Kobe Wins 2nd Title....Oh Wait He Won 3 Others?

As the clock hit triple zeros last night and Kobe made claim to his 5^th title, which I'd argue is his 2^nd in actuality, I knew today would be filled with the age old question of is 'he' better than Jordan? 'He' being the current player of choice with Jordan always being the measuring stick. Today's 'he' just happens to be Kobe Bryant who yesterday, with a little help from his friends, raised the Larry O' Brien Trophy for the 5^th time. I mentioned earlier that in actuality Kobe was a two-time winner, and I did so because his first 3 championships were won alongside Shaquille O'Neal as a secondary player. Key word of course being secondary as Shaquille was the focal point of that team, and clearly showed why as he claimed each of those Finals' MVP awards. During their time together Shaquille O'Neal was the most dominant player in the league, but needed a Robin to take it to the next level. Throw in a master tactician and great communicator in Phil Jackson, and you've got yourself a winning formula. I am in no way shape or form calling Kobe a role player during these years, as he was a key contributor, but the fact remains that he was indeed the complimentary piece. I'm not foolish enough to debate Kobe's brilliance as I'd be fighting a losing battle but if you were taking the stance that Michael's and Kobe's accomplishments could be compared equally, certain points have to be made. Last night Kobe Bryant won his 2^nd title as the clear franchise player and took home the Finals MVP award for the second straight season. On the contrary, Michael Jordan claimed 6 NBA titles as the clear cut 'Guy' and nabbed each of those Finals' MVP awards as well. A quick Google search comparison of these 2 Hall of Fame talents and you'll find Jordan still ranks higher in every statistical category than Kobe Bryant. I won't waste your time with the numbers, as history has shown us only 1 number is relevant enough when ranking the greats of all time, and that's championships. Those of you scoring at home may see Kobe a lot closer to Jordan than I do, as the statement "5 time Champ" now accompanies his name, but for me he still has a long way to go to catch MJ in team accomplishments. So, at this point Michael Jordan still holds a 6-2 advantage over Kobe. Kobe Bryant's individual greatness has certainly put his name in that discussion, but in team sports the ultimate goal still is championships, and to be completely honest Jordan took his team to 6 titles while Kobe took his team to 2. In addition to those 2, he was taken to 3 others by then franchise player Shaquille O'Neal. People forget Shaquille left the Lakers and immediately won another title with Dwayne Wade and a bus load of C players. The Diesel was a game changer, and nobody knows that better than Kobe.