3. Kobe Bryant vs. the New York Knicks
February 2, 2009
Madison Square Garden
Bryant’s Line: 61 points, 3 assists, 20/20 free throws
Without a doubt, Madison Square Garden is the most electric arena in the NBA. No matter how bad the Knicks are performing, Madison Square Garden always brings out the best in players. Linsanity took over the Garden for a while and before that, Jordan and Reggie Miller regularly lit up the arena for classic performances.
Bernard King, however, was the originator. The beloved Knick used to pile up points like a monster Candy Crush run, dropping two consecutive 50-point games, a 55-point game, and a 60-point game at the Garden. Bryant, a tireless student of the game, respected King enough to acknowledge his greatness in Madison Square Garden…and subsequently surpass it.
More from Lake Show Life
- Darvin Ham adds to Max Christie hype train after Lakers preseason opener
- Is LeBron James playing tonight? Latest Lakers vs Warriors update
- Can Darvin Ham put all of the Lakers puzzle pieces together?
- Lakers news: Darvin Ham knows his fifth starter, LeBron James and Rui Hachimura, Jalen Hood-Schifino praise
- Michael Malone’s painfully ironic comment has Lakers fans heated
The Lakers were hot coming into New York, winning six of their last seven games. Never one to shy away from spotlight, Bryant seized the moment and put together the greatest scoring performance the Garden had ever seen.
When the ball tipped, Kobe Bryant was already in scoring mode, hitting his first three shots. By the end of the quarter, Bryant already compiled 18 points. This was only the beginning for Bryant.
Knicks head coach Mike D’Antoni, who was ruining the Knicks instead of the Lakers at that time, admitted after the game that he hoped Bryant would shoot himself and Lakers out of the game. That obviously never happened.
Bryant would go on to put a shooting clinic on the New York Knicks, scoring on drives, pull-ups, beyond the arc threes, and using his masterful footwork. By the end of the night, Bryant had 61 points, the most ever scored in Madison Square Garden at the time, and was serenaded by “MVP” chants in an opposing arena.
Bryant explained some of his motivation after the game, stating, “I’m going to review this documentary I’m doing with Spike Lee tonight after the game and I didn’t feel like sitting next to him and hearing him talking trash about the Knicks, so that was added incentive as well. Seriously. He’s going to get an earful tonight.”