Parker leads Lakers victory

It was an interesting thing to see on the court. Parker, a former Piston, helped the Lakers clearly defeat the Orlando Magic 106-93 Wednesday night. The player scored a season-high 20 -- 18 in the third quarter -- and Bryant had 27 points and seven assists to complete the perfect game .

We must mention that the Lakers picked up their third victory on a tough six-game road swing that ends at Charlotte on Friday. Furthermore, Andrew Bynum also had 13 points in 13 minutes against Orlando Magic.

"It's just that my team can't be giving the Smush Parkers of the league quarters like that," Magic coach Brian Hill admitted. "If it's Kobe it's different."

We can apreciate that former Piston Grant Hill had 20 points for Orlando, which has lost three straight. Also Jameer Nelson added 15 points and seven assists, and Dwight Howard had 12 points and eight rebounds.

It's not so strange to see that after scoring 15 in the first half, Bryant virtually disappeared in the third quarter. In fact, he hit three free throws but missed all three field-goal attempts and didn't make a second-half shot from the field until a 3-pointer 1:17 into the last quarter.

And fans must admit that Los Angeles didn't need him. Parker scored nine during a 14-3 run in the third quarter, and Brian Cook made a 3-pointer just before the period ended to give Los Angeles a 79-73 lead.

"I think that we just ran our offense," Parker expressed. "We executed our offense and I got open looks."

Bulls tamed Bryant to beat Lakers

Lakers fall to Chicago Bulls, and there are many conclusions after the match. The latest triumph by the Bulls was different from their recent victories.

as we saw, Chicago spent the previous three weeks picking on teams with losing records, most from the Eastern Conference, but they took out one of the best in the West on Tuesday, staring the talented Kobe Bryant and his team in a 94-89 win.

“It’s a great feeling to get a win against a team like that,” Chicago’s Ben Gordon said after the Bulls’ 12th win in 13 clashes.

We must consider that Luol Deng scored 23 points and tied a season-high with 12 rebounds for the Chicago Bulls.

It's fair to mention that Gordon hit two free throws to close out the win with 10.9 seconds left, after Smush Parker cut the Bulls’ lead to three with a foul shot and a dunk in the final 40 seconds. In fact, Deng hit 9 of 16 shots, and Gordon finished with 22 points as Chicago won its fifth straight.

Now, Kobe Bryant was a non-factor after scoring a combined 98 in the previous two games. He was content to defer and finished with 19 points on 6-of-19 shooting before fouling out for the first time since Dec. 1, 2005, in the final minute.

“I think that their defense had a lot to do with it,” Bryant said. “They made me work for positions. They fronted me in the post, and they just did an amazing job.”

Impressive performance against Houston Rockets

Kobe Bryant proved that he is at the top of his career as he scored 53 points in 54 minutes. This way, the Lakers pulled out a 112-101 double-overtime victory over the Houston Rockets on Friday night.

Los Angeles Lakers started with a nightmarish 10-point first quarter and finished both regulation and the first overtime with Bryant missing potential winning jumpers.

However, Kobe Bryant opened the second overtime still with the hops to shimmy-shake Yao Ming then execute a twisting dunk.

In fact, the Lakers' star scored seven points to Houston's two in the second overtime. And when the Rockets missed its final shot, it was Bryant soaring above everyone to own the rebound.

"We really had to go to Kobe tonight to get accomplished what we had to do to get a win," said Lakers boss Phil Jackson, who as early as the start of the second quarter moved Bryant to the scoring wing spot and ditched the triangle offense before halftime to run repeated pick-and-rolls for Kobe.

And Bryant expressed: "That confirmed for me that my legs are back to be able to dunk like that in the second overtime. You're happy but tired after a game like that. It might be funny, but even when we were down 20, I felt the game was ours."

It's important to notice that Bryant's efforts more than offset the best effort of Yao, who had 35 points, 15 rebounds and a career-high eight blocks in 49 minutes.

However, Yao Ming saw his last shot of the game in the second overtime cleanly blocked by Lakers center Kwame Brown.

The Rockets definitely tired after halftime, when they led by 18 points. They had played to the wire in Oakland the night before, losing on a Baron Davis three-pointer with 1.2 seconds left against Golden State.

The chinese player has been notorious for his poor conditioning in his career, but has improved it.

