Kobe Bryant or LeBron James: Who Would You Give the Ball to in the Clutch?

Before we get started, answer these three questions.

No. 1. When you read the headline of this article, did you immediately think to yourself, "Is this guy seriously asking this?"

No. 2. Do you think any knowledge of basketball I may have is rendered completely useless by throwing this question out there?

No. 3. Do you think choosing between LeBron James or Kobe Bryant taking the last shot in a playoff game is simple?

If you answered yes to any of these questions, I won't think of you any differently. Even if you think my basketball knowledge is minimal, I won't cry—much.

The art of closing a basketball game is perhaps one of sports' greatest beauties. We all love to witness it when we huddle around our television sets. It started with Michael Jordan redefining the art of "clutch" for almost two decades.

When people talk about clutch in our generation, Kobe Bryant is at No. 1, and then it's a crapshoot for who's right behind him.

For years, many have hoped that LeBron James would be the next Jordan, simply because he's perhaps the greatest physical specimen this game has ever seen. But the one knock on him in the last couple of years—since coming to Miami—has been his inability to close out games.

If you're a LeBron hater, the latest moment to throw his way would be the two missed free throws in Game 2 against Indiana earlier this week. Those with common sense say Dwyane Wade should get a heavy dose of the blame, but everyone wants to pin it on LeBron, and justifiably so.

As a three-time league MVP, you're expected to be the man with ice water in his veins and lead your team down the stretch in clutch situations. It's safe to say that since James left Cleveland, he hasn't been that guy. That will continue to be the knock on him until he wins a championship, and this is the time to be "the man" in the NBA, especially with Chris Bosh out for the Heat.

Despite all of that, no one wants to think of the big shots that James has hit in his career, such as the three-pointer against the Orlando Magic in the Eastern Conference Finals or the two three-pointers he hit against Boston in last year's East semifinals. Because of the lack of jewelry, people want to blame him for everything negative that happens to the team he plays for.

When the list of failed attempts is a mile long—like it is right now—it's easy to point to the inabilities of LeBron. Nothing will change until he can dominate in the playoffs.

So if it's about jewelry for LeBron, why are people bashing Kobe as of late for his inability to close?

It's simple: comparisons to MJ.

When he retires, Bryant will be known as the one who most closely resembles Jordan in the best way possible. He's won five championships, an MVP trophy and two Finals MVP trophies. That's nowhere near Jordan's resume, but Kobe's the only one who remotely compares to him.

In this generation, Kobe will go down as the best closer in the game. For the next generation, it's already a given that the honor will be bestowed upon Kevin Durant. But why has it been a problem for Kobe to close in the last few years?

Besides the fact that the Lakers run a simple offense for their superstar in the final minutes.

Game 2 against Oklahoma City on Wednesday was a performance not many fans would ever believe from Bryant. In the final 5:31 of the game, Kobe went 0-for-5, missed two three-pointers and committed two costly turnovers. Looking back to Game 5 of the first round series against Denver, after Bryant got hot from the three-point line like never before, he missed two chances in the final 30 seconds that would've either won or tied the game.

ESPN's Outside the Lines had an interesting segment today regarding Kobe's statistics in the final moments of a game and, surprisingly, they are relatively lower than what would've been expected. You can see the stats (if they're remotely close to accurate) that ESPN compiled by clicking here.

When people look back at the career of Kobe, they'll think of all of his unbelievable shots and the number of game-winning baskets he's made. No one will think of Game 2 against the Thunder. They'll think of Game 4 against Phoenix many years ago, how he hit two shots to send the game into overtime and eventually win it at the buzzer.

Why? Simply because he's done it before.

This is in no way meant to sway one person ahead of the other in terms of who someone should take with the game on the line. I personally would still take Kobe in his current state over LeBron, just because he has done it on the big stage on more than one occasion.

Can LeBron eventually become that type of player? Without question, yes. He's still in his prime, but he needs to win a title this year to get that confidence going.

What was once a simple question to answer has gotten much more difficult to evaluate over time, especially when these two icons are the only players being compared. If Durant was in the conversation, there would be no question as to who should take the last shot.

So I'll leave it up to you all. Who would you take right now in a current stage to close: Kobe or LeBron? Is this question still easily answerable? Did I waste your time in this whole process?

The debate is hot as ever. Let it begin again.