'In late and close games, Kobe Bryant shot inefficiently' - When Max Kellerman boldly stated Kawhi was a far better clutch shooter than Kobe

Max's take looked sharp at the time, as Kawhi, just five days later, sent the Philadelphia 76ers home after dropping in a high-arcing 3-pointer over the heavy dual contest of Joel Embiid and Ben Simmons. Just weeks later, the former No. 15 overall pick held the mantle after a win against the Golden State Warriors in Game 6 clinched an NBA title and his Finals MVP award.

SAS pushes back

It wouldn't be the usual entertaining First Take episode without Max and Stephen A. exchanging verbal jabs. Kellerman may have been confident that Leonard had eclipsed Bryant as the better late-game performer. But Smith, never one to hide his feelings, pushed back immediately—and strongly.

"I think that's ridiculous," SAS said in response to his debate partner's bold take. "When you look at numbers, you can make an argument for Kawhi in a variety of ways. … I'm thinking about the Kobe Bryant that won five titles. I'm thinking about the Kobe Bryant that only scored 28 [points] in an overtime win en route to L.A.'s first title when they beat Indiana [in the 2000 NBA Finals]."

Kobe has long been viewed as one of the most fearless clutch players in the NBA's history. From the many times he bit his jersey while sizing up his defender and sinking a strongly contested clutch jumper to iconic moments, like his one-legged walk-off game-winner against Dwyane Wade and the Miami Heat in 2009, there is a big reason why No. 24 was who he was.

Kawhi hasn't nearly recaptured the allure he had five years ago when he was healthier than ever and playing his best basketball. Since then, he's been hampered with countless injuries and an ugly postseason flameout at the hands of the Denver Nuggets in 2020, making the conversation between him and Bean laughable today.