April 1, 2007 – Rarely is a month made in a week. How often, if ever, can the happenings of a four-week period be encapsulated in just four days?

It helps when those four days are part of something that hasn't been seen in 45 years; when those four days grab hold of the sports world and shake it to attention; when those four days make us wait in nervous anticipation for the fifth, to see if he'll do it again; when the he in question is Kobe Bryant.

March 16. March 18. March 22. March 23.

On those four days, Bryant scored, respectively, an NBA season-high 65 points against the Trail Blazers, 50 against the Timberwolves, 60 against the Grizzlies and, finally, 50 against the Hornets. That's 56.3 points per game. All of which were Lakers wins. All of which came on the heels of a seven-game losing streak, the longest of Phil Jackson's coaching career.

Bryant's eruption not only helped his team get back on track and strengthen its hold on sixth place in the Western Conference, it once again linked him in history with Wilt Chamberlain: In addition to having the two greatest scoring games of all-time, they are the only players to drop at least 50 in four straight.

(Of course, four was no big deal for The Stilt, whose longest spree saw him reach the half-century mark seven times in a row in December 1961.)

A lot has been made lately of Bryant's place in the pantheon of scoring legends – a likely byproduct of the two-week frenzy he's been on; his 53-point effort in an overtime loss to Houston on March 30 put his March average at 40.4 points per game, the fourth time in his career he has finished a month at 40. He and Chamberlain are the only players to average 40 in a calendar month since November 1964. That's right. Michael Jordan never did it.

As a result, a lot of questions have begun popping up. Is Kobe as dominant as Wilt? Is he as refined as Jordan? Is he the game's ultimate scorer?

Allow me to answer in a word: No.

It's one thing to place Bryant at the head of his generation, ahead of Allen Iverson and, at least for now, a few of the young bucks who are hot on his trail. That distinction is fair and arguable.

One can also argue that Bryant deserves to be ranked ahead of Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, George Gervin, Karl Malone and many of the other all-time great scorers. I'll buy that one, too.

To say he merits a mention alongside Wilt and MJ, however, is plain silly. The numbers just don't add up.

As Bryant said himself following the 43-point effort on March 25 that ended his string of 50s, Wilt was a human video game. Averaging 50 points was something he did for an entire season, not four or five games at a time.

The idea that someone can infiltrate The Big Dipper's realm of dominance with one extraordinary run is an insult to his legacy. I'm sorry. There's no other way to put it.

The same goes for claims against Jordan – as my colleague and resident fantasy freak Rick Kamla so eloquently pointed out.

If Bryant can hang on and clip Carmelo Anthony in the scoring race, he will earn his second scoring title – both in a row and overall – in 11 seasons. Jordan, on the other hand, won 10 scoring crowns in 15 campaigns.

Bryant's regular-season career scoring average is 24.5 points per game. Jordan's is 30.12.

In the playoffs, Kobe's average dips to 22.9. His Airness, on the other hand, actually kicked it up a notch and dropped 33.4 points per contest.

I could go on and reference more numbers, but I'll spare you the tedium and leave you, instead, with a final piece of advice:

Take Bryant's accomplishment and add it to his historic resume. Enjoy it for what it was – one of the most brilliant, awe-inspiring feats the NBA has ever seen. But don't tarnish it by forcing it into a place where it simply doesn't belong. There's no shame in being the third best, especially when the guys ahead aren't just great players but immortal ones.

Think I'm being too hard on KB24? Think he's got the goods to be ranked alongside Wilt and MJ? Drop me a line and tell me what you think.

The Game of the Season It happened on March 14. The two best teams in the league, the Mavs and the Suns, put on the show of the season. Highlighted by a matchup of MVP favorites, this heavyweight showdown lived up to its billing. In the end, though, Steve Nash, the reigning back-to-back MVP, showed Dirk Nowitzki what it takes to bring home the hardware. Nash scored 10 points in the final minute of regulation and hit a 3-pointer with 2.7 seconds left that forced the first overtime. Nowitzki, on the other hand, missed a pair of key free throws late in the fourth and clanked a jumper at the end of the second OT, sealing Dallas' fate in a 129-127 loss that became, for Phoenix fans at least, an instant hardwood classic.

Asked and Answered I posed a simple query at the end of February: Does Shaquille O'Neal have enough left in his tank to drive the Heat to the playoffs without Dwyane Wade? The Big Fella answered with a resounding, "Yes I do." He wasted little time proving he's still got it by hitting up the Pistons for 31 points and 15 rebound in an 85-82 Miami victory on March 2. Thanks to an eight-game winning streak to start the month, and an 11-4 record overall, the Heat are all but assured a postseason berth, something that seemed a little dubious 31 days ago. For the record, Shaq bumped his stats to 19 points and 7.3 boards in 29.5 minutes per game in March.

Don't Sleep on the Spurs The Spurs are quietly putting together another impressive season. At 52-20, they're only two games behind the Suns for second place in the West. March was probably their best month of the season so far, and it looks as if they're gearing up for a serious playoff run. San Antonio began the month by winning eight games in a row and ended it with a 13-2 mark. Along with Dallas (13-2) and Houston (12-4), they became only the third trio of teams from the same division to end a month with at least a dozen wins. If the Spurs can maintain their current pace, they have a chance to win 60 games for the third time in five seasons.

Rockets Ready for Postseason Launch Tracy McGrady did a heck of a job keeping the Rockets in the top half of the contentious Western Conference standings when Yao Ming was out of action for 32 games earlier this season. As good as they were in the big man's absence, though, they've been that much better with him in the lineup. Since his return on March 5, the Rockets are 11-3 thanks in large part to the 22.8 points and 9.6 rebounds per game he averaged in that span. McGrady, meanwhile, supplied 24.2 points and 7.4 assists per game in March, which the Rockets finished strong at 12-4.

Songs in the Key of (Playoff) Life The Jazz didn't have a particularly strong month, finishing just 9-6, but they did clinch their first playoff berth in three seasons. It was a long time coming for a franchise that made the postseason every year from 1984 to 2003. Utah also earned a Northwest Division title with a win, and a Denver loss, on March 28. Couple this success with a healthy Carlos Boozer, who played all 15 games in March after a hairline fracture in his left leg limited him to only four in February, and the Jazz are playing a sweet tune out on the Great Salt Lake.

Best Month by a Player Not Named Kobe It's not often that LeBron James gets overshadowed. But while KB24 was busy hogging all the press, LBJ23 was putting together his best month of the season. With a clutch performance in an OT victory over the Bulls on March 31, James lifted the Cavs to their first 11-win month (against only four losses) since March 1998 and gave them a 1½-game lead on Chicago, which finished March 10-4, for second place in both the Central Division and the Eastern Conference. For the month, James averaged 30.3 points, 6.7 rebounds, seven assists and 1.8 steals.

Have your own thoughts on the month that was? Disagree with my March highlights? Send an e-mail and let me know.