stop judging a team that has had less than 20 minutes together on the hardwood and the bright lights much less judging them in preseason. By Feb im sure we will know whether the heat can play and if the lakers are up to the challenge.
I’m guessing you didnt see that game? Becauce Wade nor Lebron were playin in that game which is why that happen.
Never UNDER ESTIMATE the heart of a CHAMPION!!! Last year Boston (A.K.A Loston) Celtics underesitmated Kobe and the Lakers… look what happened? they ended up sore loosers
Miami Heat will beat the Lakers someday, but it will take more than 2 Finals apearances before they can take away the glory from the Lakers.
Boston didn’t underestimate anyone LA was the defending champs and favored to win. Boston was a 4 seed unlike the LA Losers they were #1. The Celtics lost because of Money, Fix the games pay the ref’s. The LA Losers paid for a ring they dayum sure didn’t earn it. Miami will not make it to the finals this year maybe when they get some reliable bench players. If they faced LA sorry to say but the Losers would beat the heat. It takes more than 3 players to win games let alone a chanpionship
I felt the same way, when Lakers lost to the Boston in 2008 that the Celtics paid the refs, getting away with dirty calls and all the foul calls were on the lakers.
hell yeah cool nickname bro loston its simple yet it describes everything bostons going to do this year
Are you an idiot? The Miami Heat has not proven anything that they can be feared of as a team….Lebron, has not been to the finals in ages, never won a ring,,, and Wade only been there once, when he actually win it and beat the Dallas who never play any defense….Kobe Bryant has been to the finals 7x and won five….
YOU ARE AN IDIOT. Induvidual performance and skill is NOT judged by how many times they’ve been to the NBA Finals. “Miami Heat has not proven anything that they can be feared of as a team” Dude are you serious? Wade, James and Bosh are all ALL-STARS, they have been for how long now. LeBron is the current MVP, he won it in BACK-TO-BACK years. Dwayne Wade is more than proven as a induvidual force. Bosh not so much, but with these two to follow he will flourish. Kobe said himself that Wade and LeBron playing together “scares him”. Not hating on Kobe, he has won 5 rings and has back-to-back finals MVP awards. But one MVP in 13 or 14 years, induvidually he isn’t Michael Jordan. He won with a team, a good team. Gasol, who is APPARENTLY the best PF in the league. Ron Artest, a proven defensive stopper. Lamar Odom, 10 and 10 off the bench. He has won with a good team. Without them, he was on the verge of leaving, remember?
Daez dude what? He was only given one MVP because Steve Nash robbed him off twice, and Ron Artest was on the team one year brother…..they beat the Magic without Artest, with a younger Trevor Ariza….get facts straight
If KOBE beats Miami HEAT them 3 headed Monsters for Championship! Kobe will be Considered Greatest Player of ALL-TIME…Jordan take a back seat… Becasue Competetion is so tough now in NBA, players are more skilled, Jordan played against sum bums….Washed up Magic who retired and Washed up Bird.. after the retired there was Nobody to give Jordan run for his money!!! Now there are so many Great players and IF kobe WINS RING # 6 Greatest player all time… without a reasonalble doubt…..coz Jordan never played against monsters like that….he played mediocare teams and washed up MAGIC AND BIRD….
I dont think miami will ever beat boston in a 7game series so before you include miami and the lakers in the same sentence you better think twice. boston will destroy miami. Then when theyre losing already lebron will fake another injury so he can make an excuse when they lose. Now Boston and Lakers will be a heck of a matchup again for the third time. BTW kobe doesnt feel the heat! Obviously all the teams in NBA do coz they all make their moves to beat the lakers. the season might belong to the miami heat but the trophy belongs to the purple and gold, 3 P E A T baby!
Seriously dude!?
Bostons got defense yes….incredible defense actually, but one thing where Miami will hurt them the most is in transition, no one on the Celtics team can chase Wade, Lebron, Bosh, Chalmers, Miller or Arroyo, only one that can is Rondo and against Wade or Lebron Rondo cant do much. and with the team Miami has there are alot of ways to run the fastbreak, one Lebron and Wade can steal the ball, Bosh gets rebounds and throw it across the court, alleyoops from Wade or Lebron to each other or Bosh. With Wade and Lebrons defense, Allen and Pierce wont be able to do much, so the bigs or Rondo gotta score for the Celtics and without Allen hitting 3s or Pierce shoot jumpshots, Celtics got no chance of winning, but only time will tell, but I dont think Miami will be able to get past Orlando.. one reason, no one on the Heats roster can ever hope to stop Dwight Howard, BigZ is too old, Haslem has a size disadvantage, Juwan Howard is too old, and dont think Magloire has the strength, and Bosh isnt good enough on defense to touch Howard, also playing Miami will help Rashard Lewis too, KG can shut him down, but dont think Bosh can, so 3s for Lewis all series, only ones that will get shut down is Carter and Pietrus because of Wade’s and Lebron’s D. So right now all I see is Miami beating Boston in Game 6 in the 2nd round and Orlando beating Miami in Game 6 in the ECF because Howard will be averaging 25ppg, 15 rpg and 4 bpg. just my predictions..
Questionmark your a idiot. Mario Chalmers?? Mike Miller?? Boston will destroy Miami. Sorry but Lebron and Wade D can’t beat 5 men on the court. Ray Allen only shut himself down by missing. He runs around screens all game and guess who’ll chase him?? Wade? Mike Miller? whoever winn be a non factor on Offense. Bosh can’t handle the Bigs that Boston has. Boston got more size to compete with the Lakers. Orlando can’t beat Boston either but they can beat Miami. Miami don’t have any dominant low post players. Bosh is a top PF but he’s a PF he can’t guard true centers or good PF’s he’s a average defender at best. Miami don’t have the size to beat Boston,LA, or Orlando. Atlanta can beat the heat if they don’t self destruct they have the size and athletisism to compete with them. ?Mark your really funny if you think Paul Pierce can be shut down by Lebron or Wade. Lebron is a great defender but great scorers find a way to make shots
Ok then forget the Paul Pierce I agree with that, Artest couldnt guard him at all, but you haev to admit that Boston will be exposed and humiliated in transition, not much teams have good enough defenders or good defense at all to expose them in transition, but I think Miami will own them on the break. Shaq, KG, Perkins, J,O, Pierce, Allen they are too old to chase Wade or Lebron.
play basketball before you comment dude..know the game first Mr. QuestionMark..ur thought is a big ?
BOSTON WAS OLD…OLD…OLD……..MIAMI IS YOUNG…YOUNG…YOUNG…..LAKERS WILL NEVER…EVER…EVER WIN ANOTHER RING AS LONG AS WADE, BOSH AND LEBRON ARE IN MIAMI….6 YEAR CONTRACTS FOR ALL THREE??? THEN 6 NBA RINGS FOR MIAMI….KOBE CRYING AGAIN: “PLEASE KING LEBRON STOP DUNKING ON ME!”
Law064.. I don’t agree with you that LBJ can’t stop Paul Pierce. I remember that it was not Pierce who scored a lot against Cleveland last season, I think it was other players who beat Cleveland. Paul Pierce couldn’t score against LBJ because of the size that LBJ has. Pierce looked very good against Lakers because Artest is not big as LBJ. Yah, I don’t think that Miami can beat LA, Boston or Orlando, but they have a chance. A team with 3 superstars will always have a chance to beat any team in the world. I would say Miami is overrated, but thet can contend. The players that could cause problem to heat (actually any team) are Howard, Gasol and Garnett. I mean it’s a given that any team will have an issue defending Kobe and Allen, but they can be stopped, or you can limit them, but KG, Gasol and Howard’s rebounding, defense, low post offense can cause troubles to any team. Lakers is still the team to beat, but Boston, Magic, Miami, or even OKC (my team) has a CHANCE to beat them. Peace out
I aqree with u in the beginnin about the heat isnt gonna beat the celtics in a 7 game series, but the lakers is not gonna win the whole thing. The celtics is gonna take it home this year. lakers is done now, eitha the celtics is gonna win the finals or the boston is gonna win the finals. But the lakers wont win !! cause kobe is becomin old news.
Forget the celtics, they are done. The Heat will not win the southeast division because of orlando and atlanta.The heat if most will get to the conference finals.
Let’s not forget Lebron won 60+ games with lawsy Cavaliers, the bottom line he is responsible for cavalier’s success, the same thing with Wade winning 47 games, now you add Lebron, Wade and Bosh regardless of the role players ** You gonna have a heck of a team**
With all said and done, there were so many doubters and hater’s after the “Decision” and Bron is taking note’s therefore he is gonna come out fired up just to prove that he is still the best player in NBA right now and with the help of Wade and Bosh that will be very easy for him to accomplished in 2010-11 season.
