Rank Kobe Bryant's 7 Finals Performances

[GIF REACTION]

1. 2009
2. 2002
3. 2001
4. 2010
5. 2008
6. 2000
7. 2004

[ArbitraryWater]

Lets do it in tiers....

fabulous performances (think Bron 2015): -

amazing performances (think Bron 2014/2012): -

great performances (think Bron 2013): Kobe 2002, Kobe 2009

solid: -

mediocre: 2001, 2010, 2008

garbage: 2004, 2000

[triangleoffense]

that 2004 mention reminds me of this

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bvo_ca9cTjk

[fiddy]

Lets do it in tiers....

fabulous performances (think Bron 2015): -

amazing performances (think Bron 2014/2012): -

great performances (think Bron 2013): Kobe 2002, Kobe 2009

solid: -

mediocre: 2001, 2010, 2008

garbage: 2004, 2000

[ArbitraryWater]

that 2004 mention reminds me of this

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bvo_ca9cTjk

also reminds me of this: http://i.gyazo.com/bb0f15542f65153208d175123154f4a7.png

[Ne 1]

I'd probably go with 2002, 2009, 2001/2010, 2000, 2008, 2004



Here's my breakdown of them:

2000 vs Pacers- He did have a sub-par series in general, though a lot of that can be attributed to the injury in Game 2 which left him hobbled and limping around the rest of the series. Jalen Rose admittedly, intentionally injured him. Kobe twisted his ankle early in the 1st quarter and left the game. He also didn't play in game 3, but returned the next game. He single handedly carried the team when Shaq fouled out in the 4th quarter, he hit 4 huge free throws and lit the Pacers up in overtime. So considering he came up with a legendary clutch performance in game 4 and also put up 26/10/4/2/1 with only 1 turn over playing excellent defense in the clinching game, it's not a big deal.

His defense on Mark Jackson was excellent throughout the series, reminiscent of Pippen's defense on Jackson in the 1998 conference finals.

Here's a Sports Illustrated segment after Game 1:

Kobe Bryant's ball pressure on Pacers point guard Mark Jackson was tremendous. It didn't cause turnovers, but it kept Indiana from getting into its half court offense quickly, and thus disrupted the timing. Kobe also did a good job chasing Miller when assigned to him.

2001 vs Sixers- He struggled in the Game 1 loss because his shot was off, but had a solid all around series, particularly after game 1 (27/9/6 through the 4 game sweep), and the Lakers won in 5 with a back door sweep. Definitely not a bad series, particularly against a defensive powerhouse like Larry Brown's 2001 Sixers. He contributed on both ends of the court, and had a few triple double type games. 31/8/6/2/2 in Game 2 and also, his Game 3, he had a memorable streak, I think in the 3rd quarter, when he got hot and sank like 6 or 7 baskets without a miss, most from about 18 feet, making the traditionally tough Philly fans go "oooh".

2002- Excellent series, aside from Kareem's series in 1980 who was literally robbed of FMVP, it may have been the best by a player who didn't win Finals MVP in a winning effort, if not, it's certainly in the discussion. And of course the Lakers swept the series. The Nets were also an excellent defensive team (Ranked #1). He sank the game clinching basket in Game 3 and put up 35/11/2/4 61 FG% to give the Lakers a commanding 3-0 series lead.

2004- Yeah, horrendous series for him, but if you play enough of them, it's bound to happen and he was facing perhaps the greatest defensive team in NBA history. At least he played good defense throughout the series and won game 2 with 33/7/4/3 and a clutch bucket.

2008- Not nearly as bad as people make it out to be. I never held this series against him. First of all, where was his help? There was no Laker who played well enough to prevent a legendary Celtic defense from swarming him. Gasol reverted to Gasoft on both ends of the floor against KG in that series making Kobe's poor shooting series perfectly understandable. Look at what the other great perimeter star, LeBron did vs that Celtic defense, he shot under 36% and averaged over 5 turnovers. The Celtics loaded up on Kobe because he wasn't getting enough help. So yeah, he shot the ball poorly, but with one of the greatest defensive teams of all time focusing almost entirely on one player, it's not a big deal in terms of his legacy. Boston also had a much more talented team with the Lakers missing Bynum and Ariza.

2009- Huge Game 1 to get the series off on the right track (40/8/8/2/2 47 FG%), solid series and a 5 game victory. He faced yet another elite defensive team as well (Ranked #1).

