The Official NBA Thread

Michael Jordan thinks only Kobe Bryant deserves comparisons

By Eric Freeman


By Eric Freeman | Ball Don't Lie – Tue, Jan 17, 2012 5:25 PM EST



Kobe Bryant explains the plot of "Single White Female" to Michael Jordan (Jamie Squire/Getty).

Ever since Michael Jordan retired - all three times, really - the NBA has searched for the heir to his throne. Many players have popped up as pretenders to the throne, from Harold Miner to Jerry Stackhouse to Vince Carter. In recent years, people have stopped trying to find a clone and just searched for a similarly dominant great player. If you ever wondered why LeBron James is seen as such a failure, a lot of it has to do with his inability to meet the example set by Jordan.

There are many great players in the NBA these days, most of whom have never been directly compared to Jordan. Nevertheless, His Airness says only one player comes close enough to his greatness to merit the comparison. Not surprisingly, that player is Kobe Bryant. Here's what Roland Lazenby, a great writer currently working on a Jordan book, tweeted on Sunday (via PBT):
Congratulations, Kobe: Your life's work has meant something. All that time spent aping Jordan's movements and skills has paid off. He acknowledged you. You made it.
Of course, if the notoriously petty Jordan was going to mention anyone, it makes that he'd single out Kobe, and not just because he'd consider the mimicry flattering. Bryant really does work harder than everyone else, and he's been good for long enough (with no signs of slowing down) that he may eventually top Jordan's longevity. They're similarly insane competitors.
The "Next Jordan" idea was always a silly one, but Bryant is certainly the player most like Jordan in all aspects of his game - even if he eventually becomes something less than the greatest player of the post-MJ era, which I'm sure many of you will argue in the comments. That's an accomplishment in itself. Even coming close to the top means something.

Lin's stat line vs the Mavericks tonight

[TABLE="width: 648"]
[TR="bgcolor: #F8F7F2"]
[TH="class: player title, bgcolor: #666666"]Starters[/TH]
[TH="class: pos, bgcolor: #666666, align: right"]Pos[/TH]
[TH="class: min, bgcolor: #666666, align: right"]Min[/TH]
[TH="bgcolor: #666666, align: right"]FG[/TH]
[TH="bgcolor: #666666, align: right"]3Pt[/TH]
[TH="bgcolor: #666666, align: right"]FT[/TH]
[TH="bgcolor: #666666, align: right"]+/-[/TH]
[TH="bgcolor: #666666, align: right"]Off[/TH]
[TH="bgcolor: #666666, align: right"]Reb[/TH]
[TH="bgcolor: #666666, align: right"]Ast[/TH]
[TH="bgcolor: #666666, align: right"]TO[/TH]
[TH="bgcolor: #666666, align: right"]Stl[/TH]
[TH="bgcolor: #666666, align: right"]BS[/TH]
[TH="bgcolor: #666666, align: right"]BA[/TH]
[TH="bgcolor: #666666, align: right"]PF[/TH]
[TH="class: points, bgcolor: #666666, align: right"]Pts[/TH]
[/TR]
[TR="class: odd"]
[TD="class: player title"]J. Lin(notes)[/TD]
[TD="align: right"]G[/TD]
[TD="align: right"]45:36[/TD]
[TD="align: right"]11-20[/TD]
[TD="align: right"]3-6[/TD]
[TD="align: right"]3-6[/TD]
[TD="align: right"]+14[/TD]
[TD="align: right"]1[/TD]
[TD="align: right"]4[/TD]
[TD="align: right"]14[/TD]
[TD="align: right"]7[/TD]
[TD="align: right"]5[/TD]
[TD="align: right"]1[/TD]
[TD="align: right"]1[/TD]
[TD="align: right"]0[/TD]
[TD="align: right"]28[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR="bgcolor: #F8F7F2"]
[/TR]
[/TABLE]

This kid is like Tebow all over again but he can actually play. What a breath of fresh air!

Ogah said:

Nawaomba Mods mtuwekee NBA kama sticky ioli wapenzi wa basketball pia tuweze kubadilishana experiences

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Mods wataifanyia kazi arifu....

Game ya leo boston na knicks was tight aisee......

Derrick Rose (35 points, eight assists) led the Bulls over the Sixers in Philly.

Derek Fisher ahamia Thunder

With eye on sixth ring, Fisher signs with Thunder | NBA.com

Oklahoma City kama kawa ni mikalisho mwanzo mwisho hamna cha Griffin wala chris paul!!!mnyama durant,mkali westbrook,jembe Ibaka na mzazi Fisher ni mwendo wa kukimbiza mbweha!!

Muuza Sura said:

Oklahoma City kama kawa ni mikalisho mwanzo mwisho hamna cha Griffin wala chris paul!!!mnyama durant,mkali westbrook,jembe Ibaka na mzazi Fisher ni mwendo wa kukimbiza mbweha!!

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hilo chama nimelitabria kuchukua ndoo.....

Thunder wameona ni ngumu kubeba ndoo bila ya kuwa na wakongwe, ndio maana wameamua kumchukua Derek Fisher

Yo Yo said:

hilo chama nimelitabria kuchukua ndoo.....

