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NBA Headlines Around the League

Jan. 25, 2006
1. Feschuk: NBA Jumps On Kobe's 81 Bandwagon
2. Bryant's Act Isn't Leading to a Title
3. Wertz Jr.: Kobe's 81 Better Than Wilt's 100
4. Kobe? Fantastic. But MVP? Well...
5. Bryant Scores 81 but Rates a Zero as a Hero
6. Bryant's Performance Still Major Talking Point
7. Hark, Heralds: Chamberlain's Feat Still Sings
8. Kobe, Phil Coexisting Peacefully
9. Kobe's Image no Better
10. There's Still a Lot of 8-Hate
11. 'And for the Best Supporting Role ... '
12. Jackson Is Not Big on Solo Acts
13. Kreidler: Kobe Doesn't Score With Everyone

1. Feschuk: NBA Jumps On Kobe's 81 Bandwagon
Dave Feschuk of the TORONTO STAR writes, "The NBA, of course, is hoping Bryant's big night — a scoring feat second only to Wilt Chamberlain's 100-point legend in 1962 — will remake the player's battered image."

2. Bryant's Act Isn't Leading to a Title
Tom Knott of the WASHINGTON TIMES writes, Bryant said he never dreamed of scoring 81 points in a game. Huh? He orchestrated the occasion."

3. Wertz Jr.: Kobe's 81 Better Than Wilt's 100
Langston Wertz Jr. of THE CHARLOTTE OBSERVER writes, "When Wilt Chamberlain scored 100, he did most of the work inside against smaller guys. Kobe was shooting jump shots. If the NBA picked its top 50 greatest players again today, Bryant would be one of them."

4. Kobe? Fantastic. But MVP? Well...
In THE MIAMI HERALD, Greg Cote writes, "Don't get me wrong. Remarkable night. Fantastic player, one of the all-time greats. Not sure, though, if Kobe is the slam-dunk MVP some now think he is -- or that an 81-point night jacking his season average to 35.9 should automatically anoint him as such."

5. Bryant Scores 81 but Rates a Zero as a Hero
In THE CHICAGO SUN-TIMES, columnist Greg Couch writes, "Kobe Bryant? Are we supposed to love him again? This man already was made by a marketing campaign once before, and that worked out fine until reality forced us to open our eyes. I'm not buying."

6. Rapoport: Bryant's Performance Still Major Talking Point
In THE CHICAGO SUN-TIMES, columnist Ron Rapoport writes, "A day after Kobe Bryant's 81-point outburst, at least one observer knew exactly what the story was. "Can Carmelo Anthony light up the Raptors like Kobe Bryant did?'' asked NBA.com, the official Web site of the league."

7. Hark, Heralds: Chamberlain's Feat Still Sings
In THE CHICAGO TRIBUNE, Rick Morrissey writes, "Wilt Chamberlain is gone and unable to defend himself, though it's not out of the question that he will return from the hereafter, give his critics a beat-down and, just for old time's sake, seduce a few of their wives."

8. Kobe, Phil Coexisting Peacefully
In THE LOS ANGELES DAILY NEWS, columnist Steve Dilbeck writes, "It was lost on Sunday, the way everything else was dwarfed by Kobe Bryant's incredible 81-point night against Toronto. Yet something else should have been signaled to NBA followers Sunday besides confirmation of Kobe's greatness. It's not as historic, but ultimately may prove to have greater significance in the Lakers' attempt to regain elite status: Kobe and Phil Jackson have made peace."

9. Kobe's Image no Better
In THE LOS ANGELES DAILY NEWS, columnist Bob Keisser writes, "excuse me for avoiding the parade of well-wishers. I have trouble with the conceit some media types have in now saying this effort and his previous 62-point night have changed the image he tarnished a few years back with his Rocky Mountain low."

10. There's Still a Lot of 8-Hate
Bill Plaschke of THE LOS ANGELES TIMES writes, "Two days after the most incredible individual performance in the history of the NBA, and here came the flagrant fouls."

11. 'And for the Best Supporting Role ... '
Larry Stewart of THE LOS ANGELES TIMES writes, "If a Laker player said Kobe Bryant was carrying the team these days, he would be speaking figuratively."

12. Jackson Is Not Big on Solo Acts
Mike Bresnahan of THE LOS ANGELES TIMES writes, "There had been a "second coming of Kobe," Jackson said Tuesday, paying tribute to Bryant's outburst against Toronto before solemnly acknowledging a need to return to normalcy."

