WRITE ON: THE ELITE EIGHT.

BRACKET 1

TOPIC: Where does Kobe Bryant's 81-point performing rank all-time on the list of greatest performances in NBA history?

TSITSUASHVILI vs. BOCKMAN

A League of Their Own

JABA TSITSUASHVILI

17

Encino

Student at Taft High

Michael never did it. Neither did Magic, Kareem, or Larry. The 80 point plateau has only been surpassed by two men - Kobe and Wilt. In a group where last names are unnecessary and each legend will be remembered for more than one otherworldly feat on the Hardwood, how are we to define the ``greatest performance ever.''

According to Sports Illustrated, The 81 barely cracks the top ten in ``The NBA's All-Time Best Performances,'' squeaking in at nine. Not surprisingly, the sweetest game on that list transpired in Hershey, PA. When I think of amazing individual performances, four games come to mind - Wilt's Century Mark; Kobe's demolition of the Raptors; MJ's flu-ridden 38 in Game Five of Finals 1997, capped by the game-winning three; and Magic's 42 and 15 in Game 6 of Finals 1980, winning the title as a rookie, sans Kareem. Each more unique and odd-defying than the others.

But the bottom line is, one cannot be deemed ``great'' for playing a game. What makes an athlete great is the ability to show in a 40-60 minute window his resolve as a man, as a teammate, and as a leader. Under this criterion, Kobe's record setting night ranks third on the aforementioned list, behind Mike and Magic, deadlocked at the number one spot because both were playing against heavy odds on basketball's biggest stage, the Finals. Wilt was an extraordinary player, and scoring 100 points, no matter the era, the competition, the venue, or the stakes, is nothing short of breathtaking. But in my eyes, overcoming true adversity in front of thousands of people is the true measure of an inspiring performance.

Comparisons between January 22, 2006, and March 2, 1962, are like comparing David vs. Goliath to Ruben vs. Clay - they're just not on the same wavelength. To say that Kobe's 81 was better than Wilt's 100, or vice versa, based on statistics is extremely misleading. About the only thing Kobe has in common with Wilt on the basketball court is tremendous ego. But whether analyzing single games or broad achievements, will and determination stand out in defining legendary players. And Kobe, His Airness, and Magic rescued their teams in these games out of necessity, whereas Wilt's game was jaw-dropping for the sake of being jaw-dropping.

Perhaps a more appropriate occasion for this topic will be when Kobe drops 80 in three quarters and sits out the fourth.

Kobelicious

BRUCE BOCKMAN

44

Los Angeles 

Editor/Television

Not even top five.

What are you, nuts? Kobe scores 81, the second highest individual total in history, and it's not even top five?

Not even top five.

Oh, you're a Kobe hater. Sure. No matter that the entire league is exhausting the adjective supply trying to describe it. T-Mac said he didn't think he could score that many in a video game.''

So who are you anyway, Mr. Know-it-all?

Kobe Bryant.

Say what?

``I don't even think it would be in the top five...'' was Kobe's response when asked where this game ranks.

There's only one problem.

Kobe's wrong. Brick. Airball.

Maybe Kobe didn't know that Wally Szczerbiak called his father to make sure he was watching.

Or that Jeff McInnis called Nets teammate Vince Carter.

Or, as Dwayne Wade put it, ``I think everybody called every player in the league. That's history right there.''

Historic indeed. And the greatest individual performance ever in the NBA.

Yes, they were playing the lowly Raptors, one of the leagues worst defensive teams - and trailed by 18 points in the third quarter. At home. Seemingly indifferent to the pasting they were receiving; lethargic, just plain lousy.

Suddenly Kobe explodes off the bench like a man possessed. Diving after loose balls, ball hawking defense, swishing impossible 3-pointers, driving through the hacking defense like a co-ed at a Tailhook convention.

Taking their leader's cue, the Lakers make a complete turnaround: pressure defense, up tempo offense, even picking up high screens (amazing!).

Kobe's 81 point game is the greatest individual performance ever because the sheer volume of points transcends anyone's expectations of what's possible.

It's the greatest because at a time when his team needed him, when his city needed him, he gave everything he had to ensure a victory.

But most of all, it's the greatest because it was a first emphatic step in forging an identity for a young, fragile team. With this one description-defying effort Kobe showed the Lakers the tenacious refusal to lose, the sheer dedication and personal commitment required to win at this level. Bring it all, every night.

Watching Kobe throw himself into the game, shrugging off the pain in his ankle and wrist, working to exhaustion to win one regular season game is a lesson these Lakers will not soon forget.

And neither will anyone else who witnessed the greatest individual performance in the history of the NBA.

