The Spurs Are Again the Lakers Top Competition

“I play because the 37th draft pick usually doesn’t.” — Nick Van Exel, ex-Laker point guard

The San Antonio Spurs, with their off-season transactions, have once again established themselves, at least on paper, as the favorites to take the top spot in the National Basketball Association’s Western Conference…behind the Los Angeles Lakers, of course!

What this means is that the Lakers are in no way a lock to make it back to the Finals next year. Despite the additions to the top teams in the West — Ron Artest to the Lakers, Shawn Marion to the Mavericks, Andre Miller to the Blazers — it was the moves the Spurs made that really caught my attention. Last year’s first round exit was as surprising as anything that happened in the NBA last season, which was why I was not surprised to see the usually fiscally responsible Spurs take a whatever-it-takes approach into the 2009 off-season and fill in their gaps. What was surprising, was the success they had in bringing in some exceptional talent.

The Additions

The Spurs needed to get more athletic…in comes the versatile Richard Jefferson, who came over from the Milwaukee Bucks in exchange for Bruce Bowen, Kurt Thomas, and Fabricio Oberto — or in NBA terms, for nothing. The team will of course welcome his career averages of 17.7 ppg, 5.3 rpg, 3.0 apg and hope his improved shooting continues — he shot a career high 39.7% from three last season, something that could easily improve with low post threat Tim Duncan providing open jumpers. He will also give Tony ‘one-man-fast-break’ Parker a running mate in transition.

The Spurs needed another big man to help out versus the Lakers size…in comes Antonio McDyess. They were able to steal him away from the Detroit Pistons. McDyess will most likely start next to Duncan and instantly becomes his best big man side kick since the great David Robinson, despite the fact he’ll be 35 at the start of the season. While McDyess isn’t nearly the high-fly act he once was before all the knee problems, he will certainly provide the Spurs with some bulk to root the Lakers big guys out of the post and keep them off the boards. His 9/8 two years ago and 10/10 last year with the Pistons was very impressive considering he was only getting 30 mpg. The Spurs would be thrilled to see 10 rpg while providing an efficient 18 foot jump shot and solid defense.

The Spurs needed to get younger…in comes DaJuan Blair; the stud college bruiser, who dropped from guaranteed lottery to surprising second rounder, was snatched up by the ever aware Spurs who didn’t hesitate taking him with the 37th pick in the 2009 NBA Draft. I’m not saying he will one day replace Duncan, but he will certainly be an effective player and give them someone to bang bodies with the Lakers big men. I just read that he is considering sporting the #37 to match his draft pick and all I can think of is Nick ‘the Quick’ Van Exel-lent, who too was once drafted #37 overall way back in the 1993 NBA Draft. I can still see my giant poster of Nick stapled to the ceiling over my bed in the house I grew up in and I remember going to sleep every night reading the quote “I play because the 37th draft pick usually doesn’t” over and over again. I knew that Van Exel played such inspired ball because he wanted to make every team that passed him up pay. Watch out Laker fans, because I can see Blair taking the same approach and will be the driving force behind him becoming a beast on the boards, and a major pain for the Lakers.

The Matchups

Point Guards — The speed of Parker and reserve George Hill will still cause all kinds of problems for Derek Fisher, Jordan Farmar, and Shannon Brown. However, I am interested to see how well Brown can utilize his size and strength to try and bully Parker.

Wings — A healthy Manu will go a long way in how successful the Spurs will be vs the Lakers. On defense, he is always active trying to disrupt things. On offense, the things he can do with the ball in his hands causes all kinds of problems defensively for the Lakers. Jefferson might not be able to get into Kobe like Bowen used to, but talk about an upgrade on the offensive end. Kobe will have to stay honest on defense, regardless of whether he’s defending Manu or RJ, and won’t be able to roam freely. They still can bring in sharp shooters Roger Mason Jr. and Michael Finley off the bench. The good news for the Lakers, with Artest and Kobe, we have two elite perimeter defenders to better match up against the new look Spurs.

Bigs — It starts with Duncan, but having McDyess to help defend Andrew Bynum and Pau Gasol is a big help. The rookie Blair seems like a tough match up because of his strength as he should be able to bully the Lakers for rebounds. They also added the shot blocking of Theo Ratliff and still have Matt Bonner to space the floor. Lamar Odom becomes even more essential as his length and versatility are key. He can defend Timmy in the low post, run out to a shooter like Bonner, or to help box out and out reach a guy like Blair.

