How do Kobe and MJ compare?

From basketball courts to NBA studios and even barber shops, fans and analysts have compared Kobe Bryant's game to that of Michael Jordan's. And now the one guy who knows them the best, Phil Jackson, is weighing in on the debate in his new book "Eleven Rings: The Soul of Success" by saying Jordan was a better leader and defender, and was more likely to let his offensive game come to him. Of those comparisons, Kobe said apples to oranges. Is it fair to compare Kobe to Jordan? Whom do you feel was the better leader, shooter and defender? How many championships would MJ and Kobe have won if they switched teammates?

  • Is it fair to compare Kobe Bryant to Michael Jordan?

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      60%
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      40%

    Discuss (Total votes: 10,158)

  • Who was the better on-the-court leader?

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      11%
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      89%

    Discuss (Total votes: 10,264)

  • Who was the better shooter?

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      36%
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      64%

    Discuss (Total votes: 9,793)

  • Who was the better defender?

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      14%
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      86%

    Discuss (Total votes: 9,776)

  • Would Michael Jordan still be considered the greatest player of all time if he had played with Shaquille O'Neal instead of Scottie Pippen?

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      79%
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      21%

    Discuss (Total votes: 8,225)

  • How many of Michael Jordan's six titles would he have still won with Shaquille ONeal instead of Scott Pippen?

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      86%
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      14%

    Discuss (Total votes: 8,132)

  • How many titles would Kobe Bryant have won if he had played with Scottie Pippen instead of Shaquille ONeal?

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      11%
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      14%
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      28%
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      21%
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      26%

    Discuss (Total votes: 7,974)

  • Will you read Phil Jackson's book "Eleven Rings: The Soul of Success?"

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      35%
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      65%

    Discuss (Total votes: 8,536)

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The Memphis Grizzlies made it to the Western Conference Finals for the first time in team history, knocking out the once favored Kevin Durant and the Oklahoma City Thunder. Their reward? Matching up against the San Antonio Spurs, a team making its 12th appearance in the conference finals. Yes, we talked a lot about the hardcourt action this week. For everything else from this week, check out our chat archive.

Ismail (Toronto)

Do you think Memphis without Rudy Gay is a better team?

Michael Wilbon, co-host NBA Countdown
Michael Wilbon

I didn't think that. I thought Memphis needed a reliable scorer in the playoffs, and by that I mean a guy they could simply toss the ball to with the shot clock running down against a terrific defense and that guy could simply get his own shot and hit it 40-plus percent of the time. I thought that guy was Rudy Gay but apparently I was dead wrong. Gay also needed touches, and he wasn't all that efficient, and those touches now go to Marc Gasol and Zack Randolph who are more efficient offensively. ... It looks as though the people who argued for Memphis without Gay are right. Full transcript

Sai (Hawaii)

If the Heat don't win the championship this year, how would that impact LeBron's legacy? Would his reputation go back down to 2010-2011 levels?

Michael Wallace, NBA writer
Michael Wallace

Not really. He's 28 years old, with three trips to the Finals, a ring and 4 MVPs already. His legacy is already solid, and there's plenty of time to build on it. Still, the Heat are the heavy favorites to win a title this year. Anything short of winning it all would be a setback and a failure for this team, barring a major injury. Full transcript

Ed (OKC)

Do you think the Thunder's advanced stats tell them something about Perkins that others just miss? Why else would they keep him around and play him the minutes they did?

Kevin Pelton, NBA Insider
Kevin Pelton

I think the Thunder values continuity a lot more than almost anyone else. That's a little difficult to reconcile with the Harden trade, but explains the reluctance to make major lineup changes. And this year the Oklahoma City starting lineup was very effective at both ends. It just required Westbrook's scoring to make everything work. Full transcript

Chris (Atlanta)

It seems to me that Vancouver's championship window is closed after two straight 1st-round sweeps. Are they now in the position the Flames were in a few years ago, where they should start considering trading away players like the Sedins, Kesler, etc. for younger assets?

