Kobe Vs LeBron: A Rivalry?

Bryce Ebels — Sun, 31 May 2009 02:13:23 -0400

Kobe vs LeBron. Straight up the two best players in the association today. When you hear of one you think of the other. You hear "Black Mamba", you think of "King James". You cannot speak of one without mentioning the other in the same sentence.

Along with being two best players in the league and this generation, they are also mentioned to be the next MJ. Whenever you're labeled to be the next MJ, there's going to be competition. This is where the Kobe vs. LeBron discussions start. Many people say it's a Rivalry, and that it's the next Larry vs. Magic rivalry. How is it a rivalry? Doesn't a rivalry have to start with two teams or players playing against each other in a meaningful game? Larry and Magic started their rivalry in the 1979 National Championship game when Larry and His Indiana State Cyclone's took on Magic and his Michigan State Spartans, with Magics Spartans coming out on top. We all know what happened in the NBA and all the playoff series they played against each other.

Unlike Magic and Larry, Kobe and LeBron have yet to play an important game against each other. The only games we have seen them play each other in have been in the regular season, and we all know how important those games are. See, whenever you see the Kobe vs. LeBron puppet commercial or any other Kobe vs. LeBron commercials, you have to think: how is this even a rivalry? Kobe vs. LeBron is nothing but a great topic to discuss with your friends on who is a better basketball player, they have yet to meet in a playoff game, and the most important game they have played in was the Olympics and they were on the same team. Until they meet in the playoffs and both match the other player point for point, it is nothing but a great discussion not a great rivalry no matter how much ESPN, and the sports world wants to make it a rivalry.

Detroit Pistons: Under the Radar and Loving It

Bryce Ebels — Sun, 10 Feb 2008 15:35:35 -0500

Old, not motivated, no star player.

That's just the way the Pistons like people to talk about them.

After their Eastern Conference Finals loss to the Cleveland Cavaliers. everybody wrote them off as being serious contenders for a championship, and started to believe that this was surley the start of a down fall of a team that has ruled the East and the NBA for the past seven years.

Many witnessed LeBron take over the series and the Pistons giving up and loosing their championship pose. That was well documented when Rasheed Wallace threw Anderson Varjao (yes he didn't flop this time) down to the ground and got a technical foul and thrown out of the game during the final minutes of Game Six.

When the game was done, the Cavs prevailed and overcame an 0-2 seires deficit to beat the Pistons and move on to the NBA Finals, where they got swept. After that game, Rasheed said that next year will be different. The Pistons made huge changes to their bench, adding a pure shooter in Jarvis Hayes, drafting Rodney Stuckey and Aaron Afflalo, and the imergence of Jason Maxiell.

As the 2007-2008 season started, many people had the Pistons as the third or fourth best team in the East, behind the Boston Celtics, Cleveland Cavaliers, and the Chicago Bulls, but that didn't bother them, they just went to work.

Rasheed entered the season 15 lbs lighter and with an "all for the team" attitude. Chanucey "Mr. Big Shot" Billups, is coming off a nice six year, 60 million contract.

Their record stands at 37-13, and they're on an eight game win streak. The Bulls are in a complete mess, the Cavs can't seem to win without LeBron, and the Celtics are 39-9, but have lost to the Pistons once already.

The bench has come up huge, and Rasheed is domainting the post on defense and offense, also making his forth all-star apperence. Billups and Hamilton are like chocolate milk, just go to together so nicely, also making the all-star game.

People still just talk about how the Celtics are the team in the East, and the Pistons will make it to the Eastern Conference Finals again, but will fall to the Celtics. That's just the way they like it, under the radar.

As other teams fight throw injury and battling other teams, the Pistons are quietly putting on their best season since 2004.

Bleacher Report - Articles by Bryce Ebels

Kobe Vs LeBron: A Rivalry?

Detroit Pistons: Under the Radar and Loving It