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aiseeee hawa OKC ni soo mbaya...nani kaangalia game yao na timber? nimesema mwaka huu ndoo ni yao....KD for MVP

Yo Yo said:

aiseeee hawa OKC ni soo mbaya...nani kaangalia game yao na timber? nimesema mwaka huu ndoo ni yao....KD for MVP

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Mie Lakers since 92 ila nakubaliana Thunder wanauwezo mkubwa wakuchukuwa Ring ile Game vitu alivyofanya Durant namna Love alivyokuwa kwenye game ni balaa jamaa wale uzuri wao wanawengi wanaopiga 3 na wachezaji wao hawana ubitozi wa Miami kengine wanamsikiliza Manager ukitizama mwaka jana Westbrook aliweka ujeuri na utoto aliiponza timu atakuwa kajifunza. Lakers hawana nafasi kabisa, West Thunder wanafika Final ila East Miami au Chicago wasipate mtu maumivu.

Dole tupu kwa OKC
Nimesema hawa mwaka wao huu....angalia Miami walivyo chezeshwa kibinda nkoi.....ila wade mkali aiseee....

Kevin Durant was all over the place for the Thunder against the Heat. KD had 28 points, nine rebounds and eight assists in the Thunder's 103-87 win.

Yo Yo said:

Kevin Durant was all over the place for the Thunder against the Heat. KD had 28 points, nine rebounds and eight assists in the Thunder's 103-87 win.

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Mkuu unajuwa hapo kunatofauti timu za West na East timu za East wanacheza kwa majigambo ya maonyesho hilo ndio linawaponza MIAMI HEAT! hata KNICKS tizama West wanacheza Basic Basketball San Antonio,Thunder,Dallas na Lakers kengine nimeona JAmaa yetu anatakiwa Kuiga hao Kina IBAKA na mzee Deng wa Sudan wanacheza kwa Bidii.

Pazi said:

Mkuu unajuwa hapo kunatofauti timu za West na East timu za East wanacheza kwa majigambo ya maonyesho hilo ndio linawaponza MIAMI HEAT! hata KNICKS tizama West wanacheza Basic Basketball San Antonio,Thunder,Dallas na Lakers kengine nimeona JAmaa yetu anatakiwa Kuiga hao Kina IBAKA na mzee Deng wa Sudan wanacheza kwa Bidii.

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Serge Ibaka 'Air Congo' huwezi kumfananisha na huyu pimbi wetu wa bongo ambaye hajui yupo NBA kwaajili gani,wakali kina Ibaka,Durant,Perkins,Harden na Westbrook katika mauaji ya Miami Heat kwa kuonyesha njaa hawa wanyama wametupia double digits kila mmoja!

Baada ya kuwagalagaza ma-brazameni wa Miami leo ilikuwa zamu ya Chicago Bulls

[h=3]Notebook: Thunder 92, Bulls 78[/h]
[h=4]By Randy Renner, for NBA.com
Posted Sunday April 1, 2012 4:29PM[/h]THE FACTS: A dramatic game between the top teams in the Western and Eastern Conferences wasn't to be in Oklahoma City as the Thunder never trailed, led by as many as 30 points and won their sixth straight game in blowing out Chicago 92-78.
OKC's Russell Westbrook (27 points) and Kevin Durant (26) easily led all scorers and didn't play in the fourth quarter. Chicago had to play without point guard Derrick Rose for the 10th straight game. He's battling a groin injury and Rip Hamilton missed his 15th consecutive contest with a bruised shoulder. The Thunder defense was stifling, holding the Bulls to just 30.6 percent shooting almost halfway through the fourth quarter. Chicago's Kyle Korver (14 points) was the only Bulls starter in double figures. Reserve guardJohn Lucas III led the Bulls with 19 points, but 14 of them came in the fourth quarter after the game was decided.
QUOTABLE: "We played our best defense of the year. We challenged every pass, challenged every look and every shot. We came out with good energy and toughness and I thought it was important that we do that in this game."
--Thunder coach Scott Brooks
THE STAT: In the third quarter Oklahoma City held Chicago to just 23.8 percent shooting (5-for-21). The Thunder shot 54.5 percent (12-for-22). For the game the Thunder held the Bulls starters to just 39 points on 32.7 percent shooting.
TURNING POINT: The Thunder never trailed, but Oklahoma City really ran away from Chicago in the third quarter by holding the Bulls to just 10 points in the first nine and a half minutes of the quarter and only 12 for the entire frame. Meanwhile, OKC scored 31, turning a 10-point halftime advantage into a 29-point cushion going into the fourth quarter.
QUOTABLE II: "It wasn't just the third quarter, it was the second and the first too. We didn't come ready to play and that's on me. They were much more aggressive than we were and I didn't think our defense was very good either. When you play like you're basically beating yourself."
-- Bulls coach Tom Thibodeau

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Cleaning the Glass | NBA.com

Blake Griffin ---- The boss, when it comes to slum dunking.