I do not buy about all negative comments about Heat, this will all change when Heat starts winning, all NBA coverage TV crews will flip all their negative statment like babies and starts talking sence about the Heat, especially Barkley, smith and Webber and Mchale.
Go Heat, La Laker’s time is over, kobi wont be the same this year, and Phill will pack up end of the season without title.
OOOOOOOO, Lebron takin notes!! And he is gonna come out fired up and prove that he is the best player in the NBA. Yea, like hes done the past 7 seasons with no ring. HA HA what a joke!!
So that means that Robert Horry is better than Kobe because he has 7 rings to Kobe’s 5 and he’s WAY better than Charles Barkley and Karl Malone who have none!!! GET REAL!!!!!
Kobe is still the MOST SKILLED SCORER IN THIS LEAGUE HANDS DOWN!!, but if you asked him to run the point- FORGET ABOUT IT!!! Whether you hate LeBron or not 30 8 and 8 is still 30 8 and 8!!!!!!!- Kobe will never get close to those assist and rebounding averages- PERIOD!!
LeBron, at this stage, is a better all around player and Kobe is still the best scorer and CLOSER!!.
why would lebron take notes if he has his own style.
and the way you rate nba players is retarded because in you eyes if a player dont have rings, the automatically sucks.
think about what you say bra
baller4life
Go check Kobe’s old stats from earlier seasons.
kthx
what are u talking about..durant career numbers is better than kobe..even wade’s numbers are better..try wiki or nba.com/players..see the career numbers..i think this LebronSuck guy is kobe’s B@YFR13ND
Durant’s career number’s are better than Kobe’s? When did Durant score 25,000 points?
Lebron is not the best player in the NBA. Ko-Beast is still the best player in the league. Lebron might not be the best player on his team. I have always valued D-Wade more than Lebron. D-Wade has done what Lebron couldn’t…D-Wade put a team on his back and won an NBA Championship. Good player but not the best, I’ll give him top 7.
My point exactly!! Lebron is not strong enough to carry a team. So how can these idiots say he is better than KOBE?
first off, im in agreement that kobe is still the best player in the league and making his way towards one of, if not the best of all time but to say dwayne wade is better than lebron becuase he “backpacked” the 06 heat is ridiculous. i believe without a supporting cast no team is good enough to win, that team was composed of a younger shaq, haslem, but most importantly posey, all key members of that championship squad. The cavs never had that defensive expert or dominating big man, but i will give credit to varejao who hustles as much as haslem does. Lebrons value to a team is greater that dwaynes but either way their both hall of famers and excellent players, as for kobe, i think number 6, and the legacy that will come along with it is much more valuable and greater motivation than 3 allstars in the EASTERN CONFERENCE playing on one team, i still see the celtics or magic beating the heat. the lakers road to the finals has never been easier, with the exception of the OKC thunders who look like the team of the next decade if they keep the same core. Lakers 3 peat, tied with boston and tied with jordan.
Let’s not forget the FACTS- Before the Lakers got Pau Gasol they were not contenders- PERIOD!! In the 3 years before Pau and after Shaq, Kobe went out in the first round in 06 and 07 and in 05 (Right after Shaq) he didn’t even make the playoffs!!. He threatened to leave if he didn’t get help and then like Magic Pau was delivered for Kwame Brown!!!!!!!. (Why wasn’t that investigated??) PEOPLE BASKETBALL IS A TEAM SPORT- UNLIKE BOXING WHERE IF MUHAMMAD ALI LOST; IT WAS NO ONES FAULT BUT HIS OWN- GREAT TALENT WORKING TOGETHER WINS CHIPS!!!-
Even though Lebron aint better than Kobe.. dont think you can say he sucks… they both got things they are good at, Lebron drops 30.8.8,every night, now it might drop to 20.7.6 but still really good, and only reason they didnt the title last year is not because of Lebron, its cause of Mo Williams and Jamison, they couldnt do sh!t in the playoffs.
Kobe is a much better scorer than Lebron, and can hit the clutch game winning shots while Lebron barely does.
but add this, Wade can hit clutch shots, and Lebron can drive and dunk, and Bosh rebounds and dunks, add those three together and you got one hell of team, even though Lebron isnt good enough to carry a team, Wade is and now Wades got Lebron and Bosh to help him which will take the pressure off him, and in time help him score and play consistently every night.
Just to clarify things, everyone keeps saying ‘LEBRON HAD NO HELP’. ‘HE CARRIED A TEAM ALL ON HIS OWN’. Kobe and the lakers were doing GREAT before they got gasol that year. There are currently on 2 players in the NBA with back to back 50 point games (Kobe and …….Antawn Jamison). Jamison helped carry the wizards for the most part. James got Jamison (lol) but somehow could not help him gel and work well on the team. If you want to admit it or not, James had a great squad, he just did not know how to use it.
Well said my man….KOBE is by far the best player in the game and I also value D-Wade’s game more because he single-handedly carried his team although he did win the championship with Shaq who was still getting 20 and 10. It doesn’t matter how many games Cleveland won because at the end of the day, they were sent home early each year. CryBron James is a quitter and he is not in Kobe’s league! Lakers will win again.
I agree with you Tank, I always said I’ll pick D-Wade over Lebron. Kobe is the best in the league now. Lebron has the skills but he don’t have the killer instinct that Kobe and D-wade has. @ Ali your a bonehead how will Lebron prove anything?? His stats will not top last year because he has Wade & Bosh therfore he will not have to be the only one working. The Heat will be good but they will not win this year. They need more reliable bench players, 2nd The Heat will self destruct without all 3 on the court at the same time what will happen? Boston will take what was their’s what they were cheated out of. I wanna see what Lebron the steroid kid does, he’s already nursing the hamstring. when the season start he’ll be 100% and want to see what he do.
@ shamwow
How could Lebron’s value to a team be more than DWyade’s? When DWyade was injured in 2008, we won 15 games (worst in NBA). The following year we won 47 and made the playoffs. I’m not a big fan of Lebron but I guess I’ll grow to like him now that he’s playing for the Heat, but let’s see how Cleveland does this season then we can compare value………. I believe your opinion will change
@BALLER FOR LIFE: Shaq never won a championship until he had KOBE. . . After their dynasty he had Dwayne Wade. . . Gasol never went to finals until he had BRYANT. . . Check your FACTS. . . Do you think without today’s best player they would have won a championship? C’mon! He’s the player of the DECADE for God’s sake!! Y didn’t they chose Shaq, DWade, Lebron or even Pau if they really deserve the award?? Let’s get real BALLERFORLIFE!! Wake up from your long time sleep. . . maybe ur still in Jordan’s Era. . .
michael jordan is still the greatest.. kobe is agood player but if michael and kobe would face up at the same age.. kobe couldn’t do the same thing that he is doing right now..
Really so how long had jordan been in the league at that age?? If he would have came into the nba the same time jordan did then we can compare guy!!! Your crazy
MAN U MUST BE DREAMING IF MICHAEL AND KOBE WERE TO FACE EACH ITHER AR THEIR PRIME KOBE WOULD HAVE GIVEN MICHAEL A RUN FOR HIS MONEY , AND I EVEN SEE KOBE WINNING THEIR A MANO A MANO MOMENT
It’ll take the Heat a couple years of using their MLE to fill their roster before they can get over the championship hump. Heat won’t be deep enough to win the championship in 2011 and 2012.
wow, i find it funny you guys think that this Heat team is already going to be going to the Finals without counting how strong the East has gotten and how weak the West has gotten. First Kobe does not need to be afraid, of what he and his team especially his starting 5 know how to win a championship how to gut out a game and get a victory -don’t believe me watch Game 7 of the Finals again- and the bench of the Lakers just got even better and stronger as a defensive mind-set team and have two promising young rookies…and i read someone here said this is the Final Season for the Lakers to get their Championship? i didn’t know that Kobe Pau Lamar Artest and the rest of the Lakers were retiring after this season? really optimistic yeah. Phil said at the beginning that this may not even be his last year Coaching and ill leave you to google that yourself. i can only think of one solid team to pose a threat or even put a dent in the Lakers and thats the young Thunder and they are excellent.
Keep bashing on Kobe because he is still the greatest right now even though if may seem others because they are younger, but then again MJ got older and won his second 3-peat at the ages of about 33-35 if we are comparing anything so there are still at least a good 5 years left on Kobe.