Both Yao and Bryant found the strength to hit key shots late in the first overtime. However, whereas Yao ruled the game right from the start - blocking Vladimir Radmanovic's layup just moments after tipoff - Bryant had the greater perseverance.

"At some point," Jackson admitted, "he's going to find a way."

We must consider that Bryant shot 17 of 38 from the field, 5 of 8 from three-point range and 14 of 16 from the foul line. He also had 10 rebounds, eight assists and five turnovers. It was awesome.

Kobe's ankle makes everybody sad

Los Angeles Lakers star guard Kobe Bryant sat out Friday night's 106-95 triumph over the Atlanta Hawks with a sprained right ankle.

As we know, Kobe Bryant suffered the injury in Monday night's 101-87 victory over the Indiana Pacers. He played through the injury Wednesday night, when the Lakers fell to the Hornets, 105-89.

Now Lakers must learn to play and win without their most important player.

It's important to consider that Bryant is averaging 25.9 points per game this season.

Kobe netted 52 to beat Jazz

Kobe Bryant had a very effective performance, as he scored a season-high 52 points, including 30 in the third quarter. With this help, Lakers beat the Utah Jazz 132-102 Thursday.

It's important to notice that the 30-point quarter tied Bryant's own Lakers record set last season when he finished with 81 points against Toronto. George Gervin had 33 in a quarter for San Antonio in 1978.

Kobe Bryant topped the 50-point plateau for the 12th time in his career and finished 19-of-26 from the floor and 12-of-15 from the line in his highest scoring match since he had 81 against the Raptors on 22 January last season.

The talented player led the Los Angeles Lakers against the first place Utah Jazz on Thursday night.

We must consider that Bryant got Los Angeles going in the first quarter. He moved inside on Deron Williams and went underneath the basket to get loose, then put his hand out and laid the ball in for two points.

What's more, the Lakers were trailing by two later in the quarter when Smush Parker tried to feed Bryant. Ronnie Brewer picked off the pass, ran the length of the court and slammed the ball in to put Utah Jazz up 21-17.

Los Angeles Lakers were back up two in the second quarter when the Jazz showed how they moved to the top of the standings. They got rebound after rebound before Matt Harpring finally found Carlos Boozer who slammed it down to tie things at 36.

And Utah just could not keep control. Parker stole the ball from Andrei Kirilenko, took it down court and underhanded it to Bryant, who went in at Kirilenko and sank an up and under lay up off of the glass to give his team a 10 point lead.

We must remember that time was ticking down in the quarter when Luke Walton handed Bryant the ball. Bryant ran downcourt, called for a pick and when he got it he went hard to the basket, dunking through Boozer and Andrei Kirilenko.

And that was not it. Bryant scored 12 second-quarter points and was just getting started.

He got things going in the second half. Los Angeles moved the ball around until Lamar Odom found Bryant in the paint. He again went to the rim and emphatically slammed the ball down.

Bryant kept putting on a show for the hometown fans. He put on a dribbling exhibition before hitting a jump shot over Kirilenko to make it 69-56 Lakers.

Bryant didn't even bother putting the rubber ball on the floor three minutes later when he simply pulled up and hit a three pointer, giving Los Angeles a 19 point lead.

Bryant hit the last of his 30 points in the third quarter with just over a minute left. He made room between himself and Gordan Giricek before pulling up and smoothly sinking the long jumper.

Finally, Kobe Bryant made all nine of his shots in the third quarter to set a Lakers record that he had set last season. He finished with 52 as Los Angeles ran all over the Utah Jazz 132-102.

Los Angeles Lakers beat NewJersey Nets

Los Angeles proved to be ready to shine this season. Lamar Odom poured in 21 points and Kobe Bryant chipped in with 19 to power the Los Angeles Lakers to a 99-93 triumph over the New Jersey Nets yesterday.

We can say that Kobe Bryant had an off-night from the floor hitting just 8-of-24 shots, and the Lakers all-star made other contributions dishing out a season-high 10 assists and pulling down six rebounds as Los Angeles recorded their fifth win in six encounters.

It's also important to mention that Kwame Brown and Smush Parker each added 13 points to the Los Angeles cause as the Lakers had six players in double figures.

In the other side, Vince Carter paced New Jersey with 21 points and 11 boards, while Nenad Krstic added 20 and Jason Kidd handed out 16 assists and pulled down eight rebounds but it was not enough to keep the struggling Nets from slipping to their fifth straight defeat.

