Secondly, I do think a team win streak is better aligned with the purpose of the game - to win games. Its a matter of indifference how the game is won. The celebration of (and creation of superstars) is a marketing strategy by the NBA. Individual stats and individual accomplishments sell jerseys. sell tickets. sell the NBA. it makes the NBA understandable to a general audience only paying half attention. Who do you like better TMAc or Kobe. It actually isn't Kobe vs Tmac its the Rockets v the LAkers... that being said, Kobe is also a good team player. er, a good player to have on your team. 80+ points in a game kinda proves that. long story short, thanks for the compliments kobe, and i hope we beat you soundly tomorrow on national tv.
So? His team was down by 20, he had Kwame, Smush, and Luke Walton starting and he just took over.. If Kobe's 81 is nothing because of him doing it against the raptors, then what do you think about Wilt's 100point game in an era where defensive scheme's were primitive, while defended by a backup 6'8center on the worst team in the league?
Who said it was nothing? Do I think Kobe could of done that to the Spurs defense? Hell no. Is it a good accomplishment? Yes. Most of the time when a player scores a lot in a game, it's pretty much over and they get to rest for the majority of the 4th. Im sure players like Jordan could of done it if they wanted to run up the score. Tmac did 13sec against the best team in the league and beat a better opponent. Also guarded by the best defender in the league Bruce Bowen.
whats better, T-mac's 13points in 35seconds or Wilts 100point game. Here is a good article comparing Kobe's 81 vs Wilt's 100point game: http://sports.yahoo.com/nba/blog/nba_experts/post/Why-Kobe-is-right-there-with-Wilt?urn=nba,71053
If anyone had a game nearing a Wilt Chamberlain performance I would take Michael's highest scoring game of all time against the Cavs.... He had 69 points and 17 rebounds.
I thought the questioned was which one do you preferred. I preferred an awesome feat vs a quality opponent rather then an tremedous feat vs a weak opponent. Kobe's 81 is definitely a better individual accomplishment.
if any other team could win 21 in a row this season they would have if any other player in the modern era could score 81 points on 61% shooting they would have if any other player could score 100 points in a game they would have if any other player could score 13 points in 35 seconds they would have Most importantly they would have done it again if it was so easy. The fact is it is not, they are great moments or atleast should be because they are hard to duplicate. They can't be compared because they are all unique.
The Lakers were a weak team themselves, while the rockets were a top4 team in the west.. 81points in a modern game is amazing no matter how you cut it, and I'm sure many would take 81 over that short spurt of brilliance.
Regarding Kobe's 81...quite impressive, but there are definitely players in this league that COULD match it. For those who remember, Houston's very own Tracy McGrady scored 52 points in 2003 while a member of the Orlando TMacs. Now, 52 and 81 are worlds apart, but McGrady scored 52 through three quarters. He sat the 4th quarter. For reference, Kobe had 53 through 3 in the Lakers versus Raptors in '06. Granted, the difference as to why Kobe played the 4th in the '06 game and McGrady didn't in the '03 game was the score through three: Magic were up by 21, whereas the Lakers were only up by 6 heading into the final quarter. So the point that needs to be made is that while Kobe's 81 is absolutely astonishing, this simple evidence proves that the single-game scoring feat is much, MUCH more attainable than a team winning 20+ in a row. Now how about TMac goes off for 82 tomorrow afternoon??
Did you forget Kobe scored 62points in 3quarters against the Dallas Mavericks just a month prior? And thats the Dallas team that beat the Spurs in the Semi-Finals. <object width="425" height="355"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/hS31tD_W104&hl=en"></param><param name="wmode" value="transparent"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/hS31tD_W104&hl=en" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" wmode="transparent" width="425" height="355"></embed></object>
Fine, so Kobe scored 62 through three (I had forgotten about that). He's a tremendous talent. But it just proves that an individual statistic such as scoring 80+ points is clearly more attainable than an entire team winning 20+ in a row. Again, Kobe is one of the all-time great scorers, and we can all respect him for that. But prolific scorers like he and TMac (and others) have the ability to score at rates that are more frequent than that of a team winning 20+ in a row. I guess the question is: what single-game point total can you equate to 20+ wins? 70? 75? 80? It's incomparable in my opinion.