As for the Heat yes it is a wow, but i’m not even giving them the heads up, they still have to go through the Celtics and Magics who are truly geared up to face them, and don’t say the Celtics are old proven last year what they can do in the postseason and im thinking the Magics have revenge and motivation with the Heat coming together.
Sorry dude game 7 was fixed it wasn’t real. Kobe was 6 of 23 lol they paid for that game who wanna watch that ridiculous game ever again. The Lakers crashed the boards hard but they went shot over 20 free throws in the 4th quarter alone. lol Fixed The ref’s gave Kobe a ring. Now with this new tech rule the ref’s can make millions gambling just ejecting any player they want.
Dude, you can come up with a better EXCUSE than that. The Lakers won fair and square. Your just in denial. Rewatch the game, cause I watched that game about 10 times since June, and yes the Lakers got alot of calls in the fourth but Boston was fouling. They were slapping, scratching and pushing on every defensive possession in the fourth. That’s why they received the calls they did. Lakers were the better team, plain and simple. They took their loss in 08 like men, and learned from it and got better. That’s why they were able to come back and beat Boston. That’s why I think it’s pathetic when Doc Rivers is making excuses that “the starting five” was not there thats why they lost, no, they lost because they weren’t good enough. When lakers lost in 08, Kobe, Phil, Derek, Pau, none of the guys made excuses. Boston just needs to come back stronger this season. That’s it.
The Celtics got away with a lot dirty plays in 2008 finals, they thought they could get away with it again…
I agree with you RJM, but you forgot to mention we lost Bynum in the 2008 series also, and Lakers just took it like a man, nothing like what coach Doc Rivers says whining about injuries on Perkins.
*sigh*, what you are saying is far from over dude. Let’s be realistic, do not utter words in which they are not yet even done by the people you are talking to. Just sit down and relax, enjoy your heat and we are going to have fun for our showtime.
The Celtics are the team to beat in the East! The Heat does not have the size to win against them. The Heat will have a great season, but the playoffs are another story. Size and defense wins in the playoffs after the first round. The Heat might get the #1 seed, and that will be huge, meaning Orlando and the Celts will have to battle 1st before facing the Heat…
paul pierce cant guard lebron james and ray allen could never dream about guarding d wade succesfully the rookie dexter pittman is huge and bostons big men avg being 35 yrs old and cant score they just dunk ill take miami in 5
Why did kobe have to take all hard shot and buzer beatters? it shows how Laker is a big team but still depend on one person…remove Kobe from Lakers roster come April and i bet they don pass on the second round…am a Laker fan but what is been created in south beach is a consistent franchise and we must feel the heat on our belly…but if Boston or Orlando can stop them come June…Lakers will be cellebrating 3 peat
Of course Kobe Bryant has to take all the hard shots and Buzzer beaters, that’s vecause he’s the best player on the team and the best player in the world…duh!!!!!!!!!!! The 90′s Bulls have been the greatest team ever and they had one of the strongest supporting casts ever, and they still ony needed to depend on one person,,,Hmmmmmm….wonder who that was????
The champs will come out the east this year just like last year, Boston was robbed. The Lakers will lose to Boston this season
Who cares about Kobe??? he is a cry baby and he will be thrown out of a game or two for his crying ways to the ref. . . .cant wait to see it LMAO!!!
Silly individual!
MAN U CAN SAY ALL U WANT ABOUT KOBE BUT DEEP IN YOUR HEART U KNOW!!!!
U HATE HIM BECAUSE HE IS GOD DAMN GREAT OF A BASKETBALL PLAYER
wow really? you worse than the people that say Lakers won the title by bribing the refs to call fouls their way..
yee i agree kobes a female
The heat wont win for 2 years. Yeah maybe theyll have the best record in the league but boston is way too tough. They dont have a lock down defender nor do they even have a true center since bosh is a power forward. And if Bynum is healthy this year and they do end up in the finals, no one on the heat can stop him. As for kobes health, I think he is going to be fine. Hell average 27 5 and 5. pau will get 20 and 10. The lakers are the team to beat still. PERIOD
I AGREE WITH U SIR!! THE HEAT ARE GONNA HAVE THE BEST RECORD IN THE NBA BUT IT WOULD TAKE THEM AT LEAST 2 YEARS TO REACH THE FINALS.
AND BY THE TIME THEY DO THEY WOULD HAVE TO FACE KEVIN DURANT AND HIS CREW
kobes getting a little older look for points and rebounds to drop a little assits might go up
lol tenki if your going to quote something someone said atleast use the actual words said and dont add nonsense
Just throwing this out there: Lakers have YET to play in the playoffs with a healthy Andrew Bynum. That means that we have YET to see the Lakers at FULL strength in the postseason. Think about that. The Lakers have repeated as champions without their full starting five! That is HOW GOOD they are! They have UPGRADED their bench, which has proven to be somewhat of an achilles heel for them during this dynasty. This season, they may finally play with a healthy starting five and with a consistent, defensive-oriented bench! The Lakers are not feeling the heat, no no no. The REST OF THE LEAGUE NEEDS TO FEEL THE HEAT COMING FROM THE WESTCOAST!! FROM THE VENICE BEACH AREA, NOT SOUTH BEACH! Some of you people do not understand how talented the Lakers really are! They have gone through not one, but TWO STRAIGHT CHAMPIONSHIPS playing WITHOUT a full and healthy starting five! Just let that sink in! Andrew Bynum, when healthy, has shown tremendous FLASHES of how GOOD he can be and how GREAT the Lakers would be with him healthy!! They match up very well (along with Boston) with Miami, so the Heat will not be winning anytime soon! The Lakers and Celtics are two SAVVY DEFENSIVE TEAMS THAT ARE GUSHING WITH EXPERIENCE, TALENT, AND VETERANS! THAT IS WHAT WINS CHAMPIONSHIPS!! MARK MY WORDS, IT WILL BE LAKERS OR CELTICS WINNING THIS YEAR, MOST LIKELY LAKERS. Celtics are old, yes, but their intense defense makes up for it! Lakers aren’t quite as old, but that is how they will play in the next 4-5 years! THEY AREN’T GOING AWAY. ONLY THE REAL FANS WHO ARE NOT IN DENIAL AND WHO ARE NOT MORONS WILL AGREE WITH ME! The IDIOT fans who know NOTHING about basketball will disagree!
I happen to agree with most of your post except for the part about Miami not winning “Anytime Soon”. They may not win this year but THEY WILL WIN!!. Let’s not forget the FACTS- Before the Lakers got Pau Gasol they were not contenders- PERIOD!! In the 3 years before Pau and after Shaq, Kobe went out in the first round in 06 and 07 and in 05 (Right after Shaq) he didn’t even make the playoffs!!. He threatened to leave if he didn’t get help and then like Magic Pau was delivered for Kwame Brown!!!!!!!. (Why wasn’t that investigated??) PEOPLE BASKETBALL IS A TEAM SPORT- UNLIKE BOXING WHERE IF MUHAMMAD ALI LOST; IT WAS NO ONES FAULT BUT HIS OWN- GREAT TALENT WORKING TOGETHER WINS CHIPS!!!- NOW SINCE WE DISAGREE DOES THAT MAKE ME A MORON BECAUSE WE CAN SETTLE IT THE OLD FASHION WAY- A BASKETBALL AND A HOOP- AND I CAN STILL GET 30 AGAINST NON BALLERS!!!!
LOL in what ways does your rambling support your statement about Miami not winning any time soon??? Well, if you wanna get technical, define “soon”. I don’t think they will win this year or possibly even next year. That is soon to me. Do you disagree??? When did I say basketball is NOT a team sport??? Common man, your response doesn’t even make sense! You copied and pasted your post from earlier! It doesn’t even apply to what I said! LOL
more like failer 4 life
i like that. . . FAILER FOR LIFE. . . This dude is all blahblahblah. . .
time for me to paste my reply from his previous statement. . .
@BALLER FOR LIFE: Shaq never won a championship until he had KOBE. . . After their dynasty he had Dwayne Wade. . . Gasol never went to finals until he had BRYANT. . . Check your FACTS. . . Do you think without today’s best player they would have won a championship? C’mon! He’s the player of the DECADE for God’s sake!! Y didn’t they chose Shaq, DWade, Lebron or even Pau if they really deserve the award?? Let’s get real FAILERFORLIFE!! Wake up from your long time sleep. . . maybe ur still in Jordan’s Era. . .
