Kobe Bryant’s final performance on an NBA floor happened more than 12 months ago and, in Kobe Bryant fashion, it was epic. However, the 2016-2017 NBA season was the first in two decades that did not include Bryant’s presence in some form or fashion and the playoffs are a reminder of his consistent excellence as one of the best players in league history.
While Bryant and the Los Angeles Lakers are not participating this time around, it provides a perfect window to look back at the considerable on-court accomplishments made by the now-retired shooting guard. The “black mamba” took the court for more than 200 playoff games but, today, we will be breaking down his top ten performances in the postseason.
Needless to say, Bryant was wildly effective in more than ten playoff games but this group stands out above the rest and jumping in the time machine is always fun when it comes to Kobe Bean Bryant.
Let’s go.
10) 2000 NBA Finals Game 4
At this point, Kobe was only 21 years old and the Lakers had not claimed a title in more than a decade. Los Angeles was certainly seen as the favorite against the Pacers, but things were at least slightly perilous after Bryant missed Game 3 (and part of Game 2) with an ankle injury. This particular performance was (easily) the least prolific from a statistical perspective but Bryant was still masterful with 28 points, five assists, and four rebounds in 47 minutes of work.
Moreover, he was the best player on the floor down the stretch, and without Bryant, this would have been a 2-2 series that may have gone quite differently.
9) 2002 NBA Finals Game 3
Many of Bryant’s best games, at least early on, included big-time performances from Shaquille O’Neal and this was another one. Mamba finished with 35 points and 11 rebounds on this night and, if we’re being honest, the then-New Jersey Nets succumbed in a hurry with a four-game sweep. Game 3, though, was the best performance of the series from Bryant, who finished with 36 points, six rebounds, and four assists while shooting a highly efficient 14 of 23 from the floor. Kerry Kittles, Richard Jefferson, and company had no chance.
8) 2002 Western Conference Finals Game 7
This wasn’t that game that will go down in history, but Game 7 was memorable in a more awesome fashion. The two best teams in the NBA went back and forth, needing five extra minutes of overtime to decide a victor, and Bryant was phenomenal. The then 23-year-old shooting guard was still playing, at least to some extent, as the No. 1-B to Shaquille O’Neal’s No. 1-A, but Bryant didn’t show it in this spot.
Kobe played 52 of 53 minutes, scoring 30 points, grabbing 10 rebounds, and dishing out seven assists. His efficiency (10 for 26 shooting) wasn’t exactly ideal but that wasn’t exactly off-brand for Bryant and it doesn’t take away from what was a magnificent performance.
7) 2001 Western Conference Finals Game 1
The 2000-2001 San Antonio Spurs led the NBA in defensive rating, allowing only 94.9 points per 100 possessions. While the league wasn’t in the offensively charged era that it is today, there is no question that Tim Duncan and company were dominant on that end of the floor. That makes what Kobe did in this spot all the more impressive.
Bryant came out of the gate firing to the tune of 45 points (on 19 of 35 shooting) in Game 1, and he added 10 rebounds for good measure in a 14-point road win. Not too bad.
6) 2008 NBA Finals Game 3
The Lakers would go on to lose this series to what was, frankly, a better basketball team led by Kevin Garnett, Paul Pierce and Ray Allen. However, Bryant was the guy in this particular contest and it was glaring from the outset. Los Angeles scored only 87 points in a defense-first battle and the rest of the Lakers’ starting five combined for 22 points.
Bryant, by himself, produced 36 points (on 12 of 20 shooting) to go along with seven rebounds and he was fantastic. This particular series likely wasn’t a fond memory for Kobe but this game should have been.
5) 2001 Western Conference Semifinals Game 4
The Kings just weren’t ready yet. Los Angeles finished off a four-game sweep with this 119-113 victory and, as you may expect, it was the Kobe Bryant show. Shaq did have a nice game (25 points, 10 rebounds) but the centerpiece was Bryant, who scored 48 points on only 29 shot attempts. In addition, Kobe put up a 16-rebound showing that featured a whopping nine offensive boards and he was absolutely everywhere while flashing his athletic peak. The stakes were relatively low, but from a pure performance standpoint, this was one of Kobe’s best.
4) 2009 NBA Finals Game 5
You don’t win five championships without having some strong performances in clinching spots. But this was Bryant’s finest in a put-away game. This was a competitive five-game series but Game 5 was largely one-sided, with the Lakers zooming to a 99-86 win on the road in Orlando. Bryant’s statistics weren’t exactly jarring when compared to some of his other high-end work, as he scored 30 points, dished out five assists, and grabbed six rebounds.
However, he was rock solid and the only player to exceed 17 points for the soon-to-be champions. Finally, this was the first of two titles that Bryant claimed without O’Neal by his side and, for better or worse, that matters.
3) 2001 Western Conference Finals Game 3
As noted above, the Spurs were the best defensive team in the league but, on this day, none of that mattered. Bryant exploded for 36 points, nine rebounds and eight assists on the game’s biggest stage and, along with a big game (35 points, 17 rebounds) from Shaq, this effectively ended the series. This was a (very) efficient performance, with Bryant making 14 of his 27 shots, and he was swarming defensively while operating with an obscenely high usage rate as usual.
There is an argument against this game given the margin of victory but Bryant’s showing was one of the reasons why that margin came about in the first place.
2) 2008 Western Conference First Round Game 2
Kobe scored 50 points against the Phoenix Suns during the 2006 NBA Playoffs but the performance came in a loss and that particular edition of the Lakers is polarizing to this day. Aside from that, Game 2 against the Denver Nuggets in 2008 was the most explosive statistical performance of Bryant’s playoff career and it came in the midst of a runaway four-game sweep. Kobe finished with an amazing 49 points, on 18 of 27 shooting with five threes, and he added 10 rebounds in less than 43 minutes of work.
In the grand scheme, this probably isn’t on the short list of memorable performances from one of the game’s best, but Kobe Bryant was awesome in this game.
1) 2009 NBA Finals Game 1
The 2008 NBA Finals did not end well for the Lakers, and Kobe Bryant apparently did not enjoy that feeling. As you might remember, the ’08 match-up against the Boston Celtics ended with a 39-point (!) thrashing the series-clinching game and Bryant operated in Game 1 of the ’09 edition as if he was still angry. The result was a thoroughly dominant 100-75 victory over the Orlando Magic and Bryant’s best singular performance in the postseason.
Because the margin was so large, Bryant needed to play “only” 38 minutes, but he racked up 40 points, eight rebounds, and eight assists over that timeframe and his showing set the tone for the series. While the title did not come quite as easily as some Lakers fans want to remember in 2009, Bryant was the best player on the floor in Game 1 and claimed the MVP just a few days later.
