Hype buster

Kobe Bryant vs. Michael Jordan

2008-06-20T15:07:00.001-07:00

I know, in no way is Kobe is as good as MJ. That's why I'm here, to prove the mere thought of comparing MJ to Kobe is ludicrous. I have been working on a project for a while, stats that show MJ is so much better than Kobe.

Here they are:

Basic stat breakdown:

Career Scoring Average

*
Michael Jordan - 30.12
Kobe Bryant - 24.96

Highest Scoring (season)

*
Michael Jordan - 37.1
Kobe Bryant - 35.4

Career Assists Per Game

*
Michael Jordan - 5.3
Kobe Bryant - 4.6

Highest Assists (season)

*
Michael Jordan - 8.0
Kobe Bryant - 6.0

Career Rebounds Per Game

*
Michael Jordan - 6.22
Kobe Bryant - 5.30

Highest Rebounding (season)

*
Michael Jordan - 8.05
Kobe Bryant - 6.88

Career Offensive Reb. Per Game

*
Michael Jordan - 1.56
Kobe Bryant - 1.21

Highest Offensive Reb. (season)

*
Michael Jordan - 2.04
Kobe Bryant - 1.64

Career Steals Per Game

*
Michael Jordan - 2.35
Kobe Bryant - 1.53

Highest Steals (season)

*
Michael Jordan - 3.2
Kobe Bryant - 2.2

Career Blocks Per Game

Michael Jordan - 0.83
Kobe Bryant - 0.58

Highest Blocks (season)

Michael Jordan - 1.6
Kobe Bryant - 1.0

Career Turnovers Per Game

*
Michael Jordan - 2.73
Kobe Bryant - 2.94

Career Turnovers Per 40 Minutes

*
Michael Jordan - 2.85
Kobe Bryant - 3.22

Lowest Turnovers Per 40 (season)

*
Michael Jordan - 2.1
Kobe Bryant - 2.8

Highest Turnovers Per Game (season)

*
Michael Jordan - 3.5
Kobe Bryant - 4.1

Career Assist-to-Turnover Ratio

*
Michael Jordan - 1.93
Kobe Bryant - 1.57

Highest Assist-to-Turnover (season)

*
Michael Jordan - 2.57
Kobe Bryant - 1.96

Career Field Goal Percentage

*
Michael Jordan - .497
Kobe Bryant - .453

Highest Field Goal Pct. (season)

*
Michael Jordan - .539
Kobe Bryant - .469

Career Free Throw Percentage

*
Michael Jordan - .835
Kobe Bryant - .839

Highest Free Throw Pct. (season)

*
Michael Jordan - .857 Kobe Bryant - .868

GAME BY GAME PERFORMANCE

The following compares the career total number of regular season games for which a certain feat was achieved, and the percentage of time that each player achieved that feat (listed to the right of the total).

Michael Jordan Kobe Bryant

1072 Games Played 866

games/.pct games/.pct

31 50+ points 23

173 .16 40+ points 92 .10

561 .52 30+ points 281 .32

926 .86 20+ points 588 .68

31 Shooting over 70% 6

172 .16 Shooting over 60% 58 .07

500 .47 Shooting over 50% 187 .21

466 .43 Shooting under 50% 519 .60

437 .41 Shooting under 48% 498 .58

360 .33 Shooting under 46% 439 .51

288 .27 Shooting under 44% 370 .43

228 .21 Shooting under 42% 318 .37

154 .14 Shooting under 40% 253 .29

85 .08 Shooting under 35% 155 .18

39 .04 Shooting under 30% 77 .09

9 .01 Shooting under 25% 41 .05

8 15+ rebounds 2

61 12+ rebounds 24

151 10+ rebounds 85

5 15+ assists 1

26 12+ assists 13

76 10+ assists 57

207 8+ assists 125

587 5+ assists 406

150 LESS THAN 3 assists 199

51 LESS THAN 2 assists 109

7 NO assists 7

0 NO assists, before age 30 7

11 8+ steals 0

17 7+ steals 1

45 6+ steals 6

105 5+ steals 28

230 4+ steals 75

459 3+ steals 189

27 4+ blocks 4

69 3+ blocks 24

220 2+ blocks 111

132 5+ turnovers 162

144 More turnovers than assists 189

745 LESS THAN 4 turnovers 535

525 LESS THAN 3 turnovers 366

257 LESS THAN 2 turnovers 195

84 NO turnovers 46

10 Foul outs 17

Games with

Jordan Bryant

15 20+ shots made while shooting over 60% 3

77 15+ shots made while shooting over 60% 19

174 15+ shots made while shooting over 50% 49

16 50+ points while shooting over 60% 5

1 50+ points while shooting under 50% 6

0 50+ points while shooting under 45% 3

70 40+ points while shooting over 60% 18

27 40+ points while shooting under 50% 42

13 40+ points while shooting under 45% 19

2 40+ points while shooting under 40% 7

3 50+ points on less than 10 free throw attempts 1

47 40+ points on less than 10 free throw attempts 18

156 40+ points on less than five 3 point attempts 30

15 50+ points with 5+ assists 4

96 40+ points with 5+ assists 31

9 40+ points with 10+ assists 2

Michael Jordan season by season

1985: 28.2 pts, 6.5 reb, 5.9 ast, 2.39 stl, 51.5% fg, 25.8 PER
1987: 37.1 pts, 5.2 reb, 4.6 ast, 2.88 stl, 48.2% fg, 29.8 PER
1988: 35.0 pts, 5.5 reb, 5.9 ast, 3.16 stl, 53.5% fg, 31.7PER
1989: 32.5 pts, 8.0 reb, 8.0 ast, 2.89 stl, 53.8% fg, 31.1PER
1990: 33.6 pts, 6.9 reb, 6.3 ast, 2.77 stl, 52.7% fg, 31.2 PER
1991: 31.5 pts, 6.0 reb, 5.5 ast, 2.72 stl, 53.9% fg, 31.6 PER
1992: 30.1 pts, 6.4 reb, 6.1 ast, 2.28 stl, 51.9% fg, 27.7 PER
1993: 32.6 pts, 6.7 reb, 5.5 ast, 2.83 stl, 49.5% fg, 29.7 PER