13. Kreidler: Kobe Doesn't Score With Everyone
In THE SACRAMENTO BEE, Columnist Mark Kreidler writes, "The Kobe Fault Line lay undisturbed for a while. For a while, he was a tainted star coming fully back into his life as a pro athlete, in the wake of scandal, on an uninspiring team. He was more or less dismissed, and at least for a little bit it was probably what he wanted."

Jan. 24, 2006
1. 81 Points to Debate
2. Bryant Makes Point
3. Peter Vecsey: Outflying Air Jordan
4. Mitch Lawrence: Kobe is Second to One
5. Mark La Monica: Kobe Should Shoot for 100
6. David Aldridge: Kobe's Historic Outburst is the Stuff of Legends
7. Bad Actor on the Rebound
8. Still Talking Kobe
9. Steve Simmons: Scoring 81 is a Rare and Special Event
10. Mike Wise: Bryant Selfish? He'll Pass on That
11. David J. Neal: 81 Reasons to Pay Attention
12. The Untouchables - Some Records Not Meant to be Broken
13. Bryant's 81-pointer Sends Shockwaves
14. Jay Mariotti: Bryant's Numbing Numbers Don't Equal M.J.
15. Ron Rapoport: Comparing Kobe With Wilt a Pointless Exercise
16. Mike Downey: 81 Points Clean Up Kobe's Image
17. MVP? Bryant, Hands Down

1. The Baltimore Sun: 81 Points to Debate
Don Markus of the BALTIMORE SUN writes, "Ever since the Los Angeles Lakers traded Shaquille O'Neal to the Miami Heat in the summer of 2004 after eight seasons and three NBA championships, the Lakers have been little more than mediocre - or worse - with star guard Kobe Bryant going on almost nightly one-man scoring binges ... Not only did Bryant's performance (Sunday night) boost his league-leading scoring average, but it also bolstered the argument of those who believe that championship teams aren't built around players who take as many shots and score as many points as Bryant and some of the league's other top offensive stars."

2. The Associated Press: Bryant Makes Point
John Nadel of the ASSOCIATED PRESS writes, in a report published by the BOSTON GLOBE, "Wilt Chamberlain's record 100-point game seemed unreachable from the time he accomplished the feat nearly 44 years ago. Perhaps it's not. Maybe Kobe Bryant can do it."

3. Peter Vecsey: Outflying Air Jordan
In THE NEW YORK POST, columnist Peter Vecsey writes, "Kobe Bryant was in such an OH-zone Sunday when he ravaged the Raptors for 81 points, Vanessa apologized and bought him a diamond ring. Watching Kobe surge and ascend to lightheaded heights reminded me of what Paul McCartney once said about singing: A lot of it is believing and letting go."

4. Mitch Lawrence: Kobe is Second to One
In THE NEW YORK DAILY NEWS, columnist Mitch Lawrence writes, "David Thompson awakened yesterday and quickly learned that his nice little niche in NBA history - only Wilt Chamberlain had scored more points in a game than the former Denver Nugget - officially was a thing of the past."

5. Mark La Monica: Kobe Should Shoot for 100
In NEWSDAY, columnist Mark La Monica writes, "When ESPN leads Sunday night’s SportsCenter with an NBA game on NFL championship weekend, something is . . . wrong? When much of America is talking about a regular-season NBA game the next day, regardless of the determination of Super Bowl teams 24 hours previous, our dear planet Earth has changed its orbital path and is hurtling itself directly into the sun."

6. David Aldridge: Kobe's Historic Outburst is the Stuff of Legends
In the Philadelpha Inquirer, columnist David Aldridge writes, "And on a night that surely should have been the NFL's, placing its two conference champions in the Super Bowl, Kobe Bean Bryant snatched away the attention with a scoring performance the likes of which hadn't been seen since a March night in 1962, in Hershey, Pa."

7. The Toronto Star: Bad Actor on the Rebound
Doug Smith of the TORONTO STAR writes, "As he walked off the Staples Center court with the cheers of adoring fans ringing in his ears and the second-best scoring night in NBA history to his name, with his wife next to him and his daughter perched on his shoulders, it was hard to imagine anyone being more content than Kobe Bryant."

8. The Toronto Sun: Still Talking Kobe
Mike Koreen of the TORONTO SUN writes, "The day after the Los Angeles Lakers star's remarkable 81-point performance wasn't fun for (Raptors GM Rob) Babcock or his players, but the mood around the team wasn't overly sombre or dreary. Even Babcock couldn't help but smile in amazement when talking about Bryant's feat."

