The Greatest "Dusting out the old bag of tricks" Game

The saddest part of basketball is watching players you grew up idolizing wither away into role players. On the other hand, very few moments are as memorable than when those very same geezers pull it together for one more legendary performance. I cant explain the feeling I get when I see MJ go for 50 at 38 or 40 at 40, or Hakeem tossing out one last triple double. So I leave it up to you guys to decide which were the best.

Im not including MJ because I think he would win, and thats no fun.

Possible Nominees

Malone saves LA in G5: 30-13-1 3Stl (11-17)
Not only was his line incredible but he played terrific defense, fouled Yao out the game, and had the games defining moments seeling the victory with some clutch rebounding, even playing with a torn up jersey. In a game where Kobe was a miserable 7-21, Shaq occupied with Yao, and GP looking every bit his age, it was Malones performance that made the difference, not bad for a 40 year old.

Birds Triple-Double vs the WC Champs
49-12-14 4Stl,1Blk (35.6Usage & 118 Offensive RTG)
Imagine if Larry hadnt spent his offseasons lifting lumber for sport. I havent seen the game, but this was Birds final year, back spasms had taken their toll, relying purely on skill and IQ he was still an All-Star. What makes this game special was that for 1 night, he was a superstar again. Not enough, how about the fact that McHale, Parish and Lewis all fouled out. The team needed Larry to carry them, he delivered.

Hakeem establishes Torontos rebounding record at 38
It was a season to be forgotten for die hard Rox fans, but this night was special, it was against Ben Wallace and the Pistons in Dreams farewell tour with Toronto. So they lost the game, it wasnt Dreams job to close teams out, that job fell to Vince Carter (He missed the GW), Dreams sole job was to give his team as many possessions as possible. 20Rebounds 5Blocks, NUFF said.

Reggie drops 39@39 on Kobe
39-3-2 (32.7Usage & 161 Off.RTG)
This was suppose to be the year Reggie made his last trip to the Finals, instead its remembered as the year Artest went bonkers, and Reggie got stuffed by Prince. To the die hards, it was one of Reggies most remarkable seasons. Despite the suspensions and injuries to his teams stars, Reggie provided a calming influence all season long carrying that team into a playoff spot. Kobe scores 12PTS on 5-14 (0 in the 4th), Reggie takes 3 more shots and scores 39 and rallies his team back in the 4th quarter. INSANE, just as remarkable were Reggies post game comments; "Dale and Jeff really sacrifice their bodies and set great screens for us"

Pippen shows up Tmac
25-17-7 1Blk (25 Usage & 152Off.RTG)
With Tmac matched up against him most of the night, Pippen turned back the clock. While he didnt return the favor guarding Tmac, he did play an essential role providing help, and as his 50%Defensive Rebound rate can attest, he was active. If you guys recall this was essentially Pippens last hurrah, the Blazers were struggling to find a replacement for the injured Damon Stoudemire, once Pippen returned, he filled in at PG and was able to run the offense to a T, and helped steer the Blazers back into the playoffs. He would retire after a brief stint with the Bulls.


Shaq destroys Rupal aka Bosh
Last years 56PT explosion at the tender age of 38. Recent enough for us to remember


Old Man McHale drops 30-10 on Zo and LJ in G2

30-10-0(NO SHOCK THERE)
Its another one of those mysterious Celtic games that I dont remember too much about, but its a game Ive seen referenced a hundred times, most recently by Bill Simmons in his latest book. Im guessing it has a similar feel to Malones playoff game, but this one came in a loss, albeit to a superior team.