4. Kobe Bryant vs. the Dallas Mavericks
December 20, 2005
Staples Center
Bryant’s Line: 62 points, 8 rebounds, 3 steals, outscores the entire Mavericks team through three quarters
Although the Mavericks had a different coach and different players, the results were nearly the same for Dallas against the Los Angeles Lakers in 2005 as they were in 2002. The Lakers were also sporting a new (read: mediocre) roster that struck about as much fear as a womp rat, but they had a Black Mamba on their side to equal the score. Well, in this case, they had a Black Mamba to outscore eight other players.
The Lakers just came off a season where they missed the playoffs for the first time since the 1993-94 season and still had a lot of the same pieces. They were able to rehire Phil Jackson in the off-season and were making strides towards respectability. However, their roster still screamed, “give the ball to Kobe and get out of the way,” but at least in this game, it worked perfectly.
Just over a week before the December 20 game, Bryant broke the hearts of Mavericks fans with an impossible three-point shot to win the game at the American Airlines Center in Dallas, Texas, and the Mavericks were seeking revenge. They would not find it that night.
The Mavericks managed to muster 61 points through three quarters. Bryant, on the other hand, had 62 points: all by himself. Never in the history of the NBA has a player outscored an opponent through three quarters until Kobe Bryant did it.
Bryant was on such a tear that Josh Howard had to resort to a flagrant foul to try and knock him off his game. Mavericks head coach Avery Johnson was so frustrated at Bryant’s dominance that he got tossed from the game after harassing the officials.
The best defender for the Mavericks that night was Lakers head coach Phil Jackson when he mercifully yanked Bryant from the game after the third quarter and gave the Mavericks an opportunity to save face against the Laker bench.
If there were a game that the term one-man wrecking crew would be relevant, this would be the one.