The New Jersey Nets jumped out to a 33-24 first quarter lead and took a 48-43 advantage into the intermission, but the Lakers seized control in the third outscoring the Nets 30-18 and would never trail the rest of the way.

LAkers vs. Raptors: Bryant wants to make history again

There's an important game ahead, and we must remember that the last time the Toronto Raptors played against the Lakers, Kobe Bryant made history.

Maybe tha t's why fans are eager to see another sensational performance from Bryant when they host the Raptors on Friday.

In fact, the reigning league scoring champion, Bryant delivered an unforgettable performance in Los Angeles' 122-104 win over Toronto here on January 22, scoring a mind-boggling 81 points - the second-highest total in NBA history.

It was the NBA's best individual offensive performance aside from Chamberlain's landmark 100-point game against the New York Knicks on March 2, 1962. Kobe Bryant finished 28-of-46 from the floor and 18-of-20 from the line, joining Chamberlain, Elgin Baylor, David Thompson and David Robinson as the only players to reach the 70-point plateau.

And after scoring 26 points in the first half, Bryant exploded for 55 after the break - four shy of Chamberlain's record for points in a half. He outscored the Raptors by 14 points after halftime.

Despita those facts, Bryant has struggled to rediscover last season's explosiveness after undergoing offseason knee surgery. Despite shooting nearly 52 percent from the floor this season, he is averaging just 21.2 points over his first six matches.

And after dropping two straight, the Lakers bounced back with a 91-81 victory over the Memphis Grizzlies on Sunday.

It0s good to know that Bryant scored 21 points while Lamar Odom added 20 points, 16 rebounds and seven assists for Los Angeles, which limited Memphis to just 38 percent (28-of-73) shooting.

The Toronto Raptors, who are just 4-16 all-time against the Lakers, aim to snap a three-game skid.

Lakers fall to Sonics despite previous triumphs

Everything was good for he Lakers, who took advantage of their familiarity with the Suns from the playoffs and preseason to win the opening game.

And then they beat a Golden State Warriors team that either wasn't ready to play or distracted in its home opener.

what's more, they "got away with one the other night" against the Seattle SuperSonics at Staples Center, winning a tough match that was tied with 1 & l/2 minutes to play. That was coach Phil Jackson's evaluation, at least, before his squad faced its first "real test" Sunday.

Despite the previous games, they failed that test, with the Sonics blitzing them for 95 points in three quarters while building a 26-point lead, in a 117-101 loss at Key Arena. So went the Lakers' hopes of opening 4-0 for only the fifth time in the past 20 years.

"They were the aggressor tonight," Jackson admitted, "and usually things happen for the aggressor team."

It's fair to mention that Lamar Odom, who finished with 11 points after coming into the game averaging 28, expressed: "The two E's, the effort and energy, were just bad."

In fact, the Sonics drilled the Lakers at the start of the second and third quarters, hit 12 3-pointers and scored 31 points off the Lakers' 22 turnovers. Ray Allen (32 points), Rashard Lewis (25) and Luke Ridnour (22) did the most damage for Seattle.

At least, Kobe Bryant is back and scoring, with 15 points and he made 4 of 10 shots. This was his second game back from knee surgery. It was fewer points than Bryant scored in 79 of 80games last season, when he led the NBA in scoring at 35.4 points per game.

"It's just kind of getting the flow of the game down a little bit," Bryant claims. "I haven't played in a long, long time. So it's just kind of getting that rhythm back. It felt like my passes were a little bit more sharp than they were the other game.

"And then going forward, it's just working within the offense and getting good looks and things like that. It's step by step."

Los Angeles Lakers trailed 57-49 at halftime, a lead the Sonics doubled in the first three minutes of the third quarter. Bryant tried to assert himself in taking threejumpers, but the Lakers struggled to cover Lewis, who connected on two 3-pointers.

We all saw that Jackson sat Luke Walton and Andrew Bynum in favor of Vladimir Radmanovic and Ronny Turiaf, but the Sonics kept surging out of the timeout and netted 38 points in the quarter.

Allen ran Bryant off a screen, blew past him after catching the ball and scored as part of three-point play. At the other end, Radmanovic drove the baseline, just to lose the ball out of bounds. Lewis buried another 3-pointer, and the Sonics had a 75-55 lead.