Kobe is the Best player in the NBA…Hands down and its not even close lke Alvin Gentry said… Lebum is overated becasue NIKE pays ESPN to Promote him!!! If you ask any NBA Player or Coach who is the best player in NBA?? Everybody who know basketball will say KOBE BRYANT! Because he is a complete player his post game is way superior than lebron and is a natural born socrer who hates to lose!!! Kobe is the greatest player since jordan perhaps will end up all-time!!! There are allot of Kobe fans out ther but even more haters!!!! Kobe 7 finals appreances!! 5 RINGS, MVP, 2 Times FINALS MVP… 12th all-time leading scoring List and still counting… 3rd all-time in most 40 and 50 pts game in NBA.. 8 Times first team DEFENSE!! 12 Times all-star, 10 times NBA FIRST TEAM!! 2 scoring Titles!! ONE OF THE BEST CLOSERS EVER!!!!!!!!!! PEOPLE DON’T APPRECIATE GREATNESS UNTIL ITS GONE!!!
Right? How can people knock Kobe’s accomplishments… tisk tisk
so until 2009, paul pierce was the best player in the league. Kobe was not even close. lol get out of here! and don’t ever put the greatest and the most overrated in the same sentence. will end up all-time? seriously get out!
Question- What size front line did the Jordan Bulls have in his second comming- He had Scottie and Dennis Rodman- Who were the bigs??- EXACTLY!!- Most people cant tell you who they were because the big three did all the heavy lifting.
In Game 3 of the ECF against Boston LeBron had his jump shot working and was virtualy unguardable, Boston lost by 30. In the previous round against Miami D Wade won one game by himself. Doc Rivers said the two hardest guys to prepare for are DWade and LeBron because of thier ability to get into the interia of the defense. HE MADE THAT STATEMENT WHEN THEY WERE ON DIFFERENT TEAMS!!- Listen Chamionships are won by great talent and teamwork. You can have great teamwork but without great talent, forget about it!!!! – The Lakers are the Champs and in my estimation they have gotton better, Boston, because of the BIg 3 ( Really 4 the way Rondo has developed) still has enough in the tank to compete for a championship and now Miami has joined the party. Orlando, Chicago and Oklahoma all have great shots at moving to the next level and in the end because of the “Descsion” Basketball has reached a fever pith that hasen’t been seen since Magic Bird!!!!!!!
so you said the 04 piston have great talent? lol ur statement is some time true but and average team with hardworker and well coached can still win so talent doesnt alway win they might win game but not champion. oh about ur Dwade and LBJ stuff so you only take the good game to show us how about the bad game that they have again boston? what happen? oh they both lost to who? oh the old slow boston with well coached and hard worker and tallent.
yes dwade is a great player im his fan but not LBJ cuz the way his act and his stupidness make me hate him. so you can call me hater all you want but you know it true that LBJ is just another ignorant overrated player.
IM A Lebron fan / fellas Kobe has a 7 yr gap on Lebron he cant make that up ..But Kobe is the best scorer// Lebron right now is the best around player// ..Kobe is a killer// Lebron is not //D Wade is a killer thats why that combo wit Boshis going to be hard to stop I THINK BECAUSE KOBE S GAME WAS SO CLOSE TO JORDAN FROM THE SHOT TO CHEWIING GUM LOL SOME VIEW AS THE BEST.. LEBRON IS MORE MAGIC BIG O // RESPECT KOBE BUT MY MONEY ON THE HEAT WITNESS
im a huge laker fan true and true. i understand that the heat pulled the biggest story this offseason, but i say if you wanna prove that you have a better team this year then you have to beat the champion lakers. and be the last team standing in the end. if you cant do that then you no better than any other team out there wishing to be a champion.
HEY GUYS LETS JUST WATCH THE GAME AND THE RESULT WILL TALK BY ITSELF GOOD LUCK
LEEEEEETTTTTTSSSSSS GOOOOOO LAAKKEERRSSS 3 STRAIGHT AGAINNN……
how can mike miller, haslem, chalmers, house, ilgauskas, james jones, howard, magloire not be considerd a “bench”?? r you guys real ball players or goofy fans? if u have LBJ, Wade, and Bosh how much MORE help do you expect?? half of the league is crying about them having only 3 awesome players..
they need a better bench cuz with 1 or 2 of them injure who know what can happen just like the preseason. oh and you expect the 3 amigo to play 40+ min every game? so yes i know thos play is great but u compare to team like boston and laker their bench is a lot better
I hear you still Three stars WOW! Lebron, wade & bosh. But kobe said himself he gonna play his best ever that game when they meet up and lakers have an overall better team!! plus what happens if the games cose in the 4th Quater we all already kobe’s the finisher in the nba and lebron, bosh or even wade can’t beat kobe at his own specailty.SOO FOR ALL THE PEOPLE WHO THINK KOBE”S NOT GETTING ANOTHER CHAMPIONSHIP, YOU ALL ARE KOBE HATERS!!!!! face it he’s the best.
REMEMBER WE ALL DID THE SAME THING WHEN THEY SAID KOBE BETTER THAN JORDAN …NOW TIME HAS PASS NOT SO CRAZY … SAME THING WIT LEBRON TIME WILL TELL BUT JUST REMEMBER WHAT LBJ WAS WORKING WIT NOT BUMS BUT DAMN SURE WASN T GASOL AND THAT SUPPORTING CAST … NOT A EXCUSE JUST A FACT RESPECT LAKER FAN GO HEAT 4 SHO
Would you try to compare…..The HEAT from the bulls when MJ was playing…
I looks the same!!!!!
look at it grandPa……HEAT is coming Tyour way!!!
All I can say is that I can’t wait for the regular season to begin! We can sit here and speculate how the season will go all we want, but I’m willing to bet that this season will be very unpredictable. Look at all of the great teams that have been assembled: Lakers, Heat, Magic, Celtics, Bulls, Thunder, Jazz, Spurs, Mavs, Rockets, Nuggets…..This is going to be a great season! I think there are going to be some teams that surprise us as well. Is it possible that the Cavs, Hawks, or Bucks over achieve this season? We shall see. 11 days left! All the talk is about to end. Let’s play some basketball!
fala pessoal e ai kobe bryant é o melhor sempre gostei dele ele é o c ara mesmo quando tiver parado de jogar, sempre vou ser seu fan meu sonho era treinar com ele seria show
abraço kobe e boa temporada para vc e para os LAKERS
abraço
fala galera e ai Kobe Byant é o cara sempres gostei dele pra mim ele é o melhor jogador minha inspiraçao quando jogo basket , meu sonho é treinar com ele , ele é o maximo
boa temporada para os LAKERS E PARA VC KOBE BRYANT..
abraço
everybody speaks and there is the guy Kobe Byant always liked him for me he is the best player in my inspiration when I play basketball, my dream is to train with him, he is the max
good season for the LAKERS KOBE BRYANT AND VC ..
hug
The team of the Eastern conference to beat is Boston. However Lakers are still the best team in the NBA. Lastly Kobe Bryant is still the best player in the NBA. Proof? Kobe= 5 rings Lebron=zilch
HEY DO U GUYS REMEMBER WHEN THE LAKERS HAD GARY PAYTON, KARL MALONE, KOBE, AND SHAQ. ALL IN GOOD SHAPE. DID THEY GET A RING? I DONT THINK SO….
That’s because the chemistry wasn’t in too good of a shape + injuries + Gary and Karl were old and in their twilight years.
Back to the LeBron vs Kobe and Lakers vs Heat topic, I think Lakers and Kobe wins on this one.
If you talk about rings, Kobe has 5 and LeBron has 0. To everyone who argues that then Robert Horry is greater than Kobe Bryant and Michael Jordan, I think it should be more accurately – rings earned if you played a significant / star role in the championship team. Horry did play good roles in some of his championship runs such as the ’02 WCF and ’05 Finals, but he wasn’t effective in others.
If you talk about the team as a whole, the Heat is very good both offensively and defensively. Wade and LeBron can both rack up steals and blocks. However, the front-court and length is what separates them from the Lakers. L.A. just have too much length. With a healthy Bynum, Gasol and an improved Odom from the USA team, the Lakers have complete domination of the front-court, even with Chris Bosh on the floor because Chris is not a stellar defensive player and only covers one position the floor, most likely the 4 position. This carries on to the defensive side of L.A. with the paint being clogged up with the length of L.A. The Heat will have to rely on perimeter shooting which they lack except in Mike Miller.