1996: 30.4 pts, 6.6 reb, 4.3 ast, 2.20 stl, 49.5% fg, 29.4 PER
1997: 29.6 pts, 5.9 reb, 4.3 ast, 1.71 stl, 48.6% fg, 27.8 PER
1998: 28.7 pts, 5.8 reb, 3.5 ast, 1.72 stl, 46.5% fg, 25.2 PER

Kobe Bryant season by season

1997: 7.6 pts, 1.9 reb, 1.3 ast, 0.69 stl, 41.7% fg, 14.4 PER
1998: 15.4 pts, 3.1 reb, 2.5 ast, 0.94 stl, 42.8% fg, 18.5 PER
1999: 19.9 pts, 5.3 reb, 3.8 ast, 1.44 stl, 46.5% fg, 18.9 PER
2000: 22.5 pts, 6.3 reb, 4.9 ast, 1.61 stl, 46.8% fg, 21.7 PER

2001: 28.5 pts, 5.9 reb, 5.0 ast, 1.68 stl, 46.4% fg, 24.5 PER
2002: 25.2 pts, 5.5 reb, 5.5 ast, 1.48 stl, 46.9% fg, 23.2 PER
2003: 30.0 pts, 6.9 reb, 5.9 ast, 2.21 stl, 45.1% fg, 26.2PER
2004: 24.0 pts, 5.5 reb, 5.1 ast, 1.72 stl, 43.8% fg, 23.7 PER
2005: 27.6 pts, 5.9 reb, 6.0 ast, 1.30 stl, 43.3% fg, 23.3 PER
2006: 35.4 pts, 5.3 reb, 4.5 ast, 1.84 stl, 45.0% fg, 27.9PER
2007: 31.6 pts, 5.7 reb, 5.4 ast, 1.44 stl, 46.3% fg, 26.1 PER

2008: 28.3 pts, 6.3 reb, 5.4 ast, 1.84 stl, 45.9% fg, 24.2 PER

Kobe doesn’t have a single season that resembles Jordan.

Observations

Michael Jordan averaged 30 points per game during the slowest paced era in NBA history. He scored much more with much greater efficiency in less opportunities. This is based upon fact, not opinion. Number of possessions per game reached an all-time low during the mid and late 1990s.

The era in which Jordan played is incomparable with the one in which Kobe plays. Jordan played in an era that featured not only the most competition, but the toughest, most physical defenses in NBA history. There was no flagrant foul throughout the 1980s. Free throws were rarely awarded for fouls. Another fact is that the tallest era in NBA history was the late 1980s, when Jordan was dominating the league as no guard has ever done.

The point that there was no zone defense in the 1980s is moot when it is applied to Jordan's situation. Defenses consistently attempted to triple team Jordan, only to fail. Not even the best teams in the league could stop Jordan individually. Defenses quickly learned that the only way to stop Jordan was with HARD contact. There is still no true zone in the NBA. Due to defensive violation rules such as the 3-second lane rule, a zone is impossible in the NBA.

The modern era features rules that are completely geared to favor offensive minded wing players. Kobe is an offensive minded wing player. No handchecking rules prevent close perimeter defense. Fouls are called and free throws awarded on minimal to no contact. As Phil Jackson himself points out, "Michael would average 45 with these rules". In the modern league, few players even elect to play defense. The few great defensive teams in the modern league, such as Boston, Chicago, Detroit and San Antonio, consistently stop Kobe.

What If?

If Kobe were to play another ten seasons of 80 games apiece (for 800 games total), he would have to average over 35.7 points per game for the rest of his career to match Jordan's career scoring average. He hasn't even had one season that high.

If Kobe were to play another 8 years (for 640 more games), he would need to average 37.1 points per game.

If Kobe were to play another 5 years (for 400 games, which is what Kobe has hinted is his approximate time left), he would need to average 41.3 ppg.

If Kobe were to match Jordan's scoring average by the time he has been playing as long as Jordan did (1072 games), he would need to average 51.8 ppg.

If Kobe were to play until he's 50 years old (another 20 seasons), he would still have to average 32.8 ppg just to near Jordan's scoring average.

Kobe could make 1400 consecutive shots, and he still wouldn't match Jordan in shooting efficiency.

If Kobe were to take 1500 shots per season for the next 5 years, he would need to shoot 59.3% from the field to reach Jordan's field goal percentage. No guard has ever shot even close to this. Kobe has never even shot 47% for one season.

If Kobe were to play for another decade and takes 1500 shots each season, he would need to make more than 54.5% of them.

In order to match Jordan's assists numbers by the time he's played as long as Jordan did, Kobe needs to average 8 assists per game. Kobe has never even done this for a month.

When is a player shooting too much?

Kobe has shot basically the league average for his career. Jordan was so efficient on offense that he would frequently be found in the top ten players in the league in field goal percentage during midseason. Jordan always shot far above league average.

Michael Jordan also shot much better than his team shot during his career with the Chicago Bulls, more than justifying the number of shots he took. In fact, Jordan probably would have won more games had he not placed so much trust in his teammates.

Kobe, on the other hand, has shot worse than his own team in 10 of his 12 seasons. He has proven that he cannot singlehandedly will his team to victory, but rather must rely upon the support of an efficient big man for success.

