Related Articles

Kobe Bryant Has Most Popular Jersey In The Nba
Would New York Put Lebron James On Kobe Bryant's Level?
2010 Nba All-star Starters Announced
Dallas Mavericks Well Positioned To Sign Chris Bosh, Lebron James, Or Dwyane Wade
Pau Gasol Is Pissed Over Kobe Bryant's Ways.

Features

Other Articles

Sprite's Freshest Kicks

Nike Delta Force 3/4

NBA News & Rumors

Other Articles

NBA Celebrity Gossip

Other Articles

Basketball Training

Other Articles
Home > Features > Breaking Down the NBA > Kobe Bryant's 48 or LeBron James' 51?

Kobe Bryant's 48 or LeBron James' 51?

by Oly Sandor
Jan 15th, 2008
I have a proposal. The NBA should cancel L.A. and Cleveland's next game. Head office should then force Kobe Bryant and LeBron James to face-off in a head-to-head battle. You heard me. No more outdoing each other against weak competition. I propose a one-on-one battle. LeBron James versus Kobe Bryant; Mamba versus The King. Man-o et Man-o ... Kobe Bryant's 48 or LeBron James' 51?I have a proposal. The NBA should cancel L.A. and Cleveland’s next game. Head office should then force Kobe Bryant and LeBron James to face-off in a head-to-head battle.

You heard me. No more outdoing each other against weak competition. I propose a one-on-one battle. LeBron James versus Kobe Bryant; Mamba versus The King. Man-o et Man-o.

Don King could handle promotions. Michael Buffer could do intros. And pay-per-view would make a fortune. Jokes aside, Bryant and James each dropped epic performances on back-to-back evenings.

Yesterday, Bryant tallied 48 points in a 123-121 Laker win against the Sonics. Tonight, James responded with 51 points, nine assists, and eight rebounds to lead Cleveland to a 132-124 overtime victory against Memphis.

So whose performance was best: Bryant’s 48 points in the Emerald City or James’ season-high of 51 versus the Grizzlies? Below are both stat-lines.

Bryant versus Seattle:                                                        

  • 42:12 minutes, 21-44 FGM-A, 4-7 FTM-A, 48 PTS, 2 RBS, 2 AST.

James versus Memphis:

  • 47:00 minutes, 18-28 FGM-A, 9-16 FTM-A, 51 PTS, 8 RBS, 9 AST.

Winner: James. By a hair.

Why: Picking between these two performances is like picking between a Mercedes and Ferrari. Both were excellent. Best of all, the Lakers and Cavs both won.

However, James gets the nod. He scored more points on less attempts and easily edged Bryant in rebounds and assists.

Of course, the Lakers were playing their first game without Andrew Bynum, which accounts for Bryant taking 44 field goal attempts. Once the purple-and-gold gets accustomed to Kwame Brown starting, Mamba’s shots will return to normal.

So James is still the winner. Here’s the real question: how will Bryant respond on Thursday when his Lakers face the Suns? 

Who’s best: Bryant’s 48 or James' 51? Get at us in the comment box below or hit us up in our . Click here to read and subscribe to Oly Sandor’s NBA Blog.

