Is Kobe an All-Time Great Finals Performer?

[Screamin A Smit]

The answer is obviously not, but I'd like to see someone try and make a case for 12be

[SamuraiSWISH]

No. He's been subpar. His best was 2009. Everything else is inferior to the majority of Jordan, LeBron and even Wade's top two best Finals. It's because he's prone to settle for the jumper too much, and the east coast game is more physical.

[Smoke117]

No. He's been subpar. His best was 2009. Everything else is inferior to the majority of Jordan, LeBron and even Wade's top two best Finals. It's because he's prone to settle for the jumper too much, and the east coast game is more physical.

This. That Kobe wants to settle for the jumper is why Ray was able to do a decent job on him in 08...he doesn't fall for fakes and recovered well. A slasher like Wade absolutely savaged him though.

[Screamin A Smit]

No. He's been subpar. His best was 2009. Everything else is inferior to the majority of Jordan, LeBron and even Wade's top two best Finals. It's because he's prone to settle for the jumper too much, and the east coast game is more physical.

Good points


So should we take Kobe's scoring outburst from 2006-2007 with a grain of salt as those were against regular season warriors which isn't close to the physicality of NBA Finals games?

ie. Kobe's regular season scoring overrated his scoring capabilities as it never translated against elite competition?

[SamuraiSWISH]

No, you can't do that ... because it wreaks of agenda.

Kobe is about as skilled as it comes ball in hand from the SG position. The west has always been faster paced, and more finesse. Thus why he torched that conference constantly in the western finals. Spurs, Kings, Suns, Nuggets, it didn't matter.

So you can't throw shade at his regular season accomplishments scoring wise. It's just in the Finals when he faces the more physical defenses, in combination with his tendency to settle for contested jumpers that just bails already tough defenses out ... And he tends to perform poorly or at best average.

2009, and 2002 withstanding. His only good - very good Finals. He hasn't had a great one, or an all time great Finals for a reason.

Even with all his absurd skills, he doesn't attack the basket enough the way MJ, Wade, and LeBron just punished defenses from the inside - out.

[JT123]

No. He's been subpar. His best was 2009. Everything else is inferior to the majority of Jordan, LeBron and even Wade's top two best Finals. It's because he's prone to settle for the jumper too much, and the east coast game is more physical.

Big Kobe stan here, but you are right on the money with the bolded. While Kobe may be skilled, he is also SOFT.
As much as it pains me to admit, his career stats would be way lower had he played his entire career in the physical eastern conference.

[SamuraiSWISH]

Big Kobe stan here, but you are right on the money with the bolded. While Kobe may be skilled, he is also SOFT.
As much as it pains me to admit, his career stats would be way lower had he played his entire career in the physical eastern conference.

Nah it's just the better defenses are allowed to be physical in the playoffs and even more so in the Finals.

Refs swallow the whistle.

The east as a whole in the regular season is absurdly weak by comparison.

It would be easy to put up massive numbers, team win totals and advance through the playoffs against teams without superstars.

The West coast is built for fun, beautiful regular season basketball which gives the illusion of being better than it truly is ...

Playoffs and Finals especially is an entirely different animal. At times it's even close to throw back to the 90s.

That's why I rather face these current Warriors in the Finals when I can be physical and negate a softie like Curry. When in the regular season touch calls galore allow him to be indefensible.

As soon as the playoffs hit they matched their entire seasons loss record in a way smaller sample size of games. They were overrated.

That's why those 2008 and 2010 Celtics are light years more imposing. Their defense. Their length. Their physicality. Sure Warriors make you work more on the other end. But their defense was cupcake.

Kyrie and post 30 year old LeBron were shredding that weak shit.

Kobe has been a poor Finals performer, partly due to his mentality and poor physical ability to handle punishment or unwillingness to attack the basket.

But those KG / Tony Allen / Thibs defenses had to be more imposing for a true superstar like Kobe, Bron or Prime Wade to face than the current Warriors.

[IGOTGAME]

I think he just wears himself down too much in the earlier rounds. That has always been my issue with him, his body often couldnt stand what he demanded of it.

[FreezingTsmoove]

Hes a great finals performer but an elite WCF finals performer, probably the best WCFinals player of all time

He faced some serious defenses in the East. The pacers when he was really young, the orignal colluders in the Celtics, the prime pistons

All time great performances against the 76ers Magic and Nets though

[SouBeachTalents]

Hes a great finals performer but an elite WCF finals performer, probably the best WCFinals player of all time

He faced some serious defenses in the East. The pacers when he was really young, the orignal colluders in the Celtics, the prime pistons

All time great performances against the 76ers Magic and Nets though

[LongLiveTheKing]

Nope, he only has one 40 point Finals game.

[FreezingTsmoove]

25/8/6 isnt impressive? Dont forget the blowouts

[SouBeachTalents]

25/8/6 isnt impressive? Dont forget the blowouts

Sorry, 25/8/6 on 42% and being the 3rd best player in the series is not an "all time great performance"

[34-24 Footwork]

Sorry, 25/8/6 on 42% and being the 3rd best player in the series is not an "all time great performance"

You realize that Kobe saw triple teams that series, right? I don't expect you to understand what I'm saying because you weren't watching basketball that season. But people that watched that series know that him and Shaq were equally seen as the best players in the playoffs.

Keep bangin, doe.

[Smoke117]

Kobe stans.