Kobe Bryant was a master at scoring – none were better than him in 2005-06. He averaged a mouthwatering 35.4 points per game.
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Kobe Bryant’s scoring exploits are known to everybody. But his peak performance came for two seasons when he led the scoring charts from 2005 to 2007. Those two seasons saw some of the best scoring runs the world had seen, including the fabled 81-point game against Toronto. Kobe, for a stretch, looked like he was playing a video game in real life, where he averaged more than 40 in a 10-game stretch.
Starting strong in 2005, Kobe scored 33, 39, 37, and 37 in his first four games. Then came a slight dip in form, scoring only 28, 17, and 18 in the next three. People were ready to brush off the start, but only Kobe knew what he was about to unleash.
From then on, he played like a man possessed, dropping below 20 points only once in the next 75 regular season games. He ended the season with an incredible 35.4 points average, stealing the scoring title from LeBron James.
That season was so incredible, that Kobe scored more than 50 points on 4 separate occasions. In contrast, he dropped below 20 points 3 times. So on any given night, Kobe was more likely to score half a century, than drop below 20. If that is not the trait of the second-best SG of all time, then we don’t know what is!
Also Read: Kobe Bryant “Stole Christmas” from LeBron James wearing his $3000 Grinch 6s!
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Kobe Bryant deserved the MVP more than once – The NBA decided to reward others instead of him
Despite having such incredible runs, leading the Lakers to high-placed finishes the league decided to award Steve Nash and Tim Duncan MVPs instead. Sure they went farther than the Lakers legend in the playoffs, but the MVP is a regular season award. Recency bias crept in hard, and they chose not to reward excellence.
Well, the Mamba didn’t care, because he ended up with 5 more rings than Nash, and was equal to Duncan. Those are the only trophies that matter to people like him. Yes, missing out on individual accolades was like a thorn in his soul, but he used that irritation to fuel the fire in him.
Just like LeBron deserves to be in the MVP conversation almost every year, Kobe deserved to be in the running until 2011. After that, father time slowly caught up to him, and injuries slowed him down. But just to show everybody he still had it, he dropped 60 points before he bowed out. In true Mamba fashion, he called for the curtains to be closed, with a standing ovation and resounding cheers.
Also Read: Did 6’6 Kobe Bryant switch from 8 to 24 to one-up his idol, Michael Jordan?
