View From The Bridge

On the long list of NBA legends without a championship ring, you could make an argument that Elgin Baylor is without a doubt the most talented of the lot. As a 6'5" small forward, born into an era of Bill Russell's and Wilt Chamberlain's, Baylor still retired from his 14-year career with the knowledge that he changed the game of basketball forever.  As a student who struggled academically throughout high school, Baylor eluded the scouting reports of most division 1 universities - spending most of his time working at the local furniture store and playing pick-up basketball at the local gym. His skill set alone got him a scholarship to Seattle University after a year away from a college court. He immediately lit the NCAA scene alight, taking Seattle to an NCAA Finals appearance and making his stake for a shot at an NBA draft spot.  Despite overwhelming racism at the time, which included restrictions on the number of African-American players per team, Baylor was selected ...

Welcome to Greatest Rivals! Each Wednesday, this page will pitch two great rivals against each other to finally find out who the real winner is! Over the coming weeks, this page will cover many great rivalries, from the glory of el Clasico to the back and forth action of some of Wimbledon's finest performers.  Wednesday 24th March - Kobe Bryant vs Phoenix Suns  Not often on View From The Bridge do we compare one man to an entire NBA franchise, but for Kobe, I think it's more than warranted. On multiple occasions, the Laker legend voiced his hatred for the Suns and as spectators, we were rewarded with a rivalry that played out over an entire decade.  In 2000, Kobe and Shaq had established themselves as the greatest one-two punch that the NBA had ever seen. So it's no surprise that when both teams met in the Western Conference Semi-Finals, the number one seed Lakers easily shrugged off the fifth-seeded Suns in 5 games (4-1). Kobe averaged 21 points across the 5 games and pl...