Then Jackson chosed to play a lineup without Bryant or Odom at the start of the second quarter. The results were disastrous. The unit of Brian Cook, Maurice Evans, Smush Parker, Radmanovic and Walton gave up 11 straight points in only three minutes.

We msut admit that all Bryant needed to do at the start of the game was pass the ball. He drew the Sonics defense around the lane before dropping passes to Bynum for dunks and finding open shooters for 3-pointers.

In the end, Kobe Bryant had five assists in the first six minutes and was the last of the Lakers starting five to score. The Lakers made their first seven shots and led by as many as 10 points of what started out as an easy night.

Kobe finished with nineassists against three turnovers. Bynum had 13 points but played only three minutes in the second half. Odom knocked down two early 3-pointers and despite that turned down almost all the shots the rest of the match, Jackson expressed.

Kobe might play in season opener against Suns

Kobe Bryant was ahving a hard time trying to heal his knee during the World Championship. And he wouldn’t say yesterday if he’ll play in the Lakers season opener against the Phoenix Suns on Tuesday night, even when coach Phil Jackson said Bryant has told him he will be available.

The Lakers were on a practice yesterday at Staples Center and Bryant participated in much of the session. Kobe has been recovering from right knee surgery and didn’t play in any of the Lakers’ exhibition matches.

“The player says he’s going to play on Tuesday,” Jackson announced. “There’s a disclaimer that he’s doubtful. I’m sure that he’ll make the correct decision. He came off the floor and he was sore, but he was on the court for a good hour and a half before he came off.”

The last two days the Lakers had said that Kobe Bryant was “questionable to doubtful” for the first encounter of the new season.

In fact, Bryant didn’t give any indication after practice on his plans.

“I don’t know,” Bryant admitted. “I just take it day by day. It’s kind of frustrating, cause every day kind of varies. Today it’s a little sore.”

Coach Jackson said Bryant didn’t go full tilt in practice, but did many of the skill drills. Jackson said the Lakers are prepared whether Bryant plays or not. Maurice Evans is the likely starter if Bryant stays out.

It's important to say that Jackson, who underwent right hip-replacement surgery earlier this month, said he would coach the opener on Tuesday. He missed all the team’s exhibition matches.

He used a cane at the last practice and said he has a ways to go to be mobile and active. In fact, Jackson said it’s possible that he might not make the trip to Golden State on Wednesday for the Lakers’ second clash.

New ball tested

Many NBA players, from Steve Nash to Shaquille O'Neal, are criticizing the new synthetic Spalding ball designed for this season. Lakers Kobe Bryant and Lamar Odom aren't thrilled either, though they aren't complaining as loudly or passionately. O'Neal's analysis of the switch from leather to synthetic for reporters in Miami: "It's like touching an exotic dancer and then going and touching a plastic, blow-up doll."

Indeed, Kobe Bryant admitted: "I'm old school, so I love the old-school ball."

Odom added: "By the second or third quarter in the NBA game, guys perspire a lot, and once that (new) ball gets wet, it just kind of slips out of your hand. I guarantee you in the beginning of the season you'll see a match probably lost just by a simple pass or a guy trying to catch the ball or going up for a layup by himself the ball will slip out of his hand."

The NBA made the change in search of uniformity with a ball that doesn't need to be broken in. Players have stated the grip is very different.

Kwame Brown, who made 54.4 percent of his foul shots last season, has complained that the new ball is harder to shoot. And Odom, although he also has rust from limited play over the summer, has looked as sloppy as ever finishing shots around the basket with the new ball in training camp.

But Bryant and Odom said they've played with all sorts of balls in their lifetimes. Odom talked about playing with a handball or a tennis ball; Bryant said he played with balled-up tape or a sock.

"I played with a sock; I think I can play with this," Bryant expressed. "I don't really think it's that big a deal."

Kobe Bryant on his surgically repaired right knee holding him out of practices: "We don't want to rush it. We're just taking our time, getting stronger with it and letting the scar tissue heal."

Japanese Tour has begun

Kobe Bryant is busy with a promotional tour in Asia. On Monday, he arrived in Tokyo, Japan. The Kobe 81 Tour, named after his record 81 points that he scored in a single game last season, will move to Beijing, China later this week.

And soon after his arrival, Kobe got down to doing what he knows best - playing basketball.

Indeed, a coaching clinic was arranged, and more than one hundred children waited for their star at Yoyogi Park, near downtown Tokyo.

