Why Kobe is still better than Durant

As a Laker fan Lebron James has to be public enemy number 1. Ever since he was dubbed the greatest since Jordan, there always seemed to be a debate between James and Kobe. For years people were ready to pass the torch to Lebron, but every postseason a Kobe trumiph and/or Lebron failure reminded fans why Kobe was still top dog. This year Lebron finally eliminated any doubts as he showed that he can truly dominate the game, winning his first NBA championship. Although many fans had regarded Lebron as numero uno prior to this season, I didn’t feel compelled to crown this “king” too early. Any time I was in an argument with someone about the two best players in the world, everyone pointed to the facts that LeBron’s stats are better, shoots a higher %, and is a better defender. I only needed two words to sum up my argument, “No ring”. Every year teams compete for championships and players that focus only on individual awards and accolades aren’t necessarily the guys I would want on my roster.

Even though I don’t like Lebron, I have to respect and admit that he is a very special player. That being said in my eyes, Kobe Bryant is still the second best player in the NBA. Many writers and fans would probably point to Kevin Durant, who was the only person who could have stopped Lebron from winning the MVP and NBA Finals. Lebron had one of the greatest seasons ever in the NBA and yet Kevin Durant was actually for a long time considered to be close to him in terms of MVP voting. But as my 8^th grade English teacher use to say, close only matters in horseshoes and hand grenades. The fact of the matter is that Kevin Durant hasn’t ever really won anything of significance and at the end of the day that’s all that really counts.

It may seem unfair to compare Durant’s career against Kobe’s, one is just beginning while the other is in a slow decline, but that’s not why Durant is number 3. Durant had a better team in the NBA Finals and they had beaten the Lakers and the Spurs in 11 games, probably 2 of the 4 best teams in the league. The Thunder should have been a team riding high on confidence while the Heat had struggled against the pacers who were about as inexperienced as they come and the Celtics who had slipped by the worst team in the playoffs.  After a fantastic game 1, the Thunder imploded and made an adjustment that ultimately cost them the series. Sure Westbrook sucked for almost every game and Harden did his best Houdini impression, but it was Durant’s poor defense that was the difference maker. His inability to stay on the floor ultimately led to the Heat winning 4 straight and the NBA Finals. Simply put Durant is a bad defender despite length and athleticism while Kobe has been on the All-Defensive Team every year Durant has been in the league and even this year at the age of 33 made the 2^nd Team. Proponents of Durant’s game would write off defense and suggest that with Ibaka and Sefolosha, defense is what the Thunder need from Durant. That would be a sound argument if the Thunder had won the championship. It became pretty clear that Durant’s poor defense and excessive fouling was becoming an issue in the NBA Finals.

Then there is what makes Kevin Durant so special, his offense which is the only thing that he really does at an elite level.  You can’t really argue with his scoring as he can put up a lot of points in a variety of ways and is a nightmare to cover. What bothers me about Durant and prevents me from putting him ahead of Kobe is that he doesn’t show that killer instinct, the mentality that he is the best player and needs to take over games. Nothing is more frustrating than to see Durant shoot 11-18 and the team loses because it’s clear that he still has some growing up to do. If Kobe and Durant could switch places, the Thunder would have won the NBA Finals because Kobe is a true winner. Westbrook and Harden both struggled offensively from the floor yet Durant never took an excessive amount of shots. Kobe would have sense that he needed to kick it up a notch and start doing his best to help the team win even if it meant taking every shot. If Durant ever had a game where he took 30 shots and scored 45 points and the team lost then I would say that he really did all he could especially if Westbrook and Harden played poorly. But to see your best player take as many shots as the sixth man is sickening. With Lebron James solidifying himself as number 1, Kobe still seems to be firmly planted as 2^nd as Durant impacts the game less than Kobe on both sides of the ball.