Alpha Tarheel

Preseason College Football

2008-06-18T15:58:00.000-07:00

Last years NCAA Football season was as exciting as any in recent memory. Will it be the same? AT is here to give you the truth.

I'm no expert in football, but my knowledge is formidable enough, with help from one of my friends, the writers of "Athlons College Football" magazine, that I can give you a reliable preseason forecast.

Preseason top 25:

1. Georgia
2. USC
3. Florida
4. Ohio State
5. West Virginia
6. Missouri
7. Auburn
8. Oklahoma
9. LSU
10. Teaxas
11. Kansas
12. Wisconsin
13. BYU
14. Illinois
15. Arizona State
16. Tennesee
17. Texas Tech
18. Oregon
19. Virginia Tech
20. USF
21. Rutgers
22. Wake Forest
23. Penn State
24. Freso State
25. Flordia State

Preaseason college hoops

2008-06-18T15:19:00.000-07:00

This is my preaseason expectations for what should be a very exciting college hoops season.

So without futher ado, and very much UNC bias, here is my preseason forecast for the 2008-2009 season.

Preseason top 25:

1. UNC
2.Conneticut
3. Purdue
4. Notre Dame
5. Pittsburgh
6. Duke
7. Oklahoma
8. UCLA
9. Tennesee
10. Gonzaga
11. Michaigan State
12. Georgetown
13. Memphis
14. Texas
15. Kansas
16. Villaova
17. Wake Forest
18. Florida
19. Davidson
20. Marquette
21. UNLV
22. Arizona
23. Arizona State
24. Ohio State
25. Miami

Preseason player of the year:

Tyler Hansbrough, a guy who averaged 21 points and 10 rebounds a game on the way to leading his team to the Final 4, and on the verge of becoming the only 4 time 1st American in NCAA History. Say what you may about him being "Overrated"but the kid gets it done. I'm looking forward to seeing this kid getting his 2nd straight NCAA POY award.

Preseason Rookie of the year:

BJ Mullens, a 7'1 265 pound monster heading to Ohio State, is athletic and has a soft touch from the outside, a combination you rarely see at his age. This extremely polished Frosh will get it done, and he is my choice for Preseason Rookie of the year.

Preseason Coach of the Year:

Jim Calhouln has a talented Uconn squad that is as likely to win an NCAA Championship as any team that dosen't have a big white guy that makes miracle shots look easy and a fast PG that just got a DUI. Calhouln has been scrutinized in the past for not getting the most out of very talented teams, but I look for Calhouln, one of the most underrated coaches in the game today, to lead his team to a Big East Championship, with 30+ wins and a Final 4 appearance, and possibly, an NCAA Title that the U of C is so starved for.

Preseason 1st team All-America:

PG-DJ Augustin
SG- Stephen Curry
SF- Tyler Smith
PF- Luke Harangody
C- Tyler Hansbrough

So... that is my preseason outlook... did I make any wrong picks? Most definatley. Are they going to be about as accurate as any "expert" could say? Probably.

Alpha Tarheel

The Kobe-Michael Jordan comparisons end here? - Yahoo! Answers

2008-06-18T14:54:00.000-07:00

The Kobe-Michael Jordan comparisons end here? - Yahoo! Answers

Kobe "The Choker" Bryant can nolonger compared to MJ.

Alpha Tarheel

UNC Slobber Feast

2008-06-17T16:21:00.000-07:00

Before Alpha Tarheels go all giddy like a schoolgirl and "TRUTH" on the UNC Tarheels. I thought I should point out a few facts of this season first. This season was supposed to be their season to win and go undefeated.

They lost.
Not only did they loose, they were slaughtered by KU, a team that can't even beat Memphis without doing the hack-a-shack.
Memphis was the team that almost went undefeated.
All the stars, headlined by Player of the Year Tyler Hansbrough and Ty Lawson, are back.
And now once again, it is their season to win???

There's no spectulation why Tyler Hansbrough is back. Look at where he ranked in the mock draft... NBA scout thinks that he'll be another Christian Laettner. Take that as a compliment. At least Laettner made the Dream Team and was an one-time All-Star. He also had 7 or 8 years of good professional basketball career, although not comparable to his college years. Not only that, he is an extremely successful entrepretnuer. But, Laettner went to Duke, where they also have a tough academic program. Hanbrough, on the other hand, will probably be like Brian Leaf and go assist players at a local community college.

Ty Lawson returned because, well, Hansbrough has. Ty Lawson didn't really showcase his skills this year, and probably won't get a good contract offer. And like all these Tarheels fans, Ty believes that with Hansbrough back, it is their year again, and maybe he can get a good contract now.

So what the difference between this year and the next? They got more experience losing at the big stage. Maybe they'll choke again, maybe they won't. But to say they are winning it all and go undefeated like most of those Tarheels manics are saying is too arrogant.

Yes. Arrogant. Arrogance was the reason of their downhill against KU. Everyone predicted them to beat KU, well, everyone except me. I actually predicted KU to blow out UNC by 20 points. And I was right. Maybe I'm being arrogant as well, but I was right! I would also like to mention that I'm not a fan of any college ball team. I'm a fan of whichever team with the best teamwork and the best group of kids. Teams changes so fast at the NCAA stage that it's dumb to support a school you didn't go to or even a school that you did. (Arizona alumnus, btw.) And KU and Memphis last season just happened to be the teams with the best teamwork and the best group of kids. Sure, UNC had great teamwork and a nice group of kids too, but they were arrogant. Memphis also got arrogant when they reached the Finals after blowing out UCLA and said that Memphis was superior. KU didn't get arrogant with their blowout of UNC and claimed that UNC wasn't playing their game and that's why KU won. And for this reason, I picked KU to beat Memphis by 10 points after Memphis leading by 10 with 3 minutes left. And I was right again! I nearly always pick the least arrogant team but also the more mentally strong.

