Yes, those numbers are bad but give Kobe a break. He took an admittedly terrible, Shaq-less Lakers team into the Fleet center and gave them a chance to win in overtime. Not a bad effort in my book. Would there be criticism if Kobe managed 45 points on 47 shots and the Lakers won?
Didn't the Magic miss the playoffs before Tmac got there? I agree with ya, though without Hill, there's extra money for the Magic. I love Hill, I just hope he never gets seriously injured again. And Markell, I see what you're saying with the comparisons to 23, but just because analysts make the comparison doesn't mean it's true. Anyway, I do agree that 47 is a $h!t load of shots, but there isn't a single other person to depend on, at least not on a REGULAR basis. Yes the team was able to catch some passes and hit some shots for a couple of the games(2 they won), but they are terrible on a consistent basis. -George -Shaw -Horry.....at least in the regular season -Fisher -Walker -Medvedenko -Pargo -Murray ........TERRIBLE All in all, this is just another game in November for a Phil Jackson team. I do think Kobe needs to understand not to go to the extremes; too unselfish against Cleveland, and too selfish last night.
I am not a Kobe fan. However...what people forget is that, minus Shaq they are also playing - 15 Million $ on their cap. Ie, people say this shows Kobe would be nothing without Shaq etc etc...but it's a false picture. Take Shaq off...and add 15 M worth of role players, say Antonio Davis and Corliss Williamson...then see how Kobe would go. I'd say they'd make theplay off's somehow...
Unbelieveably enough, that's not even a TEAM record. Elgin Baylor once put up 55 shots for the lakers, Kobe is apparently only in third place! See:http://www.sportingnews.com/nba/3pointers/
And then put them in the East... If Orl was in the West, they would be hard pressed to make the playoffs.
Hmmm, AI's supporting cast isn't that far ahead of the Lakers supporting cast, if at all (at least in the year he carried them to the Finals). Everyone could defend, but it's not like the Lakers role players don't do the same.
47 shot attempts is crazy. I would'nt have said anything if he had taken 30, since his team around him sucks without Shaq, but 47 is insane.
And the haters come back out as Orlando streaks off to a fast start. This Kobe-Pierce argument is worthless. McGrady is better than both of them and much more of a team player and leader, something that has become evident over this season. Arguments about him not being able to take the Magic far in the playoffs when compared to the 99-00 team are pointless and there were key losses from that team over the following seasons. Orlando will win the East and, if this start is any indication, could challenge for the title. They had the Kings reeling out the door the other night, up 18 points, and contained their frontcourt - when was the last time you saw Keon Clark get just 1 rebound in a full game? Fat jokes aside, Kemp still has game left, and 7/7 a night off the bench against the best teams in the NBA proves that fact. As he rounds into shape and when Horace Grant comes back in December, the Magic will be a lot deeper up front than many East teams and than some West teams as well. So, if you want to think the Magic would struggle to make the playoffs out West, or (like SI predicted) won't even make the playoffs in the East, keep hating. They're only going to prove you wrong on the court.
I agree with most of your post. Provided Grant Hill stays healthy and Armstrong doesn't wear down at the end of the season, Mcgrady and the Magic have an excellent chance to win the East. But where I disagree with you is that I don't believe the Magic, or any other team in the East for that matter, have a chance of beating which ever team comes out of the West in a 7 game series. The very best case scenario I can envision for the Nets or Magic, the 2 leading Eastern conference contenders, is winning 2 games at most out of the 7. The Kings game you mentioned was a game where the Kings had just 8 players available in uniform, with Divac, Turkoglu, Bibby, and Pollard out. The Kings still came within 4. Add to that the fact that in a playoff atmosphere, the Kings have the edge in experience and savvy, and I don't think the Magic stand much of a chance in a 7 game series. So, even the leading Eastern contenders still have a long ways to go to match up with the West.
Lets call a spade a spade, if you complain about somebody being a ball-hog (Francis and Mobley), and complain about ball movement there's no way you can justify Kobe taking practically half of the team's shots, where's the ball movement there? I don't care how many rings you have, even Phil Jackson thought that was stupid. There isn't a man alive that should take 47 shots, and if someone does shoot 47 times they sure as hell better make at least 30 of them, score more points then shot attempts, and their team better win. If none of that happens then the guy's a ball-hog plain and simple. Heck their a ball-hog even if they win. There's no way you can call Francis and Mobley ball-hogs and then defend a guy who took 47 shots, didn't make half of those shots, and went 0-8 from 3pt range.
I'm not ripping anybody in particular in that post. I just can't believe a professional basketball player, one who plays in the highest league in the world on the 3-time defending champions, thought it was smart to take 47 shots. The last time somebody took 47 shots was in the early 60. By the way, good to see the "2nd best player" in the league leading his team to a sparkling 2-5 record. Shaq should get another raise.
Chill people!That was so exciting watching kobe go off like that.Noone expected that.He brought la back from 17 all by himself.He outscored the whole boston team in just that third quarter by himself.If he didnt do that la loses by 20 or more.everyone knows kobe is a pshyco and he does what he has to do to try to get a win.He almost got the win if he took his 48h shot.Haha kobe is against the nba now until shaq comes back.His role players are doing squat to help him.There isnt even a second scorer on that team.So do you fans really expect him to win all by himself when not one role player could make a basket.But hey you never know kobe might surprise you tuesday after all did anyone predict kobe to take 47 shots?
He couldn't have taken the 48th shot, cause his 47th shot was an attempted buzzer beater (his eighth three-pointer) that was no good! And as people keep saying in here, a loss is a loss no matter how you cut it. LA lost simple as that. Oh and one more thing, Kobe may have spanked Pierce (I don't think he did considering he put up nearly double the number of shots Pierce did), but the Celtics spanked the Lakers!
Kobe obviously has it in his head to win MVP this year. Obviously. No one should argue this point. He was kept in a game last week that the Lakers were gonna lose anyway (being down by 20 points or more) but Kobe was kept in so that he could get an extra assist and, so, a triple double. Didn't happen. Kobe didn't twist an ankle either, but why keep him in a game for that extra assist? Rhetorical question but I'll answer anyway: at the end of the year when they vote for MVP, it looks/sounds good to say "Kobe got so-and-so many triple doubles." When someone says "MVP" to a player, it must really do something to their psyche. John Lucas said it to Franchise and he's the league's #2 scorer. Kobe is a great talent (he'd be the first to tell you) but I wonder what's going on with him and how well off he'd be with no Shaq.
Sorry RoxMe, Jordan took 49 shots in a game once. They showed it on TNT after the game, guys who took more than 47 shots were Wilt, MJ, and I think Baylor, there were 2 others too that I can't remember, but before MJ it was quite awhile ago.
Actually, Wilt took 63 in his 100 point game. The other four 40+ shots in a game were not "stars from the 60's". They were Jordan, George Gervin, Rick Barry and Chris Webber. It's worth noting that of the these 5 games where a player has shot between 43 and 49 shots, they have been on the losing team 3 times.
