Kobe pours in 81!

[Chaplin]

Kobe Bryant had to score 81 points so the Lakers could beat the RAPTORS. Looking at the big picture, 81 points isn't so great.

So he should have scored only 60, so they could lose? I seriously don't understand what point you're making. Whenever anyone puts up a huge number, his teammates won't have scored very much. If it's a team game and his team wins, what's the big deal? No one on this board complained when Stoudemire scored 50 against whatever lottery opponent it was.

You obviously don't understand. You make it sound like he could have decided to only score 60, lose the game and go home to his wife. That's not it at all, and I would think you'd give me more credit than that. Like I said, I'm taking it in context of the big picture. Basketball is still a team sport, last I checked. And Bryant had to score 81 in order for the Lakers to win. (It can be argued that he needed to score a little less than that, accounting for the descrepancy in the final score)

FYI, I'm not sure you are aware of this, but Minnesota wasn't a lottery opponent when Amare dropped 50 on them. And there is a HUGE difference between 50 and 81.

The thing is, over the last couple days, a lot has been said about how "good" the Lakers are. I was merely pointing out that they weren't that good, and proof of that is that Kobe had to score a lot of points just so they could beat a team that will likely get a top 3 pick next summer.

I think any individual feat that's been done only one other time in the history of the league is pretty impressive. Bryant can't choose his opponent, and he can't choose which teammates are going to miss which shots.

And if Bryant is such a lousy team player, how come O'Neal hasn't managed to win a title with any of his other All-Star sidekicks?

sigh... Did I say that O'Neal is a great team player? O'Neal isn't a great team player either--notice I said earlier that he wasn't blameless in the destruction of the Lakers.

You seem to continue to think that I don't think a single player scoring 81 points isn't impressive. It is. I would never expect any of the Suns players, including Amare, to ever score that many points. However, I think it's a good bet that Amare would never NEED to do that. Whereas with the sorry personnel the Lakers have, Kobe needs to do that to beat a cellar-dwellar.

 

[dyle_ph1]

And all the time, all I can think of is;

I better be not playing Effing FDogs on that game!

42min 229.2FP 5.46FPP <----Holy crap!!

 

[sly fly]

One of the greatest performances EVER by a basketball player. Playgrounds, high school, college, Euro, NBA. How many times does something like this happen?

Anybody who tries to dissect and downplay his performance, can never be satisfied and/or has unrealistic expectations.

Whatever character flaws this guy has, is almost completely hidden by the fact that he can't be stopped by ANY defender on the planet.

 

[Yuma]

Great achievement for Kobe. However, to say he's playing team ball is hard to stomach. They won, but when is the last time they beat a good team? Did they beat the Suns recently? I rest my case.

Oh, and I would be really happy if Amare hit for 81 points because that would mean Nash would have had like 40 assists in the game!

 

[sly fly]

Great achievement for Kobe. However, to say he's playing team ball is hard to stomach. They won, but when is the last time they beat a good team? Did they beat the Suns recently? I rest my case.

Oh, and I would be really happy if Amare hit for 81 points because that would mean Nash would have had like 40 assists in the game!

What's he supposed to do, let his teammates throw up clunker after clunker?

LA was getting DRILLED. Kobe finally says enough of this ********, and decides to take matters into his own hands. 55 points by Kobe in the second half is all you need to know why the Lakers won this game. Screw the rest of his teammates. Set me a damn pick and I'll get the job done.

This "team ball" soapbox crap has to stop. The Lakers would be worse than Atlanta if they didn't have him. His teammates should kiss his feet that he cares as much as he does about the game.

No, they didn't beat PHX... but it wasn't a cakewalk. Thank god Kobe didn't find his rhythym until it was too late.

 

[scotsman13]

This "team ball" soapbox crap has to stop. The Lakers would be worse than Atlanta if they didn't have him. His teammates should kiss his feet that he cares as much as he does about the game.

yea yea yea, you know watching the lakers play maybe they would be better if kobe tried to set up his teammates. everyone who plays with nash ends up playing better. with kobe it is a career killer. everyone says that they are some of the worst players in the nba. maybe just maybe the reason that the lakers has such bad players on the team is because kobe doesnt do anything to set up his teammates.

 

[Renz]

Kobe Bryant is a phenomenal individual talent. Just amazing. But he is one of the worst team basketball talents in the league. But hey, he scores a lot, so that makes him a superstar. There's no question that Kobe has the desire to be the best, but he does it at the expense of the rest of the team. It has happened ever since he became a top-tiered talent. Shaq wasn't blameless, but Kobe's "me-first" attitude is part of what drove the Lakers apart.

Kobe could have dropped 80 on Dallas, but he came out because the win was already assured. The Lakers didn't have the lead on Toronto until a minute remained in the third quarter. Winning is the most important thing to Kobe, scoring records come second.

When you are the best player on the planet, is it really being selfish not to pass?

