3. San Antonio, 2008 Western Conference Finals – 29.2 points, 53% FG
This is the series that inspired me to make this list, based on a YouTube video posted to Reddit about a week ago. Bill Simmons himself said this series was the closest Bryant looked to Michael Jordan. While I don’t necessarily agree with the statement, that isn’t to say this wasn’t a fantastic series.
With Pau Gasol added to the team, Bryant found a new fire as he realized how good the Lakers were and what they could accomplish. Kicking it into overdrive, Bryant dazzled with his moves in this series. From a pure output standpoint, this wasn’t Bryant’s best scoring display. But given the variety and ways in which we scored, this was a completely dazzling performance in his MVP year.