It all adds up to one thing:  The Spurs are back. The scary thing is, the four-time champs actually seem better than ever. Don’t worry Laker faithful, our addition of Artest will help us out immensely. Either way, it should be fun to watch this mighty Spurs team go up against our champion Lakers — and if we’re lucky, we’ll see a Western Conference Finals next year for the ages. May the best team win!

Laker Pride

I’ll be the first to admit that i’ve been critical of the Lakers all season. Not out of spite, but more because of a lack of effort and resiliency. Last night though, I saw a Laker team that refused to bow out. I saw a Laker team that fought through adversity on the road. I saw a Laker team that came together on the biggest stage to show a nation of doubters that they were, in fact, the real deal.

So what if  they came up a little short?  All I know is that this was one of the easier losses for me to swallow all post season because I knew we didn’t give it away. I know that sounds terrible, but lets be real… the Lakers aren’t perfect. Time to step outside of the bubble and see them for what they are. The reality is the Lakers can be stagnant on offense sometimes and in such cases Kobe is our bailout. The reality is the Laker Defense can be shaky. The reality is that it would be nice to win it all at home. The reality is, the Lakers could have given up game 3 in the first quarter… but they didn’t.

Laker pride is a term that my friends and I throw around a lot, it’s one of those “we aren’t going to throw anybody under the bus” things. Laker pride is more of a state of mind than  anything, it’s kinda like the Zen Phil throws around the locker room. It’s about not falling victim to the press, to the Kobe hating, to the never ending drama that is inherent to the Laker organization. Laker pride is about not giving up. In a postseason where Laker fever was no longer a pandemic, Laker pride seemed to be on the verge of extinction.

That is, until last night at least. Last night the Lakers battled through another storm in Florida. They went punch for punch with the Magic (who had an historic/unbelievable shooting night). Last night, Laker pride seemed to have infected the whole Laker team. They lost, I know… but if you are going to lose, that’s how you lose.

The Lakers went down swinging and didn’t show any signs of letting up until the final buzzer rang. The players were all confident, resilient, and ready to battle. They did everything to win a  game nobody thought they would. I was proud and you should be too, the Lakers have come a long way from the beginning of the playoffs.

With game 4 tomorrow, I’ll put my money on the Lakers. The Magic played a perfect game and the odds of them playing another one like that are slim to none. I think a friend of mine said it best: “I believe in Kobe, not in Magic”. Laker pride.

The Importance of Winning on the Road

The biggest news going into the playoffs is injuries. Kevin Garnett is shockingly out for the playoffs for Boston, and the Spurs will be without their super-sub, Manu Ginobili, for their playoff run.

The door has blown open for a number of teams, including the Magic, Nuggets, and Blazers.

The key in the playoffs will be who can pull out the big wins on the road.

The critics seemed to be in love with the young Portland team the past few days, saying that their only weakness was their youth. They seemed prophetic as the Blazers young guns were shooting blanks Saturday night at the Rose Garden. Yao Ming got the Rockets off to a good start and they dominated on both ends, winning by 27.

The injuries played a big part as the Bulls squeaked one out in Boston over the defending champs in overtime, and the Mavs controlled the game in the second half in San Antonio and eventually won by eight.

What better person to talk about how to win on the road than Kenny “the Jet” Smith, whose Rockets team won a ring as the sixth seed — meaning they won every series without home court. He talked about this after the Lakers/Nuggets game on April 9th, going over what he believed were the top four components to winning on the road in the NBA.

Breaking News: Kobe & LeBron Meet in the Finals

ESPN.com just broke the story.

Kevin Garnett could be out the rest of the season, missing what would have been a great rematch between the Cavs and Celtics.

This opens the door for just about everyone. By everyone, really I only mean the Orlando Magic, who quickly become the sole contender in the East that can knock off LeBron’s Cavs — although highly unlikely.

The Celtics will miss KG even more than the Lakers missed Andrew Bynum in last year’s playoffs. KG is the heart and soul of that Celtics locker room and their defensive core.

I am no longer sure if Paul Pierce and Ray Allen can even make it out of the first round vs the surging Bulls. Granted, the Bulls cannot win on the road, and they lost their final game to the Raptors — who were eliminated from the playoffs weeks ago — in Chicago, with a chance to secure the sixth seed and get a first round match up against the Magic instead (although looking back, maybe they knew The Big Ticket’s injury was worse than the Celtics were leading on). In that case, smart move Vinny Del Negro.

