Kobe v. LeBron

David Berri demonstrates a few things remarkably well:

1. Kobe's 61, 0, and 3 was, surprisingly, greater than LeBron's 52, 9, and 11, at least in terms of Wins Produced per 48 minutes. This is because of Kobe's otherworldly scoring efficiency in that game.

2. Overall, LeBron James is a much more productive player than Kobe Bryant. This is true any way you slice the numbers. Both are good players, but LeBron beats Kobe (and just about anyone else, ever) hands down.

3. Bill Simmons is a much, much better writer than David Berri. Despite Berri's excellent insight, the highlight of the article, hands down, is the Simmons quote. Berri's prose, next to it, looks somewhere between pedestrian and perfunctory.