First and foremost, let me defend my Knicks by pointing out that neither of these offensive explosions were completely due to a lack of NY defense. All NBA players, especially the superstars, will tell you without hesitation that this is the best stage to play on. The city is the mecca of basketball, the arena is the world's most famous. If a superstar is going to put on a show and break records, they'd rather do it at MSG than any other place in the world.
Now, first game's first – Black Mamba.
I want to hate him, but I just can't. All I could do is watch him in complete awe as he dominated the court – completely unfazed by the fact that his starting center was injured and out. My chants of defense were useless and quickly silenced on every possession. A hand in his face, a body falling off balance – it didn't matter. The shots still fell and I had to respect every one of them. They fell and kept falling until he reached 61 – the most points scored in the Garden since it moved to its new location on 33rd st. Fatigue was far from a factor, no matter how hard the Knicks played him and sent him to the line. Kobe coolly knocked down all 20 foul shots that he attempted. As a Knicks fan, all I could do was shake my head and wish that Bernard King could've put in just one more shot to salvage his spot in the record books. As a basketball fan, all I could do was be grateful that I was able to witness offensive perfection from the man who will surely walk away with the M.V.P. trophy this season.
A couple of nights later…
LeBron can deny that he was out to beat Kobe's 61, but his 20 first quarter points were definitely an indication that he was on a mission. I was at the Garden for this one and it was my first live observation of the King. I was a "witness" of the explosiveness with which he plays and amazes. Going 17 of 33 from the field and 16-19 from the charity stripe, he left the full house stunned. James displayed versatility at its finest by adding 10 rebounds and 11 assists to the buckets he scored. I witnessed a 50-point triple double…something that hasn't been seen in 34 years.
Both players got victories, both broke records that have been intact for decades, both packed the house and drew dozens of celebrities to courtside seats. So, whose performance was more jaw-dropping?
Can Kobe's 61 points overshadow the rest of his bleak stat sheet? You couldn't at least grab one rebound, Kobe? Not one?!Lebron's 52 point triple double clearly shows more depth in his game, but I think that Kobe can be cut some slack. When you analyze their performances, you have to take the other components of their respective teams into account. Kobe didn't need to grab any boards –Gasol and Odom pulled down 14 rebounds apiece and Trevor Ariza added 8 from the bench! For the Cavs on the other hand, their leading rebounder of the night was Wally Szczerbiak – need I say more? LeBron also had to dish out more assists because his teammates are much more dependent on him than the Lakers are on Kobe.
Kobe and LeBron can't be judged or compared solely by stat lines. They each cater well to their respective teams and give them what they need. At the end of the day, it'll come down to a one-on-one showdown between the superstars – and Kobewill reign as the King.
