I always thought Kobe’s nickname, “the Black Mamba”, was poorly chosen. OK, so “it’s known for being very aggressive when disturbed or confronted and will not hesitate to strike with deadly precision”. But doesn’t that fact that almost nobody knows this without you telling them kill the nickname’s effectiveness? And the damn snake isn’t even black!
Why not “the Closer”?
Well, I think I may have been wrong all along. Footage I found from game 1 of the Finals seems to show there might have been a good reason for the nickname all along:
Got a nice “Tuesday Night with NBAtv” tripleheader for you. First, we get to see why Gary Payton and Chris Webber didn’t join Shaq on stage with the Jabbawockeez:
Next, Shaq has a special request for Payton and Webber; give him a reprise of the Planet Rock beatbox. Shaq goes to town from there:
And finally a short but sweet version of “What The Hell Did Gary Payton Just Say?”, with Ahmad and Webber getting an assist:
Someday NBAtv will start broadcasting in HD, and my Tuesday nights will be perfect.
I’ve seen bits and pieces of information about Michael Jordan’s 55 vs Kobe Bryant’s 61 thrown around. I thought I’d try and gather the relevant facts of each performance, along with some video of both:
MINUTES PLAYED
MJ: 39
KB: 37 SHOOTING
MJ: 21/37 - .568
KB: 19/31 - .613 FT’s
MJ: 10/11
KB: 20/20 REBOUNDS
MJ: 4
KB: 0 ASSISTS
MJ: 2
KB: 3 DEFENSE RANK
95 NYK: #1 in the league @ 95.1 per game (they gave up 113 - 18 above their average)
09 NYK: #22 @ 106.5 per game (they gave up 126 - 25 above their average)
POINTS OF INTEREST
• The 3pt line was shortened to a uniform 22ft in 1995 (changed back in 98). About 1.9ft closer at the top of the key vs today’s line.
• MJ scored nearly 49% of his teams points, KB scored 48%
• Contrary to the often stated - MJ did not have a well rounded game. Both players were all scoring and not much else.
ESPN created a nice highlight package of MJ’s game:
Wish I had MJ’s entire game so I could isolate every shot (yes I’m that sick, and I’m working on it).
It’s been done for Kobe - here’s every shot (courtesy of elderdrn/youtube):
I’ve laid out the facts so you can be the judge on evaluating both performances. My opinion? Could have just been the shots ESPN picked to show, and defensive rank aside; the 95 Knick’s defense on Jordan doesn’t look all that much better than the 2009 Knicks (Jordan had a way of doing that though). Both had a lot of single coverage (as stated in the highlights, MJ was single covered much of the game by 6′3″ John Starks). Both had defenders sagging a few feet off them, which they punished. The video seems to back up the general belief that MJ was quicker and stronger to the hoop (that baseline post move was nasty), and Kobe has a bit more range (some of those shots were just sick).
As you can read about HERE in FanNation, LeBron and the Cavs aren’t too happy about Mo Williams not making the All Star team. Ben Wallace channeled Shaquille O’Neal for a Diesel like response:
“It’s a tragedy,” Ben Wallace said. “I think it’s an injustice. It’s a fraud. We’ve got the best record in the league, and we’ve only got one guy going… It’s a travesty and a sham and a mockery. It’s a shamockery.”
LeBron is rather wisely playing the “disrespect card”. Said LeBron James: “It just shows the disrespect that basketball in Cleveland continues to get. I haven’t seen the All-Star list yet, so I can’t comment on who’s in it. But it’s definitely disrespectful that we continue to do work every year with nothing to show for it. “We all believe that Mo’s an All-Star and the reason we’ve had the best record in the NBA right now. Mo’s a big part of our team. Just look at the wins and losses from last year to this year with really only one addition - Mo Williams.”
Of course the impact you have on your team isn’t a key All Star qualifier. If it were, Mike D’Antoni would be coaching the East. Williams happens to be a perfect fit for what the Cavs needed, but Jameer is having a better year.
Still, it’s a very smart move on LeBron’s part. You look for motivation for your team anywhere you can find it. Questionable though, is a rumored response from LeBron and Nike for the All Star Game:
Dubbed the “LBJsayBigMO>Jameer” All Star Specials, they may or may not ever see the light of day. We’ll just have to wait until game time…
I finally watched The Dark Knight this week, and it got me thinking. Many NBA players either do or SHOULD embody specific superhero traits. So I thumbed through the Superhero encyclopedia, and made my list…
Tracy McGrady / Wolverine Wolverine possesses a healing factor that allows him to quickly recover from virtually any wound!
If only…
Dwight Howard / The Hulk …is capable of immense feats of strength!
The (small) amount of enhancement I had to do to this picture is frightening.
Darius Miles / The Invisible Man For a moment it seems like he’s permanently invisible, but a panel later, standing in front of a blue saucer-like thing, he says “These vibrations fix everything. I can appear and disappear at will! Now for revenge!
Strikingly fitting. Had Portland been able to sign him to a contract a few weeks ago, this actually would have happened (at the end of the bench anyway).
Tyrus Thomas / Superman
…able to leap tall buildings in a single bound!
What about Shaq you say? Dwight? Not this week. Tyrus posterization gives him that spot.
Kevin Garnett / ?
Either insane or clever. Hopes to die in the greatest battle of his life. Seething!
Say what you want about KG, but there’s not doubting his fire. Has there ever been a more fierce and intense player? So who else could KB be but…
I think that turnaround is about the smoothest thing I’ve ever edited together. Listen with the sound up.
Have any of your own suggestions? Leave them in the comments, and maybe I’ll make a few more up.
There has been a lot of discussion about whether or not Lebron traveled at the end of the Washington game when he performed what he called the “crab dribble”. The evidence has been inconclusive until now, but a new camera angle and step by step breakdown seem to prove LeBron was indeed correct. He didn’t travel…
I’m guessing this is going to find it’s way to the refs for their next training session, but who knows. David Stern can be hard headed (crab like in a way).
I love NBAtv. Watch it relentlessly despite the jeopardy it puts my marriage in.
Here’s an hilarious moment from December 12. Rick Kamla and Steve Smith were discussing the troubles the Pistons are having since acquiring Allen Iverson. Kamla starts to ask Smith if he thinks Iverson would accept a bench role. As he does, they cut live to the Pistons game. The timing is perfect, and Steve Smith’s reaction is classic.
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