9. Steve Simmons: Scoring 81 is a Rare and Special Event
In the TORONTO SUN, columnist Steve Simmons writes, "Leo Rautins grabbed the program, the game notes and any other souvenir he could get his hands on before leaving the Staples Center late Sunday night. 'And I never keep that kind of stuff. I really don't care for it,' the Raptors broadcaster, national team coach and former player said. 'But this was different. You sensed you were part of something unbelievable. I wanted a keepsake.' This wasn't just different and unbelievable. This was once-in-a-lifetime event. This was a where-were-you sporting moment."

10. Mike Wise: Bryant Selfish? He'll Pass on That
In the WASHINGTON POST, columnist Mike Wise writes, "The day after an NBA player scored more points in a game than anyone in almost 44 years, let's do away with the double-standard. Let's start appreciating Kobe Bryant for who he is as a player and stop moaning about what he is not."

11. David J. Neal: 81 Reasons to Pay Attention
In the MIAMI HERALD, columnist David J. Neal writes, "It won't happen every night. But it's always possible that a wonderful confluence of talent, team and timing will produce a game you'll always recall. Or, if you're extremely lucky, a game that will be remembered for as long as the sport exists. A generation of NBA superstars in its prime defending its place in the NBA sun against a new generation of still-improving, breathtaking superstars. Tightened officiating and standings. Superstars on teams that can't coast. On Sunday night, all that came together with Kobe Bryant, a man tapped into the basketball universe's rhythms like some roundball Miles Davis. Nobody who loves the game could be kind of blue after Bryant pumped in 81 points on Toronto in a 122-104 Lakers win."

12. The Houston Chronicle: The Untouchables - Some Records Not Meant to be Broken
Brian McTaggart of the HOUSTON CHRONICLE, "Bryant's performance - in which he made 28 of 46 field-goal tries, including seven of 13 3-pointers, and 18 of 20 free throws during the Lakers' 122-104 win over Toronto - only underscores how remarkable Chamberlain's achievement of 44 years ago really was."

13. The Times-Picayune: Bryant's 81-pointer Sends Shockwaves
John Reid of THE TIMES-PICAYUNE in New Orleans writes, "Hornets guard Kirk Snyder isn't looking forward to playing the Los Angeles Lakers for the first time this season Feb. 4 at the Ford Center. Not after Kobe Bryant scored 81 points, the second-highest total in NBA history, Sunday night in a 122-104 victory in Los Angeles against the Toronto Raptors."

14. Jay Mariotti: Kobe's Numbing Numbers Don't Equal M.J.
In the CHICAGO SUN-TIMES, columnist Jay Mariotti writes, "The grand objective, as preached by a certain retiree immersed in motorcycles and cigars, is not to create a national lockjaw epidemic by jacking up 45 shots a night and trying to challenge Wilt Chamberlain. Rather, the idea is to score what is necessary in the context of winning championships, as in six of them. It took Michael Jordan many painful, maligned years to realize there was a W in we and an L in Michael."

15. Ron Rapoport: Comparing Kobe With Wilt a Pointless Exercise
In the CHICAGO SUN-TIMES, columnist Ron Rapoport writes, "I once saw Wilt Chamberlain play an entire game without scoring a single point. True story. Not only did Chamberlain not score, he didn't take a single shot. Not even a free throw."

16. Mike Downey: 81 Points Clean Up Kobe's Image
In the CHICAGO TRIBUNE, columnist Mike Downey writes, "Kobe Bryant is in again. Popular again. Which, frankly, didn't seem possible. He was hated. He was booed. He was vilified as a philanderer who had to answer charges of abusing a young woman. He was mocked by TV comedians for giving a gargantuan diamond ring to his wife as his way of saying 'I'm sorry' for a bad dude's bad deeds. But suddenly, he's Mr. 81."

17. The Detroit News: MVP? Bryant, Hands Down
Chris McCosky of THE DETROIT NEWS writes, "We probably can stop the debate on the leading candidate for Most Valuable Player honors now, right? The debate, for now, is over. Chauncey Billups may be driving the best team in basketball, but the best player in basketball is undeniably Kobe Bryant. And last I checked, the MVP was an individual award."

