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The NBA released the 2007-2008 league schedule recently, leading diehard fans to pore over it like a new Harry Potter book. But before we open Pandora’s box and dissect the exciting season-to-be, let’s take one last fond glance back at the season-that-was. The 2006-2007 season was once again a treat for Laker fans, as Kobe Bryant’s pre-eminent play repeatedly dazzled us. The 2006-2007 campaign was like any good rollercoaster. It had its ups and downs, but one thing is certain: it was one heck of a ride. Let’s count down the top 10 Laker moments from the past season:
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Opening night victory over the Suns |
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Lakers rally from 21 points down in the first half to beat the Rockets in two overtimes However, the Rockets managed to hold on to the lead for most of the fourth quarter— before finally relinquishing it with less than two minutes left in regulation. From there, the two teams traded baskets. A missed shot by Kobe with 4 seconds remaining in regulation sent the game into overtime. The first overtime was a wash—the Lakers and Rockets traded baskets, and the period ended with the score 99-99. Fortunately, the Lakers were able to dig deep and find their second wind in time for the second overtime. They scored the first nine points of the period en route to a dramatic 112-101 triumph. Kobe Bryant scored 53 points to pace the Lakers, a feat made more impressive by the absence of sidekick Lamar Odom due to injury. |
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Kobe’s All-Star Game MVP |
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Turiaf’s career outing vs. Warriors in the second game of the season |
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Andrew Bynum’s breakout game vs. Minnesota |
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Kobe’s 65-point explosion against Portland |
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Kobe scores at least 50 for the second straight game |
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Kobe scores at least 50 for the third straight game |
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Kobe scores at least 50 for the fourth straight game What made Kobe’s achievement that much sweeter was that he did it without the tremendous size advantage that Chamberlain enjoyed. Chamberlain towered above the other players of his day, easily the biggest player on the court most nights. By contrast, the Hornets played four guys who were taller than Bryant on his record-setting night. Fortunately for the Lakers, not one of them could match Bryant’s skill or determination. |
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Phil Jackson’s 900th win comes against the red-hot Mavericks It was the most unlikely of heroes who helped propel Jackson to the record on this magical night. Sasha Vujacic hit the go-ahead 3 pointer with under 30 seconds left to put the Mavs away for good. Well, he did have a little help from No. 24—who shook off a pedestrian first three quarters to pour in 14 crucial points in the fourth. Records seem to be under assault whenever the Mavericks and Lakers meet. In 2005, Kobe took aim at Wilt Chamberlain’s single-game scoring record by torching the Mavs for 62 points through the first three quarters. However, this night was all about Phil, and fittingly so. Jackson became the fastest coach to reach 900 wins, outpacing even former Laker coach Pat Riley. And with the 2007-2008 season not that far away, it’s a safe assumption that Jackson will continue piling up the wins. |
The Lakers started the season – and this list – with a bang with a rout of the Phoenix Suns. Many NBA observers predicted that the Suns would have little trouble disposing of the Lakers in this opening tilt. After all, the high-flying Suns entered STAPLES Center bearing enormous expectations as the odds-on favorite to be the 2006-2007 NBA champions. They also rode into town with 2-time league MVP Steve Nash quarterbacking a fine-tuned offensive machine. Oh, and one more miniscule detail: Kobe Bryant was a game-time scratch due to ongoing recovery from offseason knee surgery. However, games are not decided on paper, a point that was vetted by the night’s action. 
This come-from-behind victory over the Houston Rockets provided the fans in STAPLES Center with an hours-long adrenaline rush. The Rockets played great basketball out of the gate, building a 21-point first half lead that would have buried many NBA teams. However, the Lakers had other ideas. After finishing the first half down 53-35, the Lakers dominated the third quarter, trimming the deficit to 6 points entering the fourth quarter.
