Kobe Bryant retired on top, scoring 60 points in his final game. Bryant will go down in history as one of the best scorers of all time, and one of the best players of all time in general. Some say he is the greatest basketball player since Michael Jordan, and the proof is obviously there: 5 NBA Championships, 18 All-Star selections, and 1 MVP award. The only other player who can even touch his legacy as the greatest player of the 21st century is, of course, LeBron James.
James is also one of the greatest to play the game, accumulating a variety of accolades, most notably: 3 NBA Championships, 3 NBA Finals MVP Awards, and 4 MVP awards. LeBron has said he is aiming to be better than Jordan, and establish himself as the greatest player of all time.
So which of these future Hall-of-Famers is truly going to go down as the best player to step foot on a basketball court since Michael Jordan? Let's settle it by having them play each other in a 7 game series, simulated using WhatIfSports's NBA SimMatchup Basketball Tool, which also provides a play-by-play summary of the game.
We're going to use the 2012-13 Heat, which was the Heat team with LeBron and Wade, as well as the 2000-01 Lakers, featuring the legendary duo of Kobe and Shaq.
Note: This simulation is the outcome projected by the NBA SimMatchup Tool, not my predicted outcome.
Game 1 (American Airlines Arena)
The series opens up with a strong performance from Miami. LeBron would accumulate 28 points, 12 assists, as well as 5 rebounds, leading all players in scoring. Wade and Bosh would combine for 44 points, 17 rebounds, and 5 assists. Shaq would lead Los Angeles in scoring with 24 points, adding to his 13 rebounds. Kobe would have a slow start, with only 12 points, and the Heat would begin the series with a victory.
Heat: 103
Lakers: 91
Game 2 (American Airlines Arena)
LeBron James would bring another strong performance by having a triple-double, with 27 points, 10 rebounds, and 13 assists. Wade would also put up 21 points, and Bosh would have 17. However, the Lakers would retaliate, with Shaquille O'Neal scoring 32 points, as well as having 11 rebounds and 7 assists. Kobe would come back, with 30 points, 9 rebounds, and 8 assists in the Lakers win.
Heat: 105
Lakers: 112
Game 3 (Staples Center)
Miami would fire back, with LeBron scoring 30 points while dishing out 10 assists and grabbing 7 rebounds. Dwyane Wade would score 25, adding to his 10 assists and 5 rebounds. The Heat bench would step up, with Chris Andersen scoring 10 and Norris Cole getting 6 assists. The Lakers would have a rough game, with Kobe scoring only 13 points, and Shaq finishing with 6 rebounds. The Heat would take the victory in a blowout.
Heat: 114
Lakers: 96
Game 4 (Staples Center)
LeBron James would have another huge game, with 35 points, 9 rebounds, and 5 assists, while Wade would get 28 points and 10 rebounds in addition to 4 assists. Bosh would lead the Heat in rebounds with 12, and add 18 points. The Lakers would be led by Shaq, who scored 37 points while getting 10 rebounds and 6 blocks. Kobe would score 17, but the Lakers bench would not step up, and Miami would get off to a 3-1 lead.
Heat: 99
Lakers: 89
Game 5 (American Airlines Arena)
The Big 3 of Miami would combine to score 61 points, with LeBron scoring 29, and racking up 14 rebounds and 6 assists. Ray Allen would hit 4 3-pointers off the bench, and Chris Andersen would grab 10 boards. However, this wasn't enough. Kobe would have the best game of the series, with 33 points, and Shaq would have a legendary night, amassing a whopping 21 rebounds in addition to 24 points, destroying the Heat on the boards. Kobe's late game 6-point stretch would lead to a small margin of victory for Los Angeles.
Heat: 87
Lakers: 92
Game 6 (Staples Center)
The Heat would have a strong game, with LeBron scoring 26 and Wade with 22. However, their rebounding performance was unacceptable, with Bosh leading the team with 7 rebounds. The Lakers would dominate the boards once again, with Shaq racking up 19 rebounds in addition to 37 points. Kobe would score 28 points, and rack up 8 rebounds and 7 assists in the process. Horace Grant's 18 points would also help the Lakers take the victory in Game 6.
Heat: 92
Lakers: 102
Game 7 (American Airlines Arena)
Kobe would put up huge numbers in this game, leading all players in scoring with 32 points. Shaquille O'Neal would grab 15 rebounds on his way to 22 points, and Derek Fisher would put 22 and 7 assists. However, the Heat bench would propel them to a victory. Shane Battier would score 15 points off of the bench, and Udonis Haslem would grab 12 rebounds. LeBron would have a triple-double, with 25 points, 11 rebounds, and 5 assists. At the end of the third quarter, the score was 79-77, the Heat in the lead. A pair of 3-pointers from Battier, a 10-0 scoring run led by LeBron, and the Lakers bench with a bad shooting performance would give the Miami Heat a victory.
Heat: 105
Lakers: 94
Series MVP: LeBron James (28.6 PPG, 8.7 RPG, 7.9 APG)
In the duel between Kobe and Shaq and LeBron and Wade, the latter would prevail. Of course, this doesn't mean LeBron is better, for it is just a simulation. The Heat team led by LeBron was dominant because LeBron was in his prime, and the team had unstoppable chemistry and a strong bench unit. Next matchup, we will take LeBron's 2015-16 Cavaliers and match them up against Kobe's 2005-06 Lakers, and see which team prevails.