Comments (46)
Yes Sir! January 16, 2008
Kobe Bryant's 48 or LeBron James' 51?
Fuck Lame James. It's all about KoBEST Bryant!
report abuse
vote down
vote up
Votes: +0
a guest January 16, 2008
Kobe Bryant's 48 or LeBron James' 51?
lebron wins due to other statistical categories. but kobe is still the better player and kobe will probably go for over 50 since the lakers are playing the suns.
report abuse
vote down
vote up
Votes: +0
a guest January 16, 2008
Kobe Bryant's 48 or LeBron James' 51?
kobe is ultimately far better than lebron, but this 2 game comparison definitely goes to lebron.
report abuse
vote down
vote up
Votes: +0
yj1 January 16, 2008
Kobe Bryant's 48 or LeBron James' 51?
are u crazy king James w ill be the best ever . kobe is the best right now
report abuse
vote down
vote up
Votes: +0
pingusun January 16, 2008
Kobe Bryant's 48 or LeBron James' 51?
sounds like a great idea for allstar saturday a cage match kobeeee vs lebron lets say 12 minutes and let them go for it.
report abuse
vote down
vote up
Votes: +0
King of North January 16, 2008
Kobe Bryant's 48 or LeBron James' 51?
James is Fantastic,simply the best..number 1!!!Lebron James MVP..MVP..MVP.
report abuse
vote down
vote up
Votes: +0
a guest January 16, 2008
Kobe Bryant's 48 or LeBron James' 51?
Lebron won out of this but overal kobe bryant is the better player = D
report abuse
vote down
vote up
Votes: +0
Living in the legend January 16, 2008
Kobe Bryant's 48 or LeBron James' 51?
Securely election performance at Lebron James!!As many,51 scoring...oh my good,8 bounds,9 assist.Vote Lebron total it my life.He is better all-round..wonderful.Go LEBRON JAMES GO!!!!!! MVP!!!!!!!
report abuse
vote down
vote up
Votes: +0
KING MIKE January 16, 2008
Kobe Bryant's 48 or LeBron James' 51?
I SEEN BOTH OF THEIR PERFORMANCES and BOTH WERE IMPRESSIVE BUT I'M GOING TO HAVE TO WITH (LEBRON) 51 POINTS PERFOMANCE CAUSE HIS WAS MORE ALL AROUND.
report abuse
vote down
vote up
Votes: +0
KING MIKE January 16, 2008
Kobe Bryant's 48 or LeBron James' 51?
IT'S NOT ABOUT IF YOUR A KOBE FAN OR LEBRON FAN.....IT'S ABOUT WHO'S PERFORMANCE WAS BETTER SO I DON'T UNDERSTAND WHY LEBRON WOULDN'T BE THE OVERRALL WINNER WHEN HE HAD MORE POINTS, REBOUNDS, ASSISTS & BETTER FIELD GOAL PERCENTAGE THAN KOBE.
report abuse
vote down
vote up
Votes: +0
The UNDERTAKER January 16, 2008
Kobe Bryant's 48 or LeBron James' 51?
LeBron's 51 Looked More Easier Than Kobe's 48 So I'm Going With LeBron.
report abuse
vote down
vote up
Votes: +0
a guest January 16, 2008
Kobe Bryant's 48 or LeBron James' 51?
You have to keep in mind that kobe was down with the flu and was sick for the last three games!Besides, the refrees did a great job calling nonsense calls!
report abuse
vote down
vote up
Votes: +0
Neither a fan of kb or lb January 16, 2008
Kobe Bryant's 48 or LeBron James' 51?
u also got to keep in mind lbj went to the hoop effortless and made it look easy...i dunno why they put mike on him poor him but he did it so ez...like the race 2 mvp says if lbj didnt get injured those gms n they won a few more gms he would be the only person in the race 2 mvp n acourse his 51 was better since he added 9 n 8 to go along like he usually does great game by both players
report abuse
vote down
vote up
Votes: +0
OCTANE January 16, 2008
Kobe Bryant's 48 or LeBron James' 51?
SEE THIS, LOOK AT THE STATS, KOBE AND LEBRONS, OSCAR ROBERTSON\JORDAN\MAGIC NUMBERS , LEBRON JAMES THE MAN, KOBE THE MAN IN L.A.
report abuse
vote down
vote up
Votes: +0
a guest January 16, 2008
Kobe Bryant's 48 or LeBron James' 51?
Kobe is just another scorer,But LeBron ha he's KING JAMES he does every thing
report abuse
vote down
vote up
Votes: +0
shinobi January 16, 2008
Kobe Bryant's 48 or LeBron James' 51?
The question is who would you trust more in taking the last shot? Your answere should prove who is the best player.
report abuse
vote down
vote up
Votes: +0
bucketz January 16, 2008
Kobe Bryant's 48 or LeBron James' 51?
