The Lakers will play the Celtics in the NBA Finals, and though reports may be premature, word is that commissioner David Stern was spotted rioting in the streets, turning over cars in a frenzied celebration.
Jokes aside, this is pretty cool for the league. Say all you want about the Spurs’ dynasty and the Pistons’ teamwork and, from a year ago, the rise of the Cavaliers’ golden child. The fact is, the two winningest franchises — each from a huge city on either coast, each with enough history to fill a textbook — will meet on the NBA’s grandest stage.
While it’s easy to get smothered by the full-court press of story lines, one that should come into focus is that of Kobe Bean Bryant.
Is he the greatest player of all time?
Wait, wait, don’t start e-mailing me yet with your Hochman-are-you-kidding-me-Jordan-won-six-rings tirades. All I’m saying is, Bryant already has three championship rings on his torch-bearing hand, and the MVP has led the Lakers through this postseason while playing elite basketball, even for Kobe.
No, he’s not Michael Jordan. But, at least, the conversation begins.
Jordan won six rings (and possibly could have won eight), while absolutely dominating games — though he had a Hall of Fame teammate and coach.
Bryant won three rings with a Hall of Fame teammate and the same coach as Jordan — though Shaquille O’Neal was clearly more dominant than Scottie Pippen.
And when O’Neal left, Bryant was given the keys to the franchise and couldn’t get out of the first round until now. The question, of course, is how would Jordan have done on those same Lakers teams? And the rebuttal is: Well, Bryant said he could do it on his own, without Shaq, and he didn’t.
But here’s a marquee point. Bryant is clearly the most talented player in the NBA, he has been for half a decade and (gasp) he’s possibly even more talented than Jordan. And Bryant and Jordan play the same position, have similar body types and similar hunger and dedication.
But if their talent levels are sodarnclose, then you’ve got to take the next step in the argument, which deals with rings. Again, the score is 6-3 (though Vanessa Bryant might have the best ring of them all).
Championship rings justify talent. They serve as benchmarks. And, really, rings in basketball are more telling than in any other team sport. In baseball, you could be the greatest hitter of your generation, but if your pitching staff throws batting practice, your finger will be bare. Same for an elite quarterback who lights up defenses but does so the way subpar quarterbacks light up his team’s defense.
But in basketball, with just five guys on the court playing offense and defense, a single great player can lead a team to an NBA championship. And Bryant has yet to do that.
So if he does it this month, is his resume complete? If he wins this title, without another all-star teammate, has Kobe put the final stroke on his masterpiece of a career — greatest talent, three rings with Shaq and one MVP season in which he won a fourth title? Or, does he still have three more rings to go to get to seven?
I feel that because Jordan sustained his high level of dominance for so long, no matter how talented Bryant is, or even if he wins these Finals, Bryant can’t supersede Jordan’s accomplishments — yet.
If, as we’ve seen with the Spurs, dynasties can feature three titles, then Jordan had two separate dynasties as his team’s best player. Bryant is working on his first.
