Kobe or LeBron? Who's the better Closer?

I've heard a lot of talk these playoffs about closing. Analysts and fans are highly fickle; when Kobe's Lakers were struggling through a 7 game series with the highly undermanned Rockets, they were being counted out. When LeBron's Cavs were cake-walking through the first 2 rounds without a loss, they were unbeatable. Enter the Conference Finals. Kobe helped the Lakers finish off the Nuggets tonight, sending the Lakers to the NBA Finals with a 4-2 series win. LeBron has a game 6 tomorrow--considering his buzzer shot in game 2 they are lucky to have a game 6--and he is constantly being measured up to Kobe. Is there substance to this argument? Have the analysts actually looked beyond hype? I'm going to say no, they haven't. Kobe has been given the status of closer and that means LeBron has to climb some sort of fictional ladder to get the title. Why is Kobe considered a closer?

Kobe Bryant has 3 NBA titles--all won with Shaquille O'Neal, all where Shaq was the leading scorer and Finals MVP. Kobe has been on 2 teams that have lost in the NBA Finals--in both of those series, the final loss for the Lakers came in blowout fashion. 8 Teams in NBA history have come back to win a series after trailing 3-1; the last time it happened was a few years ago when the Suns came back to beat...the Lakers. In game 7 of that series, Kobe was nowhere to be found while his team got pummelled. Let's go the present day. The Lakers struggled to knock out the Rockets--not exactly closing--but they did step it up a notch to beat the Nuggets in 6. Most would consider the 4th quarter to be a major aspect of closer/clutch status. Let's compare Kobe to LeBron for this season.

In the regular season, LeBron was significantly better than Kobe according to stats compiled by 82games.com, making LeBron the most clutch in the regular season. How about the playoffs? Because Kobe is already in the Finals, while LeBron is down 3-2, people are saying LeBron isn't as clutch as Kobe. In the Conference Finals, LeBron is averaging 41 points, 8 rebounds, & 8 assists per game--something that has never been accomplished in league history. Is he being a ball hog to get these stats? It's tough to say that when he is averaging 8 assists a game to go with his points. Anyway, let's compare Kobe & LeBron's 4th quarter stats in the Conference Finals.

Field Goal %: Kobe 51.6%, LeBron 51.2%

Points Per 4th Quarter: Kobe 10.83, LeBron 13.6

Assists per 4th Quarter: Kobe .5, LeBron 2.4

Rebounds per 4th Quarter: Kobe 1.16, LeBron 2.8

LeBron is outdoing Kobe in every way--minus the .4% difference in Field Goal %--with more responsibility. Kenny Smith, Charles Barkley, & Reggie Miller said after LeBron's game 5 performance that if LeBron switched Kobe places, the Lakers would win 75-80 games--something I agree with. The Cavs have one good player besides LeBron--Mo Williams--and Mo has been playing terribly in the Conference Finals. LeBron has the weakest supporting cast of any 66 win team in NBA history. His team is completely over matched against the Magic; their match-ups are horrible, and the Cavs are still in the series. ESPN did a statistical analysis of "clutch" stats and LeBron was 1st by a long shot; Kobe came in 9th. Kobe has some memorable game winning shots--as does LeBron--and Kobe has championships on his resume, but that doesn't mean anything when the whole picture is analyzed. I can't say whether LeBron is the most clutch player in the league, but comparing Kobe and LeBron gives us a clear cut answer: LeBron plays far more impressively in the 4th quarter; he plays with way more pressure because of a weaker supporting cast; statistically, LeBron is more superior in every way. Kobe may win his first Shaqless title this year, but that doesn't say anything about him being better than LeBron. Numbers don't lie--LeBron is better, more clutch, and ultimately, his team is over performing, while Kobe's team has underperformed through most of the playoffs. For any of you who disagree, show me the stats to back it up, otherwise, deal with the fact that LeBron is more clutch and a better closer. 

I Hate Basketball

I haven't blogged in about 6 months, so my 3 or 4 readers probably won't read this, but I've decided to break my silence. Since Michael Jordan retired, NBA basketball has been less than exciting to me. LeBron James has changed that; I love watching him play. I've been banking on King James playing all the way through the Finals, giving me basketball satisfaction through mid June. My dreams were all but crushed tonight when the Cavs lost 116-114 in overtime to go down 3-1 in their series with the Magic. When the Cavs started blowing their small lead in the 4th quarter, I had to turn the TV off and go shoot hoops outside to prevent a heart attack or an aneurysm. Through 4 games, LeBron James has the most points in the history of the Conference Finals, yet his team is losing. He's shooting nearly 60% from the field but the rest of his team blows. It really is a testament to LeBrons greatness that he took a team of nobodies and won 66 games. There lack of depth is being severely exposed by Orlando, showing how average Mo Williams is compared to great side kicks like Scottie Pippen, John Stockton, James Worthy, McHale & Parrish...the list goes on, but LeBron doesn't have one. I really thought the Cavs would at least make the Finals, and if they lost, only the Lakers would be the team to do it. Oh well, maybe if the Cavs lose their series, LeBron will realize the Cavs don't have the money to build a championship team and he'll go elsewhere--preferably Chicago--possibly teaming up with Dwayne Wade in 2010. In the meantime, I have to suffer while the Magic slowly kill my dream.