About thirty lucky youngsters were picked for the clinic where Kobe gave an exhibition of his supreme skills that has helped him create many a record in his NBA career so far.

The LA Lakers star started off with a simple message for the kids.

"Have fun first of all, have fun and just enjoy it by playing basketball. I play this because I love to play. It's fun for me. And just on top of that just being creative.": Kobe Bryant.

Kobe's skills were sorely missed by the USA team in the recent World Championship that concluded in Japan on the weekend. A knee injury forced Bryant to skip the tournament and the US 'Dream Team' could only finish with a bronze medal.

Fans however made use of their time with Kobe.

They were eager to find out his favourite move, hoping there would be a secret weapon to the 28-year old's success.

"Normally I don't have a favourite one. I try practicing all of them. So, during the game there is one move I have to use and I need to feel comfortable to use. I do not have any particular one I favour. I just practice it and make it comfortable.": Kobe Bryant.

Bryant will continue on his Kobe 81 tour to Beijing, China later this week.

Kobe in PlayStation game

In a very good announcement, Kobe Bryant and his new, No. 24 Lakers jersey will be the starring attraction for NBA 07, the new PlayStation 2 video game that will be released this fall, Sony Computer Entertainment America Inc. said Friday.

In fact, the agreement, announced in front of a crowd of youngsters in the gymnasium of the Willowbrook Boys and Girls Club in Los Angeles, means the first new major sports marketing deal for Bryant since sexual-assault charges were brought against him in July 2003, although the charges were dropped in September 2004.

However, financial terms of the sponsorship deal were not released.

Bryant's image will be featured on packaging for the video game, and he will be in television and print ads.

"Kobe was our option from the start, no question," said Sharon Shapiro, Sony Computer Entertainment's senior director of promotions and sports product marketing. Bryant said that the Sony contract "just naturally made sense because we're both trying to have a strong impact on our fields."

The Lakers player said that he is in regular contact with Shapiro to discuss advertising and marketing plans for the game that also will be produced for Sony's portable video game player and the PlayStation3 line to be introduced in November.

It's important to mention that Phoenix Suns star Amare Stoudemire was the featured player in the NBA 06 video game. That game was the ninth biggest seller in the $10.5-billion video games category during 2005, according to NPD Group, a Port Washington, N.Y.-based market research firm.

Video game fans — males between the ages of 14 and 34 buy most of the games — aren't likely to balk at buying a game because of Bryant's high-profile legal problems.

"I'd guess that 81 points speaks a lot louder," said David Carter, executive director of the USC Sports Business Institute, in reference to the Lakers star's single-game performance last season. "The video gamer is much more concerned with his on-the-court performance."

Sports marketers also said that Bryant, who will turn 28 next week, could be an effective spokesman for Sony even though the NBA has steadily added younger stars. Those include LeBron James, Carmelo Anthony and Dwyane Wade, three of the top five NBA draftees in 2003 who were named as tri-captains for the USA Basketball team.

Kobe will be back in October

Lakers' star Kobe Bryant says his right knee is pain free. That's why the player thinks he will be ready to go when training camp begins in October.

The popular basketball player noticed the great evolution of his injury: "By then I should be full bore, completely healed up, strong, ready to go,".

In fact, Bryant has been resting the knee this summer, but continues upper body work and some light work on the exercise bicycle. "With scar tissue, they really want me to let it settle, just let the scar tissue heal before you get out there and start running around," Bryant expressed. "Your scar tissue comes back too quickly, you'll wind up having to do the same procedure again in a year or two."

New Bryant's foundation will see the light

In a really great gesture, Kobe Bryant Thursday announced he is forming a foundation providing assistance to persons who need financial assistance to help make their dreams come true.

In fact, the first project of the Vivo Foundation is Vivo Del Mondo, a program providing an all-expense paid nine-day trip to Italy beginning next week for eight black and Latin college students.

The popular basketball player announced the recipients of the trip Thursday night at a West Los Angeles restaurant.

The goal of Vivo Del Mondo is to provide the students with an international travel experience that will offer them a broader and expanded context to discover and develop their life passions and encourage students to think, question and formulate their own beliefs, according to Kobe Bryant.

It's also good to mention that the students will visit Rome, Florence and Venice between August 8 to 16.

As we said, the students selected to take the trip were affiliated with the Hispanic College Fund and Phase3, which provides college scholarships for black students.

