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This Day In Sports…January 22, 2006:
Kobe Bryant scores 81 points, second only in NBA history to Wilt Chamberlain’s 100-point game in 1962, leading the L.A. Lakers to a 122-104 win over Toronto at Staples Center. The Lakers trailed the Raptors by 18 points early in the third quarter—and Bryant scored 51 points of his 55 second-half points after that in an incredible one-man rally. He was 28-of-46 from the floor, including 7-of-13 from 3-point range, and 18-of-20 from the foul line.
For perspective, entire NBA teams had been held to fewer than 81 points 99 times that season before Bryant’s outburst. A historical piece on his 81-point game at NBA.com notes that teammates and staff alike were asking Bryant to autograph copies of the box score after the game. Lakers public address announcer Lawrence Tanter was telling fans to save their ticket stubs (I know I would have). Then-Lakers owner Jerry Buss described the game as “like watching a miracle unfold.”
“That was something to behold,” coach Phil Jackson said after Bryant’s barrage. “It was another level. I’ve seen some remarkable games, but I’ve never seen one like that before.” This coming from the coach who nearly pulled Bryant from the game with the score out of reach after he’d scored 77 points—one point shy of Chamberlain’s 78-point performance in 1961, the second-highest scoring game in NBA history. Jackson reconsidered after discussing it with Lakers assistant coach Frank Hamblen who told him, “There would be a riot.” Bryant later pointed out that his 81-point game was the first and only professional game his grandmother had ever seen him play live.
It was a mind-blowing feat, but it was symptomatic of Bryant’s season, the best statistically of his career. He scored 35.4 points per game, becoming just the fifth player in NBA history to average more than 35. Bryant notched two 60-point games, six 50-point games and a team record of 27 games with 40 or more points, although he wasn’t named NBA Most Valuable Player. In fact, Bryant finished fourth in MVP voting behind Steve Nash of Phoenix, LeBron James of Cleveland and Dirk Nowitzki of Dallas. This Friday will mark the fourth anniversary of Bryant’s death in a helicopter crash in Calabasas, CA.
(Tom Scott hosts the Scott Slant segment during the football season on KTVB’s Sunday Sports Extra. He also anchors four sports segments each weekday on 95.3 FM KTIK and one on News/Talk KBOI. His Scott Slant column runs every Wednesday.)
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