SECAUCUS, N.J., March 23, 2007 -- I've got to come clean. After reading my colleague Dave McMenamin’s piece about Lakers guard Kobe Bryant being arguably the greatest scorer ever, I clowned him.

I’m talking about Eddie Murphy, Richard Pryor, Cedric The Entertainer-type jokes.

“Yo Dave, ever heard of a little dude, use to ball in Philly, now he’s in Denver named Allen Iverson?”

“I know you probably think all he did was make sneakers, but Michael Jordan was pretty good at scoring baskets back in the day, too.”

“And you are familiar with Wilt Chamberlain, right? You know the guy with all of the records that Kobe is chasing?”

This went on via IM and e-mail for an hour.

And what was Dave’s reply?

“Wait until you see what Kobe does to the Grizzlies tonight.”

Man, I may have laughed first but Dave surely laughed last.

I’m sure by now you know that Bryant hung 60 on the Grizzlies in Memphis on Thursday night.

In a career filled with highlights, Bryant keeps adding to his impressive resume. He is now just the fourth player in league history to post three straight games with at least 50 points.

Bryant, who had 65 points against the Blazers on Friday and 50 against the Timberwolves on Sunday, was on fire from the beginning Thursday. He finished 20-of-37 from the field and 17-for-18 from the free-throw line.

The last player with a three-game run like the one Bryant is on was Jordan himself. In April of 1987, MJ joined the 50-50-50 club. Chamberlain and fellow Hall of Famer Elgin Baylor are the only other players with memberships.

Up next for Bryant and Co. is a Friday-night game against the Hornets.

According to the Elias Sports Bureau, the last time any NBA player had four consecutive 50-point games was when Chamberlain (there’s that name again) had five straight spanning February and March of 1962.

Bryant’s three-game explosion coupled with back-to-back losses by LeBron James and the Cavaliers is enough for Kobe to move into the No. 3 spot in the Race to the MVP.

Dallas’ Dirk Nowitzki is still the top guy with Phoenix’s Steve Nash on his heels in the second spot. LeBron drops to No. 4.

Click here to see the entire Top 20 before Kobe leapfrogged LeBron.

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    Race to the MVP - Player Rankings
    3. Kobe Bryant, L.A. Lakers
    PPG RPG APG SPG BPG FG% FT%
    30.5 5.7 5.5 1.4 0.4 .465 .866
  • Last Week's Rank - 4
    Kobe is averaging 58.3 over his past three games. He tied his franchise record with six 50-point games this season. His high against the Hornets, who the Lakers play on Friday, is 44 back in 2001.

    • 4. LeBron James, Cleveland
    PPG RPG APG SPG BPG FG% FT%
    27.6 6.9 5.9 1.6 0.8 .479 .687
  • Last Week's Rank - 3
    James is averaging 32 points on over 50 percent shooting from the floor in his past 14 games. The Cavs have lost two in a row, falling short Tuesday against the Bobcats and Wednesday against the Mavs.