So my advice to you Tarheels, be humble.

Remember. The freshmen are coming. You'd never know if another Pistol Pete would just show up and kick your ass. Especially now, when there's an age limit, just another Derek Rose would tip the balance.

Experience of a team with a bunch of players who won't do well in the NBA doesn't mean much! Sure, it is important, but need I remind you again, UNC got blown out! That kind of experience you want to forget! If anything, the Tarheels will play with less confidence, and with the media ranking them at #1, having less confidence with more arrogance will put them in muddy waters.

BTW, arrogance is not confidence. The Tarheels probably think they won't ever be blown out again, but that will also be their greatest fear.

DMAN

Kobe finally made defensive stops!

2008-06-15T20:56:00.000-07:00

For the first time this series, Kobe played defense. And.. wait... let's watch that replay... REACH-IN FOUL!

WOW!

Apparently, because it's Kobe, reach-in fouls don't happen for him.

I'm not even going to give you a list. It is as atrocious as Game 4, meaning everything went the Lakers' way and none went to the Celtics. Kobe's reach-in foul at the end of the game is enough to explain it all.

The league wants to extend this series after all.

The Great Atrocity

2008-06-12T20:08:00.000-07:00

Tonight, the play calling was downright atrocious. ATROCIOUS.

If you don't trust me, keep your own bad calls / non-calls list.

I can't even imagine how many more points the Boston Celtics would have won had the game been called fair!!! Oh, sure, the referee did a great job on the Celtics. Tonight, the Celtics got away with nothing. The Lakers, on the other hand, got away with 15 calls! Boston 0, LA 15!

Here's the list:

First
9:30 - Kobe fouled KG with no call.
2:27 - Rad foul Paul with no call.

2nd
11:09 James Posey was fouled by Trevor Ariza on the rebound with no call. Ariza then scored.
6:21 KG was fouled by Ronnie Tariaf with no call.
2:38 Lamar Odom traveled with no call.
0:12 Sasha Vujacic stepped out of bound with no call.

3rd
10:17 Kendrick Perkins was fouled by Lamar Odom with no call.
9:16 KG was fouled by Lamar Odom with no call.
4:28 James Posey was fouled by Derek Fisher on the steal by James on Kobe. Kobe got the ball back and alley-oop to Pau.
3:54 Lamar Odom travelled but the refs instead called a foul on James Posey.
2:15 James Posey had a clean steal on Pau Gasol, but the refs called it a foul.

4th
8:47 Kobe Bryant charged into Paul Pierce, but the refs called it a block and it's not in the restricted zone.
7:25 KG was fouled by Kobe, but no call was made.
6:30 PJ Brown was fouled by Ronnie Tariaf with no call.
2:29 Paul Pierce was fouled by Kobe on the rebound with no call.

I've already gave up on the referees calling the game correctly, because if they make every single call, there will be 5 times as many turnovers. But can they can it fair? That's all I ask. Is that too much?

While the Lakers were dominating, a lot of Lakers fans are bragging about how this is what happens when the call it fair. I guess Lakers fans watched too many LA advantage refereeing that THIS is what they see as fair. And then they lost... ROFL. Their comments just came and bite them in the ass!

Oh, by the way, Hue Hollins, another referee, although he says that Tim Donaghy has zero credibility, has confirmed Tim's story that high level officials from the league comes to their locker-room all the time and "disturbs" them all the times by telling them how to call the game. Although he claims they don't fix games, young referees may be influenced by their suggestions. So how is that not fixing the game? It's only suggestions?

So they don't fix the game, they only suggest who should win!

Thank God that the Celtics are talented enough to fight through the suggestions.

NBA: National Bullshit Asscoaciation?

2008-06-11T22:11:00.000-07:00

Maybe I was just to naive. Maybe I assumed the NBA would just be perfect forever.
Well I just got a wake-up call with Tim Donaghy saying the Kings-Lakers series in 02' was fixed to get LA in the finals thus creating better ratings. So this brings the NBA up as a supposedly rigged league. As a ref, would it not be all to easy to throw a game?

You see, I'm just a prototypical basketball fan that grow up in the 80's/90's I guess. I grew used to Larry Legend nailing clutch shot after clutch shot to lead his teams to the Finals against the Showtime Lakers, with Magic throwing no-look passes to Kareem for Sky Hooks. All was well in the assocaition then. The ratings were huge, and the commisioner, David $tern was happy.

But then Larry's back began to get hurt and he was never the same, and they forced Magic to retire, and we as basketball fans assumed the league as we knew it was over. The greatest Point Guard and Small Forward in NBA History were no longer stars. But immediatley after, there came some kid named Michael Jordan who couldn't win in the playoffs but scored tons of points. Then that kid got Phil Jackson and Scottie Pippen on his teams, and they quickly became possibly the best team in NBA history. As we all know, that kid who couldn't win ended up becoming the best and most exciting player in NBA History. That kid ended up beoming the most marketable and accepted NBA Player ever, so as you could imagine when MJ's teams one 6 Titles in 8 years, the ratings were huge, even huger than in Larry and Magic's ratings. David $tern was fine with that, I'm sure. But then, the unthinkable happened. Mr. GOAT, MJ23 retired. The ratings began suffering immediatley.

Fast forward to 2 years following MJ's retirement, 2000. The ratings are down, and $tern is desperate in his attempt to find the "Next Jordan" someone who could give the NBA what MJ did, a revival when the league seemed dead. And fresh off of a 22.5 PPG season, a young, athletic, 22 year old with Jordan like athleticism, named Kobe Bryant began drawing whispers of a comparison between Michael Jordan and himself. Coincedentally, this kid played on the most marketable team in NBA history, the LA Lakers. The Lakers won the NBA Championship, and the whispers of MJ comparisons grew to murmurs.

