There are many insane stories about Kobe Bryant’s scoring abilities. The Mamba is regarded as one of the greatest scorers of all-time. While we can tell those stories all day, the one that perfectly depicts the horror defenders must feel when defending Kobe has to be where he went on a bizarre scoring spree against the Mavericks.
It was during the 2005 NBA season, when Bryant was already known as the best player in the league. Kobe’s Lakers faced the Dallas Mavericks. From the beginning of the game, Kobe looked extremely focused and ready to win the game.
He played just 32 minutes, but it was more than enough to break the backbone of the Mavs. After three quarters, the Mavs managed to score 61 points and Bryant alone had 62 points!
It was his highest score then, but not for long. Because just a month later, Kobe scored his career-high 81 points.
The motivation behind this historic performance was that the Lakers were coming off a defeat to the Houston Rockets.
“I was very angry, I felt like I wanted to come out and send a message, that we’re going to dominate at home. We’re going to hit you, we’re going to bring it to you. I wanted to send that message.”
Kobe further added, “I just felt like I could continue to attack these guys. It was just determination, take it to them. It’s definitely the best scoring game I’ve ever had.
Well, it goes without saying that, he sent a message to everyone who was doubting him and the Lakers. You might wonder why Kobe sat out in the fourth quarter. As it turns out, then-assistant coach of the team, Brian Shaw, and the entire stadium, wanted Kobe to be back in the game, but Bryant himself wanted to sit out the quarter.
He believed he could have another performance like this and, as we know, he did against the Raptors.
Bryant might have left the world, but his legacy will always stay with us. If he was with us, he would have turned 43 years old a few days ago. The whole world wished him a happy birthday and wished for him to rest in peace.
