Ranking every Kobe Bryant season with the Lakers: 2006-07
The second year of controversy that led to Kobe being snubbed for another MVP by Dirk Nowitzki. Kobe had one of his best statistical seasons of his career but when the Mavericks won 67 games, Dirk was a lock for MVP. Kobe would finish third behind Nash as well.
On the season Bryant looked as dominant as ever, he averaged 31.6 points, 5.7 rebounds and 5.4 assists per night. He provided his same elite offense while also being elite on the defensive end and led a patched up roster to 42 wins and a playoff berth. They were booted in the first round that year in five games by the Suns.
Bryant proved all year long why he was on top of the league as the best shooting guard. He would display 40, 50 and even 60 point games on a weekly basis. Defenses keyed in on him as the only real threat and he still made plays happen and defenders look silly.
He dropped a season-high 65 points against the Blazers on March 16th and had a streak of four straight games with 50+ points. His totals during that streak were 65, 50, 60 and 50. He would go on to have a total of 10 games of 50+ points on the year, concluding one of the best scoring seasons in history.
On the season Bryant would make his ninth All-Star game and win his second All-Star game MVP after dropping 31 points, six assists and six steals. Again he proved how dominate of a presence he was by finishing All-NBA first team and All-Defensive first team. It would be the start of a long run in both of those categories for Kobe.