Bary Melrose, NHL analyst
Barry Melrose

Don't forget most of those players have no-trades. Just saying you want to move them and begin able to are two different things. They're still a very good regular season club. They have to get their goaltender situation taken care of. They have to figure out Luongo. I don't think they need to blow things up. It's not ready for the scrap heap. They're still a top four team every year in the West. But the first thing that has to happen is Luongo has to be moved. Full transcript

Chris (DC)

Is Tortorella the worst coach you've ever had to cover? His glib press conferences seem extremely disrespectful to the media.

Katie Strang, NHL writer
Katie Strang

Like anything, there are positives and negatives. He can be extremely difficult to deal with yes, but he can also be among the most candid and insightful as well. It's a trade-off, really. Full transcript

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video

A few players have had to drop down the playoff MVP rankings because of, well, their teams losing, but that doesn't mean they didn't make a splash while they were there. Stephen Curry, for one, kept his team alive against the Spurs for longer than most expected. David Thorpe's latest postseason MVP rankings still have Curry in the running, with a surprise choice of Marc Gasol on top. Do you agree?

NBA postseason MVPs

Carmelo Anthony

Carmelo Anthony

Knicks, F
Postseason: 27.9 PPG, 1.5 APG, 6.5 RPG

Chris Bosh

Chris Bosh

Heat, C
Postseason: 13.2 PPG, 1.6 APG, 8.3 RPG, 2.0 BPG

Mike Conley

Mike Conley

Grizzlies, G
Postseason: 17.6 PPG, 7.8 APG, 4.8 RPG

Stephen Curry

Stephen Curry

Warriors, G
Postseason: 23.4 PPG, 8.1 APG, 3.8 RPG, 1.7 SPG

Kevin Durant

Kevin Durant

Thunder, F
Postseason: 30.8 PPG, 6.3 APG, 9.0 RPG, 1.3 SPG

Marc Gasol

Marc Gasol

Grizzlies, C
Postseason: 18.3 PPG, 2.9 APG, 7.9 RPG, 2.2 BPG

Paul George

Paul George

Pacers, F
Postseason: 18.7 PPG, 5.1 APG, 8.5 RPG

LeBron James

LeBron James

Heat, F
Postseason: 24.0 PPG, 7.3 APG, 7.3 RPG, 1.7 SPG

Tony Parker

Tony Parker

Spurs, G
Postseason: 22.4 PPG, 6.3 APG, 4.1 RPG

Zach Randolph

Zach Randolph

Grizzlies, F
Postseason: 19.7 PPG, 1.9 APG, 9.3 RPG

Your Rankings

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Yu Darvish may be a bit of a workhorse, but the number of pitches he threw in Thursday's win over the Tigers seems a bit excessive. The Rangers were leading 9-4 in the sixth inning, with Darvish sitting at 106 pitches -- he proceeded to throw 24 more, coming out only after finishing the eighth inning. Darvish threw 127 pitches against the Red Sox just recently, and though he seems to not be suffering any ill effects, the last thing the Rangers would want to do is to blow out their expensive ace's arm on games that are already 90 percent won.

Join the conversation or respond by signing in or creating a profile and blogging.

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Rob Gronkowski's health

Rob Gronkowski's career has been about big numbers. In 2011, that meant 90 catches and 17 touchdowns. In 2012 and so far in 2013, the big number is four -- as in he's about to have a fourth surgery on his twice-fractured left forearm. A post-surgical infection made the third procedure necessary, and the fourth is reportedly to replace a metal plate in his arm. While Gronk is expected to return as training camp starts, should the Patriots be worried about his ability to stay healthy? Vote below!

  • Rob Gronkowski will have his fourth surgery on his left forearm next week. How worried should the Patriots be about Gronkowski's durability?

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      62%
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      33%
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      5%

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  • How many regular-season games do you expect Rob Gronkowski to play in 2013?

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      10%
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      30%
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      28%
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  • Rob Gronkowski has played three NFL seasons. Which will his 2013 most closely resemble?

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      61%
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      17%
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      22%

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  • Do the Patriots need a healthy Rob Gronkowski to be a Super Bowl contender?

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      80%
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video

J.R. Smith stopped missing all of his shots. Carmelo Anthony put in a very Carmelo Anthony-esque performance. Jason Kidd ... well, Jason Kidd still hasn't scored a point in this series, but he also took only one shot, so that's not too bad. Regardless, the Knicks managed a comfortable win over the Pacers, and George Hill is iffy thanks to a concussion. Things are looking much brighter for the Knicks. We're not calling them favorites, of course, but considering how they looked in the first four games of this series, they're definitely in a much better position.

