Kobe Bryant and Lebron James: A Definitive Assessment and Analysis

Yes, the title was meant to grab your attention and some extra web hits. But this article's actual topic is not far off. So much has been made in the media and blogosphere about LeBron James' failure in the NBA Finals.

Various absurd theories have been posited, with some admittedly in jest, from Bill Simmon's claim that LeBron was emasculated by Wade's tirade in Game 3 to the increased levels of cortisol in certain athletes inhibiting testosterone at critical junctures.

Surprise surprise: there is actually a very simple reason, and it has nothing to do with LeBron's psyche, or any off the court issues.

It is the simple fact that LeBron James does not have a mature mid-range or post-up game.

 In the playoffs, especially towards the end, team defenses have each other figured out. Players do not get to the hole anymore. Buckets are manufactured by either crisp passing, or one-on-one (mid-range, or post-up). Not every possession goes smoothly, and therefore some possessions invariably come down to one-on-one play. That's why so many are low-scoring, grind-it-out affairs.

Well, LeBron does not have the skill set (yet) to manufacture such buckets under duress. And so, his scoring naturally went down against a top defensive team. He wasn't "deferring' to teammates as much as only doing what he was capable of doing: swinging the ball, because he couldn't manufacture a one-on-one bucket between 10 and 20 feet.

Look, there was nothing wrong with LeBron's psyche or emotions. He psyched himself up, told himself this was now or never, and came out strong. But with the game getting tight and defenses draped like a second skin, he could only swing the ball and watch his teammates take the low-percentage shots.

This brings us to another point: that possessions that come down to one-on-one because the defense thwarted the offensive set have statistically lower field goal percentages. This explains to a degree why Kobe Bryant's field goal percentage is lower: because Kobe has the skill set to take such shots—the midrange, the fadeaway, the post-up—to attempt to bail out his team.

In other words, when the triangle inevitably breaks down at times, he bails out his team, or tries to, instead of Derek Fisher or Lamar Odom taking a desperation shot. Remember, the triangle takes at least 7-10 seconds to run through the options, so it is not uncommon that the Lakers are forced to go to Kobe mode (or, on occasion, dump it to Gasol mode).

Think about all the great shots in playoff history: the majority of them came in crunch time in a one-on-one, either mid-range or post-up scenario. Jordan's jumpers. Magic's sky hook. Hakeem's dream shake. Dirk's jumper over Shaq in 2006. The list just goes on.

Even Jordan didn't get to the basket during those times...and neither can that be reasonably asked of LeBron! To repeat: the mid-range, and the post-up. The one-dribble pull up, the fade, the spin: these are the tools that the greatest of the greats have in their pockets, to break out when everything is tight and on the line. When each team has the other team's sets completely figured out, and it's down to execution.

And also, it is only when this scoring threat is established, that defenses will commit, and the Jordan passes that led to Kerr's shot, or Paxson, could happen.   

LeBron's field goal percentage, then, is 'artificially inflated' because he doesn't take these difficult shots, often having his teammates take them. This was evident in the Finals, when his teammates took ill-advised shots and lost the fourth quarters repeatedly.

A clarification must be made. These skill shots are not the "hero shots" we sometimes see that are shot from distance over a defense - i.e. a pull-up three in transition. Those are bailout shots that often reflect a mentality of one who has already given up and is ready to mail it home. No, these skill shots are incorporated in a one-on-one framework, with footwork and execution, and reading the defense.

Michael Jordan, as we all know, took 'Kobe shots' (not hero shots) —and made a higher percentage of them. This surprises no one, because everyone knows by now that Jordan has played at a higher level than Kobe. Nowitzki made several of these this post-season—one of the best in recent memory—cementing his place in the top 20 all-time.  

If Kobe shot within the Jordanesque range of 47-52 percent during the 2004 and 2008 Finals, he'd have seven rings and four Finals MVPs, and we would have a real heir in our midst. But I am satisfied with a Magic Johnson-level five championships and two Finals MVPs—any more would be icing on the cake and a further overachievement.

As for LeBron, he has to work on that post-up and mid-range game, so that when the defensive screws tighten at the end of the race, he can manufacture some buckets instead of deferring to Mario Chalmers, Juwan Howard and Udonis Haslem. There is no hate on his game here, only an honest appraisal, and like all true basketball fans, this author hopes LeBron will hit the gym and begin to maximize, or at least bring out more, of his unparalleled physical talents.