Where are all the "Kobe Choked" threads????

[dlunc3]

Kobe absolutely choked last night. Everyone saw it. I understand you are trying to show the contrast with Lebron, but Kobe has had a remarkable career with 5 rings and countless clutch moments. He is the most aggressive/intense player on the planet when the game is on the line.

Meanwhile I could write a novel about Lebron's shortcomings in the clutch, but I have a hunch you have read it already.

please explain: http://chasing23.com/kobe-bryant-vs-...winning-shots/

http://espn.go.com/blog/truehoop/post/_/id/24200/the-truth-about-kobe-bryant-in-crunch-time

and dont say its bc he has 5 rings.. bc lebron would also have 5 rings had he played in LA, and kobe would also have 0 rings had he played in cleveland

[jdrb]

Doesnt matter what the stats say, Kobe's clutch shots are memorable.

[SparJMU]

lebron has a better career end of game shooting % then kobe... and his numbers get better come playoff time, while kobes get worrse... we wont mention those numbers though...

Dlunc are you serious with this stuff? I know you are a good sports bettor and a sharp guy, but your argument here is terrible. Forget about shooting percentages and WATCH THE GAMES. Do you understand anxiety and fear? Have you ever had that moment in your life when all eyes are on you and your nerves go berserk? It is amazingly obvious that Lebron James suffers from anxiety and fear in clutch moments. Last year's NBA Finals was the single biggest stage he has ever been on, and we all saw what happened. It was borderline sad to watch. The most dominant player in the league turned to mush in a few minutes of anxiety and fear. This is not an opinion, it's a fact.

Kobe Bryant may have a lower shooting percentage in clutch moments because he is taking high difficult shots and is borderline exhausted. Lebron DOESN'T TAKE THOSE SHOTS. He doesn't want those shots. He's nervous as hell. He's mentally turning into a ball of mush. So he passes instead. Your argument comparing Kobe to Lebron is honestly embarrassing. You are a much smarter man than this.

And man I love that Dawkins picture. Can't wait for his return to the Linc for a halftime salute.

[dlunc3]

Dlunc are you serious with this stuff? I know you are a good sports bettor and a sharp guy, but your argument here is terrible. Forget about shooting percentages and WATCH THE GAMES. Do you understand anxiety and fear? Have you ever had that moment in your life when all eyes are on you and your nerves go berserk? It is amazingly obvious that Lebron James suffers from anxiety and fear in clutch moments. Last year's NBA Finals was the single biggest stage he has ever been on, and we all saw what happened. It was borderline sad to watch. The most dominant player in the league turned to mush in a few minutes of anxiety and fear. This is not an opinion, it's a fact.

Kobe Bryant may have a lower shooting percentage in clutch moments because he is taking high difficult shots and is borderline exhausted. Lebron DOESN'T TAKE THOSE SHOTS. He doesn't want those shots. He's nervous as hell. He's mentally turning into a ball of mush. So he passes instead. Your argument comparing Kobe to Lebron is honestly embarrassing. You are a much smarter man than this.

And man I love that Dawkins picture. Can't wait for his return to the Linc for a halftime salute.

Kobe has many great clutch moments bc he has been there so many times... people remember the great moments, but seem to forget that he has failed so many more times then he had succeded. Serious questions: How many rings would kobe have if he were drafted in Clev. instead of LA? How many rings would lebron have had he played his career in LA? My guess is kobe would still be on 0 rings just as lebron is, and lebron would be at 8+ bc he would have never run shaq out of town.

Sure, I give credit for kobe having the balls to take the last shot, bc thats what great scorers do, even though his failure rate is high. But, I dont hate on lebron for finding the open man like he did earlier this season when creating a wide open jumper for haslem. I also dont hate on him for allowing Wade to make a play the other night (just as magic would allow kareem to make a play). If it were mike miller, it would be a different story.. but wade is also a top scorer in this league that had a good matchup the other night.

I just dont like the fact that kobe gets all the love bc of his 5 rings, when we all know that lebron would also have the same amount of rings if not more if he were in LA. Sure lebron failed and played terrible last yr in the finals. But in the big picture, he elevates his game come playoff time... where kobes game statistically gets worse under playoff pressure.

[dlunc3]

And man I love that Dawkins picture. Can't wait for his return to the Linc for a halftime salute.

And yea i cant wait.. just finished paying off my season tix..

I want to see him lead the fly eagles fly song one more time..

[SparJMU]

Kobe has many great clutch moments bc he has been there so many times... people remember the great moments, but seem to forget that he has failed so many more times then he had succeded. Serious questions: How many rings would kobe have if he were drafted in Clev. instead of LA? How many rings would lebron have had he played his career in LA? My guess is kobe would still be on 0 rings just as lebron is, and lebron would be at 8+ bc he would have never run shaq out of town.

Sure, I give credit for kobe having the balls to take the last shot, bc thats what great scorers do, even though his failure rate is high. But, I dont hate on lebron for finding the open man like he did earlier this season when creating a wide open jumper for haslem. I also dont hate on him for allowing Wade to make a play the other night (just as magic would allow kareem to make a play). If it were mike miller, it would be a different story.. but wade is also a top scorer in this league that had a good matchup the other night.

I just dont like the fact that kobe gets all the love bc of his 5 rings, when we all know that lebron would also have the same amount of rings if not more if he were in LA. Sure lebron failed and played terrible last yr in the finals. But in the big picture, he elevates his game come playoff time... where kobes game statistically gets worse under playoff pressure.

Now this is a much better argument. I agree completely about your analysis of Kobe. He got three rings before he was in his prime because of that insanely loaded Lakers team from 2000-2002. Kobe deserves some criticism for his poor shooting percentage in the clutch. I agree completely. All sports are weird like that. Some extremely talented players end up on bad teams and never win a ring. Other extremely talented played end up playing for Phil Jackson, and benefit from Shaq in his amazingly dominant prime. That's just how sports work out.

I also agree completely with your comment on that Utah game earlier in the year. Lebron faced a double team, so he passed to a wide open Haslem who was shooting from his sweet spot. That was a very good play by Lebron.

The bottom line though remains that Lebron is a legitimate choker. In the Finals last year he deferred to Juwan Howard and Mario Chalmers on numerous occasions. He wasn't making smart passes while stuck in a double team, he was legitimately deferring to other players because he was scared. Before he passed to Wade on Tuesday night, he also passed to Shane Battier who was covered in the corner. Lebron wasn't double teamed. Indiana was playing everyone 1 on 1, but Lebron wanted Shane Battier or Dwayne Wade to attack their 1 on 1 instead of doing it himself.

I don't hate Lebron for being a choker. Some people yearn for the pressure and love the challenge. Other's get sweaty palms and pains in their stomach. Kobe is the former, Lebron is the latter.

[dlunc3]

hate to say it... second game this series kobe blew.. series should be 3-1 LA..

2-10 in the 4th quarter.. bynum and pau combined for 2 shots in the 4th... absolutely unacceptable... Blame is 100% on both Brown and Kobe