To Kobe or To Lebron, that is the Question

The NBA's big shots

By Steve Kerr, Yahoo! Sports

That's the question fans kept asking me around town prior to the Cleveland Cavaliers-Los Angeles Lakers matchup at Staples Center. It's a question that may not be easy to answer, but one that is pleasing to ponder.

Each player is spectacularly athletic, dynamic in personality, physically dominant and skilled beyond belief. But L.A.'s win over Cleveland also showed how different the two players are, and that Kobe might be – at his stage anyway – a step ahead of LeBron.

Prior to the game, James was asked about Kobe and gave a very candid response that foreshadowed the outcome of the game. LeBron described Bryant as the best player in the NBA before admitting, "I don't think I have an instinct like Kobe where I want to kill everybody."

I think that quote tells a lot about the difference between the two. Kobe is a cold-blooded scorer – a man without a conscience who revels in taking the big shot at the end of the game and isn't afraid of missing it. LeBron is a more conscientious player – a distributor of the ball who feels most comfortable controlling the game with his passing yet providing scoring when needed.

Their respective approaches to the game differ defensively, too. Kobe relishes the one-on-one, mano-a-mano style, but he can get lost watching the ball on the weak side. LeBron is not as accomplished in his one-on-one defense, preferring to play away from the ball, clog the passing lanes and look for steals.

Kobe's relentless nature was on full display late in the game on Thursday. He overcame a cold shooting performance to knock down three straight jumpers in the waning moments to seal the victory for the Lakers. Only the most confident of players can shrug off a bad stretch – Kobe had missed 11 of his previous 12 shots at that point – and confidently drain buckets with the game on the line. But Kobe does it time and again, and his aggressive nature and unforgiving style allow him to perform at the highest level in crunch time. He is Jordan-like in his Terminator-style approach: Nothing will get in his way, or in his head.
LeBron, on the other hand, is a more thoughtful player. He is always looking for teammates and trying to bring a sense of order to the game. Against the Lakers, the Cavaliers' strategy was to pound the ball into Zydrunas Ilgauskas, and James made sure his big man got the ball, as Ilgauskas dominated the paint for most of the game in scoring 29 points.

When James needed to score, he did, pouring in 28 points. His outside shot has improved dramatically in the past year or two, and although he occasionally takes an off-balance shot, he is gaining more and more confidence in his offensive game. But his nature is to be a passer, and when he can mix up his scoring and distributing, he's at his best.

Each player's strength can also be his weakness. Kobe is so strong-willed and relentless that he frequently takes bad shots and disrupts the flow of the game for his teammates. He often continues his attacking style when the situation calls for pulling back and getting teammates involved, and that gets the Lakers in trouble. As a result, many of his teammates have struggled to find a niche playing with him.

LeBron is such a team-oriented player that he doesn't quite have Kobe's (or Michael Jordan's) game-closing mentality. With 5.2 seconds to play, LeBron missed a tying free throw, and after Drew Gooden grabbed the offensive board, James missed a potential game-winning jumper. While James certainly wasn't afraid of taking the big shot, he didn't appear arrogant in his approach.
With Kobe, everyone in the building knows that he's going to make the clutch shot. You can feel Bryant's aura in the arena. LeBron is still young, but he clearly doesn't look as comfortable in that role as Kobe does.

So who is better? Take your pick. Would you rather have Tom Brady or Peyton Manning? You can't go wrong with either one.

LeBron is the better passer and rebounder, he's younger, stronger and more explosive than Kobe and he has a better feel for the game and his teammates. Bryant is the better shooter, the more creative one-on-one player and a tougher on-ball defender.

They are different players, each superior to the other in many ways. But what separated them Thursday was Kobe's killer instinct that LeBron spoke of before the game. James just might be the best overall player in the league, but Bryant is the best – and most feared – player in the NBA with the game on the line.

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So who do you take? Kobe or Lebron. I reckon if my team was starting out, I'd take Lebron. But if I'm on the cusp of Championsip glory (i.e. got a playoff ready team) you go with Kobe.

BTW was anyone else thinking "rapist" the whole time Lebron said "I don't think I have an instinct like Kobe where I want to kill everybody."

Peace Out,

DJ Ho.