After continuing to hear all the fuss about how Kobe Bryant is just as good if not better than Michael Jordan now that he has won his 4th NBA Championship I have decided to do some investigating and number crunching and compared these 2 NBA Legends to see how they truly compare to each other. This is going to be a lot of information, possibly information overload for your noggin so prepare yourself, you've been warned!
Since historians always judge an athlete based on their performance during the most crucial and intense time of the season let's start with how MJ and Kobe fared during their 6 NBA Finals Series:
MICHAEL JORDAN
1991 vs LA Lakers
156 points 31.2ppg, 63-113 FG (56%), 28-36 FT (78%), 2-4 3PT FG (50%)
33 reb, 57 assists, 14 stl, 7 blk, and 18 t/o's
1992 vs Blazer
215 points 35.8ppg, 81-154 FG (53%), 41-46 FT (89%) 12-28 3PT FG (43%)
29 reb, 40 assists, 10 stl, 2 blks, and 24 t/o's
1993 vs Suns
246 points 41ppg, 101-199 FG (51%), 34-49 FT (69%), 10-25 3PT FG (40%)
51 reb, 38 assists, 10 stl, 4 blk, and 16 t/o's
1996 vs Sonics
164 points 27.3ppg, 51-123 FG (41%), 56-67 FT (83%), 6-19 3PT FG (32%)
32 reb, 25 assists, 10 stls, 1 block, and 18 t/o's
1997 vs Jazz
194 points 32.3ppg, 72-158 FG (46%) 42-55 FT (76%), 8-25 3PT FG (32%)
42 reb, 35 assists, 5 blocks, 7 steals, and 13 t/o's
1998 vs Jazz
201 points 33.5ppg, 70-164 FG (43%), 57-70 FT( 81%), 4-13 3PT FG (31%)
24 reb, 14 assists, 11 stl, 4 blocks, and 10 t/o's
NBA FINALS CARRER:
1176 points (33.6)
438-911 (48%)
258-323 FT (80%)
42-114 3pt (37%)
211 reb's (6.03)
209 assists (5.97)
62 steals (1.77)
23 blks (0.65)
99 t/o's (2.82)
KOBE BRYANT
2000 vs Pacers
78 points 15.6ppg, 33-90 (37%), 10-11 FT (91%), 2-10 3PT FG (20%)
23 reb, 21 assists, 5 stl, 7 blk, and 6 t/o's
2001 vs 76er's
123 points 24.6ppg, 44-106 FG (42%), 32-38 FT (84%), 3-9 3PT FG (33%)
39 reb, 29 assists, 7 stl, 7 blk, and 18 t/o's
2002 vs Nets
107 points 26.8ppg, 36-70 FG (51%), 29-36 FT (81%), 6-11 3PT (55%)
23 reb, 21 assists, 6 steals, 3 blk, and 15 t/o's
2004 vs Pistons
113 points 22.6ppg, 43-113 FG (38%), 23-25 FT (92%), 4-23 3PT FG (17%)
14 reb, 22 assists, 9 stl, 3 blk, and 18 t/o's
2008 vs Celtics
154 points 25.6ppg, 53-131 FG (40%), 39-49 FT (80%), 9-28 3PT FG (32%)
28 reb, 30 assists, 16 stl, 1 blk, and 23 t/o's
2009 vs Magic
162 points 32.4ppg, 58-135 FG (43%), 37-44 FT (84%), 9-25 3PT FG (36%)
28 reb, 37 assists, 7 stl, 7 blk, 16 t/o's
NBA FINALS CARRER:
737 points (24.6pts)
267-645 (41%)
170-203 FT (84%)
33-106 3pt (31%)
155 reb's (5.2)
160 assists (5.3)
50 steals (1.6)
28 blk's (0.9)
96 t/o's (3.2)
Since Im sure Ill get responses that Kobe wasn't the Laker's first offensive option for his first 4 years in the NBA Finals Ill leave out the points per game number because after all, attempting field goal shots count weather or not your the 1st scoring option for your team or the 12th, it doesn't really matter, a FG attempt is a FG attempt so let's see how Kobe fared against MJ in that field along with all the other ones for his 6 NBA Finals appearances.
