1) Re: Kobe vs. Mike. Kobe is not as good as Jordan was, but he is vying to be the Jordan of this era. In style and substance with respect to the competition it is similar enough to at least make this an interesting message board topic. But on the whole, Jordan was still better.
2) Re: Celtics vs. Bulls' competition. Jordan never faced a team like the Celtics in a two key ways.
A) He never faced a big man like KG. Malone, Barkley and Kemp were big offensive performers, but none could control the defensive end like KG. And since they all had second options that were PGs/facilitators (KJ, Stockton, and Payton), they HAD to score with Jordan for their teams to have a chance (and they couldn't, ultimately). On the other hand, Kobe could outscore KG by 10 points every game but still be at a disadvantage if KG is controlling the defensive end and still applying offensive pressure.
B) He never faced a team with two scoring wings like Pierce and Allen. The only time Jordan faced a SG anywhere in his stratosphere during the championship runs was when he went against Drexler, but Drexler was in many ways just a poor-man's Jordan and the rest of the Bulls were better than the rest of the Blazers so if Jordan won the 1-on-1 with Drexler (which he did) the series was over. Generally, Jordan faced teams with the strong PF/PG combo (Malone/Stockton twice, Barkley/KJ, Kemp/Payton) and if he outscored the big man #1 option the team was done. Here, though, Pierce and Allen have each independently shown that they can go eye-to-eye with Kobe Bryant and play him to a standstill. The Celtics dynamic won't let them go 1-on-1 now, but the fact that there are two wingmen that can each approximate Kobe and neither of them are the best player on the team...Jordan never faced anything like that.
3) The Bulls had a better supporting cast than the Lakers (especially after 1991) because the core had experience winning championships in their roles. Jordan had won a title as the man, Pippen had won a title as the second option, Grant (then later Rodman) had experience winning titles in the roles that they played. It was a system, and the tough-minded vets that eventually plugged into the key roles made them exceedingly hard to rattle. This Lakers supporting cast is largely young and untested outside of Fisher. Gasol and Odom have never been known to be as mentally tough as Pippen and Grant/Rodman, and most of the other guys they depend on are youngsters. Give me the Bulls supporting cast hands-down.
In summary, while this was an interesting thought exercise, after putting it through the paces this comparison doesn't make me feel more worried. In fact, really analyzing it makes me more assured that this should at the worst be a very good series, and that the Celtics definitely have the pieces to pull this off.