The next year, when the Lakers were trying to defend there title, we are back to the basis of which I started this article. The Lakers faced the Sacramento Kings in the western conference finals. In what has been widely acclaimed as one of the greatest playoff series of all time, the Kings jumped out to a 3-2 lead. In a highly contested game 6 at the STAPLES Center, the Kings lost narrowly. The Kings shot nine free throws in the fourth quarter to the Lakers 27. Can you imagine that? I watched the game, it was the worst reffed game in NBA history. The Lakers won the game, the series, and the Championship, giving the highly marketable team with a "The Next Jordan" another championship, with huge ratings in the finals

Fast forward to 2008. Tim Donaghy comes out and says the aforementioned game 6 in the Western Conference Finals was indeed fixed to give the Lakers a chance at a title and get more high ratings for Davis $tern. And I believe him whole-heartedly.

So... this guy that grew up watching Magic and Larry and Michael finally will admit the NBA is corrupt...

Unfortunate? Yes.

Horrible? Yep.

Suprising? Nope...

Brainwashing Kids

2008-06-11T10:48:00.000-07:00

Did you guys see those new ATT cellphone commercials? A daddy on Lover's Hill searching for his teenage daughter? A teenage girl on a bad date that a local drive-in?

So who are they marketing the phones to? Teenagers?

As a father, this kind of commercial is disturbing. Getting kids to beg their parents for an ATT cellphone? The most disturbing part is that ATT would make these kinds of commercials because they obviously work!

How does this connect to sports?

With ESPN trying to get as much ratings as they can, they hype up certain players such as Kobe. Then you see kids comparing Kobe to MJ as if Kobe even measure up to the man.

Last night, Stuart Scott said something like, "We had several players since (Jordan), and only one could be called the next Jordan, and he is Kobe Bryant." First, how many players has there been "since Jordan" ??? Jordan isn't even elible for the Hall of Fames yet! So "since Jordan," there hasn't been many players. And how is it that Kobe called be called the next Jordan when he has not led a team to a championship?

Recently there's a great number of people, obviously kids, saying Kobe is as great if not greater than Jordan. When enough kids say it, it's starting to become "real." The ESPN hype works.

I'm fighting for justice. I'm fighting for unbiased education. I'm fighting for history.

Join my fight. Start by explaining to your kids what ratings mean.

DMAN

Kobe can't guard Paul. Kobe can't guard Ray. So now he's guarding Rajon?

2008-06-10T18:29:00.000-07:00

ROFL!

All-Defense First Team? Seriously?

Thanks for proving to us how overrated you are! If you're as good as every says you are, guard the best player in the Celtics!

Game 1 - Paul Pierce
Game 2 - Ray Allen
Game 3 - Rajon Rondo
Game 4 - James Posey???

I see a CORRELATION!

End of 1st quater:
Score is tied. Rajon Rondo is the leading scorer of the Celtics. ROFL!

Now Rajon is out. Boston has the lead again. Why? Because Kobe have to guard Ray Allen again! ROFL!

And now Laker stopped the bleeding by having Kobe guard Eddie House. ROFL!

And the bad call / non-calls:

1st
6:50 - Rondo hit Kobe in the head as he blocked Kobe with no call. Boston advantage.

2nd
8:53 - KG was fouled by Ronnie Turiaf with no call. LA advantage.
6:48 - Offense foul called on PJ Brown. I didn't see it, but there was no replay to confirm. Hmmm... LA advantage.
6:23 - PJ Brown was called for a travel when there was no travel. LA advantage.
4:11 - Questionable - KG was called for a foul on Ronnie when Ronnie slipped on the floor. Maybe KG stepped on his while Ronnie was on the floor.
3:38 - Paul Pierce was fouled by Kobe Bryant on a 3 point attempt with no call. LA advantage.
2:18 - James Posey fouled Kobe Bryant on the steal. Kobe got a technical for whining. Boston advantage.

3rd
11:24 - Rajon Rondo was called for a travel, when he was actually fouled by Rad. LA advantage.
1:15 - KG traveled and no call with made. Boston advantage.
0:10 - Sasha Vujacic fouled Eddie House and shouted smack. No call made and no technical given. LA advantage.

4th
9:00 - Paul Pierce was called for the 5th foul when Jordan Farmar moved in front of him, which should be a blocking foul on Farmar because he moved. LA advantage.
6:05 - Rajon Rondo stripped the ball from Kobe, but it was called a foul when it was all ball. LA advantage.
4:35 - Paul Pierce was fouled twice, once by Derek Fisher who blocked him (and flopped) and Pau Gasol the second time. Neither fouls were called, as the announcers said, "They're letting them play right now." LA advantage.
3:37 - PJ Brown was called for a foul against Pau Gasol when Gasol was the one who backed into him and would have tripped if PJ Brown hadn't held him up. LA advantage.
2:51 - PJ Brown fouled Pau Gasol with no call. Boston advantage.
1:38 - Pau Gasol fouled PJ Brown on the rebound with no call. LA advantage.
0:03 - Paul Pierce was fouled by Kobe from beyond the 3 point line. LA advantage - but the Lakers had a 7 point lead, so it's meaningless regardless.

Boston 4, Lakers 11.

My take:
Compared to Game 1 where it was B6-L5 and Game 2 where it was B3-L6, Game 3's bad calls or non-calls look considerably more. However, I'm not going to call it rigged because there wasn't an obvious foul call made or missed, like Game 4 of the Lakers-Spurs series. Although every time when Boston seemed to make a run, all these LA advantage calls were made.

4th quarter, PJ Brown seemed to be the target of most of the bad calls. I guess if I were the referee and I'm rigging things, I would pick the guy people care about the least.

