23 or 24? Oldschool vs Newschool.

With the NBA playoffs fast approaching and with people chanting MVP for Kobe, I feel its time to finally speak my peace.

It’s finally over!!! No I am not talking about the NBA season. I am talking about how ignorant people continually compare KOBE to MICHAEL JORDAN!

That SHOULD be over anyway! After Kobe’s horrible attempt at leading a team to victory, how can anyone else EVER speak on this again? I never understood the comparison anyhow.

As a rookie in the NBA Jordan blasted on the scene scoring 28 ppg, 6.5 RPG, 5.9 apg, all the while was making more that half his shots. (.515) Those stats are OFF THE METER for a rookie! For 13 seasons (Not counting the Wizards) Michael Jordan has always been “THE MAN” on a team that won or lost based on his actions or lack there of.

Jordan was the leading scorer, the facilitator, the go to guy, the best defender and OVERALL LEADER. NO ONE can question that, at crunch time everyone on the planet knew who was getting the ball and NO ONE could stop him from getting the ball or stop him WITH the ball! Jordan put fear in other players, other teams, fear in coaches, and fear in FRANCHISES!!

Not Kobe, No one fears Kobe, Paul Pierce went to his coach at halftime of game 5 of the 2008 NBA Finals ASKING to guard Kobe, you think anyone ever asked to guard MJ? ASKED to be humiliated, ASKED to be on a poster? You think that ever happened?

Have you ever seen MJ score 25 points and 22 points in an ELIMINATION game in the Finals?

NO!!! KNOW Why, because MJ was never in an elimination game in the Finals, he never let it get to that! You also never saw it because MJ averaged over 35 points a game in the NBA FINALS and is undefeated once reaching the FINALS! THE FINALS was his stage, his time and NO ONE outshined him! Unlike Kobe who was totally outperformed by Paul Pierce, whether Kobe was guarding him or not.

For all those who like to say, well Kobe was not guarding Pierce the whole time, I will give you that, but I ask…WHO WAS KOBE GUARDING?!?! Ray Allen against the Lakers averaged 5 more ppg than he did in the entire playoffs (20.3), KG averaged 18.1, Paul Pierce averaged 2 more points per game in the Finals (21 ppg) and even RONDO averaged 1 more point per game (10.2) against the Lakers. So again I ask, WHO WAS KOBE GUARDING?!?!

Don’t get me wrong, Kobe is a great player. Physically he can make all the shots Jordan made and may even be a better long range shooter. However it’s about the heart and when I say heart, I mean his will to win, his mind, his mental toughness, NO ONE was better than MJ in that category.

Jordan could take over a game, make the other team feel helpless and NO PLAYER or TEAM have successfully been able to make him look as weak and intimidated as Kobe looked in his FIFTH (not his first) Finals appearance.

You saw it, Kobe didn’t know whether to pass or shoot. The whole time Kobe was dribbling around looking for Shaq to pass to down in the post. Shooting jumpers, or a fade away, never really attacking the basket the way MJ did constantly.

Not to mention the fact that when MJ played, teams were deeper and more fundamentally sound... Team defense was at its best back then, most the teams MJ faced were defensively sound. Kobe faced one decent team defense and he looked like Lisa Leslie.

Kobe let Boston get in his head instead of getting in theirs. You ever seen ANYONE get in MJ’s head? I know you young whippersnappers don’t understand how nice MJ was cause weaklings like Kobe is all you know. So I will paint a picture for you, Jordan was sooooooo nice that at times people who were guarding him, were wearing HIS shoes, cause he was THAT NICE!

MJ's peers loved and respected him and his game so much, that his peers would go out and purchased his shoes and wear them in a NBA game and even to play against him.

You tell me who YOU know that has even seen a Kobe sneaker much less would go out and spend gas money to buy them. Kobe jumping over Porches and pools but can’t get around Posey and Pierce…please!!

Michael Jordan is the best that has ever done it because he is a winner and came thru EVERYTIME on the biggest stage the NBA had to offer. MJ was the Finals MVP six times, his last 6 full seasons as a Chicago Bull. While Kobe has 3 rings and no Finals ANYTHING, cause KOBE was the sidekick, maybe we should be comparing him to Scottie Pippen.

How does this headline sound for you, “Kobe Bryant, the Greatest Sidekick of all time?”

It’s true because KOBE is not a Big Dog! Kobe is a little brother wanting to be a big brother. Without Shaq, the big brother, Kobe looked very ordinary in the Finals, has that ever been said about MJ?

NO! All you ever see is the amazing move in Game 1 of the ‘91 Finals against the Lakers, switching hands in the air for the left hand layup. Even though they said three-point shooting wasn't his forte, Michael Jordan was 'in the zone' in Game 1 of the '92 Finals vs. Portland, burying six first-half treys. You see him barely able to stand from the flu, while scoring 38 to win a pivotal Game 5 against Utah in ‘97. You see MJ holding his pose as he scores the game winner against Utah in Game 6 of the ‘98 Finals, the last game of his illustrious career. (IN MY MIND ANYWAY)

With Kobe, you see him crying on the bench as he lost to Detroit in the Finals, you see him looking very unsure as he can’t tell whether to pass or shoot against the Celtics, you see Kobe drop his Playoff average of 30.1 to 25.7 ppg in the ‘08 Finals.

I am no mathematician but as of now, 23 is GREATER THAN 24!!!

The comparisons STOP HERE!!!

Just listen to what Magic Johnson, the greatest Laker that ever played, had to say about Michael Jordan, "There's Michael Jordan and then there is the rest of us."