I will make no secret about it.  I am a Los Angeles Lakers fan.  As a result, I am also a Kobe Bryant fan.  I tend to react very negatively when people criticize Kobe.  I suppose that is the nature of being a fan.  However, I do think that, in general, I am able to see both sides of an argument, even if I believe in one view over another.  For instance, in the debate that has and probably will continue to rage over who was a better player in their prime, Kobe Bryant or Michael Jordan, I truly believe that Jordan was the better overall player.  I think that there are facets of Kobe’s game that are better.

Here is another for instance.  I was at the game on December 20, 2005 when Kobe scored 62 points in three quarters of play against the Dallas Mavericks.  At the time that he took himself out of the game, he had single-handedly outscored the entire Mavericks team.  I remember watching as Kobe launched three-pointer after three-pointer, and with every possession down the court, Kobe seemed to take a step back each time until he missed a shot.  It wasn’t until after about four or five makes that he missed a three-pointer.

So what I am saying is, I believe that Kobe has, or had, a better range than Jordan did.

That said, there has been some criticism of Kobe about how he hasn’t dominated playoff games the way that Jordan did.  I simply wish to point out one thing.  I’m not saying Kobe is equal to Jordan, however, consider this.  Carmelo Anthony just dropped 42 points on Tuesday against the Boston Celtics yet his team, the New York Knicks, wound up losing.  He thoroughly dominated the game and placed his team on his back to try and carry them to victory.  Yet he couldn’t do it alone.

Kobe, on the other hand, has tried to win a championship while being the most dominant player on the court.  He did this and failed in 2008 against the Celtics when he was the league’s MVP.

The last two championships that he has won, he has used his teammates, primarily Pau Gasol.  While he has still been the best player on his team, he no longer tries to single-handedly win games.  There are times when he has elevated his game when his teammates are struggling.  But this is nothing compared to 2005-2006 when he scored 81 points in a single game.  He has legitimate players on his team who can help him win.

My point in all of this is that the comparison of Kobe to Jordan is a little silly.  They play a similar style of game, however they are on teams with much different dynamics.  The only way that we could truly compare them as players, I suppose, is if you gave both of them an opportunity to play with each other’s team.  In other words, put Kobe on those Bulls teams from the 1990s, or put Jordan on one of the recent Lakers teams and see how their play is altered.  They play different roles.  So by saying Jordan dominated and Kobe doesn’t, is a little like comparing apples to oranges.  They played at different times with different teamss