Again, I will not call the game rigged. But I could see how Celtics fans complaints may be justified.

DMAN

Kobe Bryant...

2008-06-08T21:44:00.000-07:00

Kobe Bryant is an amazing basketball player.

Kobe Bryant is one of the best scorers I have ever seen.

Kobe Bryant is one of the top 20 guards in the History of the NBA.

Kobe Bryant scored 81 points in a single game.

Kobe Bryant scored 20,000 points quicker than any NBA player ever.

And I hate to burst your bubble, but Kobe Bryant is overrated.

He chokes in the Finals, he hogs the ball, and seems incapable of leading a team on his own. Think I'm hating? Well you my friend need a dose of realism.

Check out the stats:

In these two Finals games, Kobe has shot 20 of 49 from the field, had 8 Turnovers, and shot 1-6 from 3. Overall he is -5 on the box score. And most importantly, his team is 0-2.

Look, I know I highlighted the bad, and that's not THAT bad, especially compared to LeBrons series against Boston. All I am saying is Kobe has proved to be nowhere near what he does in the regular season in the Finals. He can not be the lead man, and be great when it really matters. He is supposedly the prodegy of Michael Jordan -A man who shined in the NBA's pinnacle of events- he can't even lead his team to victory! The next MJ... pssh... maybe if MJ stood for Mark Jackson...

What a time to delve into another one of those repulsive MJ-Kobe debates, right? I promise to make the following quick and painless, unless you're a Kobe jocker. Michael Joran averaged 33.4 PPG, 6.4 RPG, and 5.7 APG in the playoffs. Kobe has averaged 24.2 PPG, 5 RPG, and 4.6 APG. Had enough? MJ averaged 30+ PPG in 12 of his 13 years playoff years, Kobe has averaged 30+ PPG in 3 of his 11 playoff years. MJ averaged 7 or more rebounds in 5 playoff years, Kobe has done it once. MJ averaged 6 or more assists in 6 years, and Kobe has done it once. MJ shot 50% or more in 5 playoff years, and Kobe has done it once. MJ's career high PPG average in the playoffs is 43.7, while Kobe's is 32.8. MJ Averaged 8.5 APG, and Kobe's high 6.1 APG. And most importantly, MJ has won 6 Finals MVP's, and 6 Titles as the best player on the team. Kobe has 0 of both.

They compare these two guys to each other, and you're going to tell me Kobe isn't overrated?

Please. This guy is a product of ESPN hype, in a marketing project to find the next Jordan.

Hat's off to the real ballers in Boston. Keep doing your thing Pierce and KG. Keep proving ESPN's hype child is just that.

Alpha Tarheel

Referees or Poor Execution?

2008-06-08T19:55:00.000-07:00

All these dimwitted Lakers fans are making the rest of us look bad by whining and complaining about the referees.

This series, so far, have been the most fairly called series this entire post-season. And yet, they're still complaining and crying.

There are bad calls or non-calls in the game, but there aren't that many. Game 1, there was 6 fouls that Boston got away with, while LA got away with 5. For an away team, this is pretty darn fair!

These are the fouls that got away today:

1st - 11:00 - KG was called for an offensive foul on Kobe and he didn't even touch Kobe. KG also got a technical for arguing.
2nd - 6:00 - Pau Gasol got fouled but no call was made.
2nd - 4:50 - Lamar Odom fouled Paul Pierce when he got the offensive rebound.
2nd - 2:58 - Pau Gasol was fouled by Rajon Rondo in Rondo's steal. No call made.
4th - 11:02 - Leon Powe was fouled by Luke Walton. No call made.
4th - 5:56 - Leon Powe fouled Derek Fisher when he tried to steal the ball. Replay showed it was all ball!
4th - 1:45 - Kobe was fouled by Paul Pierce and still made the shot. No foul was called.
4th - 1:37 - Vladimir Radmanovic traveled on way to the dunk. Travelling was not called.

So today, Boston got away with 3 and LA got away with 5. WHAT? If anything, they want the Lakers to win!

And here are some controversies that those idiots are also whining about.

Ronny Tariff had a clean block but landed on Leon Powe as he was coming down, which is obvious still in the act of the the shot. How could you even complain about it.
Pau wasn't fouled at the end of the first half. The time was already out when he grabbed that rebound. They did foul him after time expired. I repeat, AFTER TIME EXPIRED.

And the biggest whiner of the game? Who else? See Kobe crying for foul calls when he's not even touched? What a flopping whiner! Hell, he was even whining about throwing the ball away, claiming it was out on Ray Allen when Ray didn't even touch the ball!

I enjoyed watching Kobe cry at the end of the third quarter. Shut the hell up, Kobe. Try playing better defense! All-Defense 1st team? Seriously? That's right, OVERRATED!

DMAN

Ty Lawson= MORON!

2008-06-06T10:43:00.000-07:00

http://sports.yahoo.com/ncaab/news;_ylt=AnnNlQTrqHxY8H4GV72RzJ85nYcB?slug=ap-ncarolina-lawsonarrested&prov=ap&type=lgns

How the Heck does a guy do that that's about to be drafted in the NBA? Did he realize Drinking and driving and being under raged as well, he's going to get in so much trouble! It's not so much that I'm mad because Ty won't be back at UNC, because at UNC we almost never tolerate stuff like this, but I'm mad because this kid with all this talent screwed himself like this! He will probably fall to the 2nd round, and that's assuming he doesn't have to serve time in jail....

So I've got two pieces of advice for Ty. First of all, he needs to get a chauffeur. Secondly: don't drop the soap!

Kobe shut down...

2008-06-05T21:01:00.000-07:00

As I'm sure you are all aware, the Celtics won game 1 of the NBA Finals, 98-88.