FG%: Kobe: 41 / MJ: 48 - Winner: MJ
FT%: Kobe: 84 / MJ: 80 - Winner: Kobe
3PT FG %: Kobe: 31 / MJ: 37 - Winner: MJ
Rebounds: Kobe: 5.2ppg / MJ: 6.03ppg - Winner: MJ
Assists: Kobe: 5.3 / MJ: 5.9 - Winner: MJ
Steals: Kobe: 1.6 / MJ: 1.7 - Winner: MJ
Blocks: Kobe: 0.9 / MJ: 0.65 - Winner: Kobe
Turnovers: Kobe: 3.2 / MJ: 2.8 - Winner: MJ
So let's see where does this put us at? Kobe basically shot free throws better and had a slight block advantage per game over MJ, other than that MJ out performed Kobe on every other aspect of the game. Let's take this one further because again, I know all of you Kobe lover's will say, well that's not fair, he wasn't the Laker's main scoring threat until the 2008 and 2009 Finals appearances so here is a comparison of the 2008 & 2009 NBA Finals for Kobe vs the final 2 years for MJ in 1997 & 1998. So basically it is Jordan at his oldest age in the Finals vs Kobe at his oldest age in the Finals. FYI - Kobe was 4 years younger.
MJ – 32.9 PTS, 44% FG, 79.2% FT, 32% 3PT, 4.1 AST, 5.5REB, 0.75 BLK, 1.5STL, 1.91 T/O
KOBE – 28.7PTS, 41.7% FG, 82% FT, 34% 3PT, 6.1 AST, 5.1REB, 0.72 BLK , 2.1 STL , 3.5 T/O
Although closer in comparison, MJ still out performs Kobe in 5 of the 9 categories, including out shooting him by 2.3%, scoring 4.2ppg more, and out rebounding him as well even though MJ played on a team with arguably the greatest rebounder in NBA history, Dennis Rodman.
Ok so is the information overloading right now? Sorry, here come's more! In this next section what I have done is researched who was the main defender against both MJ and Kobe during the playoffs for those 6 years they went to the NBA Finals. Now obviously teams threw anyone and everyone at these 2 players including there centers from time to time but what Ive done is included the players that most frequently played on MJ and Kobe so basically the starter who played against them and then for some teams the regular off the bench guy who would come in and try to contain these 2. Based on the information I found this is what I have come up with.
Lets now do some more comparison's on who opponents threw at MJ during the playoffs:
1991
Knicks - Maurice Cheeks (6'1) & John Starks (6'3)
76ers - Hersey Hawkins (6'3)
Pistons - Joe Dumars (6'3), Mark Agguire (6'6), Dennis Rodman (6'9)
Lakers - Magic Johnson (6'9)
1992
Heat - Steve Smith (6'7)
Knicks - John Starks
Cavs - Craig Ehlo (6'6)
Blazers - Clyde Drexler (6'7)& Terry Porter (6'3)
1993
Hawks - Dominique Wilkens (6'8) & Mookie Blaylock (6'0)
Cavs - Craig Ehlo
Knicks - John Starks
Suns - Dan Majerle (6'6)
1996
Heat - Walt Williams (6'8)
Magic - Anfernee Hardaway (6'7) & Nick Anderson (6'6)
Knicks - John Starks
Sonics - Gary Payton (6'4) & Hersey Hawkins
1997
Bulletts - Calbert Chaney (6'7)
Hawks - Steve Smith & Mookie Blaylock
Heat - Voshon Lenard (6'4) & Dan Majerle
Jazz - Byron Russell (6'7) & Jeff Hornacek (6'3)
1998
Nets - Kerry Kittles (6'5)
Hornets - Bobby Phills (6'5)
Pacers - Reggie Miller (6'7) & Jalen Rose (6'8)
Jazz - Byron Russell & Jeff Hornacek
All Defensive Players who guarded MJ:
1st team: Payton (9), Rodman (7), Dumars (4), Cheeks (4), and Blaylock (2)
2nd team: Marjerle (2), Starks (1), and Phills (1)
Defensive Player of the Year: Gary Payton (1) 1996 - the year Jordan and the Bulls defeated the Sonics in the NBA Finals. Dennis Rodman (2) 1990, 1991
Note: Some of the 1st Team all defensive players were 2nd team during other years as well.