2010- Wasn't exactly a great series, but he was still easily the best player overall in the series and he had some big games, in fact people in the media were talking about Kobe getting Finals MVP even if the Lakers lost through 6 games. And once again, he was facing an excellent defensive team.

[dubeta]

Lets do it in tiers....

fabulous performances (think Bron 2015): -

amazing performances (think Bron 2014/2012): -

great performances (think Bron 2013): Kobe 2002, Kobe 2009

solid: -

mediocre: 2001, 2010, 2008

garbage: 2004, 2000

I can't believe i'm saying this, but I actually agree

[nba_55]

Lets do it in tiers....

fabulous performances (think Bron 2015): -

amazing performances (think Bron 2014/2012): -

great performances (think Bron 2013): Kobe 2002, Kobe 2009

solid: -

mediocre: 2001, 2010, 2008

garbage: 2004, 2000

He s been disappointing in the finals for an all-time great.

[ArbitraryWater]

He s been disappointing in the finals for an all-time great.

no doubt, for someone that's been there as many times, Kobe has himself one hell of a weak finals career (i know, i know, 5 of 7 points, 81 ringz... something like that)

[Hey Yo]

1. 2009
2. 2002
3. 2001
4. 2010
5. 2008
6. 2000
7. 2004

40%/7

[Genaro]

Lets do it in tiers....

fabulous performances (think Bron 2015): -

amazing performances (think Bron 2014/2012): -

great performances (think Bron 2013): Kobe 2002, Kobe 2009

solid: -

mediocre: 2001, 2010, 2008

garbage: 2004, 2000

So you wait until the season ends to go full troll mode. I see.

[Hey Yo]

I'd probably go with 2002, 2009, 2001/2010, 2000, 2008, 2004



Here's my breakdown of them:

2000 vs Pacers- He did have a sub-par series in general, though a lot of that can be attributed to the injury in Game 2 which left him hobbled and limping around the rest of the series. Jalen Rose admittedly, intentionally injured him. Kobe twisted his ankle early in the 1st quarter and left the game. He also didn't play in game 3, but returned the next game. He single handedly carried the team when Shaq fouled out in the 4th quarter, he hit 4 huge free throws and lit the Pacers up in overtime. So considering he came up with a legendary clutch performance in game 4 and also put up 26/10/4/2/1 with only 1 turn over playing excellent defense in the clinching game, it's not a big deal.

His defense on Mark Jackson was excellent throughout the series, reminiscent of Pippen's defense on Jackson in the 1998 conference finals.

Here's a Sports Illustrated segment after Game 1:



2001 vs Sixers- He struggled in the Game 1 loss because his shot was off, but had a solid all around series, particularly after game 1 (27/9/6 through the 4 game sweep), and the Lakers won in 5 with a back door sweep. Definitely not a bad series, particularly against a defensive powerhouse like Larry Brown's 2001 Sixers. He contributed on both ends of the court, and had a few triple double type games. 31/8/6/2/2 in Game 2 and also, his Game 3, he had a memorable streak, I think in the 3rd quarter, when he got hot and sank like 6 or 7 baskets without a miss, most from about 18 feet, making the traditionally tough Philly fans go "oooh".

2002- Excellent series, aside from Kareem's series in 1980 who was literally robbed of FMVP, it may have been the best by a player who didn't win Finals MVP in a winning effort, if not, it's certainly in the discussion. And of course the Lakers swept the series. The Nets were also an excellent defensive team (Ranked #1). He sank the game clinching basket in Game 3 and put up 35/11/2/4 61 FG% to give the Lakers a commanding 3-0 series lead.

2004- Yeah, horrendous series for him, but if you play enough of them, it's bound to happen and he was facing perhaps the greatest defensive team in NBA history. At least he played good defense throughout the series and won game 2 with 33/7/4/3 and a clutch bucket.

2008- Not nearly as bad as people make it out to be. I never held this series against him. First of all, where was his help? There was no Laker who played well enough to prevent a legendary Celtic defense from swarming him. Gasol reverted to Gasoft on both ends of the floor against KG in that series making Kobe's poor shooting series perfectly understandable. Look at what the other great perimeter star, LeBron did vs that Celtic defense, he shot under 36% and averaged over 5 turnovers. The Celtics loaded up on Kobe because he wasn't getting enough help. So yeah, he shot the ball poorly, but with one of the greatest defensive teams of all time focusing almost entirely on one player, it's not a big deal in terms of his legacy. Boston also had a much more talented team with the Lakers missing Bynum and Ariza.

