As the USA rolls over its Olympic competition, LeBron James is clearly demonstrating he is a better all-around player than Kobe Bryant -- and not just because of his better statistics.
BEIJING -- Heading into these Olympic Games, as American men's basketball began its great image overhaul, two questions lingered over the group that has become known as the Redeem Team.
The first was whether the United States could win the gold medal. And while that will not be answered until Sunday, one does not have to be an oracle to figure it out.
The second was how the alpha-dog dynamic between the planet's two brightest stars, Kobe Bryant and LeBron James, would play out. That answer, too, has been as clear as the U.S. dominance in this tournament.
From his persistent vocal leadership to his rugged rebounding to his ability to drive to the hoop at will, James has outplayed Bryant. He has played multiple positions, emerged as the vocal leader and has better statistics.
And while Bryant has not played poorly, he has continued to play like he is on his NBA team instead of adapting and adjusting to his more talented Olympic teammates. James has stood out precisely because he has blended in so well.
"I knew it had to come from someone," James said of his leadership role. "It doesn't matter how good individuals are, if you don't have a leader, it's not going to be right. I took that responsibility from Day 1, saying I'm going to be the vocal leader and I'm going to be the leader of this team."
Bryant, meanwhile, has looked a bit lost. He has seemingly yet to realize that although taking 16-foot fadeaways or pull-up 3-pointers in transition instead of passing to Luke Walton or Trevor Ariza may be a smart play in the NBA taking those shots rather than pass to Dwyane Wade or Carmelo Anthony with Team USA is not always wise.
Bryant had his best game of the Olympics on Wednesday, scoring 25 points as the United States beat Australia, 116-85. He had his best half of the games, too, scoring nine points during the Americans' 14-0 run to start the second half. In Friday's semifinal round, the United States will play Manu Ginobili and Argentina, which beat Greece, 80-78 in their quarterfinal, on Wednesday.
Even with his hot second-half shooting, Bryant still has not quite bought into coach Mike Krzyzewski's team mantra of taking "USA shots." It's been a subtle way for Krzyzewski to preach to his players that the shots they take in NBA team may not necessarily be the best ones for this team.
It is hard to criticize the play of the national team. It has won its six games here by an average of 32 points. But when the offense has stagnated, as in the first quarter Wednesday, when Australia trailed by just 25-24, it has typically been with Bryant forcing shots. Is that trying to find pimples on the Mona Lisa? Perhaps. But the numbers will show just how much better and more consistent James has played.
James has better statistics in every relevant category. He has averaged more points (15.8 to 14.7) by taking 13 fewer shots and nearly half as many 3-point shots as Bryant (36 to 19). James has grabbed more rebounds (31 to 17), dished more assists (25 to 10) and turned the ball over less often (12 to 10). And he has been to the free-throw line more than twice as often (20 to nine), reflective of James' greatest strength here and Bryant's greatest weakness.
James has shown that no defender in international play can keep him from driving to the basket, so he has barreled down anyone in his path. Bryant has played with too much finesse, flipping up turnaround shots and 3-pointers instead of attacking the basket or looking to pass to his teammates.
"For me, I'm a complete team player," James said. "I'm probably the ultimate team player. I'll sacrifice whatever for the success of the team. Kobe is a great, great, great player. It's not hard for me and Kobe to get along because of my game and his game."
If the great NBA bar debate over who is the best player in the world was based on Olympic play, it would not be much of a debate.
Perhaps what has been most impressive about James is his selflessness. He did a full body dive to save a loose ball in the third quarter against Australia. He has played out of position, at power forward, for much of the time and has given the United States the defense and rebounding production it has needed.
"I'm proud of him," Krzyzewski said. "I'm really pleased with where he's at."
Thanks largely to James's contributions, the Americans are very likely to be pleased at where they end up in this tournament. No one more than James. Not counting last summer's FIBA Tournament of the Americas, he has not won a title since he was a high school senior in Ohio.
"This means a lot more to me than anything," James said. "Representing my country and being out here playing against some of the best athletes in the world, this is big."
And he has played like winning the gold is bigger than he is.
by Pete Thamel, New York Times News Service Wednesday August 20, 2008, 11:09 PM
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