And it was Kobe's fault.

Yeah you think I'm hating, but check out the stats:

-Kobe was -13 on the box score. By far the worst of any Laker.
- Kobe was 9-26 from the field, and 0-3 from 3.
- Kobe had 6 assists and 4 To's, by far the worst Lakers starters Assist: TO ratio.
- Kobe had 3 rebounds, the least of all Lakers starters.

Kobe always seems to choke in the Finals...

When does the insanity stop?

2008-06-05T14:38:00.000-07:00

Yeah I know this is a basketball blog, but I came across something very disturbing:

Lynn Paddock is charged with the Feb. 26, 2006, death of 4-year-old Sean Paddock. Investigators said Sean suffocated after she wrapped him tightly in a blanket to keep him from wandering around the house at night.

Paddock's attorneys insist the death was accidental, not punishment or discipline.

The lawyers asked Superior Court Judge Knox Jenkins to postpone the trial, saying the prosecution was too slow in giving them information about Sharon Cooper, a child-abuse expert who likely will testify for the prosecution.

Cooper had evaluated Lynn Paddock's other adopted children in recent months, and Jenkins earlier had ordered prosecutors to hand over all details of her evaluations. He denied the request for a delay, however.

In a letter to Assistant Johnston County District Attorney Paul Jackson, Cooper described the abuse the children endured as "a sadistic form of ritualistic torture" that led to the death of the youngest and most defenseless victim.

"The abusive behaviors of Lynn Paddock were described in a soberingly similar manner by all of the surviving children as long as more than a year or more after their removal from the Paddock home," she wrote in the letter. "In addition, the residual mental health problems for all of them affirm the predictable outcomes of severe physical abuse and severe global neglect."

She said the Paddocks likely adopted the children for monetary gain – the state paid the family $2,200 a month in adoption subsidies – because "little money could be demonstrated to have actually been spent on the children, all of whom were severely malnourished, ill clad, educationally deprived, and socially stunted at the time of their rescue."

When the children were removed from the family's custody after Sean's death, they were malnourished, showed bruises and marks consistent with chronic beatings and were educationally deprived, according to state reports. The evaluations, which were done at various times from last fall to March, stated that the children suffered from post-traumatic stress.

Johnny and Lynn Paddock, two recovering alcoholics, adopted six children from the mid-1990s through 2005, when foster care officials placed Sean and his biological brother and sister with the family.

Three of the older children, including Johnny Paddock's daughter from a previous marriage, testified Monday and Tuesday during a pre-trial hearing that Lynn Paddock habitually abused them for years. She beat them, had them run in place or jump on a trampoline for hours, forced them to sit in their urine and at least twice shoved feces in the mouths of younger children, they testified.

Lynn Paddock also used the blanket-wrapping technique that authorities said killed Sean Paddock on other children, leaving their arms numb and blue from limited blood circulation, the adoptive children testified.

Jenkins also denied a defense motion to prevent statements Lynn Paddock made to police after Sean's death from being used in the trial. Her attorneys said officers didn't inform her of her right to remain silent until part way through an interview, but the judge said her rights weren't violated because she wasn't under arrest at the time.

Dozens of witnesses were expected to testify in the case – the prosecution has 47 names on its witness list and the defense has 42. Potential witnesses include the Paddock family's pastor, Johnston County Department of Social Services officials, medical experts and an evangelical minister who coaches parents on discipline techniques.

Only in America...

Why does stuff like this continue to happen?

A baby abused to death, how could someone be so cruel? How could the Social Services not help this kid?

Meanwhile, stuff like this is happening, but all we care about is the NBA Finals... stuff like this makes you wonder why we even care about sports when we could be using our time to help kids like this...

Alpha Tarheel

KG or Kobe Bryant?

2008-06-05T14:10:00.000-07:00

As the Finals comes closer, we dream of the individual match ups.

We remember Magic and Larry going against each other, Michael playing against whoever the other poor team they were facing had to offer, and some of us even remember Wilt and Bill leading there clubs to legendary status.

This years Finals will be more of the same, as the Lakers and Celtics feature each have two of the leagues top 5 players-- the Lakers have Kobe and the C's have KG-- and we can only hope this star vs. star match up can be as great as the aforementioned ones...

So, I ask who of the two is better?

Surprisingly to most, I say KG.

Why you ask?

Who's better? Kobe Bryant or Kevin Garnett?

I know to most of you Kobe jokcers, this question will come off as being tendentious because you think I'm a Kobe hater, but I think it's a valid comparison.

Most Kobe jockers would have you believe that there is a great discrepancy in the #'s, but KG has better stats:

PPG:
KB: 28.3
KG: 18.8

RPG:
KB 6.3
KG 9.2

APG:
KB 5.4
KG 3.4

SPG
KB 1.8
KG 1.4

BPG:
KB .5
KG 1.3

TOPG
KB 3.1
KG 1.9

FG %
KB 45.9
KG 53.9

FT%
KB 84%
KG 80%

So as you can see, KG is a more efficient player, but Kobe averages more points because he takes many more shots. If KG took as many shots as Kobe, he would average 6-7 more PPG. He is less selfish though which allows his other teammates to get there shots up, Kobe does no such thing. The Lakers are 11-1 this season when Lamar Odom scores 20+ and 8-2 when Gasol scores 20+. What does that tell you? When Kobe gives up the ball more, the Lakers are better.

So KG is more unselfish and a better player.

Alpha Tarheel

An early look at UNC's basketball season

2008-06-03T15:29:00.001-07:00

Yeah I know what you're thinking. He's starting to type about the Tarheels. The next 10 blogs will be aboue them.

But no. This will be my only UNC blog this month... err, week. But no promises.

