“It's blurry… It's really very strange because I didn't really understand what was happening. » Here is what the late Kobe Bryant said a few years ago, for the tenth anniversary of his career record, the 81 points against the Raptors.
It was January 22, 2006. 18 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 match like any other. Between the two, no one imagines that this match will become legendary.
A first half with “only” 26 points
Even at halftime, the match remains fairly classic. The Raptors clearly dominate the Lakers, and Kobe Bryant scored “only” 26 points. After his daughter Natalia's birthday, he spent the day in the hands of the physiotherapist to treat his knee. He's not at 100%, but he scores 26 points in one half. The Kobe Bryant of 2006 has never been so strong and dominant.
In the third quarter, Chris Bosh and his partners even had a lead of up to 18 points (71-53) after two shots from Morris Peterson. And then the incredible happens. Kobe Bryant, the league's top scorer, then decides to put on his superhero cape and take the match into his own hands. 3-pts, and1, dunk, everything goes… He plants 27 points in the third quarter. One more than in the first half, and here he is already at 53 points.
A month earlier, he had already scored 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 layup with 6:26 left in the game. The Lakers are now certain of winning, and the public remains amazed by the performance of their star. The 70 point mark is reached on a 3-pt. Kobe Bryant then surpasses Michael Jordan's 69 points. At 4:26 from time, he overtook Elgin Baylor in the Lakers' scoring list with 72 units against 71 for the former winger. As enthusiastic as the fans, the announcer can't help but tell the public the records that fall one by one. On the bench, Phil Jackson plans to take him out…
“I wasn't following his stats and I turned to my assistant and said I'd better take him out. He said, 'I don't think you can do it. He's at 77 points.' So I left it until it reached 80 points. »
Author of 32 of his team's last 37 points, Kobe Bryant ends his recital with a series of throws to reach 81 points! It is the second greatest individual performance in history behind Wilt Chamberlain's famous 100 points (March 2, 1962). Like an emperor or rather a gladiator, Kobe Bryant comes out with 4 seconds to go, finger raised to the sky, and to the acclaim of the public 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 difficult to talk. Even in my dreams, I had never imagined this. It’s just one of those nights where anything can happen…” A hot, very vague statement… Kobe Bryant undoubtedly realizing the enormity of his performance. His teammates know that it's a legendary match, and they will ask him to sign the stats sheet to keep a souvenir for everyone…
Ten years later, the “Black Mamba” will be much more talkative. “It may 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 that as arrogance, but you have to understand that at my age, 27, in peak physical condition, it wasn't surprising. »
For Kobe Bryant, his performance was simply proof that “nothing is impossible.” “When we're kids, we have dreams, and even if they're crazy and full of imagination, we give it our all. Because we believe that nights like this 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've never had limits. I thought 90 points was possible. 100 points too. Always. This match is a testimony to what you can do when you don't set limits. »
A performance to go from superstar to legend
This “match without limits” leaves us with a unique stat line: 81 points at 28/46 on shots (at 61%), 7/13 on 3-pointers and 18/20 on throws, 6 rebounds and 3 interceptions. Kobe Bryant was often unplayable for his opponents. But that night, he was simply a cut above. That grit that takes you from superstar to legend. All against a defense solely focused on him…
“I faced tight defenses”, he recalls when he had Kwame Brown and Smush Parker as teammates. “To me, doing two-man holds on defense on a player is like waving a white flag. »
Eighteen years later, and almost three years after his death, his 81 points remain a historic moment, engraved in the marble of NBA plaques and in the collective spirit.
The work of a formidable scorer, five times titled, who became the fourth best scorer in history under the leadership of Phil Jackson who thought he had seen it all with Michael Jordan…
“That’s not exactly how you want your team to win a match,” concluded the Zen Master. “But when you have to win, it's great to have a weapon that can do it. I had seen some exceptional matches before but I had never seen anything like this. »
Article originally published in 2020
