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#8 vs the Boston Celtics, Regular season 2009-10, 31st January 2010
At the peak of the most recent Celtics-Lakers rivalry, Kobe Bryant's Lakers and the Big 3 Celtics were fated to meet in one of the best-contested NBA Finals in the history of the league. The regular season series was an even split as the Lakers beat the Celtics 90-89 at the Garden, before losing 86-87 at the Staples Centre.
In the first matchup, Kobe Bryant made the all-important game-winner while being guarded by Ray Allen. Despite not having the best of shooting nights (Kobe scored 17 points on 7-of-19 shooting before this shot), one would expect the Mamba to make the difference when it matters most, with the Lakers down by 11 with 9 minutes left in the game.
And so he did. Bringing the ball up court, Kobe passed the ball to Bynum at the baseline, before receiving it at the 3-point line. He drove into the paint area, before splashing an off-balance fadeaway jumper in the face of textbook defense by Allen.