2009- Huge Game 1 to get the series off on the right track (40/8/8/2/2 47 FG%), solid series and a 5 game victory. He faced yet another elite defensive team as well (Ranked #1).

2010- Wasn't exactly a great series, but he was still easily the best player overall in the series and he had some big games, in fact people in the media were talking about Kobe getting Finals MVP even if the Lakers lost through 6 games. And once again, he was facing an excellent defensive team.

How was Kobe able to face all these alleged elite defenses and was expected to play bad when the teams he was facing..... played in the Leastern conference? You know......the so-called "joke of a conference" over the last 15years??

[BBallZen83]

I'd probably go with 2002, 2009, 2001/2010, 2000, 2008, 2004



Here's my breakdown of them:

2000 vs Pacers- He did have a sub-par series in general, though a lot of that can be attributed to the injury in Game 2 which left him hobbled and limping around the rest of the series. Jalen Rose admittedly, intentionally injured him. Kobe twisted his ankle early in the 1st quarter and left the game. He also didn't play in game 3, but returned the next game. He single handedly carried the team when Shaq fouled out in the 4th quarter, he hit 4 huge free throws and lit the Pacers up in overtime. So considering he came up with a legendary clutch performance in game 4 and also put up 26/10/4/2/1 with only 1 turn over playing excellent defense in the clinching game, it's not a big deal.

His defense on Mark Jackson was excellent throughout the series, reminiscent of Pippen's defense on Jackson in the 1998 conference finals.

Here's a Sports Illustrated segment after Game 1:



2001 vs Sixers- He struggled in the Game 1 loss because his shot was off, but had a solid all around series, particularly after game 1 (27/9/6 through the 4 game sweep), and the Lakers won in 5 with a back door sweep. Definitely not a bad series, particularly against a defensive powerhouse like Larry Brown's 2001 Sixers. He contributed on both ends of the court, and had a few triple double type games. 31/8/6/2/2 in Game 2 and also, his Game 3, he had a memorable streak, I think in the 3rd quarter, when he got hot and sank like 6 or 7 baskets without a miss, most from about 18 feet, making the traditionally tough Philly fans go "oooh".

2002- Excellent series, aside from Kareem's series in 1980 who was literally robbed of FMVP, it may have been the best by a player who didn't win Finals MVP in a winning effort, if not, it's certainly in the discussion. And of course the Lakers swept the series. The Nets were also an excellent defensive team (Ranked #1). He sank the game clinching basket in Game 3 and put up 35/11/2/4 61 FG% to give the Lakers a commanding 3-0 series lead.

2004- Yeah, horrendous series for him, but if you play enough of them, it's bound to happen and he was facing perhaps the greatest defensive team in NBA history. At least he played good defense throughout the series and won game 2 with 33/7/4/3 and a clutch bucket.

2008- Not nearly as bad as people make it out to be. I never held this series against him. First of all, where was his help? There was no Laker who played well enough to prevent a legendary Celtic defense from swarming him. Gasol reverted to Gasoft on both ends of the floor against KG in that series making Kobe's poor shooting series perfectly understandable. Look at what the other great perimeter star, LeBron did vs that Celtic defense, he shot under 36% and averaged over 5 turnovers. The Celtics loaded up on Kobe because he wasn't getting enough help. So yeah, he shot the ball poorly, but with one of the greatest defensive teams of all time focusing almost entirely on one player, it's not a big deal in terms of his legacy. Boston also had a much more talented team with the Lakers missing Bynum and Ariza.

2009- Huge Game 1 to get the series off on the right track (40/8/8/2/2 47 FG%), solid series and a 5 game victory. He faced yet another elite defensive team as well (Ranked #1).

2010- Wasn't exactly a great series, but he was still easily the best player overall in the series and he had some big games, in fact people in the media were talking about Kobe getting Finals MVP even if the Lakers lost through 6 games. And once again, he was facing an excellent defensive team.

See how much context you give for Kobe's performances in the finals that were considered poor? In 2000 he was injured. In 2004 he was playing an all time great defensive team. He had inadequate help in 2008. In 2010, people in the media were talking about how he should win FMVP even if it was a losting effort... Boy, do some of those explanations sound familiar.