What do you think? Leave your comments below.


Is Hill the key?

ESPN Stats & Info has the Pacers as plus-6 in net efficiency with George Hill on the floor but minus-20 when he's sitting. All four of their playoff losses have come when he's scored 12 points or fewer.

SportsNation

Could the Pacers win the series against the Knicks if George Hill (concussion) doesn't return?

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    69%
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AP Photo/Eric Gay

NBA Playoffs: Grizzlies vs. Spurs

The Spurs are back in the Western Conference finals for the eighth time in the past 15 years, while the Grizzlies are there for the first time ever. Which team will advance to the Finals? Which players will have the biggest impact on the series? Cast your votes!

  • Which team will win the Grizzlies-Spurs Western Conference finals?

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      4%
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      46%
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      7%
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      43%

    Discuss (Total votes: 16,029)

  • Which coach would you rather have?

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      12%
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      88%

    Discuss (Total votes: 14,871)

  • Which team are you rooting for in the Western Conference finals?

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      61%
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      39%

    Discuss (Total votes: 42,830)

  • Would the Grizzlies have reached the Western Conference finals if they had not traded Rudy Gay?

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      51%
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      49%

    Discuss (Total votes: 39,775)

  • Which Grizzlies player will have the biggest impact on the Western Conference finals?

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      6%
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      17%
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      38%
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      36%
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      3%

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  • Which Spurs player will have the biggest impact on the Western Conference finals?

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      17%
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      15%
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      11%
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      54%
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      3%

    Discuss (Total votes: 12,214)

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Dick Trickle, who died Thursday at age 71 of an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound, is being remembered as one of the best short-track drivers to climb behind the wheel. Trickle, the 1989 rookie of the year in NASCAR's top tier, had only one race win at that level, the 1990 Winston Open, a preliminary to that year's all-star race. But on the short tracks of the Midwest, the Wisconsin native was a legend, earning about 1,000 wins during his career. He is being remembered as a throwback to NASCAR's early days and as a friendly, approachable driver who always made time for fans.

Leave your memories below.

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Welcome to SportsNation! On Friday, ESPN.com IndyCar reporter John Oreovicz stops by to talk about the buildup to this year's Indy 500, which takes place May 26 on ABC.

Oreovicz attended his first Indianapolis 500 as a teenager in 1978 and still hasn't broken the open-wheel racing habit. He has covered nearly 400 Indy-style races for National Speed Sport News and other racing publications around the world, and he co-authored A Winning Adventure, a history of Honda's successful Champ Car engine program. Known as "Oreo" within the IndyCar paddock, John resides within walking distance of his home track, the Indianapolis Motor Speedway.

Send your questions now and join Oreovicz Friday at noon ET!

More John Oreovicz: Search | Chats | Racing Index

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David Beckham to retire

David Beckham has announced he will retire at the end of this season with Paris St.-Germain later this month. He won six Premier League championships and two FA Cups along with a Champions League title for the Red Devils. He landed on U.S. soil in 2007 and led the L.A. Galaxy to two titles. He has model good looks, a famous wife and the ability to make a ball go wherever he wants it. Sound like any Boston-area athletes you may know?

  • How would you describe David Beckham as a soccer player?

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      63%
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      37%

    Discuss (Total votes: 8,300)

  • What will you remember more about David Beckham?

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      53%
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      47%

    Discuss (Total votes: 8,098)

  • How much credit does David Beckham deserve for the growth of MLS since 2007 when he joined the L.A. Galaxy?

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      36%
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      49%
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      15%

    Discuss (Total votes: 13,221)

  • What should David Beckham do after he retires from soccer?

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      39%
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      16%
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      22%
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      3%
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      20%

    Discuss (Total votes: 7,325)

  • Did you ever see the movie "Bend It Like Beckham?"

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      37%
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      63%

    Discuss (Total votes: 7,263)

  • Who is better looking?

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      29%
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      12%
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      59%

    Discuss (Total votes: 7,332)

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