"This is very exiting for us to be able to have the opportunity to do something like this," Bryant said. "(With) me growing up oversees and being exposed to another world, another way of life, to be able to open those doors to somebody else is special."

It's important to keep in mind that Bryant spent eight years of his childhood in Italy while his father Joe was playing professional basketball there.

Team USA getting ready for Japan 2006

The team is ready. LeBron James joined fellow class of 2003 NBA draft members Dwyane Wade, Chris Bosh and Kirk Hinrich in making the cut as the USA trimmed its roster to 15 for the World Basketball Championships.

According to experts, they were expected to pass the first round of cuts as the American squad wrapped up a six-day training camp here on Tuesday.

We must keep in mind that after letting Seattle SuperSonics guard Luke Ridnour and Charlotte Bobcats forward Adam Morrison go on Tuesday, American boss Mike Krzyzewski still has three more cuts to make before the Worlds which begin August 19 in Japan. "I spoke to them (Ridnour and Morrison) and they were understanding and very appreciative," Krzyzewski noticed.

In fact, this will be one of the youngest teams full of NBA stars the U.S. has sent to the Worlds. Krzyzewski had to retool the roster because a number of important players either declined to play for the national team or pulled out with injuries. That absent list includes guard Kobe Bryant of the Los Angeles Lakers (knee injury), Paul Pierce of Boston (elbow) and rookie guard J.J. Redick of Orlando (back).

"If they (injuries and withdrawals) hadn't have happened, it for sure would have been tough to get down to 15 or 16 players, but these things take care of themselves," Krzyzewski admitted. Hinrich, 25, is no lock to survive that cut, but his 2003 draft classmates almost certainly are.

LeBron James, the 21-year-old superstar swingman of the Cleveland Cavaliers, and Wade, the electric 24-year-old All-Star guard of the NBA champion Miami Heat, are the best of the bunch and among the 10 players chosen that are 25 or younger.

Other youngsters include Bosh (22), the All-Star forward of the Toronto Raptors, and Denver forward Carmelo Anthony (22); guards Gilbert Arenas of Washington (24) and Chris Paul of New Orleans (21); swingman Joe Johnson of Atlanta (25); forward-centre Dwight Howard of Orlando (20); and centre Amare Stoudemire of Phoenix (23).

"We do have a lot of young players," Krzyzewski said. "You could put seven or eight of those guys on a team and every one of them would be under 25 and they're good."

The elder statesmen include Los Angeles Clippers forward Elton Brand, Washington forward Antawn Jamison, Sacramento centre Brad Miller and defensive-minded forwards Shane Battier of Houston and Bruce Bowen of San Antonio.

It's important to mention that Team USA has not won an international event since the 2000 Olympics, where it was pushed in both the semi-final and final by Lithuania and France.

What's more, in the 2002 World Championships at Indianapolis, the Americans lost three times and finished an embarrassing sixth place.

And in the 2004 Olympics at Athens, Greece, Team USA again lost three encounters and settled for a bronze medal.

In fact, if Team USA does not win the World Championships - which it has not done since 1994 - it must qualify through the 2007 FIBA Tournament of the Americas in Venezuela. Time will tell.

Basketball World Cup may not see Kobe Bryant

Kobe went through a minor surgery on his right knee Saturday and is highly unlikely to play for the United States in the next world championships taking place this summer.

It's important to know that USA Basketball said Bryant is not expected to miss any of his commitments with his NBA team Los Angeles Lakers.

In fact, the announcement Saturday that the U.S. team will be without the NBA's leading scorer comes just five days before the Americans open their training camp in Las Vegas.

USA Basketball said that the Lakers' player will still attend part of the camp and will travel with the team in Asia for training in exhibitions in China and South Korea, and the FIBA world championships in Japan.

Experts fear, though, that full recovery from the procedure normally takes eight to 12 weeks, leaving it doubtful Bryant will be available for any of the world championships, which run from Aug. 19-Sept. 3.

We must mention tjat the U.S. has to choose its 12-man roster for the worlds before competition starts, and it can't be modified.

"We trust that Kobe will have a total and speedy recovery, and we were pleased that he expressed a willingness to remain as involved with our team as possible through this process," USA Basketball managing director Jerry Colangelo officially expressed. "Kobe being with the players will add to our squad chemistry and his presence will help provide valuable off court leadership."