 

[elindholm]

FYI, I'm not sure you are aware of this, but Minnesota wasn't a lottery opponent when Amare dropped 50 on them.

Actually they were. It was last season.

Other than that, I guess we'll have to settle for "agree to disagree" mode. The Lakers couldn't beat a good team last night, because that's not who their opponent was. The only team you can beat is the other one that shows up at the arena.

If any individual achievement is going to be disregarded because of poor teammates, or a weak opponent, or being on a mediocre team, or having been part of an overpublicized feud two summers ago, or ... well, the record books can obviously be thrown out.

 

[boisesuns]

I still think Wilt dominated more than Kobe does. I'm not sure the 100 points will be broken.

 

[Chaplin]

FYI, I'm not sure you are aware of this, but Minnesota wasn't a lottery opponent when Amare dropped 50 on them.

Actually they were. It was last season.

Other than that, I guess we'll have to settle for "agree to disagree" mode. The Lakers couldn't beat a good team last night, because that's not who their opponent was. The only team you can beat is the other one that shows up at the arena.

If any individual achievement is going to be disregarded because of poor teammates, or a weak opponent, or being on a mediocre team, or having been part of an overpublicized feud two summers ago, or ... well, the record books can obviously be thrown out.

Disregarded? Fine, if that's what you think this is, so be it. I just thought it was worth discussing, instead of dismissing it as, "Kobe scores 81. He is God. Period."

 

[fordronken]

Disregarded? Fine, if that's what you think this is, so be it. I just thought it was worth discussing, instead of dismissing it as, "Kobe scores 81. He is God. Period."

Meet in the middle? Call him a bodhisattva?

 

[D-Dogg]

Please. You are so diluted when it comes to the Lakers. You think Kwame Brown is a great player, you think Kobe Bryant is a team player, and you think the Suns with Amare won't be as good against the Lakers as without.

Please, you don't even understand what other people say. I think Kwame is a good DEFENDER, and he is. He's lousy on offense, but his D is the reason why he gets PT from Phil. Kobe Bryant cares more about winning than his own statsheet, contrary to your claims. "Team Player" whining is just regurgitating the old media mantra...do you even watch Laker games? This year the roster isn't very good overall, and Kobe has to do more to WIN, so he does. Previous years, Kobe averaged 6, 5.1,, 5.5, and 5.9 assists per game. This year he's around 4.3, since his roster shoots 30-some percent for him. But your tremendous lack of knowledge of the Lakers suggests you take a lot of your insight from fools like J.A. Adande, Bill Plashke and their ilk. TJ Simers is the only writer in LA that has a clue about the Lakers.

And I said the Suns will be a different team with Amare, a team that will force Phil to have bigs on the floor to defend him, which I feel was a huge mistake on his part in pulling them for small, terrible shooters. THAT is how the Lakers would match up better, not that Amare is some soft player, which he isn't. He'd stop Phil from trying to out-genius himself and just play basketball with the better players, and not with Luke, Sasha, Cook all on the floor together for 1/3 a game.

 

[D-Dogg]

Great achievement for Kobe. However, to say he's playing team ball is hard to stomach. They won, but when is the last time they beat a good team? Did they beat the Suns recently? I rest my case.

When did they beat a good team recently?

Miami. Cleveland. Philly. Indiana. Dallas. Oh, and since I mentioned Dallas, Kobe dropped 62 on them in three quarters, and didn't play the fourth because we were up 30.

 

[Yuma]

When did they beat a good team recently?

Miami. Cleveland. Philly. Indiana. Dallas. Oh, and since I mentioned Dallas, Kobe dropped 62 on them in three quarters, and didn't play the fourth because we were up 30.

I meant RECENTLY. Within the last couple games....

Oh, wait, is LA ahead of the Suns in the Pacific Division? That could sway my thinking....

 

[fordronken]

This is probably the stupidest argument I've ever heard in my life.

 

[Yuma]

This is probably the stupidest argument I've ever heard in my life.

Which one? I know I started a few just in this thread....

 

[D-Dogg]

FYI, I'm not sure you are aware of this, but Minnesota wasn't a lottery opponent when Amare dropped 50 on them. And there is a HUGE difference between 50 and 81.

I'm not sure you are aware of this, but Dallas wasn't a lottery opponent when Kobe dropped 62 on them in three quarters, leaving because the rest of the team also played, and they were up 30.

 

[D-Dogg]

I meant RECENTLY. Within the last couple games....

Parameters, parameters.