Therefore, I think it is safe to say that for now, L.A. is still the favorites and on the sheet is still better than the Heat.
why are there so many haters of lebron?
he just exercised his right as a free agent? right.
just like ur hate of KOBE no mater how good they are their alway be hater.
and if you ask me y im hate LBJ?
Simple he and ignorant and has no respect to anyone.. for example if i remeber right in the series cav vs bull when the cav win they alway dance and shuve it in the losing team face. or the series cav vs magic in 09 when they lost just walk away with out shaking hand or congratz oh he excuse cuz he a winner. lol see how stupid ignorant attitude he has .
Kobe vs Lebron? Kobe wins hands down! Heat vs Lakers? Heat are a better team on paper. Let’s be real! i hate the fact that Lebron decided to join the heat but now that he did, nobody can stop them. Not even Boston, which i believe can go real far in the east. Heat will do exactly what we expect them to do and that’s winning the championship. However, will Lebron get the same props and respect that MJ had? Or will he be recognize for a real champion like Kobe?…i don’t think so.
Heat beat Boston?? lol that’s funny 3 guy’s can’t beat a complete defensive TEAM!!!!!! How is the Heat better on paper than the defending chumps LA Losers. I don’t like LA but who in the West can stop them?? LA vs Miami= LA… Miami don’t have a bench or size to compete, just a Superstar(D-wade) a good all around player(Lebron steroid baby James) and maybe the top PF in the NBA Bosh outside of those three you have Haslim who is their best bench player and Eddie house who’s not consistant enough. Wes your a retard
Well basketball changed a lot from when Jordan and Magi were playing. U can’t really compare Bulls and Utah, to these days. Lot’s of teams are more stronger now and it is a beautifull thing to watch.
I still think Boston will win the East and possibly be the champion. They really are a tough and able team. It will be a treat to watch them against Lakers, two equall teams, both expirienced and neither backing down.
The Heat is strong but will have lot’s of problems against Celtics and will maybe be equal with Magic. I kind of expect Magic to really progress this year. They have the ability… About the Heat it really depends on how Lebron and Wade can cooperate, but I think they are lacking a bit in depth, but they may found some others to step up.
It will certainly be a another great year
You guys will see…once the season starts…vs rockets..i see kobe dropping like 40 that night…hes hideing something…you can see it in his pre-season play…He just not playing as hard
what was his fg% during the preseason? like 10%? lol
You guys talking about Miami like they have already won something. Lakers are back to back champions and are the best until proven wrong. You can put dwight howard on Miami too but it sitll wouldn’t matter because they have won nothing yet. I have as many rings as Lebron James
So Horry is better than Kobe then? Horry has 7 rings. Kobe has 5 and he won’t have anymore.
SERIOUSLY, HAVE YOU WATCHED THE INTERVIEW WITH MIAMI BIG 3? THEY WERE ASKED WHICH TEAM IS THE TEAM TO BEAT IN THE EAST AND BOSH ANSWERED WITH ” BOSTON “. WADE WAS ASKED WHICH TEAM IS THE TEAM TO BEAT OVERALL AND HE ANSWERED ” LAKERS, CAUSE THEY ARE THE CHAMPIONS “. UNDERSTAND THAT THEY ARE MORE AFRAID OF BOSTON AND LAKERS COMPARED TO THE OPPOSITE. LAKERS AND BOSTON ARE PROVEN MASTERS OF UNDERSTANDING HOW TO WIN WHEN PRESSURE IS ON AND CLEARLY LEBRON AND BOSH ARENT QUITE THERE YET. ONLY WADE HAS PROVEN HIMSELF. ALL IT TAKES IS ONE OF THEM TO GET INJURED AND ITS THE END OF THE SEASON FOR THEM. TIME WILL COME FOR THE HEAT IS WHEN THEY SIGN A LEGIT CENTER WHILE IMPROVING THEIR BENCH. SAME GOES TO THE THUNDERS. LETS STOP THIS DEBATE AND ENJOY THIS UPCOMING YEAR OF EPIC NBA BASKETBALL!
REMINDER, LAKERS VS ROCKETS AND HEAT VS CELTICS ON DAY 1 OF THE REGULAR SEASON!!!!!
No doub about that this season will be one of the most anticipated and fun season in a while since the dejavu history of MJ Era were specially in the begining of his BULLS era they had competing strong teams boston and bird pistons bad boys and awaiting west heavy weight LAKERS, this season is similar for the miami heat their begining era of a powerful team with the lack of cohesiveness experience and a seasoned unproven coach then again Doc Rivers was like that also, the point here is Miami will be fun to see i even want to get a broadband league pass to see them duke it out with Boston Orlando and Bulls and a couple other east teams trying to make them unproven, in the end it just might be Boston nocking them out of the Championship game and if not so it will be armogedon LA beast the East LA team meaning the Heat they might well be known as the new LAKERS of the east.
Kobe is been mature about the whole circus about Miami..he will do all the talking on the court and Black Mamba will struck again this upcoming season.
Jesus christ. Can the comment section of the NBA articles not fill up with idiotic comments for once? Every goddamn article’s comment section I scroll down to. It’s always the same BS. “LAKERSWILLWIN” “LAKERSFORLIFE” “LEBRONSUCKS” “KB24LIFERINGS”.
Please stop being such closed-minded idiots and stop sucking kobe’s private parts. He’s a great player, but guess what? He’s not going to give you a freaking court-side ticket if you support him in a blind rage-like manner.
This also applies to Lebron lovers. Can all you fanboys please just shut the hell up AND STOP INCESSANTLY USING CAPS LOCK. THIS DOESN’T MAKE YOU LOOK INTENSE OR KNOWLEDGEABLE. YOU LOOK LIKE A DOWN-SYNDROME VICTIM.
Also, stop predicting how well the Heat do. There are too many variables in play; stop trying to come off as a basketball expert.
seriously? are you really an NBA fan? maybe youre barking on the wrong tree? maybe your an Oprah fan so stay away from this site. . . ok?
what the heck is your problem idiot @ seriously why dont you shut up stupid if dont like it dont get on the page you can tell alot from people like yourself you call every one out cuz we like to talk about basketball maybe im going to call you out little girl if cant talk about the topic than dont talk at all go play with your self
A few years ago chris rock said that nobody gives less of a F than George Bush and everyone on earth agrees. Well i think that tittle now goes to kobe. There is nobody to challenge the lakers in the west so they will be riding high all year through the season while phil keeps their minutes low due to improved bench. Lakers will face off with all the good east teams at least twice to tweek their game plan for later so my answer is no, kobe is not feeling hot he doesn’t care at all right now “oh whats this the heat got james and bosh with wade? woop dee damn doo” -kobe He doesnt have to worry about any of the top east teams until june and then he will start feeling hot.
p.s. last three years lakers bench had lamar odom playing point guard to farmar vuchichi and brown and they had kobe making them better at the same time. People are really doubting mike miller playing point for house, haslem, chalmers, Z, james jones, and j. howard wont be good? especially with three people making them all a lot better? i dont never wanna hear any smack about heats depth.
even if kobe keep shoots low % the lakers still win. that just shows how strong the team really is.
it’s to see that the lakers are in control of this season and the next one to come. and the team is built to keep winning when kobe can’t do it anymore, let’s not forget that paul gasol has not hit his prome yet and by making him the 1 option would make kobe even more dangerouse in the future and let’s not forget the nice additions added on defendively that are very much young and also what people are not realizing is that coaching staff for the lakers are very good teachers of the game on how to win on a championship level, this is just not about phil jackson and text winters. that are alot of others who can teach this game on a championship level on how to win in that organization.
it’s easy to see that the lakers have the team to win this year and the next, but what people are not realizing is that paul gasol has not hit his prime yet and when he does and kobe is number 2 on some plays that makes kobe even more deadly winning games in closing moments. another thing people don’t realize is the comparison of the heat and the lakers being that talent is one thing but chemistry of the talent is another. the lakers have just won a second straight title and kobe and bynum was injured not to mention artest with the shoulder. the coaching staff is very skilled in teaching how to win on a championship level not just phil jackson and tex winters. i got kobe winning 10 rings before it’s all over and a few of them as player coach, cause he just that smart. teams are gonna be bowing to west coast royalty for a long time, lol.
forget the first one i wrote
Say what you want, unril the Lakers are dethroned, they are the team to beat. While Miama is a juggernaut, the proof in the pudding will come during the post season. And if LeBron is ever to reach the mountaintop, he will have to learn how to win. By that I mean, brute force (and he’s got plenty) will not win you a championship. Basketball intelligence and determination wins the big prize. Now as far the Kobe and Jordan argument goes, the one thing they have in common is that both men have a burning desire to win. Jordan knew how to win as aplayer, and so does Kobe. Thst’s why Kobe can take the last shot. he is not afraid to take that shot, and he can live with the results, good or bad. Like Mike always saif, if you are going to lose, go down shooting. Kobe gets that. LeBron???
