Kobe Turns Back the Clock in His Final Game
On the final night of his illustrious career, after what seemed like a year’s worth of farewells and celebrations and congratulatory speeches spanning everyone from Justin Timberlake to Taylor Swift, Kobe Bryant clanked the first four shots he attempted.
“Little bit of nerves,” he would say later.
Like a bunch of anxious parents watching their kid struggle when they desperately want them to succeed, the sold-out crowd at Staples Center moaned and groaned and grimaced with each miss. Through their body language, it was as if they were trying to will the ball into the hoop.
Imagine that, after all those years carrying the Lakers and Los Angeles to five NBA Titles and an infinite loop of highlight reel plays and game-winning shots and legendary moments, it was L.A.’s turn to hoist Kobe onto its shoulders and carry their hero.
Then it happened.
With all of Los Angeles pushing him from behind, Kobe lifted up, wiggled a little bit, curled under his defender and sank a 10-footer with just over five minutes left in the first quarter.
All of Staples Center erupted.
“Once the game got going a little bit I was able to settle down,” he said.
It was on.
Boy, was it on.
As if dialing back the clock to 2003, Kobe Bean Bryant pieced together a vintage Kobe montage.
One that wouldn’t be complete until he dropped 60 points against the Utah Jazz, including the eventual game winner, in the most spectacular going away party sports has ever witnessed.
One that left a star-studded crowd in shaking their heads in awe.
And left the rest of the sports world watching in utter amazement.
“Historical,” his coach, Byron Scott said.
And after all the championships and all the records and all the memories, even the man himself was left wondering if what happened really just happened.
“I can’t believe this actually happened, to be honest,” he said. “I’m still in shock about it.”
It started with just over five minutes left in the first quarter.
A 16-foot pull up jumper.
Then a reverse layup into the teeth of the Utah Jazz defense for an and-one.
The crowd went nuts.
Next came a 20-foot jumper.
Nothing but net.
Then a deep 3-pointer.
Bang.
Four minutes, 15 glorious points by Kobe.
All of a sudden Staples Center came to life as if it was Game 7 of the NBA Finals.
And if you closed your eyes for a second and dreamed a little bit, that wasn’t Roy Hibbert playing center alongside Kobe, it was Shaquille O’Neal.
Kobe reverses the layup for two of his mind-boggling 60 points on the night. (Southern California News Group: David Crane)
And Pau Gasol was in for Julius Randle and D’Angelo Russell turned into Derrick Fisher.
The Lakers were no longer a 17-win disaster headed to their third consecutive NBA lottery, it was the eve of another playoff run and they were gearing up for a three-peat.
Staples Center wasn’t a place to avoid on a Lakers game night, it was the hottest ticket in town providing the biggest stage for the greatest show in the NBA.
And Kobe Bryant wasn’t closing in on middle age or playing the final game of his career alongside a bunch of teammates nearly half his age, he was a 26-year-old star in the prime of his career and all of Los Angeles was painted in Purple and Gold promise.
Even Kobe found himself being transported to another time.
“It was a constant balance of accepting the moment and digesting the moment,” he said.
Alas, this wasn’t Hollywood, it was downtown Los Angeles.
And no matter how much we wanted to turn back the clock to younger days and brighter times to the spry, explosive, dominant Kobe Bryant we all remember, reality stepped in like Dikembe Mutombo to swat our daydream away like he would a lazy lay up.
The year was 2016, not 2003.
Kobe Bryant was 37, not 25.
And we are saying goodbye, not see you later.
It happens like that, no matter how much we want to tell Father Time to take a hike.
But just to make sure we don’t forget too soon what we’ve been witness to the last 20 years, Kobe kept turning back the clock a little bit.
Ever the showman, and fully intent on giving L.A. and the world one more glimpse of greatness, he’d drive the lane for a tough layup or pull up for a jumper or glide across the baseline, spin in the air and drop kiss a floater off the glass that caught just enough rim to fall for a bucket.
Or square up Joe Ingles at the 3-point line, stare him down as if he was about to dribble-drive to his right, only to lift up and sink a 3-pointer with Engles’ outstretched hands a half inch from Kobe’s face.
Boom.
By the end of the third quarter, Kobe was up to 37 points.
What, did you really think he was going to slide into retirement without trying to rip someone’s heart out?
Talk about sweet goodbye.
“Surreal,” is how he described it. “It’s hard to describe. It’s almost like youre in a fog. Everything is moving so slow yet so fast. It’s just like a dream. This is a dream.”
Kobe will always be known for his offensive prowess – which was well on display in his last game – but he was a tremendous defensive player in his prime, as he was selected for the NBA All-Defensive First Team nine times. (Southern California News Group: John McCoy)
Points 38, 39 and 40 came on a 3-pointer early in the third.
Another 3 pushed him to 43 with eight minutes left. All of a sudden 50 points was in sight.
And a special night was turning spectacular.
With the crowd at the edge of its seat every time Kobe touched the ball, Kobe went to work.
It took everything he had, not to mention 50 shots and going nearly the entire second half without taking a rest, but just under two minutes left in the fourth quarter he kissed an arching floater off the glass for his 50th and 51st points.
“There were times I drove to the basket and my legs were like, what are you nuts?” he said. “And I’d throw it up and it went in and I was like, ‘Thank you God.’”
Then came back with a midrange jumper and his was up to 53.
A 3-pointer gave him 56 points.
Lo and behold, the Lakers were within striking distance.
Legs dead tired, Kobe pulled up and sank a 15 footer to get to 58 points and put the Lakers up, 97-96.
And with 14.8 seconds he sank two free throws for 60 points and a 99-96 Lakers.
Kobe was pulled with 4.1 seconds remaining, the Lakers leading, 101-96.
It was a storybook ending. An unfathomable dream of a finish.
“I gave this game everything I had,” he said.
It was pure Kobe.
And it wasn’t even 2003.