James is also one of the greatest to play the game, accumulating a variety of accolades, most notably: 3 NBA Championships, 3 NBA Finals MVP Awards, and 4 MVP awards. LeBron has said he is aiming to be better than Jordan, and establish himself as the greatest player of all time.
So which of these future Hall-of-Famers is truly going to go down as the best player to step foot on a basketball court since Michael Jordan? Let's settle it by having them play each other in a 7 game series, simulated using WhatIfSports's NBA SimMatchup Basketball Tool, which also provides a play-by-play summary of the game.
We're going to use the 2012-13 Heat, which was the Heat team with LeBron and Wade, as well as the 2000-01 Lakers, featuring the legendary duo of Kobe and Shaq.
Note: This simulation is the outcome projected by the NBA SimMatchup Tool, not my predicted outcome.
Game 1 (American Airlines Arena)
The series opens up with a strong performance from Miami. LeBron would accumulate 28 points, 12 assists, as well as 5 rebounds, leading all players in scoring. Wade and Bosh would combine for 44 points, 17 rebounds, and 5 assists. Shaq would lead Los Angeles in scoring with 24 points, adding to his 13 rebounds. Kobe would have a slow start, with only 12 points, and the Heat would begin the series with a victory.
Heat: 103
Lakers: 91
Game 2 (American Airlines Arena)
LeBron James would bring another strong performance by having a triple-double, with 27 points, 10 rebounds, and 13 assists. Wade would also put up 21 points, and Bosh would have 17. However, the Lakers would retaliate, with Shaquille O'Neal scoring 32 points, as well as having 11 rebounds and 7 assists. Kobe would come back, with 30 points, 9 rebounds, and 8 assists in the Lakers win.
Heat: 105
Lakers: 112
Game 3 (Staples Center)
Miami would fire back, with LeBron scoring 30 points while dishing out 10 assists and grabbing 7 rebounds. Dwyane Wade would score 25, adding to his 10 assists and 5 rebounds. The Heat bench would step up, with Chris Andersen scoring 10 and Norris Cole getting 6 assists. The Lakers would have a rough game, with Kobe scoring only 13 points, and Shaq finishing with 6 rebounds. The Heat would take the victory in a blowout.
Heat: 114
Lakers: 96
Game 4 (Staples Center)
LeBron James would have another huge game, with 35 points, 9 rebounds, and 5 assists, while Wade would get 28 points and 10 rebounds in addition to 4 assists. Bosh would lead the Heat in rebounds with 12, and add 18 points. The Lakers would be led by Shaq, who scored 37 points while getting 10 rebounds and 6 blocks. Kobe would score 17, but the Lakers bench would not step up, and Miami would get off to a 3-1 lead.
Heat: 99
Lakers: 89
Game 5 (American Airlines Arena)
The Big 3 of Miami would combine to score 61 points, with LeBron scoring 29, and racking up 14 rebounds and 6 assists. Ray Allen would hit 4 3-pointers off the bench, and Chris Andersen would grab 10 boards. However, this wasn't enough. Kobe would have the best game of the series, with 33 points, and Shaq would have a legendary night, amassing a whopping 21 rebounds in addition to 24 points, destroying the Heat on the boards. Kobe's late game 6-point stretch would lead to a small margin of victory for Los Angeles.
Heat: 87
Lakers: 92
Game 6 (Staples Center)
The Heat would have a strong game, with LeBron scoring 26 and Wade with 22. However, their rebounding performance was unacceptable, with Bosh leading the team with 7 rebounds. The Lakers would dominate the boards once again, with Shaq racking up 19 rebounds in addition to 37 points. Kobe would score 28 points, and rack up 8 rebounds and 7 assists in the process. Horace Grant's 18 points would also help the Lakers take the victory in Game 6.
Heat: 92
Lakers: 102
Game 7 (American Airlines Arena)
Kobe would put up huge numbers in this game, leading all players in scoring with 32 points. Shaquille O'Neal would grab 15 rebounds on his way to 22 points, and Derek Fisher would put 22 and 7 assists. However, the Heat bench would propel them to a victory. Shane Battier would score 15 points off of the bench, and Udonis Haslem would grab 12 rebounds. LeBron would have a triple-double, with 25 points, 11 rebounds, and 5 assists. At the end of the third quarter, the score was 79-77, the Heat in the lead. A pair of 3-pointers from Battier, a 10-0 scoring run led by LeBron, and the Lakers bench with a bad shooting performance would give the Miami Heat a victory.
Heat: 105
Lakers: 94
Series MVP: LeBron James (28.6 PPG, 8.7 RPG, 7.9 APG)
In the duel between Kobe and Shaq and LeBron and Wade, the latter would prevail. Of course, this doesn't mean LeBron is better, for it is just a simulation. The Heat team led by LeBron was dominant because LeBron was in his prime, and the team had unstoppable chemistry and a strong bench unit. Next matchup, we will take LeBron's 2015-16 Cavaliers and match them up against Kobe's 2005-06 Lakers, and see which team prevails.
Once again, this is not my prediction, but a simulation brought to you by WhatIfSports's NBA SimMatchup Basketball Tool.
I do not endorse, own, or claim to own the SimMatchup Tool by WhatIfSports. I am simply a user.
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