http://www.nba.com/aroundtheassociation/roundup_march2007.html
FOUR GAMES DO A MONTH MAKE
April 1, 2007 – Rarely is a month made in a week. How often, if ever, can the happenings of a four-week period be encapsulated in just four days?
It helps when those four days are part of something that hasn't been seen in 45 years; when those four days grab hold of the sports world and shake it to attention; when those four days make us wait in nervous anticipation for the fifth, to see if he'll do it again; when the he in question is Kobe Bryant.
March 16. March 18. March 22. March 23.
On those four days, Bryant scored, respectively, an NBA season-high 65 points against the Trail Blazers, 50 against the Timberwolves, 60 against the Grizzlies and, finally, 50 against the Hornets. That's 56.3 points per game. All of which were Lakers wins. All of which came on the heels of a seven-game losing streak, the longest of Phil Jackson's coaching career.
Bryant's eruption not only helped his team get back on track and strengthen its hold on sixth place in the Western Conference, it once again linked him in history with Wilt Chamberlain: In addition to having the two greatest scoring games of all-time, they are the only players to drop at least 50 in four straight.
(Of course, four was no big deal for The Stilt, whose longest spree saw him reach the half-century mark seven times in a row in December 1961.)
A lot has been made lately of Bryant's place in the pantheon of scoring legends – a likely byproduct of the two-week frenzy he's been on; his 53-point effort in an overtime loss to Houston on March 30 put his March average at 40.4 points per game, the fourth time in his career he has finished a month at 40. He and Chamberlain are the only players to average 40 in a calendar month since November 1964. That's right. Michael Jordan never did it.
As a result, a lot of questions have begun popping up. Is Kobe as dominant as Wilt? Is he as refined as Jordan? Is he the game's ultimate scorer?
Allow me to answer in a word: No.
It's one thing to place Bryant at the head of his generation, ahead of Allen Iverson and, at least for now, a few of the young bucks who are hot on his trail. That distinction is fair and arguable.
One can also argue that Bryant deserves to be ranked ahead of Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, George Gervin, Karl Malone and many of the other all-time great scorers. I'll buy that one, too.
To say he merits a mention alongside Wilt and MJ, however, is plain silly. The numbers just don't add up.
As Bryant said himself following the 43-point effort on March 27 that ended his string of 50s, Wilt was a human video game. Averaging 50 points was something he did for an entire season, not four or five games at a time.
The idea that someone can infiltrate The Big Dipper's realm of dominance with one extraordinary run is an insult to his legacy. I'm sorry. There's no other way to put it.
The same goes for claims against Jordan – as my colleague and resident fantasy freak Rick Kamla so eloquently pointed out.
If Bryant can hang on and clip Carmelo Anthony in the scoring race, he will earn his second scoring title – both in a row and overall – in 11 seasons. Jordan, on the other hand, won 10 scoring crowns in 15 campaigns.
Bryant's regular-season career scoring average is 24.5 points per game. Jordan's is 30.12.
In the playoffs, Kobe's average dips to 22.9. His Airness, on the other hand, actually kicked it up a notch and dropped 33.4 points per contest.
I could go on and reference more numbers, but I'll spare you the tedium and leave you, instead, with a final piece of advice:
Take Bryant's accomplishment and add it to his historic resume. Enjoy it for what it was – one of the most brilliant, awe-inspiring feats the NBA has ever seen. But don't tarnish it by forcing it into a place where it simply doesn't belong. There's no shame in being the third best, especially when the guys ahead aren't just great players but immortal ones.
Think I'm being too hard on KB24? Think he's got the goods to be ranked alongside Wilt and MJ? Drop me a line and tell me what you think.
FOUR GAMES DO A MONTH MAKE
April 1, 2007 – Rarely is a month made in a week. How often, if ever, can the happenings of a four-week period be encapsulated in just four days?
It helps when those four days are part of something that hasn't been seen in 45 years; when those four days grab hold of the sports world and shake it to attention; when those four days make us wait in nervous anticipation for the fifth, to see if he'll do it again; when the he in question is Kobe Bryant.
March 16. March 18. March 22. March 23.
On those four days, Bryant scored, respectively, an NBA season-high 65 points against the Trail Blazers, 50 against the Timberwolves, 60 against the Grizzlies and, finally, 50 against the Hornets. That's 56.3 points per game. All of which were Lakers wins. All of which came on the heels of a seven-game losing streak, the longest of Phil Jackson's coaching career.
Bryant's eruption not only helped his team get back on track and strengthen its hold on sixth place in the Western Conference, it once again linked him in history with Wilt Chamberlain: In addition to having the two greatest scoring games of all-time, they are the only players to drop at least 50 in four straight.
(Of course, four was no big deal for The Stilt, whose longest spree saw him reach the half-century mark seven times in a row in December 1961.)
A lot has been made lately of Bryant's place in the pantheon of scoring legends – a likely byproduct of the two-week frenzy he's been on; his 53-point effort in an overtime loss to Houston on March 30 put his March average at 40.4 points per game, the fourth time in his career he has finished a month at 40. He and Chamberlain are the only players to average 40 in a calendar month since November 1964. That's right. Michael Jordan never did it.
As a result, a lot of questions have begun popping up. Is Kobe as dominant as Wilt? Is he as refined as Jordan? Is he the game's ultimate scorer?
Allow me to answer in a word: No.
It's one thing to place Bryant at the head of his generation, ahead of Allen Iverson and, at least for now, a few of the young bucks who are hot on his trail. That distinction is fair and arguable.
One can also argue that Bryant deserves to be ranked ahead of Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, George Gervin, Karl Malone and many of the other all-time great scorers. I'll buy that one, too.
To say he merits a mention alongside Wilt and MJ, however, is plain silly. The numbers just don't add up.
As Bryant said himself following the 43-point effort on March 27 that ended his string of 50s, Wilt was a human video game. Averaging 50 points was something he did for an entire season, not four or five games at a time.
The idea that someone can infiltrate The Big Dipper's realm of dominance with one extraordinary run is an insult to his legacy. I'm sorry. There's no other way to put it.
The same goes for claims against Jordan – as my colleague and resident fantasy freak Rick Kamla so eloquently pointed out.
If Bryant can hang on and clip Carmelo Anthony in the scoring race, he will earn his second scoring title – both in a row and overall – in 11 seasons. Jordan, on the other hand, won 10 scoring crowns in 15 campaigns.
Bryant's regular-season career scoring average is 24.5 points per game. Jordan's is 30.12.
In the playoffs, Kobe's average dips to 22.9. His Airness, on the other hand, actually kicked it up a notch and dropped 33.4 points per contest.
I could go on and reference more numbers, but I'll spare you the tedium and leave you, instead, with a final piece of advice:
Take Bryant's accomplishment and add it to his historic resume. Enjoy it for what it was – one of the most brilliant, awe-inspiring feats the NBA has ever seen. But don't tarnish it by forcing it into a place where it simply doesn't belong. There's no shame in being the third best, especially when the guys ahead aren't just great players but immortal ones.
Think I'm being too hard on KB24? Think he's got the goods to be ranked alongside Wilt and MJ? Drop me a line and tell me what you think.
