Bill Simmons takes Kobe to task for not scoring 80 points against the Mavs. (He got 62.) An excerpt:
See, sports isn’t only about winning and losing. It’s also about the little challenges along the way. Kobe’s chance to break the non-Wilt record transcended victory or even a little character rehab. After three quarters, he’d outscored the Mavs by himself, something nobody ever remembers happening before. To throw your hands up, high-five your teammates and say, “That’s it, that’s enough” doesn’t just cheat the fans who are at the game, it cheats everyone who loves basketball and spends their evenings flicking channels, waiting to stumble across a lightning-in-a-bottle moment. The outcome was decided, but the story line wasn’t. Kobe took the easy way out. And in doing so, it was just one more manifestation of what has gone wrong with his career. He should have been the next MJ, should have broken the non-Wilt record, should have been the defining player of his generation. Instead, he’s another couldashouldawoulda guy.