BOCKMAN 3, TSITSUASHVILI 1

Bockman grabbed us and didn't let go. Tsitsuashvili did raise very solid points in arguing playoff performances vs. regular season.

KAGEYAMA vs. WOOD

Enter The Doors Of Greatness

MARK KAGEYAMA

47

Sylmar

Plant nursery manager

Is it fair to choose between Johann Sebastian Bach or Wolfgang Mozart as a superior composer? Is the better group the Beatles or the Rolling Stones? Who was a more beautiful model, Cindy Crawford or Marilyn Monroe? A better painter, Picasso or Rembrandt? Who is the better basketball player, Michael Jordan or Kobe Bryant?

On Sunday, January 22, 2006 Los Angeles Lakers guard, Kobe Bryant took a giant step into the realm of legends by scoring 81 points against the Toronto Raptors before 18,997 fans at Staples Center. It was electrifying! Mesmerizing! Thrilling! Record Setting! Out of this world!

Basketball fans everywhere have been buzzing nonstop about this game. Where does this game rank all-time on the list of greatest performances in NBA history? Excluding playoffs, this game ranks in the top two greatest regular season performances of all time. The ``gold standard'' for single season scoring was set back in 1962, by Wilt Chamberlain, a center, who played for the Philadelphia Warriors and scored 100 points. Chamberlain, a giant at 7'1'', towered over the opposition. He wasn't a skilled ballhandler, and scored most of his points at close range.

Kobe Bryant on the other hand, worked against multiple defenses, multiple defenders, fought through screens, and created his own shots. Kobe was in his ``zone,'' which is unlike any other player's ``zone.'' Most average players don't even attempt some of the shots that Kobe takes, because they know it will land them a seat on the bench. Bryant took shots that were light-years beyond difficult, and made them routinely, from all angles and distances. Some of his 3-pointers were from such distance, with Raptors nearly in his jersey, that it seemed as though the ball was guided by radar, as it flew through the net.

Sports buffs will debate Chamberlain versus Kobe, and Jordan versus Kobe, probably till the end of time. They're all great. When comparing guard performances, is Kobe Bryant's only barometer Michael Jordan?

For Kobe Bryant, this game was another step into an echelon of the very elite. He has come a long way, especially from his legal and marital troubles in 2003. Back then, Phil Jackson had called him ``uncoachable.'' His wife Vanessa deserves enormous credit for helping keep their marriage intact. He has come full circle, and shows tremendous maturity on and off the court.

Kobe Bryant ... enter the doors of greatness!

So says...

THOMAS WOOD 

21

Woodland Hills

Student at LMU 

As most everyone in the free world has surely heard by now - if you haven't, sorry you had to hear it from me - Kobe put on a show for the ages on Sunday with a ridiculous 81 points. Read that again. Eight. One. It takes Lamar Odom a week to do that. That's more than Andrew Bynum and Von Wafer have combined for all season. Ryan Seacrest barely has that many shows. But, because I missed most of the game (c'mon, folks, like you weren't watching ``Desperate Housewives'' too), I decided to ask a few people you might've heard of just what they thought of the second most productive night in NBA history.

Wilt Chamberlain: 81? So what? I had 10,000. Oh, you mean points? Well, I've got him there, too.

Michael Jordan: That's a lot of points. I'm impressed. Hold on, my hand is interrupting - something about six rings...

Rafael Palmeiro: Amazing. And he turned down those vitamins I offered him.

Allen Iverson: Look how many shots he took. I could do that too, but I'm a team player. I limit myself to just 26 shots a night.

Dick Jauron: Who cares? Can you believe someone's giving me another coaching job???

Lamar Odom: It was Kobe being Kobe. And I got to watch all of it, you know, since I was standing around so much. Umm, can I be traded please?

Jim Mora, Sr.: I couldn't believe it! Where was the defense? The Raptors couldn't do diddly-poo out there! (Sorry, that still makes me giggle)

My sister: Ewww, those white uniforms are so ugly!

Vince Carter: I think it was bad for the NBA, because he was setting a bad example for the kids and stuff. I mean, what's he gonna do next? Stop trying and then mope around until his team trades him to a contender? How selfish can he be?

David Thompson: Hey, I scored 73. How hard could it be?

Elgin Baylor, tugging his hair out: How close was he to joining us, again?

And, finally, Phil Jackson: It was a solid effort. But he could involve his teammates more. And, he could shoot less. He could play within the triangle more, like I intended. But, it was a solid effort.

KAGEYAMA 3, WOOD 1

Wood's approach was unique. Kageyama escapes even though no sports column ever should have the name Johann Sebastian Bach in the first sentence.