61 points carved into history
Every athlete wants to win. That is a given. They want the trophies, the accolades, the fans, the medals; that’s understandable. But more than all of that, every athlete wants to be remembered. They want to be able to carve their names into history and rank among the world’s greatest such as Babe Ruth, Muhammad Ali and Michael Jordan. Who doesn’t want their name to be spoken with athletic reverence for all time? That is the ultimate goal of all sportsmen, be they basketball players, Olympians, baseball players or tennis stars.
Indeed, over the last 10 years we have seen some of the best displays of athleticism the world has ever witnessed such as the amazing feats accomplished by Lance Armstrong, Tiger Woods and Roger Federer. And in basketball a few names ring loudly as well, like Kobe Bryant, Lebron James and Steve Nash. In fact, it was a recent explosive showing accomplished by Kobe Bryant that inspired me to write this column. A few days ago in a Lakers vs. Knicks game in Madison Square Garden, Bryant carved his name into scoring history by scoring a record 61 points in the Garden toppling all the previous high scorers who ever played there and ensuring himself a place in basketball history.
To be sure, Kobe Bryant is no stranger to athletic greatness. This basketball player has established himself as one of the best, if not the best, player in the NBA today and has dominated every game he has played in. It’s funny too, because I am not a Kobe Bryant fan, particularly. As a matter of fact, prior to the last year and a half I kind of disliked him for his arrogance and self-centered approach to the game. Then, when the Bulls told him that he had no teamwork, a new Kobe emerged, one that passed more and led his team like a legitimate leader instead of just a lone wolf out for scoring glory. Last year, alongside Pau Gasol, Kobe showed that he had what it took to be a team player and took the Lakers all the way to the championship. The crown eluded them but this year is another year.
It all started out quite perfectly, actually. Center Andrew Bynum was back and was getting back into the groove of playing with Gasol, Odom and Fisher and it seemed like the puzzle was finally complete. Kobe was particularly on fire coming off of an MVP year and a gold medal at the recent China Olympics. Everything was flowing like clockwork and the championship was in sight and within reach. And then last week Bynum was injured during a play and needed at least six to eight weeks’ recovery time. Seen from a broader perspective, this doesn’t seem so bad as the Lakers are already well placed at the head of their division and are not in any way forced to keep winning. But, being a team that wants to win no matter what, the loss of Bynum again (he was out last season as well) was all but devastating.
The somberness of the team was evident when they played the Knicks at Madison Square Garden. This anger is definitely one of the reasons that spurred Bryant to his most explosive offensive showing of the year. That coupled with the fact that Madison Square Garden is still one of the time-honored arenas of basketball excellence, or “the Mecca of basketball,” as they say. Any basketball player playing there still sees the ghosts of champions past on the court and would love nothing more than to add their name to that elite roster — which is exactly what Bryant accomplished with his scoring feat.
Anger and nostalgia are definitely a deadly combination and Bryant not only matched his predecessors’ glory at Madison Square Garden but blew past it. Michael Jordan had his 55-point game there in 1995 and back in 1984 Bernard King had 60. Even Lebron James donated 50 points to the Garden. Bryant even had a few 40-point games there but never managed to close the gap between him and the ghosts. This time, though, it was a different story. The Knicks looked like props as Bryant just stuck everything from jumpers to twisting turnabouts to breathless drives. It was almost like he was in another world — the zone, perhaps. Either way, he blasted through the game fueled by drive, ambition, nostalgia and anger — all of which contributed to his 61 points and a place in history.
Indeed, through the last year and a half, Bryant has become a better player and a better team member. This night, though, more than anything he wanted to prove that the loss of Bynum was not as crippling as some thought. He needed to make a point to himself and his team and they were still going to be okay; he wanted to show everyone else that regardless of the roadblocks the Lakers were still going to make it happen and, above all, he wanted to prove in Madison Square Garden — where legends are immortalized — that Kobe Bryant is definitely one of the greatest athletes in the world.
