Quote:
Originally Posted by dalakhani
Bird vs Kobe?
Defense? Kobe
Rebounding? Bird
Passing? Bird
Scoring? Kobe
Titles? Kobe
Yes, I was just joking.
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I don't know that I'd readily concede that Kobe is a better scorer than Bird. He's scored more points yes but he's taken a lot more shots. Career scoring averages show Kobe at 25.4, Bird at 24.3 That's only one point.
Seasons averaging 20+ shots per game:
Kobe-11
Bird-4
Averaging 22+ shots:
Kobe-5
Bird-2
23+ shots:
Kobe-3
Bird-0
The most shots per game Bird ever averaged is 22.0 Kobe has passed that five times. Kobe has also averaged 3.8 three point attempts per game, twice as many as Bird's 1.9
Bird's career average is also 6.3 assists to Kobe's 4.7 Bird still has over 300 assists more than Kobe despite playing over 150 less games. Point being that Bird, if he wanted to be less selfish, could easily have scored more points. Instead of gunning up shots at will like Kobe, he was passing and rebounding. Sure, Kobe was a better on ball defender. I'll give him that. But I find it interesting that Bird has higher career averages in steals (1.7 to 1.5) and blocks (0.8 to 0.5) in addition to being the better defensive rebounder.
Bird had three rings. Kobe's got five. That's the only area that Kobe clearly outdistances Bird except for the fact that Bird only played nine good seasons before his back went out and he was never the same player.
I've asked this question of many people and I've never gotten an answer. In the three years where Kobe had to play without Shaq and before he got Gasol (2005, 2006, and 2007), what was the difference between Kobe and guys like Iverson and McGrady? They all scored a lot of points but their teams were average at best. At least Iverson took a sorry team to the finals. Kobe was just like McGrady. They missed the playoffs the first year then were knocked out in the first round two straight seasons, blowing a 3-1 lead one of the years. Kobe fans don't like to admit it but unless Kobe's played with an elite big man, he's done absolutely nothing teamwise. That is the truth.
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