[The Celtics may own the most Championships (17)...but they are not the best franchise in the NBA...for the better part of the last two decades they have been irrelevant. Let's face it...their relevance is approximately 2 years. I remember in the '90s Nick Van Exel hitting a number of huge 3s at the Garden in Boston and the place being more Laker fans than Celtic fans. Which is pathetic because at the same time the Lakers were first round playoff fodder for the good teams out West. Check out the stats:
Celtics record from 93-94 to 06-07:
472-644 .423 (2922-2000 .594 all time record)
50 win seasons 0
50 loss seasons 3
As good as they were in ’07-08 (66-16), they were almost equally as bad in ’06-07 (24-58). They were actually worse in ’98-99 (15-67).
690-426 .618 (2970-1841 .617 all time record)
50 win seasons 8
60 win seasons 3
50 loss seasons 0
As good as they were in ’08-09 (65-17), they were better in ’99-00 (67-15). The worst season the Lakers had was in ’57-58 (19-53)
Basically, the Celtics dominated the 60s…and are mediocre except for pockets since. And the Lakers have been amazingly consistent…as you see by the winning percentage over the 93-94 to 06-07 span is essentially the same as the Lakers historical winning percentage.
I remember the portrayal of the Celtics in Dan Aykryod's movie Celtic Pride. I could go on...but I digress!]
First, can the comparisons to MJ please stop? Kobe and all the rest of his generation (LeBron, Vince Carter, Antawn Jamison, etc...) grew up watching Michael. They tried to emulate every single one of his moves. Kobe just happens to be the only one who can even come close to MJ. [c'mon LeBron throws chalk, wants to be a global icon, etc....]. No, Kobe's numbers are not close to Jordan's but they have had different roles during their careers. Would Jordan have scored as much as he did if he played alongside Olajuwon? The answer is probably not. I know...Michael would have averaged 15 assists a game if he had a dominant big man...maybe...we will never know how 'His Airness' might have responded to another alpha dog on his team. [Scottie Pippen was not an alpha dog - just an FYI]
Second, can we just appreciate Kobe Bryant for who he is? Who cares if he pumps his fist? Because MJ did it no one can? Who cares if he got a scowl on his face during the playoffs? He is on the cusp of doing something unprecedented in NBA history (more on this later). He was trying to win an NBA title...and he did! He averaged over 32 points with over 7 assists (only West and Kobe has done this in the Finals). And he just happened to make the most unbelievable shot I can remember seeing. He waltzed across the Magic defense into the lane, raised up, just as uber defensive player Dwight Howard did, faked to the right pulled it down (while in flight) went up on the other side and banked it home. Degree of difficulty...off the charts. Kobe (who is demonized as being a me first player) had to shoot the ball that way because Howard was right there, unlike Michael who made a similar move against the Lakers in '91. The famous up with the right hand, switch to the left hand layup that gets played over and over and over again. The difference, MJ could (should) have dunked the ball with his right hand - no one met him at the rim. He did not need to make that shot so difficult.
Lastly, Kobe has an opportunity to win multiple championships with multiple teams. I do not mean this in the way that Big Shot Bobby did. Horry was fortunate to be on the Rockets, Lakers and Spurs and pile up a ton of championships. Michael on the other hand won 2 3-peats with essentially the same cast of characters. By contrast, Kobe was an integral part of winning with the Shaq led Lakers and could put together another run with a vastly different cast around him. He didn't bounce from contender to contender piling up rings (no disrespect to Horry - he will always be a Laker in my book)...he was part of building something that had been torn down. Check out the wreckage left in the wake of the SS Shaq O'Neal [side note - I truly hope he goes to Cleveland...no greater way to destroy a young talented player (team) than to pair them with Shaq - it took D-Wade 2 years to recover from carrying "The Diesel" to the '06 title (the Heat still haven't recovered), who knows how long it will take Amare to recover (the Suns may never recover) - and we blame Kobe for things falling apart in LA].
Kobe is Kobe. He is moody (who isn't?). He is sometimes contrived (who wouldn't be...growing up in the spotlight). Kobe is a Champion! Sometimes, he puts his head down and tries to do it all himself...I can relate. Sometimes, he is amazing...sometimes, he takes your breath away. Sometimes, he wins championships...4 times.
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