Let us first applause David Stern because he always seems to know what's going on months in advance before we do. Of course he knew that this year would be the season that Bron Bron would have an MVP season and be practically unstoppable this year. Of course he knew the Lakers would be the top team in the Western Conference halfway through the season. And he knew that Bynum would get injured to the same team and same month as he did last year. Stern knew it was only right to have the Lakers visit NYC the next game, so Kobe could take the sports' biggest stage and make sure the rest of the league knew that Kobe and Lakers aren't messing around even with Bynum gone. And of course David Stern knew this, so the only smart decision in the scheduling would be to have Lebron play the Kncks immediately after. (Let's also note that David Stern has the Lakers playing Toronto tonight, the team he scored 81 against seasons ago. Genius, I tell you. Genius. He already knew this would happen)
Oh, the media will eat this up. Be it ESPN, LA or Cleveland, somebody will say something. But you know New York is going to consume themselves in this.
Topic of conversation...Lebron is looking to beat Kobe's MSG record.
He will, won't he? He's Lebron James. He can do it all. Hell, he wants to make his permanent home the Madison Square Garden when he's a free agent. It's perfect for him. It's the biggest stage in the NBA...hell, probably in the sports world. And Lebron fits that ticket. He truly is the big ticket (sorry Kevin).
So why can't he score 61? If Kobe did it. Lebron will surely beat him, right? It will only make LBJ's legacy even greater. To beat Kobe and Jordan's record highs against the Knicks, only two days after Kobe did it. The guys at Weiden + Kennedy (Nike's ad agency) is already drafting a new commercial to commemorate this. It's going to be great.
Lebron will shoot more free throws because he drives to the basket more, and he will destroy the Knicks and drop 64 points. Right?
Not particularly. Lebron isn't a man of hype; he's always seemed to be above it. When he came into the league, he ignored all the hype surrounded around him, didn't become so immersed in it that it messed his game up. He came out and played basketball. And to win. And that's what he will do tonight.
Monday night, Kobe was on a mission. His mission was to show his team, the Knicks and the rest of the NBA that the Lakers aren't going to go down and struggle because their starting center is gone for three months. He had to go out there and almost make it a statement game.
With the Lakers historically looking past games like the Knicks and the Raptors (tonight), the Lakers would have typically struggled against the Knicks and only been looking at the games at the week's end against the Celtics and the Cavaliers. Kobe didn't let that happen this time. He just did what he had to do to get guarantee the Lakers a win.
It's not about what Lebron is going to do. It's about what he has to do. Lebron and Kobe are two different species of freak-athletes. Lebron's NFL body type and strength breeds him to be a player that just muscles his way to the hole gracefully each and every time. And making 73% of his shots three feet or closer from the basket (kudos to Jeff Van Gundy), there's no question that Lebron is one of the best finishers of the game.
But can Bron Bron drop 61+ tonight? He could. It'd be hard, since his jumpshot isn't as pristine as Kobe's is, and 15-20 lay-ups to go with another 20 free throws seems a little unlikely. But hey, it's Lebron. Who knows.
I know Lebron is going to do whatever it takes to win the game. But he does have a few things going against him.
The Knicks have to be pissed that Mamba did that to them on Monday. And then with all the hype around Lebron coming to town. Do you really think they would let another stud come in and drop 50-60 on them? For the sake of all that is sacred in basketball, I truly hope not.
But we'll see what happens tonight.
When the game started Monday, Kobe was cold-blooded from the start.
"I knew when he stepped on the court," Knicks guard Nate Robinson said of Kobe. "Usually he will say hi and say something, but tonight he didn't say anything. He was completely focused. He didn't even say anything to his teammates."
After Lebron rocks some powder...what next?
Paul Pierce, you got next.
I am pretty sure Lebron will have more than 3 assists and zero rebounds
61 is 61 no matter how someone tries to downplay it. Just like 81 is 81 and 100 is 100. When you post something like "I am pretty sure Lebron will have more than 3 assists and zero rebounds" you sound like a petty little girl regardless if that is your intention or not. Seriously, how many players have scored 60 in a game? Now to extrapolate, how many of those have multiple games of 60+? Everytime Kobe get 60+ history is being cemented. Or to put it in terms you and some others may understand I'm pretty sure NO ONE else in the Association could outscore a professional team through three quarters (62-61 Vs. Dal, you know a month before the 81 against Toronto..). I hate the term hater but you comment reeks of hating, sorry.
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