Lebron vs prime Kobe, one-on-one

[Number24]

Physique alone will tell you Kobe have no chance!

[SexSymbol]

two guys above me have no clue about basketball.

[Ronaldinho]

Kobe, by far. Kobe vs Durant or Kobe vs Mcgrady or Kobe vs Melo would be more disputed and fun to watch.

Even MJ said that Kobe was the only who could beat him one on one

[Dragonyeuw]

LeBron easily. People think kobe cuz he has a better midrange and can score in more ways. But lebron's physical dominance would destroy him. Everyone's number one goal when playing lebron is to prevent him from attacking the basket, and they do that with help defense, defensive schemes, taking away space. In one on one, there is no help defense and there's a lot of space:

And in many cases, Lebron also uses his own teammates to screen for him opening lanes to the basket. He does not have a bevy of dribbling skills to free himself, nor does he possess a very fast first step, nothing that Kobe couldn't counteract with positioning and instincts. Effectively what Lebron lacks in ideal ISO skills, Kobe has in spades( iso dribbling, change of pace/direction,first step). Kobe also has more ability to make something out of nothing.

Lebron winning this matchup comes down to how well he can use his size vs how well Kobe can defend it. He's certainly not going to 'out ISO' him, that's for sure. Honestly I think they'll split a series, and it depends on rules ( winners/losers out), and invariables like who's 'on' that day. Lebron is indefensible IF his jumper is on, but we've also seen Kobe go into NBA jam mode where he makes all kinds of crazy shots. To say each guy beats the other 'easily' is ridiculous.

[plowking]

Did Gary Payton being 2 inches shorter and anywhere from 30-35 pounds lighter than Jordan stop him from being arguably the most effective defender against Jordan?

Since when did Lebron turn into this 9' 400 pound monster with the post skills of Hakeem?

He doesn't have to be Hakeem in the post. Lebron is already one of the most unstoppable and effective post players in the game. His drop step move last season was the most efficient and effective post move in the game.
I'm not sure if you actually watch the Heat, but any time Bron actually does catch the ball down low, he gets doubled 90% of the time to get the ball out of his hands down there. He is too good down there.

As for your Gary Payton talk, he was one of the strongest PG's ever... And it still doesn't take away from the fact that guarding someone with 4 other defenders on the court isn't the same as guarding someone with just you there.

[plowking]

Kobe, by far. Kobe vs Durant or Kobe vs Mcgrady or Kobe vs Melo would be more disputed and fun to watch.

Even MJ said that Kobe was the only who could beat him one on one

Jordan can say all he wants but reports say that he regularly got whooped on by James Worthy in college, and even Stackhouse beat him.
Size matters... Some of you seriously don't get it.

Not just the fact that Bron is stronger than Kobe, he is quicker and faster, and can jump higher. Bryant doesn't have a single physical advantage on the court. People need to stop pretending like Bron ain't backing down Kobe. He's done it to bigger and stronger players, like Artest who was on his team.

[plowking]

And in many cases, Lebron also uses his own teammates to screen for him opening lanes to the basket. He does not have a bevy of dribbling skills to free himself, nor does he possess a very fast first step, nothing that Kobe couldn't counteract with positioning and instincts. Effectively what Lebron lacks in ideal ISO skills, Kobe has in spades( iso dribbling, change of pace/direction,first step). Kobe also has more ability to make something out of nothing.

People said the same thing about Wade since Spo took over. It's the Heat's offense... Nothing more or less. We see Wade and Bron take guys off the dribble whenever they want.

[Ronaldinho]

Jordan can say all he wants but reports say that he regularly got whooped on by James Worthy in college, and even Stackhouse beat him.
Size matters... Some of you seriously don't get it.

Not just the fact that Bron is stronger than Kobe, he is quicker and faster, and can jump higher. Bryant doesn't have a single physical advantage on the court. People need to stop pretending like Bron ain't backing down Kobe. He's done it to bigger and stronger players, like Artest who was on his team.

You talk like Kobe was like a white boy. We are talking about a PRIME KOBE. Prime Kobe was one of the most athletically and SKILLED player ever. Kobe is 6,6 for christ sake, you are talking like Lebron is 7 foot tall.

If one on one is all about height and strength than no one can beat Shaq, and thats not true.

Btw, Lebron isnt faster/quicker than prime Kobe.

[Jlamb47]

Prime Kobe

Prime kobe was athletic AF
yal making it like hes slow or something
he was great at defense back then too
Hes a 1 on 1 player.

[tmacattack33]

One on one?

I'm not sure exactly what would happen in a one-on-one between these two specifically, but in terms of who is a better one-on-one player period it's Kobe.

Lebron's best strength is passing which you obviously can't do in a one on one situation.

Other great strenghts of Lebron's are fast break offense, fast break defense, pick n roll's on offense, help defense, versatility on defense, and rebounding. These do not come into play in a one on one game.

[SilkkTheShocker]

13-6.

[Da_Realist]

LeBron easily. People think kobe cuz he has a better midrange and can score in more ways. But lebron's physical dominance would destroy him. Everyone's number one goal when playing lebron is to prevent him from attacking the basket, and they do that with help defense, defensive schemes, taking away space. In one on one, there is no help defense and there's a lot of space. Kobe's ability to score in different ways helps him in a game because you can't always get to the basket with help defense, lack of space. It's also helpful when the shot clock is running down, but there's no shot clock in one on one, and also no help defense which takes value away from Kobe's ability to score in different ways. So while kobe keeps getting 30-50% shots, lebron is getting 60-75% shots. Lebron wins most of the time.

This. One on one is a different game. Size almost always wins. Lebron would do a better job defending Kobe than Kobe would stopping Lebron from just backing him down underneath the basket and laying it up.

Kobe could win if he goes on a hot streak and/or if Lebron tries to out-shoot Kobe from the perimeter. If Lebron played sound defense and backed Kobe down every time, he would win the majority of the games.

[Ronaldinho]

This. One on one is a different game. Size almost always wins. Lebron would do a better job defending Kobe than Kobe would stopping Lebron from just backing him down underneath the basket and laying it up.

Kobe could win if he goes on a hot streak and/or if Lebron tries to out-shoot Kobe from the perimeter. If Lebron played sound defense and backed Kobe down every time, he would win the majority of the games.

Kobe 6,6 205 lb
Lebron 6,8 250 lb

Do you really think that Lebron could just back Kobe and make a layup

Lebron isnt Shaq, wtf

[Angel Face]

In every one on one match, whether it is Basketball, Boxing, Muay Thai, etc. Technique usually beat size and strength. Kobe is one of the best isolation player that has ever played the game. Lebron lacks isolation moves and his game is more geared towards team ball not 1 on 1. I don't see Lebron winning against Kobe here.

Kobe vs Durant / Melo would be a better match up.

[PHILA]

Size almost always wins.

Yes, the concept of 1 on 1 is that there is no help defense at all. It is all about getting to the basket. In an all time tournament one of the great centers would likely win it all. But among the players under 6'9 I believe Barkley would be a heavy contender as the favorite, simply because there is no ideal matchup for him. He may have problems on defense, but offensively he would overpower just about anyone and had an incredible motor on the offensive boards. Even players like Pippen and Grant as terrific as they were defensively, couldn't do anything with him. He may the only player I have seen who commanded an instant double team just by touching the ball anywhere inside the 3 point line.


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PgORfyjeFQ8&t=2m28s

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eMd7a9CCvXA&t=1m23s

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CmjUpA3UVlA&t=3m5s

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WsTKc_AKSlU&t=8m5s