Kobe Bryant's 81-point game is officially 20 years old.
The 2nd-most prolific scoring game in NBA history remains one of the league's single most iconic moments. And for one of the most popular players of all-time regardless of sport, it's inarguably the No. 1 crowning achievement, a feat so absurd that it overshadowed both the AFC and NFC Championship Games. Don't believe me? Watch Stuart Scott's intro to ESPN's SportsCenter from that very day.
The basics are burned into the cerebral cortex of even casual fans.
- He scored 81 points.
- It came against the Raptors.
- He did most of the damage against Jalen Rose.
- Rose and Bryant made a commercial about it.
- LeBron even claims he called it (LOL, decide for yourself, I guess)
The NBA's YouTube page includes a Kobe highlight package showing every made shot, a 3-minute clip now with over 11 million views and 13,000 comments.
20 years later, the box score and play-by-play still seem doctored, something out of a 2K game on easy difficulty. I'm a recovering researcher and stats guy from a former life and so naturally the massive nerd in me decided to take a closer look in search of some hidden insight.
Here's what I found.
MORE: 5 things you missed from Wilt's 100-point game
Kobe was not the game's leading scorer for first 10:30
It's hard to imagine that someone who finished with 81 points wasn't actually the game's leading scorer from the jump.
In a year he averaged a career-high 35.4 points per game (and got absolutely hosed in 2006 MVP voting, a debate for another day), Bryant predictably had many torrid starts. In fact, he had nine games in which he scored at least 15 in the first quarter... A number which does NOT include this one!
Bryant finished with 14 points in the first quarter of this one... And didn't become the game's leading scorer for good until 1:13 left in the opening quarter. Until draining a couple of free throws, the game's leading scorer was.... Mike James!
James, who I have zero recollection of ever averaging 20 in the 2002-06 season, scored 11 points in the first 10 minutes. He finished with a team-high 26 points and 10 assists.
Lakers trailed by 14 at halftime
I hazily recall it being a close game and one the Lakers actually needed those 81 points.
I didn't quite remember the extent to which Toronto was running them out of the gym. Not only did the Lakers trail by 14 at the half, they also trailed by as many as 18 points.
Time spent with the lead in this game?
- Raptors: 32:13
- Lakers: 13:54
Not including this game, the Lakers went 0-5 that season in games they trailed by double digits at the half. It literally took Kobe's greatest game ever to break that trend.
Lakers offense stunk without Kobe on the floor
As we've established, the Lakers needed every bit of the Mamba magic. Thank you, Captain Obvious.
But even that underscores how painfully dreadful every Laker not named Kobe Bryant performed.
After playing the whole first quarter, Bryant sat out the first six minutes of the second quarter. Here are the Lakers' possessions:
- Shot clock violation
- Missed 2-point shot
- 3-second violation
- Missed 3-point shot
- Missed layup
- 3-second violation
- Made 3-pt shot
- Missed 2-point shot
- Missed 2-point shot
- Missed 2-point shot
- Offensive rebound, missed 3-point shot
- Offensive rebound, missed 2-point shot
- Missed layup
- Offensive rebound, shot clock violation
Gross.
If you're counting at home, that's a whopping two points on 1-10 shooting with four turnovers.
Kobe outscored Raptors after subbing in for good
After watching that dumpster fire for six minutes, Bryant subbed back in and didn't leave the floor until he took a curtain call with four seconds left in the game.
The score when he walked back onto the court? Raptors 44, Lakers 32.
From that moment on, Bryant outscored the Raptors 67-60, accounting 23 of the team's 29 made buckets.
He shot 23-36 from that point onward. The Laker with the 2nd-most attempts over that span? BFF Smush Parker with five.
Only one Laker played entire 2nd half... And it wasn't Kobe
Bryant subbed out with four seconds to go, a delirious STAPLES Center crowd of 18,997 showering him with the loudest of standing ovations you'll ever witness...
... At least until his final game.
Officially, Bryant logged 23:56 in that second half, good for second on his team.
The only Laker to play the entire second half of the famous 81-point game?
None other than Mr. Lamar Odom.
All Kobe in 4th quarter
Kobe saved his best for last, pumping in an astounding 28 points in the fourth quarter after dropping 27 points in the third quarter.
(Incredibly, that was NOT this most points ever in a quarter. He twice dropped 30 in a period: Dec. 20, 2005 and Nov. 30, 2006.)
The fourth quarter box score itself is remarkable. Take a look!
He scored or assisted on every single Lakers' point in the quarter: all 31.
The only other made shot? An Odom 3-pointer off an assist from Bryant. No other Lakers even attempted a free throw.
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