I am no NBA fan. No Kobe fan, either. But 81 points in one game is impressive.
Vince Carter didn't think so. The man who admitted to intentionally playing bad to get out of Toronto said that it shows Kobe is not a good team player.
I was at Game 4 of the 1987 Western Conference Semifinals between the Warriors and Lakers (yes, I went to a basektball game on Mother's Day, but no worries, mom went with us). Golden State won the game 129-121, on the back of 51 points by Sleepy Floyd. He scored an NBA record 39 in the second half and 29 in the fourth quarter (playoff records that still stand, I think).
During that fourth quarter, Floyd's teammates got the ball to him every chance they got. If Floyd passed the ball -- one in particular was a two-on-one breakaway -- the hometown fans booed, because it was unconscionable that a player so on fire should be so unselfish. Everyone -- except the Lakers and their fans, and maybe Floyd himself -- wanted Floyd to take every shot.
It was an amazing performance, and after experiencing it firsthand almost 20 years ago (dang!), I find it hard to accept that Kobe was doing anything wrong by taking all those shots. Especially when coming from Carter.
Re:Wilt
lachoy on 2006-01-26T18:12:09
They're both impressive, but IMO Kobe did it against much, much better competition. Therefore, Kobe's 81 gets the edge in the alternate universe where, to save my life, I have to decide between two incredible but ultimately irrelevant sports records.
I don't think Vince Carter knows much about team play.
If a running back or receiver is having a great game, coaches and quarterbacks get them the ball.
Have you every heard of players being pinch hit for when they're a triple away of hitting for a cycle?
Its seemed to me that a great personal achievement for an individual player tends to cause the rest of their team to raise their level of play, if that's just giving the ball to the hot hand. Ever see the highlights for a no-hitter? They tend to a showcase of one great defensive play after another. In any case, a win is a win, so if an NBA team wins because a single player scores 80 points, then, continuing to give that person the ball is the smart thing to do, not the selfish thing to do.