It is a shame because I, personally, was looking forward to exacting some revenge against the men in green in the Finals this year, and then seeing the mammoth match up with the Cavs in next season’s Finals.

Not now though. It looks like the match up we were all really hoping for seems even more destined.

Lakers vs Cavs. Kobe vs LeBron. Skilled vet vs young beast.

Or the flopping Sasha vs the flailing Varejao. And of course, Boobie vs The Machine!

David Stern can try and pretend he is excited that the field is “open” and it does not matter who makes the Finals, but I know the truth.

This is good for the league. TNT preaches drama…it does not get any more dramatic than the two best players on the two best teams going head to head in an all out seven game war on the biggest stage for the grandest of prizes — not to mention, Kobe and LeBron look forward to the challenge of defending one another.

I do not want to get too far ahead of myself. The two teams still have to get there, and I have a strange feeling it will not be as easy as it seems for either team.

If you recall, last year was no cake-walk for the Celtics, who needed 26 games to get their 16 wins for a title. This included the unlikely seven game series vs Atlanta; another seven games required to knock off LeBron; followed by two more series that went to six games. They also needed a complete meltdown by the Lakers in game four of the Finals — who lost a 24 point lead in a hurry — to stop that series from going seven.

The Celtics also heavily relied on their home court, going 3-9 on the road.

The Lakers must be kicking themselves for at least four games they gave up over the course of the long season.

• First, it was the tip-in by Troy Murphy that gave the Pacers an improbable victory over the 14-1 Lakers (they outscored us 32-16 in the fourth).
• Then, the killer last second shot by Andre Iguodala over Trevor Ariza (who had a foul to give!), that should never have been a game that was that close in the first place, seeing as the Lakers were up 14 with about eight minutes to go in the fourth.
• We also cannot forgot the forgettable sweep by the Charlotte Bobcats. Yes, the sorry Cats are 2-0 vs our mighty Lakers (six of seven now). The first game we lost at home, in double overtime (inexcusable), even after Bynum knocked Gerald Wallace out of the game in the fourth. The second game toward the end of a seven game road trip, and we simply looked road weary, shooting only 39%, scoring 84 points, and putting up only 20 points in each of the final three quarters (I will give some credit to the Bobcats who did play some aggressive defense).

Regardless, the Lakers go into the playoffs with the best road record in the league (29-12) and having swept the season series vs the Cavs, should be fully confident, regardless of where we are playing.

With the late additions of what appears to be a healthy Bynum, as well as an athlete like Shannon Brown, the Lakers look as formidable as ever.

If these two titans can find their way to the promised land, the series has the makings to go down in the basketball annuals as one of the best Finals ever.

Best Teams in the NBA — April 3rd

The Second Coming of Magic/Bird/Jordan?

How good is this years MVP race!  Three guys who are getting the most out of their teammates by pushing them to be the best they can on a nightly basis.  It has also become a can-you-top-this race as it is pretty clear they are paying attention to one another.

Not that I am in favor, or even think Dwayne Wade has a realistic chance at the MVP trophy (due to the lack of talent around him and the fact they are only six games over .500), but he continues to amaze.  Thanks to ESPN, who just informed the world that Wade produces 49.7% of the Heat’s field goals created, if you include assists and field goals made; LeBron James creates 46.4%; and Kobe Bryant creates 37.2%.  Wade’s 29.9 ppg average is 30.3% of the team’s points; LeBron’s 28.5 ppg is 28.4%; Kobe’s 28 ppg is 25.9%.

This got me to thinking:  Is it fair to compare this trio to Magic Johnson, Larry Bird, and Michael Jordan?

The answer is probably not, at least not yet.  However, I am going to compare them side by side nonetheless.  What I want to do is actually look at LeBron as Magic; Wade as MJ; and Kobe as Bird.

• The new group has four rings between them — the 80s and 90s boys produced 14.
• The current trio has one MVP — the old trio had 11.
• KLW have made the All-NBA First Team eight times (going on 11 after this year) — MJB has 28.

