Real Deal

I figured I'd play the role of Brett Favre and run up the score a little. But yeah, voting is officially over. The winner: Guru and his Jordan signature. http://www.backstagegfx.com/forum/uploads/U141-1263540505.png

Bryant should just facilitate, force the ball down low all game. But, just in case, I've got the DVR ready. 50 points? Wishful thinking. Jokes aside, just get the damn win.

Nevermind, it's 53 right now.

Weren't the Mavs up by 53 earlier? This is terrible. Thank God for League Pass, though. I'd be pissed if I didn't get to see this beating, haha.

Nets' current W-L: 3-40 (.070) Worst W-L in NBA history: Philadelphia 76ers, 1972-73 season, 9-73 (.110) The Nets are on pace to win five games this season, finishing with a 5-77 record. Can they do it?

He's actually second, behind Duncan...but it's definitely worth arguing, as he's one of the greatest scorers in NBA history and a very, very good defensive player.

Yeah man, this upcoming week is going to be interesting. Other than winning, I want us to just crush K-State.

Vote now. First to ten wins, or the most votes in three days.

I actually don't like hearing about the number of rings a player has, and I doubt anyone can find me talking about that when it comes to Bryant. Charles Barkley is one of my all-time favorite players...and I really don't need to explain anything beyond that point in regards to rings. Karl Malone is arguably the greatest power forward of all-time, also...and he has as many NBA championships as I do. Bryant has been in fortunate and unfortunate situations. His teammate was Shaquille O'Neal, and in the middle of last decade, he was carrying the likes of Smush, Kwame and Walton in the starting five. Now he has Gasol. LeBron has had an excellent team since 2007, packed with defense and shooters, sort of what Iverson had in 2001 and Hakeem had in the mid 90s...but he's not with someone like Dirk or Garnett, either. As far as those records go, yes...I agree. LeBron started out posting 20+ every game, while Kobe didn't hit that mark for a few years. Advantage LeBron, as long as he doesn't break down or jump to a team that forces him to score much less, because the 4,000 point differential is only worth a couple of 24-25 PPG seasons. Youngest to X scoring? LeBron will get them all. Overall scoring by the end of their careers? I won't go that far just yet.

Parkinson's disease (as Andre said). But that's uncommon in younger people, I believe. I've never met anyone under 40 with Parkinson's.

Are you a drinker? Drink less, and also don't consume so much caffeine. See if that helps. Could be a lot of things. Could be your thyroid, could be essential tremor (although I think that happens more when you're working your hands), could be anxiety.

I don't have a problem discussing Bryant's flaws, either. I just take offense to those who call his recent struggles effects of aging, when it's not. Sure, Bryant doesn't have the athleticism he had five years ago, but he has more than made up for that with his expanded post game and excellent range. I still think Bryant is the best player in the league, and that will probably change come next season (or the season after), and I won't have a problem admitting that. I don't have a problem admitting that both LeBron and Wade are closing in. However, again, Kobe's struggles aren't because of age, it's because he's shooting with a cast on his finger, and his back spasms aren't helping. As far as the Lakers' recent struggles, that's because of a lot of things, not just Bryant's inconsistent shooting. The blame goes from Fisher and his amazingly terrible defense, to Bynum and his inability to play in the triangle offense with another big, Gasol and his soft play, even to Phil Jackson and his odd rotations.

You know it is, haha. Next time, don't ignore the numbers, and don't try debating anything with me. Good job admitting you were full of it, though...although you just couldn't do that until someone else said so (pretty sad). Oh, and by the way... LOL...that's points allowed per 100 possessions. Oops. Owned? Yeah, LeBron did crush the Lakers. I mentioned that he would even before the game started, because Ron was going to defend him. I made it clear that Kobe should've. I blasted Ron for his inability to defend LeBron, and asked why the Lakers didn't double him more. And I believe Sky touched on the "zero plays off the dribble" comment, and the four games I gave you showed Bryant shooting from everywhere on the floor. The Orlando game would've been just another example, actually... Not sure where you were headed with any of that, though. Don't worry, I don't avoid ANYTHING, because everything you say actually supports my argument. And yes, we're done.

Damn, that's not bad for a Cavs/Lakers game. How much were those tickets?

It's too bad people can't see the benefits to a country-wide Medicaid. It's just more proof that super-healthy people don't really give a [expletive] for those in need of medical care, up until it's their own family members (ex. their parents at an old age). Thank God for Medicaid, though. It got me the eye surgeries I needed. Too bad private insurance companies screw people over, like they did my uncle, who is practically waiting to die after his cancer policy was ripped from him three weeks before he was diagnosed with colon cancer. Yeah, no big deal though. People die. We don't model ourselves after other countries because we're the United States, the smartest, greatest, baddest, most prolific, consistent and richest country in the world...

