Kobe Bryant led the NBA in scoring by a ton, but there was just this one game against Toronto
In the 2005-06 season, Kobe Bryant put on one of the most dominant scoring displays since Michael Jordan in the 1980s when he had hair. Let’s just forget what James Harden is doing now because simply Kobe Bryant played in a rougher era and the man just did not flop.
That season Kobe Bryant scored when the mood fit him (Boy he was moody that season!) averaging an absurd 35.4 points per game. A career-high. He shot 45% from the field with 5.3 rebounds, 4.5 assists and 1.8 steals.
Then there was the 81 game. R.I.P. Stuart Scott! We’ll let him make the call.
This might have been the game where the man was known by just one name. It’s one thing to just gun because he was hot. In this game, all of the points were needed because the Lakers were getting blown out by about 20 points in the 3rd quarter.
Before the game, it could be argued that Mamba Mentality was a cool marketing tool or something Kobe just made up. After that game, it became another sports term for working hard and not giving up. The Toronto Raptors got blow torched for 81 points. The second-highest point total in NBA history behind Wilt Chamberlain’s 100.
Social media has given platforms to basketball casuals to edit videos for false narratives. When NBA players like Jalen Rose tells the story like this. You know Kobe was a bad man back then.
To listen to Jalen’s story, it bears quite a few observations.
- Think about an NBA team playing a box and one defense back then? That was unheard of. Even now!
- What in the world was Sam Mitchell thinking not double-teaming Bryant?
- Why did he sit Jalen Rose? Proving a point led to Bryant not playing a lick of defense. Rose was the Raptors’ best offensive player!
- Were they scared of Kobe? No hard foul? Remember Jalen Rose slid his foot under Kobe’s in the NBA Finals years earlier playing for the Indiana Pacers.
- If the Raptors had started talking trash and pissed Kobe off, he might have scored 100. Imagine giving a team 81 points without saying a word.
If this was any other season, Charles Barkley could be criticized for what he said. This was actually the only season where it would look like Kobe stopped shooting to prove a point.
Don’t forget Bryant dropped 62 points on the Mavericks earlier that season. Like in three quarters. He outscored Dallas 62-61 when his night was done.
Fast forward to the playoff series. Believe it or not, it was a very entertaining series.