How do they compare at the same age

• Bird (age 30) — 37.1% of team’s FG         Kobe — 37.2%
• Magic (age 24) — 34.1% of team’s FG      LeBron — 46.4%
• Jordan (age 27) — 39.7% of team’s FG     Wade — 49.7%

During one of their MVP seasons

• Bird — 38.9% (’84-’85)
• Magic — 44.4% (’86-’87)
• Jordan — 39.3% (’91-’92)

Obviously, there is more we can do to compare the groups, but I think this current trio stands out and is on their way.  Bird and Magic took the league to new heights during the 80s; Jordan then ran with it in the 90s.  To really make a statement, this group has to do the same, and I think the NBA is clearly trying to use Kobe, LeBron, and to a lessor extent Wade, to promote the league in a similar way.  They are becoming global icons, thanks in part to the Olympics, but what will really define their greatness, and whether they will stand the test of time, is if they win less hardware (MVPs) and more jewelry (rings) as their forefathers did decades earlier.

Winning defines us!

How good is the Lakers bench?

The Lakers bench might be the key to everything

I want to compare the top five teams — LAL, CLE, BOS, ORL, SAS — to see whose reserves play a bigger role.

I first want to point out that many will argue the significance of bench play come playoff time, considering most coaches use an 8-man rotation, thus lessening the impact of bench players.  I would argue that if that was the case, wouldn’t teams like the Magic and Celtics — who play their starters nearly ten minutes per game more than both the Lakers and Cavs, and 20 more minutes than the Spurs, but that is expected seeing the Spurs have one of the oldest teams in the league — have the advantage seeing their starting lineups do more for their respective teams?  Or, will guys like Kobe, Duncan, and Manu be fresh for the playoffs, having played fewer minutes over the course of the season?  Personally, in most cases I do not think the bench plays a significant role in a teams’ success in the playoffs; however, this Lakers team is constructed like no other and, as I will point out below, their bench play as important a role as any to the overall success of the team.

*Numbers as of 3/9/09

Points per 100 possessions:

• The Lakers starters score 13.3 more points per 100 possessions than their reserves.
• The Cavs starters score 5.7 more points per 100 possessions than their reserves.
• The Celtics starters score 2.3 more points per 100 possessions than their reserves.
• The Magic starters score 2.8 more points per 100 possessions than their reserves.
• The Spurs starters score 1.1 less points per 100 possessions than their reserves.

*This is the most surprising stat of all, the Lakers starters actually play at a much faster pace, or at least score more efficiently than the bench mob, according to the 13.3 more points scored.

Bench scoring:

• The Lakers bench scores 28% of their total points.
• The Cavs bench scores 26% of their total points.
• The Celtics bench scores 27% of their total points.
• The Magic bench scores 22% of their total points.
• The Spurs bench scores 33% of their total points.

*The Spurs lean on their bench to score significantly more than their counterparts, while the Magic’s glaring need is some more bench scoring.

Rebounds:

• The Lakers bench grabs 33% of their total rebounds.
• The Cavs bench grabs 32% of their total rebounds.
• The Celtics bench 29% of their total rebounds.
• The Magic bench 27% of their total rebounds.
• The Spurs bench 39% of their total rebounds.

*Again, the Spurs rely heavily on their bench to contribute some rebounds; the Lakers and Cavs are not far behind; the Magic and Cavs do not have as strong rebounders coming off the bench.

Steals:

• The Lakers bench snatches 52% of their total steals.
• The Cavs bench snatches 27% of their total steals.
• The Celtics bench snatches 33% of their total steals.
• The Magic bench snatches 30% of their total steals.
• The Spurs bench snatches 49% of their total steals.

*The Lakers bench, as I have documented before, relies heavily on their ability to force turnovers, more importantly, get steals so that they may get out on the fast break, evidenced by their 52% contribution.  Meanwhile, LeBron’s bench only contribute about a fourth of their steals.

Blocks:

• The Lakers bench rejects 34% of their total blocks.
• The Cavs bench rejects 25% of their total blocks.
• The Celtics bench rejects 28% of their total blocks.
• The Magic bench rejects 23% of their total blocks.
• The Spurs bench rejects 41% of their total blocks.

*It is clear that the heavy minutes given to the Spurs subs (Gregg Popovich has always found a way to rest his stars more than other coaches) has a direct effect on what they contribute to the team.  It also shows that the Spurs bench is much deeper than even I thought.  The Magic prove once again they do not ask much of their bench.

