With his absolutely ridiculous 81 point performance against the Raptors, following his 62 point outburst against the Mavs (in 3 quarters!) Kobe has to be seriously considered as one of the greatest scorers in modern NBA history. Wilt Chamberlain scored 100 points once, nearly a half century ago, but no one has touched 80 points since. Not Magic, not Bird, not even Jordan. And that's counting all the years where Jordan single-handedly carried weak Bulls squads (just like Kobe is carrying the Lakers now). I'm concerned that the Lakers will flame out in the playoffs, if they even make it. But Kobe sure is making them fun to watch for now, just like "Air" Jordan did with the 1980s Bulls.
Kobe??????
Are your serious? What he did for 1 game was impressive, but you cannot discount what a player does over a period of time. Iverson has played almost the same games as Kobe and is 4th on the PPG scoring list. He is a much better scorer and player...
Kobe is all Hype and unfortunatly everyobe remebers the 81 (ONLY 1 GAME) point game and will not focus on guy's around him (T Duncan, S Oneal etc) who are much better players.
Kobe played with another dominant scorer (Shaq) for most of his career. Iverson has been the only big scorer on his team his whole career.
It's only when Shaq was out of the picture when we have gotten to see what Kobe can do (scoring wise). Kobe may not be the best player out there, but he's the best scorer.
When Shaq was out for an extended stretch in 2002-03, Kobe went for 40 points in 8 consecutive games. Only Wilt and Jordan have longer streaks (Jordan did 9 straight in '86-'87). He probably could have continued the streak, but once Shaq returned, he had to (reluctantly, perhaps) let him get his shots, too.
Last season Kobe was injured or playing hurt for most of the season. Yes, I know, Iverson does the same, but just for comparison Kobe only played in 66 games in 2004-05, whereas Iverson played in 75.
He's been at full strength this year, and while Iversons scoring numbers are still very good (only a point or two behind Kobe in PPG), Kobe is racking up 40+ and 50+ point games like it is going out of style.
Shaq and Duncan maybe better players, and Iverson is pretty close when it comes to pure scoring, but I think Kobe is the most feared volume score right now. He'll hang 30 on even the best defenders (as he did on Artest the other night).
Kobe will be the greatest player ever to touch a basketball in history. When Kobe dropped 81 that night, he had his "zone". When he's in that "zone", he's unstoppable, not even Jordan would compete.
I know Jordan is the greatest right now, but in 10 years from now, Kobe still has a lot of time left to beat Jordan for his title. I respect all the other players and still think they are well skilled but when talking about greatness, you will hear the name Kobe. Kobe does make his teammates better, "now" since he can rely on them. Jordan can play positions 1,2,3. Kobe can play all 5 come on, even if you hate Kobe, you still know he is a great player, you can still enjoy watching him do things no one can do, Jordan couldnt drop 81. When KObe dropped 62 on the mavs in 3 quarters, jus imagine what he wouldve gotten in 4 quarters?? He will retire as the greatest player ever to play the game on this earth. He virtually unstoppable...