Kobe BryantKobe Bryant might seem like an old man to many after playing close to two decades in the league, especially after the two injuries he just revocered from-an Achilles tear and a knee injury. Nevertheless, he was the first guard in league history to be drafted directly from high school and at the young age of 18 he made his debut.Turning 36 on Saturday, Bryant still has a couple of years left officially as per his contract,but at the end of the day it comes down to the will of the Black Mamba. If he desires to play at the age of 38, he will work to make sure he can be an asset to the team and earn another extension with the Los Angeles Lakers.He has not only impressed many, but also become famous around the world for a consistent work ethic and a phenomenal threshold for pain. He has been yearning for that elusive sixth ring ever since he conquered the NBA in 2010 winning his fifth championship defeating the Boston Celtics in a seven game classic.As sad as it sounds, it is true that with the current state of the Lakers franchise will leave the Black Mamba at five rings itself. He has left everything on the floor for the team every single time he took the court. He even learned from many Hall of Famers as to how to use his game to help his team get better and eventually stand a chance to win a championship.So on the occasion of his birthday, here is a closer look at the Mamba’s 5 highest scoring games in his career:
#5 60 points against Memphis Grizzlies (22nd March, 2007)
Game stats: 60 points, 5 rebounds and 4 assists.
Shooting: 20-37 from the field, 3-7 from the beyond the arc and 17-18 from the free throw line.
Kobe Bryant was leading the Los Angeles Lakers through a miserable rebuilding phase and after missing the Playoffs the last two seasons the team was determined to return to where they belong. However except Lamar Odom, the Black Mamba still use to receive very little help from the rest of the very non-dependable roster.
He went berserk during this season of 2006-07, scoring 60 or more in four consecutive games becoming the fourth player after Wilt Chamberlain, Elgin Baylor and Michael Jordan to have scores of 50 and above in three consecutive games. Jordan was the last to do so in 1986-87, before Bryant broke that record in this game.This nerve racking game that went down to the wire was the third of the four encounters that Bryant scored above 60 in the season.
With Bryant’s monstrous effort, the game should have been a cake walk for Lakers, but they escaped with a 121-119 win. There was a lot of talk around the game and the possibility of Bryant joining the elite 50 point club which led to a lot of early doubles and defensive moves shown by the Grizzlies. Although he did start the game 0 for 3, he did find his rhythm early and as the game progressed the intensity of the defense went up a notch, but still failed to stop Bryant from scoring.
#4 61 points against the New York Knicks (2nd February, 2009)
Game stats: 61 points, 3 assists and 1 block.
Shooting: 19-31 from the field, 3-6 from beyond the arc and a perfect 20-20 from the free throw line.
In the 2008-09 season, Andrew Bynum, the team’s legitimate center was healthy and in his presence, the team was confident of bringing a championship to Los Angeles. However, midway through the season tragedy struck the team’s good fortunes as the center went down with a knee injury after colliding with Bryant during their game against the Grizzlies. The Lakers were on their biggest annual road trip where in they play 5 teams in 8 nights in order to not disrupt the Grammy’s being organised at Staples Center. With Bynum out and a gruelling road trip ahead, the situation couldn’t have been any tougher for the team.
Madison Square Garden, home of the Knicks has been known to bring the best from players and on that day it was Bryant’s turn. Bryant made up for not having Bynum by scoring 61 points, well supported by Pau Gasol’s 31. It was the most number of points scored by any player at the Garden till Carmelo Anthony scored 62 against the Charlotte Bobcats this past season. The 61 points are still the highest points scored by an opponent.
The team went on to win all the road games to finish the Grammy trip 6-0,and eventually wrapped the season with a championship celebration in June after beating the Orlando Magic 4-1 in the NBA Finals.
#3 62 points against the Dallas Mavericks (20th December, 2005)
Game Stats: 62 points, 8 rebounds and 3 steals.
Shooting: 18-31 from the field, 4-10 from beyond the arcand 22-25 from the free throw line.
Ever heard of a single player outscoring an entire team over three quarters of a NBA game?Well Bryant has done it!
He scored 62 points after 3 quarters outscoring the Mavericks who had totalled 61. If he hadnt put up such a performance the team would have stood no chance against a Mavericks team that was developing into a serious championship contender. The Lakers won the game in regulation 112-90.
The apparent reason for Bryants huge offensive burst was the frustration that carried over from the loss in the previous game to the Houston Rockets 76-74. When asked about his performance he mentioned his desire to totally dominate the opponents at home and not give them even an inch.
He did that and much more destroying Dallas confidence with his offense. The Mavericks Head Coach Avery Johnson in a press conference after the game said that Bryant had his way with the team no matter what they threw at him. Double teams, traps and triple teams but it did not matter or stop Bryant from willing his team with a listless roster to victory.
#2 65 points against the Portland Trailblazers (16th March, 2007)
Game stats: 65 points, 7 rebounds, 3 assists and 3 steals.
Shooting: 23-39 from the field, 8-12 from beyond the arc and 11-12 from the free throw line.
The Lakers rehab was in a really bad shape after losing seven games in a row in March, a time when the team should be solidfying their Playoff spot rather than sliding down the rankings. Bryant took it on himself to revive the Playoff cause and thus began his careers first and only stint of four consecutive games scoring 50+ points.
The Trailblazers were no pushovers with the likes of Brandon Roy, Zach Randolph, LaMarcus Aldridge and Jarret Jack in the starting line-upbut the names on the other team didnt matter to Bryant. He started the game slowly yet gradually turned a blowout game into a competitive one single handedly. He hit 4 consective clutch three pointers in the space of 2 minutes to send the game to overtime where he sealed the deal for the team.
The Hercules effort was the second 60 point game in his career and the first of a string of four consecutive 50+ point games in the first seasons with his new jersey number #24.
#1 81 points against the Toronto Raptors (22nd January, 2006)
Game stats: 81 points, 6 rebounds, 2 assists, 3 steals and 1 block
Shooting: 28-46 from the field, 7 of 13 beyond the arc and 18-20 from the free throw line
En route to leading his team to a comeback win over the Toronto Raptors, Bryant totalled the second highest points for an individual in a single game-81, second behind Chamberlains 100 points. Trailing 71-53 in the third quarter, Bryant was ticked off and decided to take the game in his hands.
He not only bought the team back into a fighting position but gave them a lead that the Raptors struggled to close on to. He scored 24 in the third period and 28 in the final period of play, getting the team the much needed W. He walked off to a standing ovation with 4.2 seconds left to play in the game. He scored all but 18 points of the teams 73 points in the second half.
Once he crossed 60, the crowd gathered at Staples knew they were in for a special night. With every basket after 60 points, Bryant broke multiple franchise and arena records to finally sit only one step below Chamberlain for most points scored in a game. Breaking Elgin Baylors record of 71 points, he now holds the record for most points scored in a single game by a Laker.
Guess the Lakers players!