MJ helped prevent Clydre Drexler, Charles Barkley, Gary Payton, Karl Malone, Patrick Ewing, and John Stockton to name of few from winning NBA titles!
This is a list of players that took on Kobe during his playoff run to the Finals:
2000
Kings - Nick Anderson (6'6)
Suns - Anfernee Hardaway (6'7)
Blazers - Steve Smith (6'7) & Scottie Pippen (6'7)
Pacers - Reggie Miller (6'7) & Jalen Rose (6'8)
2001
Blazers - Steve Smith & Scottie Pippen
Kings - Doug Christie (6'6)
Spurs - Terry Porter (6'3) & Malik Rose (6'7)
76er's - Eric Snow (6'3) & Raja Bell (6"5)
2002
Blazers - Scottie Pippen and Bonzi Wells (6'5)
Spurs - Bruce Bowen (6'7) & Steve Smith
Kings - Doug Christie
Nets - Kerry Kittles (6'5)
2004
Rockets - Cutino Mobley (6'4)
Spurs - Bruce Bowen
Timberwolves - Latrell Spreewell (6'5)
Pistons - Tayshun Prince (6'9)
2008
Nuggetts - Anthony Carter (6/1)
Jazz - Ronnie Brewer (6/7) & Matt Harpring (6'7)
Spurs - Bruce Bowen
Celtics - Paul Pierce (6'6) & Ray Allen (6'5)
2009
Jazz - Ronnie Brewer & Matt Harpring
Rockets - Shane Battier (6'8) & Ron Artest (6'6)
Nuggetts - Dahntay Jones (6'6) & Carmelo Anthony (6'8)
Magic - Courtney Lee (6'5) & Mickael Pietrus (6'6)
All Defensive Players who guarded Kobe:
1st Team: Pippen (8), Bowen (5), Artest (2), and Christie (1)
2nd Team: Prince (4), Battier (2), and Snow (1)
Defensive Player of the Year: Ron Artest (1)
Note: Some of the 1st Team all defensive players were 2nd team during other years as well.
Kobe helped prevent Reggie Miller, Allen Iverson, Jason Kidd, & Dwight Howard to name a few from winning NBA titles!