 

[Yuma]

    WESTERN CONFERENCE  (Overall)  
           GP  W  L Pct GB PF PA Last 10 
1.  Dallas 41 31 10 .756 - 4089 3842 8-2 
  
2.  Phoenix 40 26 14 .650 - 4252 4009 7-3 
  
3.  Denver 42 23 19 .548 - 4222 4137 8-2 
  
4.  San Antonio 41 31 10 .756 - 3886 3643 7-3 
  
5.  Memphis 39 24 15 .615 6.0 3517 3385 5-5 
  
6.  LA Clippers 37 21 16 .568 3.5 3585 3550 5-5 
  
7.  LA Lakers 41 22 19 .537 4.5 4031 3945 7-3 
  
8.  New Orleans 40 20 20 .500 10.5 3685 3729 7-3 
  
9.  Minnesota 38 19 19 .500 2.0 3478 3421 5-5 
  
10.  Utah 41 20 21 .488 2.5 3691 3808 5-5 
  
11.  Golden State 39 19 20 .487 6.5 3873 3899 4-6 
  
12.  Sacramento 40 17 23 .425 9.0 3955 3997 5-5 
  
13.  Seattle 40 16 24 .400 6.0 4083 4275 3-7 
  
14.  Portland 39 14 25 .359 7.5 3459 3740 4-6 
  
15.  Houston 39 13 26 .333 17.0 3480 3607 2-8

Minnesota and Utah will probably overtake LA and NO. So really this thread is moot unless Kobe can take the Lakers to the playoffs. Nice 81 points, though.

 

[jibikao]

I can't seem to download the clip on nba.com to see how Kobe scored 81 pts in 90s!!! lol Overloaded with vieweres I guess.

I am sure the game was amazing, just like how T-MAC scored 13pts in like 38s or something like that against Spurs? I actually watched that game and I was 99% sure that Rocket was going to lose and T-MAC turned it on!!!! I am sure this performance by Kobe is somewhere like that.

Having said that, I'll still take Nash over Kobe on this team. We have the record to show it. It's sad that Lakers needs Kobe to score 40+ to win games. What if Kobe is injured? Amare is injured and we are still doing great!!! Now, that's team basketball.

But Kobe gave what NBA fans want... FANTASY basketball. You don't see this stuff in another basketball games. Great job Kobe.

 

[D-Dogg]

    WESTERN CONFERENCE  (Overall)  
           GP  W  L Pct GB PF PA Last 10 
1.  Dallas 41 31 10 .756 - 4089 3842 8-2 
  
2.  Phoenix 40 26 14 .650 - 4252 4009 7-3 
  
3.  Denver 42 23 19 .548 - 4222 4137 8-2 
  
4.  San Antonio 41 31 10 .756 - 3886 3643 7-3 
  
5.  Memphis 39 24 15 .615 6.0 3517 3385 5-5 
  
6.  LA Clippers 37 21 16 .568 3.5 3585 3550 5-5 
  
7.  LA Lakers 41 22 19 .537 4.5 4031 3945 7-3 
  
8.  New Orleans 40 20 20 .500 10.5 3685 3729 7-3 
  
9.  Minnesota 38 19 19 .500 2.0 3478 3421 5-5 
  
10.  Utah 41 20 21 .488 2.5 3691 3808 5-5 
  
11.  Golden State 39 19 20 .487 6.5 3873 3899 4-6 
  
12.  Sacramento 40 17 23 .425 9.0 3955 3997 5-5 
  
13.  Seattle 40 16 24 .400 6.0 4083 4275 3-7 
  
14.  Portland 39 14 25 .359 7.5 3459 3740 4-6 
  
15.  Houston 39 13 26 .333 17.0 3480 3607 2-8

Minnesota and Utah will probably overtake LA and NO. So really this thread is moot unless Kobe can take the Lakers to the playoffs. Nice 81 points, though.

LOL!! No, not gonna happen. Utah especially, and Minny doubtful. The Lakers post all-star break schedule is easier than the first half. The Clippers are sinking, and have no business being up there anyway. The Lakers will end up with the 5th or 6th seed.

 

[MaoTosiFanClub]

So should Kobe should play more "team" basketball and get scrubs like Luke Walton and Devean George more involved and most likely lose a game? Or should he take control himself which he has repeatedly shown the ability to do and win games at the expense of "team" basketball?

 

[jibikao]

Something tells me that if the Suns had Bryant instead of Nash, they'd still be pretty good.

Do you REALLY think that?? Having Bryant means we may not be able to keep Amare/Marion and other role players.

 

[jibikao]

So should Kobe should play more "team" basketball and get scrubs like Luke Walton and Devean George more involved and most likely lose a game? Or should he take control himself which he has repeatedly shown the ability to do and win games at the expense of "team" basketball?

Kobe will never play team basketball and that's the POINT. When Kobe comes to Suns, he will still dominante the ball and I fail to see how Amare/Marion can shine under him.

Lakers needs Kobe to score that many points to win games but their record certainly doesn't show that it's the most effective way to win games (ex: Pistons/Spurs/Mavs).

 

[haverford]

Kobe's achievement last night, and over the past several weeks, speaks well of Raja's, um, er, "lock down"?, of Kobe on Friday. I'm quite serious. Bell really kind of stopped him. In a way.