As you likely know, LeBron James and Kobe Bryant both put on shows at Madison Square Garden this week. 61 Points on a 76% true shooting clip (better than his efficiency during the 81 Point game) or a 50 point triple double. Debate all you want about who had a better performance. I personally think comparing the two performances is pointless. The real question I want to answer is did LeBron intentionally try to top Kobe Bryant's performance at the Garden.
I mean, LeBron is supposed to be the apple of the Big Apple's eye (2010, baby!), not Kobe Bryant. So it would make sense for LeBron to go out and try to top Kobe's performance, right?
Every night there are some stupendous, silly, stupid, or downright outlandish individual lines from around the lig. Doing Lines lets you know which one tops the list.
As you might have heard, LeBron James had a big time game Wednesday night (A 50 point, triple double effort in MSG? ARE YOU KIDDING ME?). Kobe Bryant also had another big time game with a 36 point, 9 rebound, 5 assist effort. The way these two are playing, we could talk about them all darn day in Doing Lines. But since you're going to read about them everywhere, I'll try to shine a light on some other performances.
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HEADLINER Cleveland at L. A. Lakers, 10:30 PM ET, TNT
We've been hyped for this game for about a week now, and it's finally here. LeBron James versus Kobe Bryant is always something special, and with each player being a member of one of the top teams in the league, tonight's matchup has a little more on the line than just personal bragging rights.
On Friday, our own Tom Ziller used statistical analysis to declare that LeBron James is a better player than Kobe Bryant. Although I loved the read and the analysis, I must disagree with Ziller's final conclusion.
The metric for Ziller's well-written stat-based conclusion was a comparison of Kobe and LeBron's PER throughout their careers. John Hollinger's PER (Player Efficiency Rating) tries to statistically rank the best players in the NBA. I have to say it probably does a better job of it than any other statistical measure out there.
Just look at the top five players in PER this season and you'll likely agree. Any statistical measurement that didn't have LeBron James, Chris Paul, Dwyane Wade, Dwight Howard and Kobe Bryant close to the top would be irrelevant, and PER definitely avoids that pothole. If you follow the PER metric alone, LeBron is probably playing better than any player in the modern era right now. But utilizing PER alone to compare and contrast players might not always be the best decision.
As we lead up to Monday's showdown between the Cavaliers and Lakers, we focus our attentions on LeBron James and Kobe Bryant. My feelings on the State of the NBA Superstars has been published 'round here before. Through my eyes, LeBron is clearly the best player in the world (and, ahem, Kobe's not even #2 right now).
But at this late stage (Thursday night, to be exact), big-name analysts like Kenny Smith still name Kobe number one. That's fine -- you're entitled to your opinion, Kenny Smith. But I'm entitled to call that opinion ridiculous. So, um: that opinion is ridiculous. Follow me down the rabbit hole, from whence we shall never return.
Supporting casts are central factors in any comparison of LeBron James and Kobe Bryant -- or any two great players, really. The reaction toward the quality of a star's teammates can go either way: Kobe can be held back by Kwame Brown, or propped up by Pau Gasol; LeBron's numbers can be inflated by a lack of help, or discounted by a lack of ... well, help.
There's no clear way to grade Kobe's pips to LeBron's backing band; if there were, it'd be impossible to say for sure what it all means. We aren't that advanced. But we can look at each team's dependency on its signature star.
NBA Power Rankings: Ours is much more of an emotional look than most. Recent events matter, and long-term projections are (mostly) ignored. After all, no one wants to simply read the Vegas odds for winning the title each week, right?
In a little more than five days, LeBron James and the Cavaliers will travel to Los Angeles to take on Kobe Bryant and the Lakers. It is their first meeting of the season, and only the 10th meeting ever between the two superstars. Kobe has three rings, yet none without Shaquille O'Neal. LeBron has been crowned the king since his arrival in 2004, but has only one Finals appearance. LeBron fills a stat sheet in incredible ways; Kobe won the MVP last season. Kobe is the embodiment of lethal precision; LeBron the next step of athletic evolution.
In a season filled with "Games of the Year," this is unquestionably the Game of the Year.
Kobe Bryant has been having another outstanding season. He's the third leading scorer in the NBA, and has led his team to the best record in the NBA. But what continues to set Kobe apart from his contemporaries is his ability to come through in the fourth quarter. Check out the dagger three he hit on Shane Battier Tuesday night against the Rockets:
As you likely know, LeBron James and Kobe Bryant both put on shows at Madison Square Garden this week. 61 Points on a 76% true shooting clip (better than his efficiency during the 81 Point game) or a 50 point triple double. Debate all you want about who had a better performance. I personally think comparing the two performances is pointless. The real question I want to answer is did LeBron intentionally try to top Kobe Bryant's performance at the Garden.
Every night there are some stupendous, silly, stupid, or downright outlandish individual lines from around the lig. 
FanHouse's 
On Friday, our own Tom Ziller 
As we lead up to Monday's showdown between the Cavaliers and Lakers, we focus our attentions on 
Supporting casts are central factors in any comparison of 