last shot doesnt always mean best player man...id kick it to reggie miller n e day for a last second shot but thers soo many more factors then clutch shooting..if i had a 1st pick id take the player hoos goin to put u in a position wher ur up by 20 in the last minute and dont need clutch shooting ya heard
report abuse
vote down
vote up
Votes: +0
a guest January 16, 2008
Kobe Bryant's 48 or LeBron James' 51?
this game definitely goes to lebron, but when does lebron ever have a consistent shooting game? the only times he's ever able to go for numbers like these is when he's hot anywhere on the floor, which rarely happens. this game, he happened to be able to shoot well, but normally his main source of scoring points is driving for layups or dunks. he depends too much on his physical size and strength to plow through defenders, so he never developed his fundamentals or skills. whereas kobe is smaller and lighter, so he has to depend on his skills. so on a pure talent level, kobe is light years ahead lebron will ever be. lebron is just like shaq in a forward position, because shaq depended on his size to overpower his opponents. so i guarantee you that in 10 years time, lebron will become a non-factor, just like shaq. but yeah, this game definitely goes to lebron, although one game is not what defines a player, it's the player's talent level.
report abuse
vote down
vote up
Votes: +0
a guest January 16, 2008
Kobe Bryant's 48 or LeBron James' 51?
note: by "consistent shooting" below, i mean jumpshots, not layups or dunks
report abuse
vote down
vote up
Votes: +0
a guest January 16, 2008
Kobe Bryant's 48 or LeBron James' 51?
BLUD LERBON JAME IS A GOOD PLAYER HE HAS STONG OFFENSE AND A GD D BUT KOBE IS A ALL ROUNG PLAY HE CAN DEFEND SHOOT POST UP ND PUT BIG NUMBERS ON YOU IF I HAD TO GO WIT LERBON OR KOBE IT WOULD HAVE TO BE KOBEYOU DIGG ME!
report abuse
vote down
vote up
Votes: +0
a guest January 16, 2008
Kobe Bryant's 48 or LeBron James' 51?
CUM ON PEOPLE KOBE SCORED 81 R U CRAZY 81!!
report abuse
vote down
vote up
Votes: +0
a guest January 16, 2008
Kobe Bryant's 48 or LeBron James' 51?
i don't know why we're wasting time comparing 48 and 51. this is completely useless. everyone knows kobe has crazier skills than lebron. all lebron is is a stat filler without real talent.
report abuse
vote down
vote up
Votes: +0
Tim January 16, 2008
Kobe Bryant's 48 or LeBron James' 51?
I would actually compare Lebron to Wilt, and Kobe to Jordan. Lebron and Wilt weren't talented, but they had physical advantages. Kobe and Jordan had to hone their skills to become the best. Some people compare Kobe to Wilt, mainly because Kobe's scored so many points, but there's a huge difference. Wilt just physically had the advantage to drop it over smaller people, but Kobe gets most of his points from difficult jump shots from long range. Lebron is a dunker/lay-upper, not a jump shooter. Even Jordan was more of a driver than jump shooter, but not that much. Kobe has the same phenomenal ability to drive and make moves like Jordan, but according to Phil Jackson Kobe has a much larger range.You can't compare two players just from their point productions. You have to compare their playing style.
report abuse
vote down
vote up
Votes: +0
that one guy January 16, 2008
Kobe Bryant's 48 or LeBron James' 51?
hmm ok. lebron got overtime. kobe did it in regulation. lebron shot 16 ft kobe shot 7 free thows, lebron made 6-12 3 kobe made 2-8. also kobe needed one last shot and hit it with 4 seconds left to end teh game. lebron missed his game winning shot and went to overtime. im goin with kobe.also the loser who said teh cavs record would be better if lebron didn't sit those 6 games out the cavs would have a better record. u guys all need to fucking drop that shit ok?. of course they're better with lebron back but they still fucking suck. they were barely above .500 before the injury. they dropped like 6 games under .500 when he injured him self. it's been liek 3-4 weeks since that injury happend and he still has them at .500 dont' use taht as an excuse for they're record.
report abuse
vote down
vote up
Votes: +0
Air Up There January 16, 2008
