LeBron or Kobe: NBA Fabricates Non-Existent Rivalry Between Cavs and Lakers

You're probably thinking—oh boy, another article on who's better, LeBron or Kobe.

Problem is: Neither is better than the other. The most over-hyped debate in sports continues without any point. It's like chewing the same tobacco over and over and just letting the juices drown you.

The most important thing to realize amid this media-driven LeBron vs. Kobe frenzy is that there is no way to compare them to begin with—two different positions, two different teams, two different systems. One's a SF, the other a SG; one's in the East, the other the West; one's in the ball-through-me system and the other the triangle.

Stats and rings—both favorite arguments from the opposing camps—are useless in the comparisons because of age, athleticism, and system differences.

Kobe is plus-seven in terms of age, cannot run the triangle by himself, and is almost 32 with over 1,000 games on his legs.

On the other hand, LeBron is relatively young and without question plays better team ball consistently, so consider it a real possibility that LeBron notches up to four championships (or more) in the next seven or eight years.

If you were to actually watch videos of each of their respective games and compare them to each other, you should notice that Kobe plays, naturally enough, more like a shooting guard by shooting perimeter jump shots, while LeBron plays, naturally enough, more like a forward by taking it to the rim.

There is nothing wrong with either, but of course LeBron tends to get a lot of flak for taking it to the basket so much (because that doesn't require "skill," but doesn't posterizing Dwight Howard make you somewhat skillful?), and getting so many superstar calls, as does Kobe. No question about that.

But what irks me (and I'm a Lakers fan) is the nonstop drivel that comes out of fans of the respective camps, as if there were a "rivalry."

Are you kidding me?

The Cavaliers and Lakers have no history against each other in the playoffs whatsoever, and LeBron has never played Kobe more than the league-mandated two times per year in meaningless regular season games that are solely for milking some much-wanted publicity, hype, and ratings.

This pseudo-rivalry and the people involved in it are simply pawns for the NBA's viral marketing scheme. Get your heads out of the teabag.

Comparing two players at different stages of their career in different systems at different positions before their respective careers are even over is ridiculous. The debate ought to stop from now on until BOTH are out of the game.

Let the dead donkey rest.