The best player could get his team over the line today but

The second best could however

Worst thing to happen to the cavs was when LeBron hit those couple of treys in the first... up til then he had been passing and getting guys involved. The team then defends much better. He has to be a little wiser... his two best scoring games in the play-offs...both losses....

Your missing the point of the thread, but point taken.

Trolling a troll, hoping some of the genius will transfer across to you?

Id like to add to the letter to playtime...


Please stop giving normal/resonable/open minded Lakers fans like myself a bad name with your ranting and raving about Kobe and the team. Also please keep your mouth shut about how good he is and how we will win everything until the end of the season, or the woofing Gods will bite you on the ass!

Statman- I second that.

Woody-I don't recall Charles and Kenny make that comment. Think they said Lebron's no doubt the MVP this season but hasn't surpassed Kobe yet. Jerry West was the one who made the claim.

IMO Kobe's the best offensive player/ scorer (Melo is the best "pure" scorer but not the "best" scorer). LBJ is the most complete player while Kobe has more offensive skills and weapons but I'm sure LBJ will surpass Kobe in the next few years.

Yeah Kenny compares him to Magic and Jordan and states his case as to why he felt he was the best. Then Chuck jumps in with his comments. I was surprised actually. Its right before the bit where Chuck states his all time starting 5.

Who was in his all-time starting five?

We had this discussion on Tuesday night over a game of 2K9 (50/60s vs 70s East). I think Ben Fitz had something like Magic, Jordan, Bird, (can't remember, maybe Bill Russell?), Chamberlain.

Your close Isaac. Instead of Russell, Chuck couldnt decide between McHale or Duncan...

It still amazes me that Wade doesn't even get a mention here.... he is the most complete player.... Offence - Defence plus Closing ability.... the statistics don't lie... he had more points, more blocks and more steals than both kobe and lebron this year.

When your team don't win, all statline are irrelevant. If you want to talk about stats, Kobe had a 35ppg average few seasons ago with 81pts game. But Lakers were losing at the time so everybody discounted him then.

You notice how Karl Malone don't get a mention between this mix? I still think he's better than Duncan but guess he didn't win.

LA Boy, im with you on Karl Malone....he is the All Time great at PF in my opinion

Yes Duncan has the titles, but Malone played in a time where a foul back then would be a flagrant these days and rarely got injured

I could not see a Tim Duncun lasting the distance Karl Malone did

Malone compares fairly evenly to Duncan statistically, but not as a "winner".

Duncan - 21.5pts, 11.7 Rbs, 2.8 Blks, 3,2 ass

Playoffs - 23.3pts, 12.6rbs, 2.6blks, 3.5 ass

4 Championships, All NBA and All Defensive in first 11 seasons (that's insane, BTW), two-time MVP, 3 time Finals MVP

Barkley did say Duncan was the greatest PF of all-time, with himself at #2 and Malone at #3. Not sure if he was joking about himself though

I think Mchale is the best PF

I was thinking the other day - if you swap Kobe and Wade ... would the Lakers be just as good?

My guess would be yes.

ELG - it's OK to like someone that played after 1992

SVD - I don't think so. Kobe seems like a much smarter and more skilful player to me, as opposed to Wade who is mainly just an athletic freak.

Karl Malone and the Jazz would have won 2 championships if MJ had stayed retired the first time. Granted TD has 4 rings, but one has to wonder if that Bulls team was around 10 years later, would the Lakers have threepeated, would the Spurs have won 4 titles etc.

Kevin McHale was great. But when you have a HOF centre and the greatest SF ever alongside you it must make your job so much easier. Karl Malone had a HOF PG, but played with Greg Ostertag, Mark Eaton, Greg Foster, Jeff Malone, Blue Edwards, Thurl Bailey, David Benoit, Tyrone Corbin and Mike Brown as his frontcourt teammates.

FWIW my vote for best PF would be TD, because he is a winner, and has not always had great talent alongside him. Had Malone won those 2 titles, I would rank him number one, and his amazing durability will probably never be matched. Malone was so consistent every game, every season.

my goodness - that was a golden era of basketball that will probably never be matched in terms of depth and IQ - some of the lesser stars then would be superstars rigth now - Mullin, Miller, Hardaway, Kemp, Payton etc ... not to mention the top tier - MJ, Bird, Magic, Malone, Barkley, Isiah,Dominique Robinson, Hakeem etc ...

NOT only that each position was totally loaded ...
PGs - Magic, KJ,Stockton, Price, Isaiah
SGs - MJ, Drexler, Dumars, Miller ....
C- Hakeem, Robinson, Ewing, Parish, Moses..
PF - Barkley, Malone, McHale ..
SF - Bird, Mullin, Dominique, Pippen ....

Plus the NBA was a "man's" game back then - where sharks like Rodman, X-Man, Mason, Oakley & Mahorn patrolled the paint - none of these pussy touch fouls - and fragrants !!!

There are players for sure now who would fit in - LeBron, Kobe, KG, Pierce, Duncan ...
But overall in terms of superstars and great players led by the greatest of all MJ ... well no comparison .. miss miss thoses days

Shin Splints

Your points are certainly valid but i thought it was interesting coming from Charles Barkeley that he really rated McHale, after all he has played against most of these players we are talking about.

Fragrant fouls

not sure if that was deliberate or a typo speedy but it certainly sums up some of the crap that gets called these days!

I know this is late, but really

FWIW my vote for best PF would be TD, because he is a winner, and has not always had great talent alongside him.

Not always? when has he not had great talent around him? parker, ginobili, Robinson.

I like players after 92, like Sabonis, Mark Eaton, Sam Cassell, Pat Burke, and Brandon Bass