To be honest, I think our 2000 was also great. Sure, Rice was not the All-Star he once was, but he was still an extremely valuable player that any team wished to have, and his incredible three point shooting helped Kobe and Shaq, if anything, just by standing there. You couldn't just ignore Rice. Besides that, Ron Harper, Derek Fisher, A.C. Green, Robert Horry, Rick Fox... alll of those where really solid pieces, and having Kobe and Shaq, you really didn't need a whole lot more. We were really good, though I do agree that those Blazers were REALLY deep... and fun, to be honest. I loved watching them play, I have to admit. Actually, I think those 2000 Lakers where the best team sorrounding Shaq and Kobe, even if the peak of that three-peat was 2001 for me, but that was because Kobe took his game to the All-Time Great level, and was along Shaq who was also an All-Time Great caliber player. They even had good chemistry, so with Phil at the helm, we could put 3 grandmas to play with those two and nobody would've stopped us. Kobe and Shaq were THAT good for me. They might've not accomplished as much as other duos, but I honestly think not even Magic and Kareem could've beaten Kobe and Shaq in 2001. It was just... almost unfair.
^That Laker team showed heart in that deciding game. The Blazers took us to the woodshed in Games 5 and 6...had us on the ropes in Game 7. That was how good that Portland team was. Jackson had to remind the other players to step up. On topic: if ONE game was based off pure will and heart alone, 24's Finale stands at the top. Nothing to prove...nothing to gain. Just one last reminder how great he was before the injuries took its toll.
The 60 point game does it for me. There was a whole lot more involved in that game than scoring 60. I know it sounds crazy, lol, but when he started getting closer to 40 and then 50, every shot, I could see a flashback of his storied career. Each shot reminded me of his game winning shots throughout his career. Every shot and I saw a flashback of him and Shaq doing the league dirty. It reminded me of a movie. Like it had music in the background. Every shot brought things to a head and his final two points at the free throw line just solidified his amazing career. Definitely one of the greatest of all time players and I am honored and privileged to have seen him and witnessed his growth from a high school kid all the way to veteran assassin he ended up being. Those other games are the reason his finale had more impact imo. If it was his first time scoring 60 ever, maybe people would've thought it was overkill or something or just some guy trying to pad his stats, but the fact that he did what everyone is used to seeing and to be able to do it after having more mileage on his body than possibly anyone in NBA history, you begin to truly see just how great this performance was.
Hard to choose just one. I want like three or four lol. But have to go with 81 points, the second greatest scoring performance in league history. That still is just unreal.
60-point finale was a great one cause it really defined who Kobe was as a player for his whole 20 year career: a man who gave everything he had to the game of basketball and left nothing in the tank. But I'd have to go with the 81-point game. It signified that he was not just a great player, but transcendent. He could do things, and did things, that virtually nobody else has done before and likely ever will again.
I was there as well and it was other worldly. Time stood still for those last 3 minutes. It was also one of the few times I felt completely fine going absolutely nuts around people I had never met before because we all felt the same way. As far as my vote for greatest game I have to think about this some more, it's too hard at the moment because I think of a lot of Kobe's best games in stretches or moments. I still can't believe how the media and general fans leave out the 4 straight 50+ point games.
The bold right there, haven't had that sort of experience, atmosphere since 2010. Wish I was on here in the GameTime but I was at a Yard House with people and man the entire restaurant was popping. Cheering at everything and high-fiving random people. It was awesome.
i haven't read through all 3 pages yet, and I may be in the minority here but to me his best game was when he had those 2 crazy shots against Portland. especially after that second shot I could not contain myself. "best" is relative, but that one sticks out to me