Turnovers:

• The Lakers bench contributes 36% of their total turnovers.
• The Cavs bench contributes 28% of their total turnovers.
• The Celtics bench contributes 28% of their total turnovers.
• The Magic bench contributes 21% of their total turnovers.
• The Spurs bench contributes 38% of their total turnovers.

*This is difficult to judge seeing the Magic play their bench less, so you would figure their turnovers would be lower, but does that mean their bench is more careful than the other benches?

All in all, I would conclude that the Lakers bench clearly plays a vital role in their success, and will continue to play important minutes, even as Phil Jackson shortens his rotation for the playoffs.  The idea behind our deep bench is to change the pace of the game, tire out the opponent, and keep our best players fresh for the fourth quarter, in case they are needed.  The bench has also proved, more times than not, that they are more than capable of not only keeping the game even, but extending a lead or cutting into a deficit.

Are the young Blazers really a threat?

I was reading up on somethign the Elias Sports Bureau reported.  They said the Lakers have lost seven straight vs Portland (the longest road losing streak vs anyone), 20 of 26 regular-season games at the Rose Garden, and 26 of 32 at Portland, going back to ‘93.

After watching that beat down, and hearing that the Lakers have won only six out of the last 32 games in Portland, it makes you realize that if the Blazers can get back into the fourth seed and win home court vs the Jazz (another great home team, bad road team) then they would meet up with the Lakers in the 2nd round, and who knows.  At that point, we struggle so much at the Rose Garden, that they would only need to sneak one game from us (the first game of any series is always the most up for grabs — an Any Given Sunday type atmosphere) and win out their home games to steal the series.  The West will certainly not be as easy to win as our large lead over every team suggests (currently seven games ahead of San Antonio, 3/11/09).  Plus, with Bynum’s status still up in the air (anyone hear anything positive on this guy lately?) and now Lamar reverting back to his mysterious self, who knows how we will stand up in the playoffs.

Now when we might meet up with the Blazers varies due to another tight race in the West.  They are three games out of the 2nd seed, but only a game and a half away from falling down to the 8th seed.  In the West, lose three straight and move from a close fight for 2nd, all the way down to the 7th seed (just ask Denver); and win 12 straight to find yourself with home court in the first round instead of lottery bound.

The Blazers slow the game down, limit a teams’ possessions (a great tool vs a high octane offense like the Lakers — think of a great running game that is used to counter and limit the possessions of a great QB like Peyton Manning), have a big edge in defensive rebounds per game over their opponent, and let’s face it, Brandon Roy is a legit Superstar who plays big when they need it most (two game winners already this year).  They put the smack down on us and made a big statement.

Lakers/Rockets Preview

The Lakers and Rockets have had some good battles over the years.  I now present each players’ career high — as a Laker — in scoring, and their career average vs Houston.

Starting Unit:

Fisher      23 point (8.6 ppg in 41 career games)

Kobe       53 points twice (26.9 ppg in 40 career games)

Walton     18 points (5.1 ppg in 18 career games)

Odom      22 points (15.5 ppg in 25 career games)

Gasol       20 points (18.6 ppg in 27 career games)

Bench Mob:

Ariza        14 points (9 ppg in 6 career games)

Farmar     16 points (7 ppg in 7 career games)

Vujacic     9 points (2.8 ppg in 9 career games)

Andrew Bynum had his best scoring night on November 9th earlier this season, putting up 13 points.  He has averaged 7 ppg & 4.8 rpg in 8 career games vs Yao (I do not know about you, but I cannot wait to get him back and in game shape).

Case for MVP, Part II

How do our MVP candidates fair vs the best defensive teams in the league?  

First, we must define what makes a good defensive team.  I think we can all agree the team must hold their opponent to a low shooting percentage, which should directly affect the number of points they score (depending on a team’s tempo), and they should secure a high amount of defensive rebounds.  We have all seen in a number of games this year with the Lakers, they can hold a team under 40% shooting, but only be up one due to the number of second chance points.  Now because the speed at which a team plays can affect total rebounds and total points, I cannot simply use Points Allowed or Total Rebounds as the only indicator of a good defense.  For example, Portland allows 95.1 ppg (putting them 8th in the league), but is near the bottom in possessions per game; meaning they slow the game down, allowing for less opportunities for their opponent to score.  This is a good example, because just going by points allowed you would think they play good D.  However, they are a lowly 22nd in the league in FG% allowed (46.48%).  Also, they are 7th in Defensive Rebound Differential, but 2nd to last in per game averages.  This is why I am taking into account three different aspects of defense.