Kobe Bryant's 48 or LeBron James' 51?
LOL that proved it right there that one guy doesnt watch bball because he said kobe did it in regulation CORRECTION u must of missed it on sportscenter on the scoreboard where it said OT bc it did go OT u DUM FU CK go look it up and come with correct stats b4 you say ne thing n i dont want to hear all my bad NO it went OT n u didnt see ur highlights right LOL that one guy
report abuse
vote down
vote up
Votes: +0
Jacob (from Australia) January 17, 2008
Kobe Bryant's 48 or LeBron James' 51?
how the fuck can u compare 28 shots to 44! sum guy quoted lebron shootin 16 free throws and kobe shootin 7 (he got to the lne better... thats a skill that many players need) and lebron shootin 6 from 12 threes while kobe shot 2 from 8! thats a huge difference! so because lebron uses his physical advantage of the extra 2 INCHES OVER KOBE to dominate in all ways of the game yet kobe played better? if lebron dunks it all the time then let him be. kobe can dunk it as well with ease but its just hes too skinny now to drive to the bucket like before. now just because lebron chooses to dunk it (to his advantage) than chuck up the longer shots (which yes, he is worse than kobe at, thats why he plays forward) that doesnt make him skill-less. so i know most of us are also skill-less so if we were 6-8 and 250 lBs then we could make it in the NBA? nah... didnt think so. oh and im not a kobe hater... that guy should get MVP this season.
report abuse
vote down
vote up
Votes: +0
Jacob (from Australia) January 17, 2008
Kobe Bryant's 48 or LeBron James' 51?
10 years lebron becomes a non factor? im pretty sure he will only be 33 and u cannot compare him to shaq...that dude is 320 pounds and his knees cant handle him even jumping... i say ten years and kobe is pickin up the pieces of the missed MVPs and the failed championships without shaq lol... i just wish with my no talent i could just borrow a body of sum random 6-8 dude and jump in the NBA and kill everyone in my way...
report abuse
vote down
vote up
Votes: +0
that one guy January 17, 2008
Kobe Bryant's 48 or LeBron James' 51?
air up there ur rigth i was wrong. i didn't get to watch the game i just saw the highlight but i could have sworn kobe did it in regulation but ur right my bad. i guess i just didn't know. but.. to jacob. if there is one thing kobe is good at that's gettin to the line. also there isn't many night where lebron is gonna shoot better from 3pt range he just had it goin that night. while kobe on the other hand get 48 every night. lebron's game can be taken away easy if lebron's jumper ain't goin just back off him a bit and he can't drive to teh hoop.
report abuse
vote down
vote up
Votes: +0
OCTANE January 17, 2008
Kobe Bryant's 48 or LeBron James' 51?
SO, KOBE AND LEBRON ONE GAME ALL OF A SUDDEN THERE COMPARING. WE ALL KNOW JAMES CAN DROP 35 40, AND KOBE 45 TO 5O, NOW LETS SEE WHO FEELS UP THE OTHER STATS REB ASST BLCK STEA, AND THE MOST IMPORTANT THING MAKING YOUR TEAM BETTER, ILL GO WITH LEBRON, EVER IF JORDAN WERE PLAYING LEBRON IS THAT GOOD, AT THIS POINT OF HES TIME AND AGE, LEBRON AGAIN, REMEMBER THE PLAYOFFS AGAINST THE PISTONS. REMMBER THE SERIES LAKER VS PHOENIC 4 QUARTER GIVE AWAY KOBE NOT GOOD...
report abuse
vote down
vote up
Votes: +0
that one guy January 17, 2008
Kobe Bryant's 48 or LeBron James' 51?
octane ur a dumbshit. it seems like every time i see u on the blogs u bring up sometin taht happened 2 YEARS AGO. did u happen to see the press conference after that game? do u know what phil jackson said. The lakers were down by 18. He told them to go to kwame brown. of course kobe taking the leadership role that season agreed with phil and tried to get it to kwame. kwame couldn't capitalize. pheonix nailed a three they went to kwame again. missed again pheonix hits another one so kobe tries to go to attack mode and they call a charge on him for his 5th foul. pheonix goes nailes another 3 and tehre u go ur down by 26. stop bringin up game 7 u dick. why dont' u bring up how kobe manhandled the spurs when he went to the finals? u guys only bring up the negatives but not the positives.