Say what you want, until the Lakers are dethroned, they are the team to beat. While Miama is a juggernaut, the proof in the pudding will come during the post season. And if LeBron is ever to reach the mountaintop, he will have to learn how to win. By that I mean, brute force (and he’s got plenty) will not win you a championship. Basketball intelligence and determination wins the big prize. Now as far the Kobe and Jordan argument goes, the one thing they have in common is that both men have a burning desire to win. Jordan knew how to win as aplayer, and so does Kobe. Thst’s why Kobe can take the last shot. he is not afraid to take that shot, and he can live with the results, good or bad. Like Mike always saif, if you are going to lose, go down shooting. Kobe gets that. LeBron???
i’m not gonna sit here and argue if heat are gonna win or not, if they can beat the celtics or lakers, it would be just too premature to say that right now because its only the preseason. wade hasn’t even played yet, and we all know that hardly any team is playing with 100% effort right now. yes, they look good on paper, yes they played well together on team usa, but also yes there are other tough teams, and yes there are upsets because the league CAN be very unpredictable. just let them play and watch AMAZING HAPPEN. once they do play each other, then you can talk all the nonsense all you want.
LMAO. You can’t compare Kobe and Lebron. 31 year old hurt Kobe is better than young injury free Lebron. So what does that say? Somebody said Lebron is better becuase Kobe can’t run the point. Really? GTFOH lol. Kobe doesn’t need to run the point. He plays in a triangle. Lebron is good because he is a freak of nature who can dunk, jump, and block. If Lebron was 6’6 215 like Kobe, he wouldn’t be nothing. Wouldn’t be able to do nothing.
Feeling the heat? Child please. You can’t feel what you can’t catch. And you can’t catch what you can’t TOUCH.
UNTOUCHABLE.
THIS FALL ……THIS TOUGH IM TAKING MY TALENTS TO SOUTH BEACH AND JOIN THE HEAT MJ /PIPPEN/RODMAN BIRD/ PARS /MCKALE KOBE /GASOL /ARTEST THE DEFENCE REST…………
lol i like ur comment bro i think i have the same amount of ring as lebron too lol but am a lakers fan and think lakers or boston gonna win
Kobe has been through all this before. Hes had these same injuries in the past. He comes back from injury better than any player I’ve ever seen. He will be ready during the season. People have to understand that this team has to be respected. They are two time champions and they are a very seasoned team with a very high basketball IQ. They have the best coach in the game. They have the best leader and finisher in the game,(Kobe). I’m not saying they’re unbeatable; but I know they are gonna be on top of their game. A healthy Andrew Bynum and Pau Gasol in the middle is the best post up duo in the NBA. That’s my opinion. I’m looking forward to the season and I’m also looking forward to watching the Heat this year. kThey will be TOUGH. As will Boston and Orlando in the East. Oklahoma City, Portland, and possibly Utah in the West. San Antonio and Denver not far behind! Go Lakers!!!!!!
From matchup standpoint, lakers have the upper hand against miami (bosh cant matchup against gasol/bynum also remember how lakers overwhelmed the celtics in rebounding category last season, la’s bench is better, artest/matt will guard lebron, kobe/fisher/brown will can guard wade) .. also, remember peeps defence and rebound wins championships! i wouldnt be surprise if healthy/complete boston team will beat miami in playoffs.
2011 NBA FINALS = CLEVELAND beats SEATTLE
4 0
Anderson Varejao = Finals MVP
Byron Scott(CLEVELAND) = Coach of the Year
Steve Nash = Defensive Player of the Year
Allen Iverson = Season MVP
Tracy McGrady = Sixth Man of the Year
Shaquille O’neal = Most Improved Player
Kwame Brown = Rookie of the Year
NUF SAID!!
30-8-8! Yea, like any of those stats were good enough to beat the Celtics? Again, there is no point in comparing averages if you cant win it all.. 30-8-8 because he did everything as a Cavalier, from point to small power forward, maybe even rebounding as a power forward. Do you actually think he is gonna have the same numbers this season? I think not. So dont compare these statistics when you cant win it all, In the NBA, GREATNESS comes with a ring.
excuse me.. small forward* not small power forward..
Lakers or Celtics will win it this year. Probabally the Lakers just because the celtics will have another year on their good players legs. Lebron+ Wade + Bosh looks better than any1 on paper but to many things like team chemistry, etc come into play and I don’t see the Heat having good chemistry. All 3 of the heat’s stars need the ball in their hands to be effective…Then all the sudden they’re supposed to probably only get 10-17 shots instead of 23ish shots per game? Some people criticize Kobe’s fg% in the finals and other times but his team actually has a better winning % than when he is scoring alot or shooting well. The reason why is because Kobe gets his whole team involved and doesn’t have the ball in his hands every second so when he does shoot he’s off rhythm or the focus of another teams defense. The heat will not have have good chemistry…. The Celtics big 3 were all about 30 when they joined and they were past the stat padding years of their careers. Wade and Lebron have yet to become even decent in the post and I’d live with them making outside jump shots any day. Go lakers!
BEING A CELTICS FAN I DO RESPECT GREAT PLAYERS IN THE GAME AND WHAT THEY HAVE ACCOMPLISHED. THAT BEING SAID BRYANT IS DEFINITELY NOT FEELING THE HEAT. THE LAKERS ARE ON THE TOP OF THE MOUNTAIN AND BRYANT MORE THAN ANYONE UNDERSTANDS THE GRIND AND THE FOCUS NEEDED TO GET THERE. BOSTON HAS MADE UPGRADES TO THE ONE GLARING WEAKNESS THAT PLAGUED THEM LAST SEASON AND THEY ALSO HAVE A TEAM THAT UNDERSTANDS THE GRIND.. MIAMI IS A NEW TEAM WITH MANY NEW PARTS AND CHEMISTRY HAS TO BE BUILT. CAN IT BE DONE? POSSIBLY. BUT TO CROWN THE HEAT THE NEXT NBA CHAMPION WITHOUT TRULY CONSIDERING THE TWO-TIME DEFENDING NBA CHAMPIONS AND THE DEFENDING EASTERN CONFERENCE CHAMPIONS IS A SLAP IN THE FACE TO BOTH OF THEM. ORLANDO WILL GIVE MIAMI PROBLEMS BECAUSE THE HEAT HAVE NO ONE TO PLAY HOWARD WHICH WILL FORCE THE HEAT TO DOUBLE HIM AND LEAVE WIDE OPEN SHOOTERS(AND WE KNOW THAT THE MAGIC CAN SHOOT THE 3 BALL). ON THE OTHER HAND BOSH WILL NOT COMMAND A DOUBLE TEAM FROM THE CELTICS OR LAKERS AND WADE AND JAMES WILL TRY TO DO MUCH OF THEIR WORK FROM THE PERIMETER. LIKE SOMEONE WROTE EARLIER BOSTON(WHEN HEALTHY)IS VERY GOOD AT CLOSING DOWN THE PAINT AREA AND WITH THE ONEALS THAT WILL BE EASIER FOR THEM THIS SEASON). BARRING INJURIES FROM THE LAKERS AND THE CELTICS THEY WILL LIKELY MEET IN THE FINALS FOR THE 3RD TIME IN FOUR YEARS.
@germanfranc41
SOMEONE SHOULD BE RUNNING AT YOU RIGHT NOW WITH A URINE SAMPLE CUP!!
@Vlad:
There is depth on the bench and then there is PROVEN DEPTH on the bench and right now Miami’s bench has not been proven. Until they are battle tested and proven smack will be spoken about the Heat. Get used to it.
Kobe is just being Kobe, the media is hyping this crap too much.
The Miami Trio is no doubt a monster one, but i think they should consider the rhythm and team effort to win a championships. Talent only is not enough,you have to play as a team and I think the Lakers still did it best. So i think Lakers still have the edge in the finals. Remember it’s still TEAM EFFORT, HEART OF A CHAMPION and MIND SETTING to win in champonships, and the Lakers have all that. LAKERS definitely a 3 PEAT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
The Heat Don’t Suck, They Got Three Superstars and are good friends, don’t hate, just wait till the start of the season.
it will be Lakers vs Heat In The Finals.