While Kobe’s scintillating performance in the All-Star Game may not have advanced the Lakers in the standings, Kobe’s dazzling display in front of the entire NBA nation certainly captivated the team’s fans. While Kobe routinely suits up against the best group of basketball players in the world—82 times a year, plus postseason, to be precise— it is generally only once a year that he suits up against the best of the best. But this is exactly what the All-Star game provides—an insanely elevated level of competition that separates the great players from the merely very good ones. Yet despite the fact that his opponents included a handful of likely Hall of Famers, Kobe still managed to shine brighter than the rest. Bryant scored 31 points, leading the West to a 153-132 victory. Oh and rest assured this was no fluke – it was the 2nd All-Star game MVP of Bryant’s career. Bryant became one of only 11 players in league history to receive the award at least twice—joining the elite company of players like former Lakers Magic Johnson and Shaquille O’Neal.
Any time you can get a road win with two potential Hall of Famers on your team sitting at home, you know you’ve accomplished something. And that’s exactly what Ronny Turiaf helped the Lakers do. With 2007 Hall of Fame inductee Phil Jackson resting his surgically repaired hip in Los Angeles and almost certain future Hall of Famer Kobe Bryant doing the same with his injured knee, Ronny Turiaf spurred the Lakers to a 99-98 victory over the Golden State Warriors. Turiaf posted a career-high 23 points while grabbing 9 rebounds. Turiaf also brought boatloads of his trademark hustle to the paint, generally making life miserable for the Warriors’ big men. Turiaf managed to overshadow the “welcome back” game of charismatic Warriors coach Don Nelson that night, who was coaching his first game for the team since resigning as head coach in 1995.
This game could make our list almost solely on the strength of the havoc it caused in the burgeoning fantasy basketball world. Imagine (or for some of you, remember) the frantic dashes to computer screens following the Lakers’ 19-year-old center dropping 20 points, 14 rebounds and three blocks in only his fifth career start. And, oh yeah, it happened against a team sporting the always intimidating Kevin Garnett in the post. Bynum’s career night put the league on notice that a summer of intense weightlifting and the tutelage of former Laker uber-star Kareem Abdul-Jabbar had Bynum on the way to becoming a force in the league.
Some of the greatest moments in basketball come in the darkest of times. The Lakers were mired in a 7-game losing streak when Kobe Bryant picked unlucky Portland as the target of his wrath. No. 24 poured in 65 points—the second highest total of his career and fourth highest-scoring game in franchise history— and the Lakers needed every one of his baskets to squeeze by the Blazers in an overtime thriller. Surely, Bryant would take it easy on his next opponent…
Talk about a follow up. Kobe Bryant drove, pirouetted and danced his way to 50 points as the Lakers withstood a furious fourth-quarter rally to beat the Timberwolves 109-102. Bryant’s big scoring night allowed him to erase any memories of his less enjoyable experience with the Timberwolves 12 days before—when an errant elbow caught Wolves guard Marko Jaric in the face and resulted in a controversial suspension.
Pat Riley may own the trademark to the word “three-peat”—but Bryant gave the word a whole new meaning in dropping 60 points on the Grizzlies, the third straight game Bryant had hit or exceeded the 50-point threshold. Bryant joined elite company in scoring at least 50 points on this night, becoming one of only four players in league history to hit the 50-point mark on three straight nights. Bryant was the first to do so in the NBA since 1987, when a young gunner for the Chicago Bulls by the name of Michael Jordan went on a similar scoring spree. The other two players in this elite group, Elgin Baylor and Wilt Chamberlain, turned out to be not so shabby players in their own right.
With a boisterous and then-record Hornets crowd filling New Orleans Arena, a crowd that was exhorting their team to find some way to stop him, Kobe did it again. Bryant notched 50 points, securing his fourth straight game with at least 50. With this masterpiece, Bryant left only one player in the NBA’s illustrious history who had reached the 50-point plateau in more consecutive games: Wilt Chamberlain. The “Big Dipper” strung together 7 straight games of 50 or more points during the 1961-62 season.
The legendary coach passed the 900-win milestone, and passed it in style. Jackson did not feed on the dregs of the NBA in order to attain the mark. Instead, he took on the tall order of defeating a Dallas Mavericks team that was on a 13-game winning streak and would go on to win 67 games.