I really don't have an opinion on him, to be honest. When it comes to historical figures, I can't say much because I was born in 1983. Hell, there are people today that think MLK and Malcolm X were supporting racism, but against any and all non-African Americans. Stupid, I know...but it's stuff that I don't dig too deep into because I wasn't around to see or hear it, to know the situations everyone was put in, and to watch everything develop from their actions. But, with that said, Beck should still explain why he had so many supporters back then, including non-whites.

Beck should probably explain why guys like Nelson Mandela and Black Panther Stokely Carmichael supported Guevara so much.

Alright, so Kobe's injured and, really, in the same boat as Duncan, just different circumstances. Neither are at the top of their game right now. Why would the Lakers have to prove themselves, yet the Spurs don't have to (as long as their shots are falling)? The same can be said for Boston. We've seen them hit three consecutive losses already, something the Lakers haven't done in a couple of years or longer. What makes Boston a proven team? Can we just ignore the fact that Garnett has been hobbled all season long?

On the dunk attempt he had to alter, changing it into a layup: About the finger:

The Spurs? So beating the Hawks and Magic isn't good enough, but a win over the Spurs (who you just finished pounding on) is? Houston just knocked the Spurs out in San Antonio tonight, so what does that mean for the Rockets?

http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_rzJHDdHabLw/SZ1jvzCXJkI/AAAAAAAABus/Z832YgxnFXw/s400/crying+baby.jpg

We're talking post ups to get his points, not post ups to run plays in the triangle. I figured that was crystal clear, but I guess not. Kobe doesn't have an excuse as to why he's shooting poorly? Haha, I'm guessing he didn't have an excuse as to why he had to change up a dunk attempt to a layup on a wide-open fast break against the Knicks tonight, right? Did your eyes happen to see that? And yeah, brush off those stats. Those mean nothing, haha. That's what people do when they have no answers. You can just SEE the defense is better...haha, okay. I gave you more than just eFG% allowed, also...gave you quite a bit. You still ignored it all. Good call, and a wise decision on your part. LOL...like he should've done tonight, right? After having a bad first half, he actually ended the game scoring 13 of his 27 in the fourth, leading the way after we were down by two at the end of the third. Nice job pointing out a play in which Bryant went to the post, took a screen and dished it off. The Lakers tend to ditch the triangle sometimes. Have you seen LeBron become a decoy on offense? Yes. That doesn't mean it's his primary role on the team, or something he goes to all the time. Bryant was a top three in post scoring earlier in the season, despite being a guard. Since Gasol's return, do you think that's the case now? He's posting up a lot less than he did back in November. Every Lakers fan will tell you that, and if you need a big slap in the face, go register at a Lakers board and simply ask them. If you're going to look at the "bigger picture" when debating me, I suggest you take all things into consideration, including stats that make your argument look foolish, and injuries you would apply to any other player not named Kobe Bryant. You're way in over your head.

He just shot 50% against the Clippers on the 15th, 45-46% against the Mavericks before that, and 70% against the Spurs. If he gets surgery on that finger, he's done for a month, maybe longer...and we easily lose home court advantage against the East powerhouses.

Four consecutive post-ups for Bryant to start the game, then he stopped. Now he's only getting post position to draw doubles and kick the ball out. Funny thing, though: he has drawn a double team every single time he's put the ball on the floor since the start of the game, no matter where he's at. Time for our bigs to man up and get the job done.

LOL, how are you going to argue against the defensive numbers I posted? I gave you almost every important category, defensively, showing that the Lakers are a better overall defensive team than those Rockets, yet you still have an opinion? What's your opinion, that you observed it? I really don't give a [expletive] if you think LeBron is better. It's arguable...never said it wasn't. I just don't like you walking into a topic, calling Bryant old and worn out, ignoring his injuries and his impressive shooting numbers over the entire season to date. That's ignorance on your part, and I actually like telling people we have some of the most intelligent members on OTR. Threads are locked after 2-3 posts of debating, huh? Give me a couple, since you're still trying to backseat moderate here. Otherwise, drop your accusations. You're getting as bad as your boy Diesel. If Mason or Paul replied, I wouldn't mind, because they usually talk basketball. You don't. Almost 45% of your posts come out of the baseball forum (nearly 700). Instead, you show your face during a loss (just like Diesel used to do) and make a one-liner comment, eventually followed by a post bashing arguably the best player in the NBA, followed by a "sweetheart" comment that, yes, only Diesel would make. Real talk? Don't even reply. I've already checked your IP address, just because I figured you let Matt borrow your account. That's how different you are. Just don't act like you're going to be the one to gain support from all the members here, because most see what you did in this topic, and see your whining and complaining throughout the forums. If they need to see more of it, I'll quote every single one since reopening the site, and maybe that will open your eyes as well. Now I'm sure you'll reply to this specific post, discussing how I talk down on you and do it to everyone else, how I disregard you trying to debate the topic, how I downplay your NBA knowledge, whatever gains support from anyone else. I already know. You do it all the time. Get over it. People will post here, no matter what your opinion is, and as of today, there's only one person that's having problems with me on OTR, and you're just the second member doing this since the Eagles lost, ironically.