Overall, Kobe has had pretty good situations teamwise when it came to his finals teams... and yet there are still excuses for when his teams lost... hmmm... Not that I am saying I disagree with the points you brought up, but posters such as you Jabbar, 9er, Kenneth, etc. would never give such context to Lebron in the finals. NEVER.

Lebron has honestly, to no fault of his own, had worse look with team situations going in to finals than Kobe. It's fuking obvious. Just use the eye test (or statistics), as many of you Kobe fans like to do. I can pretty much explain away every finals loss for Lebron besides 2011:

2007 - No business being there. Don't know how in the world they got past the pistons to make it there in the first place. Yeah Bron didn't play great, but where was his offensive help? He was also just 22 at the time and didn't have a SHAQ on his side.

2011 - Obviously this is the black mark on his resume. No excuses.

2012 - Great series. No need to elaborate

2013 - People try to pretend like he only played well in game 7, but he actually played quite well in games 4, 6, and 7, and had a pretty good game in game 5. Not an amazing series, but not miserable like haters try to make it out.

2014 - His WHOLE damn team outside of him didn't show up. He had a great statistical series. And I know people are going to say that it was garbage time... but Jesus, half of that damn series or more was garbage time, when was he going to get points outside of it? And he did have points where he had very meaningful runs and tried to get his team willed into the game... but they just let him down. Plain and simple.

2015 - Just like 2007, this team had no business in the finals. They were probably even worse off than in 2007 for the mere fact that they HAD a contending team, and then lost key players in the playoffs, and had to COMPLETELY adjust the way they played as a team. This was a great effort, and people in the media were talking about him possibly winning a FMVP in a losing effort (sound familiar?).

So yeah.. I blame him for 2011. Outside of that, he did his damn part. So Kobetards can babble on about 2/6 all they want, but Lebron has had no where near the fortune of Kobe when it comes to teams in the finals. But don't expect you guys to start using context for Lebron like you do Kobe because... well, then that wouldn't be trolling...

[SouBeachTalents]

See how much context you give for Kobe's performances in the finals that were considered poor? In 2000 he was injured. In 2004 he was playing an all time great defensive team. He had inadequate help in 2008. In 2010, people in the media were talking about how he should win FMVP even if it was a losting effort... Boy, do some of those explanations sound familiar.

Overall, Kobe has had pretty good situations teamwise when it came to his finals teams... and yet there are still excuses for when his teams lost... hmmm... Not that I am saying I disagree with the points you brought up, but posters such as you Jabbar, 9er, Kenneth, etc. would never give such context to Lebron in the finals. NEVER.

Lebron has honestly, to no fault of his own, had worse look with team situations going in to finals than Kobe. It's fuking obvious. Just use the eye test (or statistics), as many of you Kobe fans like to do. I can pretty much explain away every finals loss for Lebron besides 2011:

2007 - No business being there. Don't know how in the world they got past the pistons to make it there in the first place. Yeah Bron didn't play great, but where was hi offensive help? He was also just 22 at the time and didn't have a SHAQ on his side.

2011 - Obviously this is the black mark on his resume. No excuses.

2012 - Great series. No need to elaborate

2013 - People try to pretend like he only played well in game 7, but he actually played quite well in games 4, 6, and 7, and had a pretty good game in game 5. Not an amazing series, but not miserable like haters try to make it out.

2014 - His WHOLE damn team outside of him didn't show up. He had a great statistical series. And I know people are going to say that it was garbage time... but Jesus, half of that damn series or more was garbage time, when was he going to get points outside of it? And he did have points where he had very meaningful runs and tried to get his team willed into the game... but they just let him down. Plain and simple.

2015 - Just like 2007, this team had no business in the finals. They were probably even worse off than in 2007 for the mere fact that they HAD a contending team, and then lost key players in the playoffs, and had to COMPLETELY adjust the way they played as a team. This was a great effort, and people in the media were talking about him possibly winning a FMVP in a losing effort (sound familiar?).

So yeah.. I blame him for 2011. Outside of that, he did his damn part. So Kobetards can babble on about 2/6 all they want, but Lebron has had no where near the fortune of Kobe when it comes to teams in the finals. But don't expect you guys to start using context for Lebron like you do Kobe because... well, then that wouldn't be trolling...

[BBallZen83]

Thanks bro. It's the god damned truth, and every Kobetard, deep down inside their little troll heart, knows it.