The fact remains that in the last 5 years no player played as well with Kobe as the best they've played without him. And he's a prick who throws his teammates under the bus and demanded trades publicly when he didn't think the team had enough talent.
And the stats don't lie that in clutch (end of game situations when the score is close) he shoots a LOUSEY shooting percentage (unlike Carmelo, btw) I do agree, however, that he used to be a great defensive player, and that one can't expect someone his age to still be one.
http://chasing23.com/kobe-bryant-vs-leb ... ing-shots/The fact also remains, that nobody who has played over 50 games in the playoffs has a worse Won Lost percentage than Melo.
After this many years, that can't be a total coincidence.
Look, he is a talented player, no doubt. But what I rail against is people thinking that because he is a great scorer and great at hitting DIFFICULT shots, he is someone who is great in the most important way - making his team better.
If you forget individual stats and watch great teams, it is pretty clear that the key to a great team is not having guys who hit the tough shots as much as a team that plays together well so as to get THE MOST EASY SHOTS. Neither Kobe or Melo are especially good at contributing to their team as a whole getting the most easy shots.
BTW, I AGREE that Lebron is not the same player as he was. (BTW, he's already played more minutes than Jordan did in his entire career, and has been doing it on a body that probably averaged 270 lbs. The wear and tear on his knees and back was inevitable)
Lebron no longer has the superhuman ability/endurance to guard the opposing team's best player regardless off position whenever necessary. In the past, he shut down Derrick Rose in his prime in the playoffs. That aint happening any more. And shooting percentage is down. His rebounds are down. And he has been doing isolations much more than in the past. He still MIGHT be the most valuable player in the league in the sense that none of the other players on his team had ever played on a winning team before, and with Lebron, the team is now a dynamo (and Kevin Love has been unhealthy with back stiffness all year, and not nearly as productive as in the past)
But people focus on what he can't do as well as he used to, so he will not win the MVP. I think Curry and Harden are both very deserving. I haven't heard it said, but Harden's game reminds me of Jordan's more than anyone else's does.
PS. last night the Cavs looked like the kind of spacing and ball movement team I want them to be. ALL of their 3rd quarter baskets were on assists.
