Better lockdown defender: Jordan or Kobe

[iwhoopedbatman]

i agree when Kobe was younger and fully engaged he was an amazing defensive player but that lasted what, 5 or 6 years out of 19?? Then he would turn it on when needed much like LeBron as you said.


DBPM Jordan has one negative year his whole career. Kobe had 14. By any metric over the span of their entire careers Jordan was a far superior defender. People just like to remember a few years of Kobe going super hard and scattered highlights when he turned it up the rest of his career. Most nights you would see Kobe half ass his defensive effort for the majority of the game.

I cant blame him, its tough as you get older and as you realize it doesnt really matter as much in the regular season. That is why i give LeBron a pass for how he does it, too. He knows when to turn it up. He also knows how to QB his defense so he doesnt have to work as hard lol he just directs traffic and plays safety

I feel like it was more than 5 or 6 years, but that's completely me trying to remember. But I feel like he waited until Shaq left. I only remember this because I remember feeling like as soon as Shaq left, he didn't feel the need to show out all the time to prove he was taking over the team. But I could be off a few years in either direction. He definitely stopped worrying about the regular season sometime around there.

I always found his career long refusal to take a charge a bigger issue. Taking charges, or at least being in position to take them to dissuade drivers is too important and vital to just refuse to do it. So he's always lost points from me for that. Not that Jordan took a ton of them (Pippen took way, way more), but he didn't outright refuse.

 

[Gregolian]

LeBron has been better than either.

Early in his career didn't he not play defense as hard in order to be able to run offense in Qtr 4?

 

[asharak]

Early in his career didn't he not play defense as hard in order to be able to run offense in Qtr 4?

The knock on him has been that he's too busy carrying his team on both ends for 3 quarters and runs out of steam in the 4th.

 

[illclint]

LeBron has been better than either.

Kd would disagree.

 

[illclint]

Gotta go with Jordan because he could guard the post. Kobe just got pushed around.

 

[echohead]

Kobe just for this gif

Honestly I enjoy bringing up Kobe as the all time misses leader but if I were a hardcore fan I would just always reply with this gif to anything involving him

 

[MrFeeny]

Close enough to be a wash.

As far as guards though, Gary Payton was better than both. Hell, if Payton guards jordan all games of the '96 finals, the 72 win bulls probably don't win the title. Payton didn't guard Jordan until they were down 3-0. The Sonics proceeded to win 2 of the next 3, and Jordan put up very subpar number with the glove locking him down.

 

[asharak]

Kd would disagree.

Is that why he joined a 73-9 team that he was up 3-1 on in the WCF? He wasn't scared of them, he was scared of LeBron.

LeBron shut down an MVP PG in the playoffs better than Kobe did(Jordan never defended an MVP well).

What chance would Jordan or Kobe have against Durant? LeBron fares far better than either of them would.

 

[illclint]

Is that why he joined a 73-9 team that he was up 3-1 on in the WCF? He wasn't scared of them, he was scared of LeBron.

LeBron shut down an MVP PG in the playoffs better than Kobe did(Jordan never defended an MVP well).

What chance would Jordan or Kobe have against Durant? LeBron fares far better than either of them would.

I'm not saying KD ain't a turncoat. But, he did dribble by Lebron at will. Lebron has no on ball defense. All of his great defensive plays are him playing linebacker or safety type defense. Lebron ain't no DB.

 

[illclint]

Is that why he joined a 73-9 team that he was up 3-1 on in the WCF? He wasn't scared of them, he was scared of LeBron.

LeBron shut down an MVP PG in the playoffs better than Kobe did(Jordan never defended an MVP well).

What chance would Jordan or Kobe have against Durant? LeBron fares far better than either of them would.

Who is this MVP point guard?

 

[hearthstone25]

Is that why he joined a 73-9 team that he was up 3-1 on in the WCF? He wasn't scared of them, he was scared of LeBron.

LeBron shut down an MVP PG in the playoffs better than Kobe did(Jordan never defended an MVP well).

What chance would Jordan or Kobe have against Durant? LeBron fares far better than either of them would.

Well duh Lebron is 6’9”. He better be better at defending 7’0” Durant.

 

[DrVanNostrand]

 

[asharak]

I'm not saying KD ain't a turncoat. But, he did dribble by Lebron at will. Lebron has no on ball defense. All of his great defensive plays are him playing linebacker or safety type defense. Lebron ain't no DB.

New rules. Also more talented players. They can shoot AND drive, unlike those that jordan and kobe played. Imagine LeBron being able to hand check

Who is this MVP point guard?

D Rose

Man, what a great linebacking/safety third defender.

 

[illclint]

New rules. Also more talented players. They can shoot AND drive, unlike those that jordan and kobe played. Imagine LeBron being able to hand check

D Rose

Man, what a great linebacking/safety third defender.

Nothing wrong with being a great help guy. But, if you want to be elite defender you have to be able to defend on ball.

 

[AGGAMEMNON66]

Jordan guarded a bunch of cans and the one time he did have to guard a top 10 sg he got hilariously embarassed. I don’t recall ever seeing this happen to Kobe when guarding Wad(number 3 sg all time right behind Jord) or Gay Al

Lmfao

Meanwhile..

 

[AGGAMEMNON66]

 

[Corona]

Lmfao

Meanwhile..

Hilarious effort to say the least...

 

[HeirApparent]

Jordan guarded a bunch of cans and the one time he did have to guard a top 10 sg he got hilariously embarassed. I don’t recall ever seeing this happen to Kobe when guarding Wad(number 3 sg all time right behind Jord) or Gay Allen.

Open and shut case LMAO

LMAO at one play

There is actually a top 5 devoted to Iverson crossing up Kobe:

 

[Corona]

LMAO at one play

There is actually a top 5 devoted to Iverson crossing up Kobe:

LMAO at this. If mark Jord played against Gay I as long as one true than there would be a top 100 of him getting crossed up.

 

[HeirApparent]

LMAO at this. If mark Jord played against Gay I as long as one true than there would be a top 100 of him getting crossed up.

wouldacouldashouldawouldacouldashouldawouldacouldashouldawouldacouldashouldawouldacouldashouldawouldacouldashouldawouldacouldashouldawouldacouldashouldawouldacouldashouldawouldacouldashouldawouldacouldashouldawouldacouldashouldawouldacouldashouldawouldacouldashouldawouldacouldashouldawouldacouldashouldawouldacouldashouldawouldacouldashouldawouldacouldashouldawouldacouldashouldawouldacouldashouldawouldacouldashouldawouldacouldashouldawouldacouldashouldawouldacouldashouldawouldacouldashouldawouldacouldashouldawouldacouldashouldawouldacouldashouldawouldacouldashouldawouldacouldashouldawouldacouldashouldawouldacouldashouldawouldacouldashouldawouldacouldashouldawouldacouldashouldawouldacouldashouldawouldacouldashouldawouldacouldashouldawouldacouldashouldawouldacouldashouldawouldacouldashouldawouldacouldashouldawouldacouldashouldawouldacouldashouldawouldacouldashouldawouldacouldashouldawouldacouldashouldawouldacouldashouldawouldacouldashouldawouldacouldashouldawouldacouldashouldawouldacouldashouldawouldacouldashouldawouldacouldashouldawouldacouldashouldawouldacouldashouldawouldacouldashouldawouldacouldashouldawouldacouldashouldawouldacouldashouldawouldacouldashouldawouldacouldashouldawouldacouldashouldawouldacouldashouldawouldacouldashouldawouldacouldashoulda