Fun Facts: Michael & Kobe ran into several of the same defenders occasionally during these particular 6 years, 7 players to be exact. Needless to say due to their age difference Michael would have played these guys earlier in their career, during their prime compared to when Kobe played against them which would have been towards the end of their career's. One thing to keep in mind is none of these individuals were all defensive team selections during there career's but still were talented enough defenders to take on the leauge's best. These individuals would be: Steve Smith, Anfernee Hardaway, Nick Anderson, Reggie Miller, Jalen Rose, Kerry Kittles, and Terry Porter. I did a little comparison on how MJ did against Miller and Rose vs Kobe and then how MJ did vs Kerry Kittles vs Kobe. Here's what I came up with:
MJ vs Pacers: 47% FG
Kobe vs Pacers: 37% FG
MJ vs Nets: 53% FG
Kobe vs Nets: 52% FG
Basically this goes to show us that Kerry Kittle's and Keith Van Horn couldnt do much to stop MJ and Kobe! SHOCKER! haha
Ok let's break this down a little further. Ive taken the 3 toughest opponents defensively that MJ and Kobe faced during there playoff runs and broken down how each of them did against these teams. Take a peek below:
MJ vs the NY Knicks (4 total series)
32.3ppg / 47% FG
MJ vs the Detroit Pistons (1 total series) ** Back to Back defending Champs **
29.75ppg, 54% FG
MJ vs the Seattle Supersonics (1 total series) ** had Defensive Player of the Year Gary Payton and All 2nd Team Defensive player Nate McMillen **
27.3ppg, 42% FG
Kobe vs the San Antonio Spurs (4 total series)
28.4ppg, 49% FG
Kobe vs the Portland Trailblazers (3 total series) ** had possibly the greatest defender of all time Scottie Pippen **
20.8ppg, 42% FG
Kobe vs the Boston Celtics (1 total series) ** had defensive player of the year Kevin Garnett **
25.6ppg, 40% FG
Ok so what can we take from this, let's analyze this a little bit. All the teams above had All NBA Defensive 1st or 2nd Team players that defended MJ & Kobe except for the Boston Celtics. Paul Pierce & Ray Allen surprisingly have never been a 1st or 2nd team all defensive player in their careers. Kobe obviously did well against Bruce Bowen and the Spurs but struggled against Scottie Pippen and the Blazers. I think we all know how bad Kobe played against the Celtics and I didnt even include his numbers against the Pistons in the 2004 Finals. Ok ok so you wanna know, 38% FG shooting, ouch! As for MJ the Sonics did the best against him as they had Gary "the Glove" Payton chase him around and when he wasnt in Nate McMillan took over guarding MJ. Jordan always scored well against the Knicks however he did have a tough series in the 1993 playoffs. All in all though 47% shooting against that defensive minded squad with the beasts they had on that team was impressive. As for the Pistons, we all know that they were the NBA's best defensive team 3 years in a row and had 2 titles to show for it so what did MJ do against them en route to his 1st NBA title, only scorched them by shooting 54%! Yeah one might bring up the fact that the Pistons beat him year after year prior to that but just run this through your mind, in the previous 2 years the Bulls fell short against the Pistons MJ still shot 49% against those Piston teams, not too shabby.
For those of you that saw MJ play you know that he played against completely different type of defenses than Kobe will never play against. For one, the rules are different. You can no longer grab someone and hand check them like you used to be able to do. There was also never a defensive 3 second rule either. Can you imagine the Pistons and Knicks not grabbing, hand checking and clogging up the key trying to defend MJ. You want to talk about elbows, ask MJ how many elbows to the back he got on a daily basis back when he played. People dont seem to understand any of this when comparing Michael to Kobe. Some people just dont have that good of an understanding of the game to realize how the rules have changed and allowed the offensive player more freedom than ever. What could MJ have done in today's game with no hand checking, elbows to the back, no defensive 3 second key? One can only imagine. At the end of the day one would think that with all of the rules back then and the defenses MJ faced he would have significantly been less productive than the almighty Kobe Bryant, right? I mean Ive heard on numerous occasions that Kobe Bryant is better offensively than Michael was but Im still waiting for someone to prove that to me? What Ive done hear is simply prove my point that based on cold hard facts (statistics), there is no comparison who is a better basketball player between Michael Jordan and Kobe Bryant.
In closing Im pretty sure than any challenging responses I will receive to this will challenge the fact that for Kobe's first 4 NBA Final's he was not the #1 offensive option for his team. I brought up this point before and I will bring it up again. Take away the points per game from every stat Ive compiled above and simply look at the FG%'s, rebounds, assists, steals, turnover's per game, etc. and you will see MJ out performs Kobe in the majority of the statistics. You can say dont compare points since Kobe wasnt the 1st option offensively for his team but you cant take away that FG% of the other aspects of his game during that time.
If youve made it this far congratulations, if not I dont blame you. In closing I thought I would add a couple video link's to support my claim on what kind of defenses MJ encounter during his days. Check it out!
http://www.youtube.com/wat
http://www.youtube.com/wat
http://www.youtube.com/wat