Jan. 23, 2006
1. 81 For The Books
2. Bryant's Record Night Stunning, But Not Shocking
3. Kobe Bryant Scores 81 Points
4. Bryant's History Score: 81
5. Kobe's 81 Points Sink Raptors
6. 'Locked In' Bryant Nets 55 in a Half
7. Kobe was Amazing, But Sonics-Suns was Pretty Good, Too
8. Sorry Wilt, You're No Kobe
9. Right of Way

1. Los Angeles Times: 81 For The Books
Mike Bresnahan of the LOS ANGELES TIMES writes, "Kobe Bryant carved out a piece of NBA history by scoring 81 points Sunday against the Toronto Raptors, the second-highest total ever and more than enough to lead the Lakers past the Raptors, 122-104, in front of an energized, if not disbelieving, sellout crowd of 18,997 at Staples Center."

2. Los Angeles Times: Bryant's Record Night Stunning, But Not Shocking
Mark Heisler of the THE LOS ANGELES TIMES writes, "For some men, nothing is written. Peter O'Toole, playing T.E. Lawrence, said that in the 1962 movie 'Lawrence of Arabia,' after going back to rescue a comrade who was lost in the desert. It could also apply to Kobe Bryant of Los Angeles, whose incredible recent run climaxed (we think) in Sunday night's 81-point explosion, the second-highest single-game total in NBA history."

3. Orange County Register: Kobe Bryant Scores 81 Points
Kevin Ding of the ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER writes, "Born with an NBA player's genes yet driven to excel with an uncommon will all his own, Kobe Bryant made magic and history Sunday night at Staples Center in a performance that could best be described as a supernova which is when a star explodes."

4. Los Angeles Daily News: Bryant's History Score: 81
Ross Siler of the LOS ANGELES DAILY NEWS writes, "When it was thrown around in the aftermath of Kobe Bryant's 62-point game in three quarters against the Dallas Mavericks, the number seemed like nothing more than a footnote to one of the greatest nights in the superstar guard's career. Nobody ever had scored 80 points in an NBA game except for Wilt Chamberlain on one immortal night in Hershey, Pa., and nobody would ever again. Until Bryant, only 33 days after the Dallas game, did the unthinkable Sunday night at Staples Center."

5. The Toronto Star: Kobe's 81 Points Sink Raptors
Jim Byers of the TORONTO STAR writes, "Jack Nicholson was a no-show. Denzel Washington was otherwise occupied. The A-list celebrities that normally occupy the billion-dollar seats in the front row of the Staples Center took a pass on watching their beloved Lakers play the Raptors last night. They'll regret it for a very long time as they missed one of the most amazing shows in NBA history by Kobe Bryant."

6. The Chicago Tribune: 'Locked In' Bryant Nets 55 in a Half
Sam Smith of the CHICAGO TRIBUNE writes, "Maybe Kobe Bryant can score 100 points. 'I don't know,' Bryant said with a laugh Sunday night in Los Angeles. 'That's unthinkable.' Maybe not anymore. Forget Michael Jordan, David Robinson, Elgin Baylor and Pete Maravich. Heck, forget Wilt Chamberlain -- except for that one magical night in 1962 in Hershey, Pa."

7. Stan McNeal: Kobe was Amazing, But Sonics-Suns was Pretty Good, Too
Stan McNeal of the SPORTING NEWS writes, "While Kobe was re-writing record books at Staples Center Sunday night, I still had the TV tuned to Sonics-Suns. It was pretty good, too. In this one, Sonics sharpshooter Ray Allen prevented the Suns from making history of their own."

8. Marc Stein: Sorry Wilt, You're No Kobe
ESPN.com's Marc Stein writes, "Is 81 enough? Eighty-One, people. I'd say so. I'd say all those pre-Christmas wails about Kobe Bryant ripping us off by hanging 62 points on the Dallas Mavericks in three quarters and then sitting out the fourth can suddenly be recalled with a chuckle. Turns out Kobe's Dec. 20 detonation was not a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for No. 8 to make a run at 80-something points. No one was cheated after all."

9. Marty Burns: Right of Way
SPORTS ILLUSTRATED's Marty Burns writes, "Spectacular. Captivating. Amazing. Kobe Bryant's 81-point explosion against the Raptors on Sunday night was certainly all that and more. The Lakers' superstar put his full arsenal on display while leading his team to the 122-104 victory. He sank jumpers from all over, drove the lane, drained 3-pointers, scored off steals and defense. Most important, he did it while leading his team back from an 18-point deficit. Even the most ardent Kobe critic can't scoff at this scoring line: 28-of-46 from then field, 18-of-20 from the free-throw stripe, six rebounds, two assists. But was Bryant's performance the best ever?"