Kobe really should have played that whole game.

If you heard a single player outscored an entire opposing team through 3 quarters, you would swear it must have been Wilt.

Phil offered him a shot to play in the 4th but Kobe said to Phil he’ll score 70 or 80 next time which he did

The 2005-2006 Lakers sucked so much Kobe basically had to do that just to have a chance of winning.

Yeah this is far more impressive then Bams game

Dude basically treated a 62-piece as a dress rehearsal, then dropped 81 three weeks later like it’s nothing.

I don’t think people really remember how awful that Lakers team was. Sure, Lamar Odom was a great and underrated player, but the rest of the roster was horrific. Luke Walton was their third best player. Kwame Brown, Smush Parker and Brian Cook featured prominently on the team. Most of the roster was out of the league within two seasons and not due to old age. 

They would have beat the 7SOL Suns if it wasn’t for a lucky sequence of events led to an open Tim Thomas three. They probably beat the Clippers in round two, including by virtue of having 7 home games. 

Back to this game - the Mavs were the best team in the league. They were up 2-0 in the finals. And Kobe just dismantled them effortlessly. 

Kobe had a very unique career in that his titles came when he was emerging with Shaq and then in the late stages of his prime in 2009 and 2010. He was at his absolute apex in 2006, and if he had a halfway decent team around him, they’re probably cruising to the title and we are talking about one of the most dominant seasons ever. If you could take one year’s version of any NBA player for a playoff run and build a contender around them, 2006 is easily a top-5 player one should take. 

When people say Kobe wouldn’t have won early in his career without Shaq, yes, that’s true. But if he was drafted to a shitty team and could hand choose the best situation for himself 7-8 years into his career (say McGrady and Jermaine O’Neal in the 2003-2006 range, Kobe’s stacking titles in those peak years he had to suffer through with shit around him. 

See ethically respecting Bam’s 83 20 years before it happened. Thats my goat.

Amnesty that

Kobe also scored 60-50-65-50 in consecutive games, either that same season or the next.

54.2% from the field and 53.1% from three-point range, fyi.

he could have scored a 100 that game

That game was more impressive than the 81-point game, in a lot of ways. ‘05-‘06 Mavericks were a 60 win team that made it to the NBA Finals while the ‘05-‘06 Raptors were a 55 loss team.

It was funny that in some of those Bam posts people use Kobe playing 4th quarter in the 81 game as example of padding. Man, that is literally the worst argument you can have. The Lakers were down by 18 in the third. Had there been any chance to secure a win early, he would not play rest of the game (no problem seeing Bam’s achievements at all. just saying for Kobe)

Sitting out the 4th when you could chase 70 is peak old goat ego. He didn’t need the extra points to prove he was the GOAT, pure confidence.

Children. This is real basketball.

same trash ass defense wade carved up in the 06 finals btw

Wouldn’t accept “no” for answer; forced it in.

Quite Luka-esque