Lakers: 5 Best Moments From the 2015-2016 Season
By Eric Yee
1. “Mamba Out”
This should come as no surprise, but the top moment by far in this Lakers’ season was Kobe Bryant’s last game against the Utah Jazz on April 13.
As first and foremost a basketball purist, then a Lakers die hard, then a Kobe Bryant fanatic, at times the game was difficult to watch.
Kobe struggled early, missing what seemed like his first 10 shots, and even throughout the game as he forced up a plethora of threes, airballing a few here and there, but all was forgotten with the way he ended the final two minutes of the game.
Yes, it could be argued that Julius Randle set him plenty of illegal screens, or that the Jazz defenders, just like the rest of us, were in awe that they were actually witnessing Kobe Bryant’s last game, but the fact remains that Kobe hit tough shots down the stretch just like it was 2008.
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Personally, it wasn’t the incredible fact that he scored 60 points, but how he turned back the hands of time in the final few minutes of the game and scored his final buckets. This is to say that none of his final five attempts were easy layups or “gimmies.”
Split the defense, 14 foot jumper. Cash. Receive a screen, step back three. Cash. Shake loose, find the exact spot where he sunk the Phoenix Suns in 2006, rise up. Cash.
So many things had to happen for this to even be possible: the Lakers had to get three straight stops, the refs had to swallow their whistles, Kobe had to hit the shots, and the stars aligned just right for all of this to happen.
Next: Lakers 2015-16 Roster Grades: D'Angelo Russell
The future looks bright for the Los Angeles Lakers, especially with the upcoming lottery, so hopefully next season represents yet another step towards relevance.