5: January 31, 2007 – Lakers beat Celtics 111-98 at TD Garden
Despite the Lakers-Celtics rivalry is the greatest in NBA history, there were times when the competition between the two fell into a lull. A prime example of this would be the matchup between the two teams on January 31, 2007.
The Celtics were completely lost as they were the worst team in the Eastern Conference heading into the matchup. Additionally, the team had lost its superstar – Paul Pierce – for nearly half of the season as he was sidelined with an injury.
Similarly, the Lakers were nowhere near being an elite team. The team made the playoffs the previous year as a seventh seed but lost a 3-1 lead to the Phoenix Suns in the first round. Moreover, the team had failed to make the playoffs in the 2004-05 season and looked lost after Shaquille O’Neal‘s departure.
The Lakers, however, did have one bright spot during this time – Kobe Bryant. The Black Mamba was coming off arguably his best individual season where he averaged over 35 points, had 21 40-point games, and the unforgettable 81-point game. Besides, Kobe had already had four 40-point and three 50-point games before he faced the Celtics.
In the lesser broadcasted matchup, Kobe had 43 points, eight rebounds, and eight assists while shooting 52 percent from the floor and 77.8 percent from deep. Spectacularly, this was the ONLY performance where Kobe scored 40 points, shot above 50 percent, and beat the Celtics.