Im pretty sure lakers will win
3Peat!!
Lakers will lose. . . Heat have too much offensive power! Offense wins games why because you can have the best defense but what do you do on offense when the main players who score are kobe an paul odom an fisher arent that good! You have three allstars who have good range an exellent talents
OK
Ryan – You are correct, Celtics defense does know how to stop players from driving into the lanes….the one thing that both Lebron and Wade love to do. As you stated we clearly saw their defense stop Lebron in the finals and they will do the same thing again this year. Adding Shaq also was a good thing, because even thought he is old, he is still a big body to get in the way and disrupt an offense. Lebron always cracks under the pressure, and that’s not his fault, the guy is still very young and needs more experience, he has to develop a killer instinct and not force things as much, that’s why i still have my man Kobe as 1# in the league because what he brings to the game in an overall sense with his game and mentality
LakersWillWin – I watched the Hornets game too, and i hoped the Miami fans watched it too, because without Wade and Lebron in there Chris was alone on a island, it looked like he was back in Toronto having to do everything. And ppl want to say they have a good bench, yea please. They lost the game and without the two starters couldn’t make any noise. Mike MIller being sixth man of year??? LMAO at that he could barely control the ball, I was dying laughing watching that game. I dont think they will make the finals and Lebron will say to himself “well damn I could’ve stayed in Cleveland for this”
a correction to my comment, we saw the Celtics do this to Lebron in the 2nd round….didnt mean to say finals…
WHOS GOING TO GRAB EMERSON EJ BROWN….I HEARD THE UTAH FLASH HAVE SOME FILM ON HIM
Real sweet and simple. . . Who are the main ones that score for the lakers. . . Not much because they have matt barnes an artest shannon brown derick fisher lamar odom an who ever else they have! Ok listen up. . . They have Big Z who is a shooter so that opens up the court for wade lebron an bosh! What do you do when you have great shooters at different angles! The suns for example they can shoot! The lakers struggled but the suns did not have a wade or lebron who can take over easy but guess what the heat have both! Aroyo is speed so is miller fisher is old an cannot run anymore! The heat coach isnt great but look who is above him. . . PAT RILEY! If he would of stayed coachin he honestly would have more rings then Phill LACKson! Heat beat the lakers but boston gets 18th banner Sorry fans
Those who say that miami will suck this season, are you kidding me? It’s simple. Just think about how well cavs have played for last few years and it was all because of lebron. Now, this miami team and lebron got much better team then that cavs team. I am sorry, but miami will continue to dominate the league in the next few years starting this season. They will beat the celtics magic, and lakers too.
I am a lakers fan btw.
well first of all, the hate is great. The heat will kick ass all season. I cant wait to drag boston up and down the court. I will be back here to post comments october 26, 2010 when the heat kill boston!!!!
keeep hating baby lets us know you are watching and paying attention.
apparently kobe is really overrated. best side kick of all time though
so ummmm how exactly r the celtics gonna raise their 18th banner if the “heat r gonna beat the lakers?” dude u have no idea what u r sayin get off the blog seriously…and u say offense wins championships?…yeah thats y the suns and warriors have a bunch of championships…defence wins championships…and those heat boys r weak @ the PG and the center position…rondo? rose? D12? Bogut? and if they get past them they gotta deal wiht those celtic boys which r not just gonna let them win like cleveland let them win last season…they got both o’neals in the offseason…they r not even thinkin about the east they r preparin 4 the laker size odom gasol bynum…the lakers r gonna win beatin the celtics and tyin their banners @ the same time…givin them a 2-1 edge in their recent rivarly like in the 80′s 3-peatin like in 00 01 02 and givin the true king his 6th ring tyin the all-time great michael jordan…yeah…
Kobe’s most important focus right now is getting that knee healthy. He should probably sit out the first month of this season. Strengthing and conditioning that knee should come first before any statistical thing, so even limited play would be great. The Heat have assembled a team to be reckoned with, but the Lakers are a championship built team, so Kobe most likely isn’t worried about Miami. Maimi has bigger worries and that’s getting past Boston/Orlando first.
As owner of the los angeles lakers, I respect all our true fans out there. Keep surpporting us as a team, because every season brings new challanges. I will be sincere, the heat looks scare. Although, will welcome the challange. We have been succesful for years. Nevertheless, nothing last forever. I ask your altimate surpport as true fans of the Lakers, regardless of any possible outcome for next season. Winning or losing should not change your mind to surpport, the team you love.
this is for that fool hweda
LMFAOOOO u have got to be kidding me, the Cavs have been good the las two years because of LEBRON???? MIAMI has a better team than the old CAVS, you must be a 12 year old because you dont know anything about basketball. Before Moe Williams came to the Cavs Lebron’s team was always like a fifth or sixth seed. Then the Cavs brought in some good role players like Jamiro Moon, Delonte West, Shaq, Jamision….come on dude get real the Cavs werent not number 1 in the east just because of Lebron all alone because if that wsa the case they would have always been the number 1 seed since he came into the league. Delonte West, Gibson, and Mo Williams are all better than Chalmers and Arroyo combined. Cavs were deep and had better players than this Miami bench now, they just had a bad matchup with the Celtics and Lebron couldnt stand the pressure, now if they lose (which they will) he can blame it on WADE AND BOSH. He is a sucka….hop off the bandwagon you idiot
The cavs were the favorite to win the championship last season before the playoffs began (even barkley picked the cavs). They lost in the playoffs and all of a sudden Lebron had a “bad team”. gotta be kidding me lol
anyway, Miami is a great team now im excited how they would fair against a complete/healthy boston team in the playoffs (lebron choking again and bosh feeling helpless and getting outsized) LOL
KOBI AS WELL LAKERS ORGANISATION ARE PEEING IN THEIR PANTS RIGHT NOW BESIDE FEELING THE HEAT, BUSS ALMOST HAD A HEART ATTACK AFTER THE “DECISION”. ARE YOU KIDDING ME!!, HE WENT FROM CUTTING $$$ TO ADDING PIECES WHICH COST $$$ WHILE THEY R DEFENDING CHAMPS, ..WHY? CAUSE THEY KNOW HEAT WILL MAKE THEM RUN LIKE DONKEYS AROUND THE COURT COMES PLAYOFF TIME AND WITH SLOW BIG BEN LIKE GASOL AND, BYNUM AS WELL DAMAGED GOOD “KOBI’ CANT KEEP UP WITH RUNNING TRAIN FROM HEAT.*** LEBRON IS THE BEST PLAYER RIGHT NOW, OBVIOUSLY HE IS THE MIGHTY KING OF NBA, HE IS A TEAM PLAYER NOT A SHOW TIME “KOBI”IT TAKES MORE THAN PILLING UP BIG NO’S TO BE AN ALL ROUND PLAYER. LEBRON WILL HUMILIATE KOBI THIS SUMMER AND HE WILL ALSO SHOWCASE WHO CAN BEAT WHO? ONE ON ONE. IT’S TIME TO SURPASS KOBI AND THANKS FOR SHAQ FOR HELPING HIM EARNED 3 OUT OF 5 RINGS AND MANY THANKS TO MEMPHIS FOR GASOL CHARITY WHO MADE HIM EARNED 2 RINGS…… MUSTDENY HIM ANY MORE RINGS. KOBI SHOULD THANKS SHAQ FOR HELPING HIM GET THREE RINGS AS HE IS NOT TYPE OF A PLAYER WHO CAN GET MORE THAN WHAT HE HAS EARNED TWO RINGS ONLY (THANKS TO CHARITY OF GASOL FROM MEMPHIS).
This reunion was planned for a reason, they all took less money for one purpose only which is to win 6 championship or more.
really? Nah!
all these bandwagon laker fans…get off kobes nuts his time is over …id take lebron or kobes selfish a$$ anyday
bandwagon men come on talking about lebron you are riding a bandwagon just watch the game in dec 25
kobe is not the best shooting guard in the league…….dwyane wade is!!..wade is the fourth guard in nba history to have over 100 steals and 100 blocks and he averaged 30 points a game thats what you call best player…at 6.4
LeBron is good Kobe is better, not because he has more rings but because he has more experience and been in the game longer. So he knows how things work in the Game. Period!!!