report abuse
vote down
vote up
Votes: +0
that one guy January 17, 2008
Kobe Bryant's 48 or LeBron James' 51?
lebron basically just used his freakishly huge body to his advantage. once lebron hits 32, 33 years old he'll be done. he'll be like shaq is now. If he doesn't develop a way to create spcae and be able to knock down a jumper he's gonna end up like shaq. He needs to get some good footwork if he plans to play after 33. players like iverson, kobe, jason kidd, and even dwyane wade if he stops tossing himself around are gonna be able to score dominantly in they're 30's which j-kidd and iverson are doing cuz they have a move to go to. What's lebron's move? barrel through ur opponent and dunk it? that won't work when he gets older. at teh end of micheal's career he became more of a outside shooter too. if he didn't develop that footwork the outside shot and the fadeaway the great micheal jordan wouldn't have been big as he is now. If lebron doens't start improving his flaws he's not gonna play good after 30
report abuse
vote down
vote up
Votes: +0
ABove the rim January 17, 2008
Kobe Bryant's 48 or LeBron James' 51?
This comparison is a joke... I'm sure some kids here born in the same year or after LBJ was born havn't seen what Kobe has done and has been doing... When he makes those moves,, its like a symphony... artistic... Lebrons got just one move.. (like the one he used on Duncan).. He can jump but not fly.. Saw him passing on those shots to team mates when it mattered most to take responsibility ??? Media made him the King before even he had a ring..
report abuse
vote down
vote up
Votes: +0
that one guy January 17, 2008
Kobe Bryant's 48 or LeBron James' 51?
finally!!!!!!!! somebody who could explain exactly what i've always been trying to say but never could phrase it right. Above the rim knows what he's talkin about
report abuse
vote down
vote up
Votes: +0
KOBE SUCKS!!! January 17, 2008
Kobe Bryant's 48 or LeBron James' 51?
all kobe fans your all full of shit! LEBRON ALL THE WAY BIATCHHHH!!!!
report abuse
vote down
vote up
Votes: +0
a guest January 17, 2008
Kobe Bryant's 48 or LeBron James' 51?
why the hell are we judging who's better from 2 freaking games??? do people have any logical sense???? no matter who played better in these two games, the ultimate verdict is simple: kobe was and will always be better than lebron. lebron is definitely a stat filler, but he has no talent like kobe. i'll never forget the comments various coaches said about lebron: he jeopardizes the team's outcome by trying to pad his stats in order to look good. lebron came into the league with a golden spoon, and we all know what happens to kids like that.
report abuse
vote down
vote up
Votes: +0
MAN-MANN January 17, 2008
Kobe Bryant's 48 or LeBron James' 51?
I'M GOING WITH LEBRON HANDS DOWN CAUSE HIS 51 POINTS LOOKED EASY.
report abuse
vote down
vote up
Votes: +0
Asif January 17, 2008
Kobe Bryant's 48 or LeBron James' 51?
all yo lebron fans, let me tell you what. Kobe was the best is the best and will be the best. i mean think about it he scored 30 points in a quarter and 55 in half time. The only reason lebron gets more assists is because his teamates can shoot i know kobes team can shoot too but thats only odom or fisher. If anyone says lebron is better than kobe then they havemt seen kobe play couple of last years. Kobe can score 60 70 or 80 all the time but he wants to pass, if u think thats wrong then how did he score 81 so stop the damn comparison, Kobe is the best and will stay the best
report abuse
vote down
vote up
Votes: +0
OCTANE January 17, 2008
Kobe Bryant's 48 or LeBron James' 51?
TO THAT ONE GUY, ON KOBE;S WINLESS MVP'S NUTTS.. JORDAN IS THE BEST AND ALWAYS WILL BE SO STOP TRYING TO MAKE KOBE LOOK AS GOOD BECOUSE WE ALL KNOW HE AINT CLOSE. JORDAN PAST IS STILL THE BEST OFF ALL TIME NOW TODAY AND FOR MANY, SO CHECK THE HATE ON JORDAN, BIG BOTHER IS ALWAYS GOING TO BE BETTER. AND THAT PLAYOFFS SERIES AGAINST SUNS YOUR BOY KOBE,, CHOKED NO PLAYOFF GAME AT ALLLL.