An interesting side note, I came up with this on my own and later referred to Basketball-Reference.com.  They have a Defensive Rating that factors the points allowed per 100 possessions, and it turns out we have the same five teams at the top.  Looks like I knew what I was doing after all.

With that said, the following five teams are what I consider the best defensive teams, in order:

• Boston (1st in FG%, 2nd in PPG, 1st in Def Reb Diff, 1st in Def Rat)
• Cleveland (2nd in FG%, 1st in PPG, 2nd in Def Reb Diff, 2nd in Def Rat)
• Houston (5th in FG%, 7th in PPG, 3rd in Def Reb Diff, 5th in Def Rat)
• Orlando (3rd in FG%, 9th in PPG, 6th in Def Reb Diff, 3rd in Def Rat)
• Spurs (9th in FG%, 4th in PPG, 11th in Def Reb Diff, 4th in Def Rat)

*So how do the Lakers compare to the best defensive teams:  6th in FG%, 18th in PPG, 5th in Def Reb Diff, 6th in Defensive Rating, and they also are 1st in rebounds per game and 1st in Offensive Rating (you guessed it, the # of points scored per 100 possessions).

Kobe Bryant

Boston 2-0

26.5 ppg  5.0 apg  9.5 rpg  1.0 spg  1.0 bpg  2.5 3pg  3.5 tpg  44.23%

Cleveland 2-0

19.5 ppg  7.0 apg  4.5 rpg  1.0 spg  0.5 bpg  0.5 3pg  3.5 tpg  43.59%

Houston 2-0

28.0 ppg  3.5 apg  5.0 rpg  1.0 spg  1.0 bpg  1.0 3pg  3.0 tpg  46.94%

Orlando 0-2

34.5 ppg  7.0 apg  10.5 rpg  1.0 spg  0 blk  1.5 3pg  3.5 tpg  42.11%

San Antonio 1-1

25.5 ppg  6.5 apg  5.5 rpg  0.5 spg  1 bpg  2.0 3pg  2.5 tpg  52.78%

Dwayne Wade

Boston 0-1

25.0 ppg  4.0 apg  4.0 rpg  2.0 spg  0 blk  2.0 3pg  3.0 tpg  42.94%

Cleveland 1-3

29.0 ppg  10.2 apg  6.0 rpg  4 spg  0.5 bpg  1.0 3pg  4.5 tpg  43.56%

Houston 0-2

26.0 ppg  6.5 apg  3.5 rpg  3.5 spg  0 blk  2.5 3pg  4.0 tpg  37.50%

Orlando 1-2

36.6 ppg  5.67 apg  6.67 rpg  1.0 spg  1.0 bpg  0.67 3pg  1.67 tpg  55.0%

San Antonio 1-1

28.5 ppg  10.5 apg  7.0 rpg  3.5 spg  0 blk  0.5 3pg  4.0 tpg  47.06%

LeBron James

Boston 1-2

27.0 ppg  5.67 apg  6.67 rpg  2.33 spg  1.33 bpg  1.67 3pg  3.33 tpg  44.26%

Miami 3-1 (LeBron cannot play his own team, so I included his #s vs another good D, the Heat)

31.8 ppg  8.0 apg  6.5 rpg  0.5 spg  1.25 bpg  2.75 3pg  3.75 tpg  53.16%

Houston 1-1

24.0 ppg  2.5 apg  5.0 rpg  2.0 spg  1.5 bpg  1.0 3pg  5.0 tpg  40.91%

Orlando 0-1

23.0 ppg  8.0 apg  8.0 rpg  1.0 spg  1.0 bpg  zero 3M  2.0 tpg  37.37%

San Antonio 1-0

30.0 ppg  4.0 apg  14.0 rpg  2.0 spg  0 blk  3.0 3pg  1.0 tpg  52.17%

Kobe overall (record 7-3):  

26.8 ppg  5.8 apg  7.0 rpg  0.9 spg  0.7 bpg  1.5 3pg  3.2 tpg  45.49% FG

Wade overall (record 3-9):

30.0 ppg  8.0 apg  5.75 rpg  2.91 spg  0.41 bpg  1.1 3pg  3.5 tpg  46.80% FG

LeBron overall (record 6-5):

Looks like while Kobe has the edge in record vs the best defensive teams, Wade has the advantage in overall numbers.