A Historic Night in the NBA

Last night, marked a historic night in the NBA. NBA legend, Kobe Bryant was playing the last game of his hall of fame career and the Golden State Warriors were going for win number 73 on the season. The 95-96’ Chicago Bulls held the record for most wins in a season with 72, so you knew Stephen Curry and the rest of the Warriors were eager to break the record.

In the black mamba’s last game he put on one last show for fans and players around the world.  He scored 60 points, yes 60 points and carried the Los Angeles Lakers to an improbable victory.  Bryant scored 23 of his 60 points in the fourth quarter and rallied the Lakers from a 15 point deficit to win the final game of his career.

He had the whole Staples Center crowd buzzing throughout the night and with the Lakers needing one last heroic performance to will them victory he answered the call. Bryant made a 3-pointer with 59 seconds left in the game to cut the Lakers deficit to two, and then he hit another with 31 seconds to play, putting the Lakers ahead for good. After the game Lakers head coach Byron Scott, said “It just didn’t surprise me, the way he would go out, sixty points wasn’t a surprise. I knew he had it in him.”

It was a special night for Bryant, as many of his former teammates, friends, and Laker legends played tribute to him during the game.

Now, in the Bay Area, the Warriors became the first 73-win team last night by beating the Memphis Grizzlies 125-104. Oh, and Steph Curry achieved yet another shooting milestone in this magical season of his. He became the first player to make 400 3-pointers in a season by knocking down 10 three pointers and finishing with 46 points on the night.

The Warriors are looking forward to the NBA playoffs starting Saturday and they have only one thing in mind and that is to bring another NBA title back to the Bay Area. The are the favorites to win it all again this year and how can anyone disagree, especially with the historical season they just had.

As a NBA fan, it was truly an amazing night and will definitely go down as one best nights in NBA history.

Kobe Bryant’s Top Moments

Kobe Bryant is one of the best players to ever play in the NBA. Throughout his career, the future hall of famer has won 5 NBA Championships and broken multiple NBA records. With the black mamba retiring at the end of the season, we look back at some of the top moments of his unbelievable NBA career.

Kobe scores 81 points

On January 22, 2006, Kobe Bryant scored a career high 81 points against the Toronto Raptors. Kobe broke the Lakers franchise record of 71 points in a single game, held by the great Elgin Baylor and his 81 point display was the second-highest point total in NBA history. The only player in NBA history to score more points than Kobe in an individual game was Wilt Chamberlain, who scored 100 points back in 1962. His remarkable performance would help lead the Lakers to a come from behind victory. At the end of the game, Bryant’s stats were incredible. He made 28 of 46 shots (60.9%), seven of 13 from three-point range (53.8%) and 18 of 20 free throws (90.0%).

Game 4 of the NBA Finals vs Indiana

With the Lakers’ dominant big man, Shaquille O’Neal, fouling out during a crucial time in the game, the Lakers looked to no other than Kobe Bryant to carry them to victory. Let’s just say, Kobe answered the call. He scored 28 points, which would include three crucial overtime baskets that helped prevail the Lakers to a 120-118 victory.

Kobe Earns his first Gold Medal

Aside from winning 5 NBA titles throughout his career, the black mamba won two Olympic Gold Medals as well. In 2008, Bryant played alongside some of the game’s best, which included Lebron James, Dwyane Wade and Chris Paul. In the gold medal game, Kobe led Team USA to victory over a talented Spain team. He finished with 20 points and 13 of those came in the final period.

Kobe hits two free throws after tearing his Achilles’ tendon


In 2013, Kobe was at the top of his game, but that all changed after he tore his Achilles’ tendon in a game against the Golden State Warriors. This was a devastating injury, but somehow the future hall of famer was able to stay in the game and knock down his two free throws before leaving the game under his own power. This play showed how much heart and dedication he has to the game of basketball. It will be sad watching him walk away from the game at the end of the season.

 

For more of Kobe’s top moments, check out this article.

Kobe Bryant to Retire at the End of the Season

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The 2015-2016 NBA season will officially mark the end of an era as future Hall of Famer Kobe Bryant has announced his retirement. Kobe has spent his entire 20 year career with the Los Angeles Lakers and has helped lead them to five NBA Championships. Bryant announced his retirement this past Sunday via The Players’ Tribune, a new media platform founded by former New York Yankees captain, Derek Jeter. The Players’ Tribune provides professional athletes a medium for their direct reflections, thoughts, and experiences.

In Kobe Bryant’s first-person poem titled “Dear Basketball,” he says that basketball “gave a six-year-old boy his Laker dream/And I’ll always love you for it.” “But I can’t love you obsessively for much longer,” Bryant wrote. “This season is all I have left to give. My heart can take the pounding. My mind can handle the grind but my body knows it’s time to say goodbye.” These powerful words by Kobe Bryant illustrate the difficulty in saying goodbye to a legendary career. He is the top scorer in Los Angeles Lakers history, which is an incredible feat considering the many Hall of Fame Lakers who played before him. Only 13 players in NBA history have played on more championship teams than Kobe Bryant. The list includes players such as Chicago Bulls legend Michael Jordan and Boston Celtics legend Bill Russell. Bryant is also 2nd in NBA history with 17 All-Star selections and is the youngest person to achieve 30,000 career points. The accolades speak for themselves.

Kobe’s skill, work ethic, and love for the game are admired by many, including future Hall of Famer, Dwyane Wade, who said, “He was my favorite player and he set the bar for me.

This season has been a struggle for both the Los Angeles Lakers and Kobe Bryant. The Lakers sit at the bottom of the Western Conference with a 3-15 record. Kobe is having one of the worst seasons in his career, but injuries have been a main factor for him missing 123 games over the past two seasons. The Laker season has become a farewell tour for Bryant, as players and fans alike are coming out in droves to witness the legends’ last games. Thank you, Kobe Bryant for an incredible career and inspiring athletes across the world.

To hear more about  Kobe Bryant’s retirement decision, check out :

http://espn.go.com/nba/story/_/id/14254236/kobe-bryant-los-angeles-lakers-announces-retire-season  

Kobe and Lakers to Part Ways

Remember this guy?

Remember this guy?

Kobe Bryant is arguably the greatest player of all-time. Yes, even a lifelong Laker fan has to put that “arguably” qualifier before that statement. The end of next season will make it 20 years that Bryant has been loyally wearing the purple and gold. It will also be his last year with the team.

Mitch Kupchak is one of the worst general managers in basketball and probably shouldn’t have given him and Steve Nash so much money in the first place. But it sounds like he has finally come to his senses and mutually decided to part ways with the former superstar. Kupchak told SiriusXM NBA radio that the two haven’t had any discussions about a working relationship going forward.

Kobe Bryant is still one of the youngest players to play in the league. He came into the league at 17 in the late 90’s and never had any problem taking his share of shots. When those shots started going in at a high percentage and we started getting rings again, Lakers fans embraced Kobe and even defended him against bogus rape allegations in Denver.

As a Laker fan there is something to say about keeping Kobe these last few years. He will be the first player to play for the same team 20 years. Twice he lead the league in scoring and for 17 years Kobe made the all-star team. However, paying him $48 mil for two years after a torn Achilles is questionable judgement on behalf of Kupchak.

At the beginning of the 2013-2014 season, Kobe suffered a devastating knee injury and had to miss the entire season. His ability and resilience to play through injury is commendable but when your team suffers as a result its no longer endearing to fans. Kobe has been playing through back problems, shoulder injuries and thats just what we know about. We thank Kobe for what he has done but we will not be said to see him released.