How about all you people just wait till the season starts atleast! Anything can happen, we havent seen Wade James Bosh play together yet so lets see how that goes.
we got 2 of the best scores in the nba , second no one in their NBA mind cant stop either wade or lebron in one on one … if you double team either or .. all them shooters they have around them have to hit the shots, got’s to hit the big money shots.. yall right we dont have no big man in the 4 and 5 position.. but bosh is quicker then any 4 or 5 man position .. not stronger thoe which he going to work on adding a lil more body ….
to think that kobe is better then lebron …mmm i dont know lebron is an all around player … could score at will and at any time he wants .. onthe other hand wade statictis were better then kobe for the second time …but kobe and a great player no dought in my mind that man has a killer instinct … no one know but heat might take it deep in the playoff.. even to the championship but they gonna have to wokr for it give the heat an yr or two … after that get ready for wade and lebron winning it back to back to back to back lol yall get wut iam saying
i just don’t understand why people hate the Miami Heat right now, Boston did it before when they added Garnett and Allen with Pierce, and resulted to a championship. Right now Wade-LeBron-Bosh trio is better, Wade (without LeBron and Bosh) brought Miami to the playoffs, (same as Bosh) LeBron (without Wade and Bosh) Brought Cleveland to the Finals and the playoffs, and i would be lying i tell that combining them would not increase their chances of having championship rings (yes, rings)
I can also say that Lakers doesn’t pose any threat to the Heat, Boston would be a big challenge though to both Heat and the Lakers.
Right now we can all say what we want to say and just wait till June 2011 to see which of our comments proved right
Ok, I’m pretty new to all this but I have a few questions about Miami I hope someone can give me answer to. (:
1) Is Joel Anthony Miami’s no.1 center and if so, is he any good?
2) Who is great at defending in the current Miami team?
3) How important was Michael Beasley to the Miami Heat last season?
lets just get on that 2k11 lol
i’m a lakers fan… and rooting for the 3peat of course.
but anyone else a little worried about kobe?
seems like he’s a little lackluster, both on the court and off the court. i’ll start with on the court. it’s sad to say… but our main man kobe bryant is getting old =/. are his best seasons behind us? =/. sad but that’s most likely more true of a statement then to say that he’s getting better. knee surgery… and his practices… he’s like not practicing as hard as other younger players. =/.
and off the court… in interviews… the way he just avoids the question about miami. saying that he’s focusing on his own game, which is… resting his knee. saying that he doesn’t think about miami. which is a lie. how can you not think about miami. he should just spit the truth, but the way he avoids the question is like a sign of fear.
idk… at least pau is getting better! and so is lamar. and friggen bynum better get better. anyways kobe still the man. even if he only scores like 15 points a game, he’s still a great leader. just sad he’s getting older…
the truth of the matter is this jordan didnt beat anyone he didnt do it on his own he also had a good team he had scottie pippen who is a hall of famer, deffensive stopper denise rodman, 3 point shooter steve kerr, tony kukoch who was a star befor the bulls and became a good shooter and thret to deffenders, ron harper who was good any way you needed him and so on and so forth. it was the team who bet evrey one not jordan but yet he was talked about and still is why well cuz he was the leader and a team cant beat no one with out a leader and that is what kobe is a worrior who nose how to win and proven time and time and again that he led the lakers to all these victorys. lebron, wade and bosh could not do it them self thats way the joined but still wont beat the lakers or boston just because they dont have the leader that you find in kobe or garnett, pierce, allen. the fact of the matter is that they have a long way to go kobe is still the best and his team is still the best they cant be stoped and wont be for at least 1 or 2 more years to come. bottom line kobe deserves to be put into the conversation of the best of the best in nba history and every one knows that he was robed of season mvps for many years but he said it best he rather have rings to show for it. hey lebron and lebron fans were are your rings oopppsss there are none hahahahahaha
yeah yeah..lets say that the “BIG” 3 of miami are monsters..but if they win the championship are you going to be proud?they will win only because of talent…yeah i ike wade and bosh..but james??nah..he is a sissy,,he needs the help of wade and james just to have a ring…lakers only has allstar pau gasol and odom who is sometimes not helping..see even at the pre season the heat sucked more because of JAMES..lakers all the way..
I feel the same way, I didnt fault Bosh for leaving Tornoto because he team has been a losing team ever since he was drafted there, never a number one seed, always misisng the playoffs or just making it then being kicked out first round. Bosh did the right thing and of course Wade stayed loyal to his first team, but Lebron? You leave a number 1 seed team twice in a row just because you got unlucky in the playoffs? Just show you he doesnt wanna take responisibilty or shoulder the load as the leader, if they fall he wants people to say well it wasnt just lebron, wade and bosh messed up too
KOBI TIME WAS OVER SINCE THE ‘DECISION’ THE THREE AMIGOS PLANNED THIS REUNION TO WIN CHAMPIONSHIPS….THEY WILL BE IN MIAMI FOR A DYNASTY , STEP ASIDE LAKERS AND OLD CELTICS, ITS TIME FOR THE HEAT BRON, WADE AND BOSH TO SHINE ………. DOWN LAKERS……., REMEMBER MJ WON 6 TITLE WITHOUT A CENTER PIECE………. SPEEDY BRON AND WADE WILL MAKE ALL GRUMPY BIG MEN DISSAPEAR………BOSH DOESNT NEED THE PAINT AND HE WILL KILL GASOL AND BYNUM FOR MID JUMPPERS. THE MENTAL SICK KID ARTEST OR THE MENTAL DISTURBED MATT BARNES CANNOT GUARD EITHER BRON OR WADE.
KOBI JUST DUG HIS OWN GRAVE BY SAYING THAT HE WOULD WIN, ONE ON ONE…. HE WILL HAVE PLENTY OF OPPORTUNITY AND WITH THE REPAIRED KNEE, BEING WAY SMALL COMPARED TO BRON AND AGE FACTOR, HE WILL BE JUST HUMILIATED BIG TIME. ********* SHOWTIME IS NOW IN SOUTH BEACH********* BELIEVE IT********
Fine, but dont compare Micheal run of Championships to Lebron…afta Lebron made the decision he didnt do anything but destory his LEGACY. How you going go down as a great or be given any credit for the rings you get if you had 2 OTHER ALLSTAR CALIBER PLAYERS on your squad. Nobody will give him credit for any ring he gets just like nobody gives Kobe credit for his three with Shaq
Well first of all I think there is going to be problems for the heat. Somebody is going to take a big drop stat wise. Lebron and Wade both scoring 30ppg I just don’t see it, thats where the proble is going to come,once one star starts getting too much attention then thats when heads are going to bumb. Lebron wants to be in the spotlight so just hope Wade can deal with it. After they lose a couple games in a row watch what happens.
great comment, i feel the same way….i think EGOS will clash eventually…just look at Shaq and Kobe, they started off all buddy buddy, but behind the scenes in the locker room after while things got heated!!! espically in 04 when they added Payton and Malone to the line up….Payton was a cocky lil guy with an ego from his glory days as “THE GLOVE”
i just dont see the heat beating the boston celtics or orlando, yes miami has lebron wade and bosh ok that all good but what about the team the heats center is not a good defender he cant stop shaq bynum or gasol at the post hes not going to be a good center for them and then they dont have a good point gaurd who is going to stop rondo who is going to stop nelson or when fisher starts hiting 3′s they cant do it. with the lakers the have to worry about gaurding kobe who is going to gaurd kobe come lets be realistic here lebron has not been able to stop kobe nore wade and every one knows that last year every single time they faced him they always failed to stop his shots wade could not stop his buzzered beater in the season lebron was haveing trouble stoping his fade away jumpers then you have gasol who will score anyway you cant stop that bosh sure wont and then lebron has 2 defenders to worry about ron artest and matt barnes and kobe can gaurd wade any time and brown can tooits proven fact people face the music this team needs alot more than 3 super stars to stop the lakers and boston i could go on and on but for what u already get hte picture we just have to admit that kobe truly right now is the best and he is sertanly in the top 10 and you know what not only that but he is in the top 5. oh yes he is magic said it him self kobe is better than he was because of the thing he can do magic could not even dream of google it you will find it not only that michael jordan said that kobe is better than lebron james you could also find that if you google it the great one knows greatness when he sees it.
The only thing I wanna say is, if you people going keep saying Kobe cant be the greatest player of all time because of Shaq and Pau helping him, THEN ALL OF U BETTER say the same crap for Lebron James, dont tell me Lebron will the greatest once he is done his career because if Heat win a championship it would be because HE HAD WADE AND BOSH to HELP HIM and HE DIDNT DO IT ON HIS OWN!!!!!!
Dont judge Kobe one way about his accomplishments then give a pass to Lebron…..if he wins a title that is