Well, NewMexiKen yammered when Kobe went out of a game with 62 points, so let’s send him some basketball love. This is from the Lakers Blog:
When Brian Cook and Kobe Bryant combine for 83 points, there’s not much the opposition can do.
Down 14 at the half, Kobe took a potentially season crushing loss at home to the Raptors and turned it into a 122-104 win… and history. 81 points, the second highest total in NBA history behind only Wilt Chamberlain’s 100 in ’62. 55 in the second half, before leaving to a standing ovation and a hug for Phil Jackson with 4.2 seconds left, capping a performance that even he couldn’t have dreamed up. And unlike 62 (you remember 62, right?), this time Kobe wasn’t coming out of the game. Sam Mitchell tried every defense he could think of, but none of them helped as Kobe took a game the Raptors had in hand and made it his. The explosion took (some) of the sting away from the ending of his consecutive free throw streak at 62. To cap off the evening? How about a call from Magic?
There may be critics of 81 (don’t know who yet), but they’re misguided, says Dan Wetzel of Yahoo! Sports. Kobe is rewriting the rules of what’s possible, even if it means overshadowing NFL championship Sunday — no easy feat. Exact comparisons to Chamberlain are tough to make, but it’s very possible Kobe’s feat was more impressive.
Either way, save the box score. It’s a keeper.