Anyways, after last year's 36-3 season, in which the Heels went to the Final Four and won the ACC Championship, the Heels brought back plenty of talent.

That was before Alex Stephenson, a solid back up PF/Center transferred, and Wayne Ellington, Danny Green, and Ty Lawson entered the NBA draft.

Not to fear Heels fans, we still have hope. Ty, Danny, and Wayne can still withdraw from the NBA draft. And Most likely 2/3rds of them will. The two I think are coming back are Danny and Wayne, as both have said they would come back if they weren't projected in the 1st round, and neither are, especially considering that Wayne had a mediocre showing so far, and Danny injured his knee, but will still patricipate nontheless.

Ty is more than likely gone, as he is looking to be pick 20 by Denver.

Onto the future, if I am wrong, and Ty"The Jet" Lawson and Green and Ellington come leave, we replace Ty, Quentin Thomas, (senior) Surry Wood, (Senior walk-on) and Alex Stephenson (Transfer) for three freshmen, Larry Drew Jr, Ed Davis, and Tyler Zeller and senior Point Guard Bobby Frasor, who was lost this year to injury. I'd say that's a pretty good trade-off.

In Davis and Zeller, you have two great players. Davis is a Sean Marion type player, with Zeller being an Aaron Gray (In college) type player. We also get Larry Drew Jr, a guy with amazing range and improving slashing ability. He is a Damon Jones type player.

Frasor was a starting PG on a 23 win team as a freshman.

So my message to my fellow Tarheels is to just chill. Even if we lose Ty, Wayne and Danny to the NBA, we still have plenty of talent:

My predictions:

If Everyone comes back: 37-2, ACC Champs, NCAA Champs

If Danny and Wayne come back: 31-5, ACC Champs, Elite 8 appearance

If Danny and Ty come back: 34-5, ACC Champs, NCAA Runner-up

If Ty and Wayne come back: 36-3, ACC Champs, NCAA Champs

If no one comes back: 29-7, 2nd place in the ACC, Sweet 16 appearance

There you have it...

Please Wayne, Danny, and Ty, come back. Not only will it improve your draft stock, you get to win an NCAA Championship too.

It would be a shame if Tyler Hansbrough never won a NCAA Title.

Alpha Tarheel

NBA Finals preview: Offense

2008-06-02T16:28:00.000-07:00

The highly anticipated Finals start on Thursday, much to the excitement of TV execs.

Most people have one question in there mind: will the Finals live up to the hype and be as good as previous LA-Boston Finals, or will it be another increasingly common fogettable Finals.

I'm about to delve into the realms of logic and stats and find out.

Every day I will highlight a new side of the game, and point out who has the edge.

The preview:

Offense:

The Lakers have 2 dynamic players on the offensive side of the ball; Kobe Bryant and Pau Gasol. The Celtics meanwhile, have 3, In Pierce, KG, and Ray Allen. The best offensive player on either team is obviously Kobe Bryant. Paul Pierce will have the burdon of guarding Mamba, but P squared (Pierce) is underrated defensively and can hold Kobe to under 25 and less than 15 shots a game. And honestly, that would be within the best interest of the Lakers. As history shows, the Lakers are better when Kobe chills and takes his shots in the rythym of the offense. LA is 3-3 when Black Mamba scores 45 or more. Since Pau Gasol began gracing the purple and gold, LA is 8-2 when PG scores 20+. That's a direct result of Kobra Bryant not hogging the ball. The Lakers are 11-1 when Lamar Odom scores 20+. I don't think I could be clearer. Kobe dosen't hog the ball=Lakers win. Kobe hogs the ball and shoots a low %=Lakers loss. So my prescription for the Lakers is to tell Momba not to hog the Goddamn ball so much. Will he do this? I doubt it. What LA needs to do to be sucessful as I highlighted was getting Odom and Gasol involved. The Lakers meanhile, are the best passing team in the league. From Odom to Gasol to Fisher to Walton, the teamwork is contagious. So contagious, in fact, that Kobe has even began sharing a little bit. The Lakers, like most Phil Jackson coached teams are efficient, they averaged 24.4 APG to 13.6 TOPG, league leaders in both APG and Assist to Turnover ratio. They need to spread the ball around and establish PG as a legitimate post threat, he has been playing poor lately and he is critical to LA's sucess. So the outline to LA's sucess: Establish Gasol and Odom as inside threats, Kobe's shots come in the rythym of the offense, Fisher needs to average 13-15 PPG, Sasha Vujacic and Vladmir Radmonovic need to be firing away from outside, and the Lakers must play efficiently. The Celtics keys to winning are the following: Ray Allen has to have the stroke he had in game 5 and 6 of the EC Finals. No more old-ass Ray, time for baby Jesus to regain that sweet stroke. KG must step up, and be the unquestioned leader of this team. I'm talking about no more passing up open shots for KG. If he's open and withing 18 feet of the basket, he needs to fire it up. Paul Pierce needs to be a solid scorer in this series. Not like that infamous Game 7 scoring contest with LeBron in this years playoffs, but like a 20 a night Pierce. Rajon Rondo must, and I repeat must, finish when he gets to the basket. Rondo has exhibited such potential-- but befuddled me at the same time. I'm supporting the C's in this years playoffs, because my Miami Heat didn't make it, and I get so pissed when I watch him. He is a young kid with great passing ability and a great ability to get to the basket, but he needs to finish when he gets there! I yell at the TV, pissed at this kid for passing up a wide open lay up only to throw a pass to an outside player for a jumper. Rondo also passes p on many shots he needs to take, like wide open mid-range J's. If Rondo is more agressive, it will help the C's immensley. Perkins and Davis need to provide a combined 14+ PPG if the C's hope to win. I think the C's will do all of the underlined and the Lakers won't. Edge: Celtics.

Hova