report abuse
vote down
vote up
Votes: +0
a guest January 17, 2008
Kobe Bryant's 48 or LeBron James' 51?
at this point, kobe's career isn't over yet, so we don't fully know what his legacy will be. even though i'm a kobe fan, i think jordan's legacy on the game is slightly better than kobe's at this point, but we'll see what happens. however, just in terms of pure talent level, kobe equals, or in some aspects, surpasses jordan's. people think jordan was an innovator and kobe imitates him, but they don't realize that jordan modeled his game after dr. j. every generation uses the previous as a stepping stone. the only player who comes as close to jordan's greatness is kobe. lebron is not even remotely on the same level as those two. people who say otherwise only look at the boxscore and haven't really seen lebron and kobe/jordan play.
report abuse
vote down
vote up
Votes: +0
that one guy January 18, 2008
Kobe Bryant's 48 or LeBron James' 51?
where in teh fuck did i say kobe is better then jordan!!!!!!!!!!!! u are stupid beyond reason i can't expressive ur idiocity. i think i may have to make a site dedicated to u just to be able show ur stupidity since i can't do it all in one response. U only have one fucking reason for kobe sucking. 2 YEARS AGO HE DIDNT' PLAY GOOD IN GAME 7. Where the fuck was lebron agaisnt the spurs!?! huh? kobe avarged 33 ppg on 52%fg when the played the spurs in the western conference finals. kobe did that against a spurs teams when he was basically the same age as lebron and that spurs team was way tougher then last years spurs team. oh god i just wish someway i could explain ur stupidity
report abuse
vote down
vote up
Votes: +0
a guest January 18, 2008
Kobe Bryant's 48 or LeBron James' 51?
just like i told you before: lebron is a freaking huge ogre. in the spurs game right now on the last possession where james scored on a drive, he barreled his way through and actually HEAD BUTTED his defender. that is so characteristic of his playing style. i don't fault him for playing that way- do whatever you do best, but objectively, that's not a talented way of playing ball. kobe has so much more finesse, grace, style, creativity and prowess.
report abuse
vote down
vote up
Votes: +0
OCTANE January 18, 2008
Kobe Bryant's 48 or LeBron James' 51?
ITS CALLED PLAYING BIG , WE ALL KNOW LEBRON CAN POST ON ANY BODY AT WILL, SHITT I WOULD DO THE SAME. MAN CHILD YOU HEARD THE PHRASE BEFORE, RAINMAN SHAWNKEMP,, NEW BREAD IN A SHOOTING GUARD POINT ,SMALL FORWARD PICK ANY POSITION LEBRON CAN HANDLE HES OWN. LITTLE SKINNY KOBE, THAT WAS THEN THIS IS NOW.
report abuse
vote down
vote up
Votes: +0
a guest January 18, 2008
Kobe Bryant's 48 or LeBron James' 51?
dude, octane, are you a f-ing idiot? when did i say that was a bad way of playing??? i specifically said i don't fault him. it's his style, so good for him. but he has no fundamentals or skills whatsoever. what...you're gonna accuse jordan of being skinny too? jordan and kobe have the same build....you stupid faggot
report abuse
vote down
vote up
Votes: +0
that one guy January 18, 2008
Kobe Bryant's 48 or LeBron James' 51?
lol lebron's litlle mini game winner against teh spurs was a clear charge. that was a poorly refed game for the spurs.
report abuse
vote down
vote up
Votes: +0
OCTANE January 23, 2008
Kobe Bryant's 48 or LeBron James' 51?
AGAIN STOP MOTHER F STOP COMPARING kobe TO JORDAN, DAMM HAVENT YOU GOT THE POINT, JORDAN IS BEYOND ANYBODYS SKILL BIG SKINNY , DUMBASS. WELL SEE WHO WINS MVP . DUMB KID
report abuse
vote down
vote up
Votes: +0
a guest January 24, 2008
Kobe Bryant's 48 or LeBron James' 51?
omg octane, you seriously lack some intellect...who the fuck is comparing kobe and jordan? the comparison here is kobe's and lebron's playing style. the jordan comment was an incidental note for your stupid ass comment about kobe being skinny. seriously, what the fuck are you? a damn useless retard?
report abuse
vote down
vote up
Votes: +0

Leave a comment
smaller | bigger
 

busy