Vs. Golden State Warriors – April 13, 2004
Though the performances against the Golden State Warriors in Kobe’s final NBA season have been more depressing for Lakers fans than anything, Bryant has lit the Warriors up on a number of occasions in the past. That run includes one of Kobe’s many 50-point games, but that game was actually in a losing effort for the Lakers and Bryant also turned the ball over eight times. Instead, his best performance came in a win where he flirted with a triple-double.
At the conclusion of the 2003-04 season for the Lakers as they were about to make a run to the NBA Finals, Kobe put up a monstrous effort. He finished the night scoring 45 points, dishing out eight assists, grabbing seven rebounds, notching two steals, and blocking two shots. Even though he was 0-6 from three-point range in the game, the fact that he still managed to go 14-29 from the field is quite impressive in terms of recover from poor long range shooting.
Bryant was simply out of his mind trying to carry that Lakers team at that point in his career and Golden State couldn’t adequately offer resistance. It’s one of the more intriguing times for Kobe in his career, but that doesn’t mean it’s not impressive.
Next: Vs. Rockets