My
before I say who I would favour.
The careers of Kobe and MJ are very similar however how and when their championships were won are very different. Almost opposites.
Kobe: enters league, has shaq and wins titles then struggles with lack of supporting cast for a few years.
MJ: enters league, struggles for years without supporting cast then wins titles.
In my opinion Kobe is now at the level Jordan was at when MJ won his championships. Kobe now recognizes he can't do it himself, embraces the team he has, distributes the ball, gets a couple players that can play, picks his spots to take over a game and hence....imo..... will win his first MVP.
I find it very interesting that the common denominator in this evaluation of both MJ and Kobe finally understanding their role and as a result, the team succeeding, is Phil Jackson.
I for the longest time felt Phil was simply a benefactor of stacked teams. Taking a step back now, I would suggest he is the main reason why perhaps the two greatest NBA players of all time ( certainly athletically if not overall ) were able to take the next step in their amazing careers.
Now..... as far as who I would want to take last shot?
I would still have to go with MJ and I am not even sure that anyone will ever be able to compare in this regard. He lived for those moments. Kobe can finish a game without question and he is very clutch, but MJ just had that something.....
Both are amazing however because opponents and fans alike know they are goign to have the ball in the last seconds and that no matter what, chances are the outcome is a forgone conclusion.
Good post by the way!