Kobe in the 2001 Playoffs

[T_L_P]

So the fact that Duncans team needed to play 8 more playoff games is supposed to be impressive?

The Lakers went 15-1 in the playoffs, which IMO adds to the lore of the playoff run

It's not all about individual stats, dominance matters

Yeah, and having apex Shaq on your team is assured dominance

If that Lakers team didn't win it all something would have been very wrong. The Spurs were considered a rebuilding team at that time.

[TheMarkMadsen]

Yeah, and having apex Shaq on your team is assured dominance

If that Lakers team didn't win it all something would have been very wrong. The Spurs were considered a rebuilding team at that time.

revisionist history at its finest

[SexSymbol]

Yeah, and having apex Shaq on your team is assured dominance

If that Lakers team didn't win it all something would have been very wrong. The Spurs were considered a rebuilding team at that time.

oh wow lol. Did not expect that even from you.
Delusion at it's finest

[T_L_P]

revisionist history at its finest

What, you're telling me that's the championship team Pop envisioned? Sophomore Tony Parker, rookie Manu, D. Rob in his final year? They werre waiting for the old guy to go to clear a lot of cap room.

And perhaps rebuilding is the wrong word. They were a transitioning team. They were hoping for Parker/Manu to become stars, but at that time they were nobodies.

[TheMarkMadsen]

What, you're telling me that's the championship team Pop envisioned? Sophomore Tony Parker, rookie Manu, D. Rob in his final year? They werre waiting for the old guy to go to clear a lot of cap room.

And perhaps rebuilding is the wrong word. They were a transitioning team. They were hoping for Parker/Manu to become stars, but at that time they were nobodies.

2001 Spurs had the best record in the league

[ImKobe]

Delusional.

What? Stats show Kobe led the Lakers in ORTG, WS & OWS while Shaq led the Lakers in DWS & DRTG. Shaq feasted off the pathetic front court of the Sixers while Kobe did work defensively on Iverson.

Shaq had his best series in the Finals against a washed up Mutombo, who was traded to the Sixers mid-season & played 26 games for them while having his worst season & a 6-10 Theo Ratliff, while Kobe had to deal with AI on defense & also produce on offense & still averaged 25 8 6 with 1.4 stls & 1.4 blocks...

[Keno]

what about the finals stats where the real mvp took over? yea, exactly.

[T_L_P]

2001 Spurs had the best record in the league

That was not a championship team. Depth can only take you so far. In '99, Robinson was still an All-Star caliber player. In '05 it was Manu. In '07 it was Parker.

From '01-'03 Duncan had no legit second option (unless Dereck Anderson and sophomore Parker are worthy ones). And look what it lead to. Duncan had to go on an absolute tear in order to win.

[AnaheimLakers24]

what about the finals stats where the real mvp took over? yea, exactly.

ya the real mvps always show up

[ImKobe]

Man Iverson shot "bad" percentages against everybody.

While that is true, Iverson had his 2nd worst series of the Playoffs(worst if you count the fact he nearly got swept), but he had multiple 40+ point 50+ point games against Eastern teams, he never had one good game in the Finals apart from Game 1, which was not that great considering he took 41 shots for 48 points.

[kuniva_dAMiGhTy]

Kobe was arguably the best player on the 2001 Lakers squad in the Playoffs. Shaq was obviously slightly more efficient because he's a big man & he got many easy baskets thanks to Kobe. Advanced stats show that they were equal to their team's success, with Kobe being the key player on offense & Shaq being the key player on defense. Both had an equal impact in my eyes, with Kobe dominating the Western Conerence & Shaq dominating the Finals.

Kobe had a higher game score against the Western Conference than Shaq, averaging more points on identical all-around efficiency while Shaq completely dominated the Finals while Kobe worked his ass off guarding Iverson.

AI didn't shoot above 44% once in the Finals, in fact, he only shot above 40% twice in that series, mostly thanks to Kobe defending him. I remember Kobe going up against AI in the regular season & holding him scoreless for an entire half, making Iverson go 0/11, but I think it was in 2000. 2000-2003 Kobe was at his peak defensively.

So you agree that Pau Gasol was arguably the best Lakers player during the 2009 and 2010 playoffs. You know (?), because advanced metrics like 'win shares' say so ...

And no, actually, Fox and Fisher were the players defending Iverson. For the bulk of the series.

Game 2: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6I5DvTw15aE
You can find Game 3, 4 and 5 on this guys' channel, so please feel free to list the possessions Kobe defended Iverson, who you "mostly thanked".

[Hamtaro CP3KDKG]

Threepeat Shaq is the most dominant player in NBA history but in the 01 playoff it was 1A and 1B. Crazy how good Kobe was and that wasnt even prime yet

[ArbitraryWater]

These Laker tards ala mad son/sexsymbol dont know jack shit...

Those early 2000's Spurs weren't all that great as people make them out to be, they WERE in fact in the midst of rebuilding... it was prime Duncan doing heavy lifting.

Heck, 2001 Shaq >> 2001 Kobe.

The only Round Kobe was superior in was vs Spurs... stop overrating.

Shaq 2001, 2002, 2000, Duncan 2003, Dirk 2006, Dirk 2011, LeBron 2012, 2013, 2009, etc. were better

[TheMarkMadsen]

That was not a championship team. Depth can only take you so far. In '99, Robinson was still an All-Star caliber player. In '05 it was Manu. In '07 it was Parker.

From '01-'03 Duncan had no legit second option (unless Dereck Anderson and sophomore Parker are worthy ones). And look what it lead to. Duncan had to go on an absolute tear in order to win.

You are calling a 58 win team, a team that had the best record in the entire league, a team that was expected to make the finals, a team that was the best 3pt shooting team in the league, you're telling me they were in re building mode?

this is the definition of revisionist history, either way you try to spin it, Spurs were the best team in the league during the regular season, and were absolutly dismantled by Kobe in the playoffs in 01

[ImKobe]

what about the finals stats where the real mvp took over? yea, exactly.

Kobe averaged 25 8 6, which is pretty much the same Lebron averaged last year(Lebron shot 3% higher & had 2 more boards a game, but took the same amount of shots to average less than a point more) , only that Kobe was only 22 & he actually had to deal with one of the better perimeter scorers of his era.

Kobe often faced double teams & shot contested jumpers while defenders dared Lebron to shoot wide open jumpers outside 16 feet, which he still struggles to shoot this very season.

Prime Lebron: 37,6% outside 16 feet this season
22 year old Kobe: 40,6% outside 16 feet while having taken 3 times the amount of shots Lebron has taken this season outside 16 feet.