“It’s blurry… It’s really, really weird because I didn’t really understand what was going on. ” Here is what the late Kobe Bryant said a few years ago, for the ten years of his career record, the 81 points against the Raptors.
It was January 22, 2006. Fifteen years ago to the day. At the time, the Lakers (21v-19d) were barely average but virtually qualified for the playoffs, and they faced the Raptors (14v-26d) at Staples Center for a regular season game like any other. In the interval, no one imagines that this match will become legendary.
A first half at “only” 26 points
Even at half-time, the match remains quite classic. The Raptors clearly dominate the Lakers, and Kobe Bryant has scored “only” 26 points. After the birthday of his daughter Natalia, he spent the day in the hands of the physiotherapist to treat his knee. He is not at 100% of his means, but he plants 26 points in one half. The 2006 Kobe Bryant has never been so strong and domineering.
In the third quarter, Chris Bosh and his partners will even count up to 18 points ahead (71-53) after two throws from Morris Peterson. And then the incredible happens. Kobe Bryant, top scorer in the league, then decides to put on his superhero cape and take the match on his own. 3-pts, and1, dunk, everything goes … He plants 27 points in the third quarter time. One more than in the first half, and he’s already at 53 points.
A month earlier, he had already slammed 62 points at the Mavericks in three quarters! But this time, he will play the last quarter.
Phil Jackson wanted to release it …
He crossed the 60-point mark on a lay-up at 6min26 from the end of the match. The Lakers are now certain to win, and the public remains amazed by the performance of his star. The 70 point mark is reached on a 3-point. Kobe Bryant then exceeds the 69 points of Michael Jordan. At 4min26 from the end, he overtook Elgin Baylor in the “scoring list” of the Lakers with 72 units against 71 for the former winger. As enthusiastic as the fans, the announcer can not help telling the audience the records that fall one by one. On the bench, Phil Jackson plans to take him out …
“I wasn’t keeping track of his stats and I turned to my assistant and told him I better get him out. He replied, “I don’t think you can do it. He is at 77 points. So I left him until he hit 80 points. “
Author of 32 of the last 37 points of his team, Kobe Bryant ends his recital on a series of throws to reach 81 points! This is the second biggest individual performance in history behind the famous 100 points of Wilt Chamberlain (March 2, 1962). Like an emperor or rather a gladiator, Kobe Bryant comes out 4 seconds from the end, finger raised to the sky, and to the acclaim of the audience singing “MVP, MVP, MVP”.
Proof that “anything is possible”
After the match, won 122-104 by the Lakers, Kobe Bryant even took the microphone to address the 18,997 spectators at the Staples Center. “It’s hard to talk. Even in a dream, I never imagined this. It’s just one of those evenings where anything can happen… ” A statement warm, very vague … Kobe Bryant no doubt realizing the enormity of his performance. His teammates know it’s a legendary match, and they’ll ask him to sign the stats sheet to keep each one a souvenir …
Ten years later, the “Black Mamba” will be much more talkative. “It might sound crazy to say, and I think most people will find it crazy, but scoring 81 points didn’t surprise me.” he explains on ESPN. “I hope people don’t take this for arrogance, but you have to understand that at my age, 27, in top physical shape, it wasn’t surprising. “
For Kobe Bryant, his performance was simply proof that “nothing is impossible”. “When you’re a kid, you have dreams, and even if they’re crazy and full of imagination, you give your all. Because we believe that nights like that can happen. It is a form of testimony to the power of the imagination. There are a lot of players who never imagined that we could score 80 points. 50 points, we think about it. And if we’re really hot, 60. But I never had any limits. I thought 90 points was possible. 100 points too. Always. This match is a testament to what you can do when you don’t set limits. “
A performance to go from superstar to legend
This “game without limits” leaves us a single stat line: 81 points at 28/46 shoots (at 61%), 7/13 at 3 points and 18/20 at throws, 6 rebounds and 3 steals. Kobe Bryant has often been unplayable for his opponents. But that night he was just a cut above it. This guts that take you from superstar to legend. All against a defense focused solely on him …
“I faced tight defenses”, he recalls then that he had Kwame Brown and Smush Parker as teammates. “For me, making a two-man defensive strike on a player is like waving a white flag. “
Fifteen years later, and almost a year after his death, his 81 points remain a historic moment, etched in NBA plaques and in the collective spirit. The work of a formidable soloist, five times titled, became the third best scorer in history under the thumb of a Phil Jackson who thought he had seen it all with Michael Jordan…
“It’s not exactly how you want your team to win a match”, concluded the Zen Master. “But when it comes to winning, it’s great to have a weapon that can do it. I had already seen exceptional matches but I had never seen anything like it. “