ESPY Award touching dreams

Kobe Bryant is one of the nominated stars for the ESPY awards. But the happier person with that is Jason McElwain. He learned that he was nominated as well for an ESPY award while surfing the internet.

The emotion just came out. "I was really excited when I saw my name there on the screen," said McElwain, the Greece Athena High School student manager with autism who captivated the nation after scoring 20 points in just over four minutes in his only varsity basketball match. "To be in the same category as my idol, Kobe Bryant, is another dream come true."

As we said, McElwain, also known as J-Mac, received a nomination in the "Best Moment'' category, which also features Bryant, the Los Angeles Lakers star who scored 81 points in an NBA match last season; the George Mason men's basketball squad that made a magical run to the 2006 Final Four; and Dakoda Dowd, a 13-year-old golfer who fulfilled her cancer-stricken mother's dream by playing in an LPGA championship.

"I'm aware that I've got some tough competition," J-Mac said. "I've already told my whole family and friends to vote."

It's important to know that the ESPYs, an Academy Awards-style show for sports, will be taped at Hollywood's Kodak Theater July 12 and televised on ESPN at 9 p.m. July 16. The event will be hosted by seven-time Tour de France winner Lance Armstrong.

Kobe was on Radio Show

Bryant recently gave an interview in the popular radio show "Best Damn Sports Show Period" to speak about basketball and some of the most important moments of the last season. He mentioned his 81-point game and many other issues.

In one important quotes of the night, the popular basketball player admited he was unhappy with Phil Jackson as his coach, but they went over it to win the title.

About his top scoring record game, Kobe admits his past record was when he was 6 years old. At that time, he once scored 63. The 81 points, however, shocked the NBA world and he doesn't see anybody breaking the record in a very long time.

Kobe Bryant's father as Los Angeles Sparks's coach

Not only Kobe Bryant makes the news in his family. His father Joe Bryant is now Los Angeles Sparks coach.

It's important to remember that Bryant was an assistant for the WNBA team last season before taking over from the fired Henry Bibby with five games left. The Sparks went 4-1 under him, finished at .500 and made the playoffs.

Now, an entire season stretches out before "Jellybean". He got that nickname by shaking off defenders with a shimmy of his shoulders during eight years in the NBA.

"I keep the players nice and loose. I don't like to be a hollerer and a screamer," Bryant explains. "I like to think of myself not as a coach, but as a teacher. I tell them to enjoy the game and have fun. Things could be gone before you know it".

Lakers and Kobe let us down

With a great power, the Phoenix Suns completed an amazing comeback with victory in game seven to seal a series victory over the Los Angeles Lakers in the NBA play-offs.

In fact, the Suns had trailed the Lakers 3-1 in the series but a thumping 121-90 win on Saturday wrapped up a 4-3 triumph.

It was shocking to see that Kobe Bryant scored 23 first-half points for the Lakers but then surprisingly deferred to his team-mates.

"Did he score in the second half?" Lakers coach Phil Jackson asked reporters after the match.

What's more, former NBA All-Star Charles Barkley accused Kobe Bryant of trying to make his team-mates look bad.

"He was being selfish," Barkley said about Bryant. "He wanted to prove (to his team-mates) 'you guys can't do anything without me'. He doesn't want to take any blame."

However, Bryant had his opinion: "If we were going to get back in this type of game we had to have everybody contributing.

"In the first half I started to pick it up offensively only to keep us in the hunt.

"If we were going to get back into the match in the second half everybody has to get into a rhythm and that didn't happen."

Teams go for Game 7 after Suns victory

Tim Thomas managed to score the three most important points of the game for the Suns. In fact, those points forced overtime and Phoenix went on to beat the Los Angeles Lakers 126-118. Now they must go for Game 7 in their NBA Western Conference quarter-final.

Even though Kobe Bryant had a great scoring night with 50 points, he missed a potential series-clinching shot as time expired in regulation. He also counted all but one of the Lakers' 13 points in OT.

After this result, game 7 goes Saturday at Phoenix.

It's good to mention that the Lakers have taken all 27 series they led 3-1, and head coach Phil Jackson is 44-0 all-time in series he led 3-1.

Steve Nash also had a good performance scoring 32 points and doled 13 assists in a splendid effort for the Suns.

Thomas, whose clutch trey with 6.3 seconds tied it at 105-105, finished with 21 points and 10 rebounds.

Leandro Barbosa, replacing the suspended Raja Bell, tallied 22 points and guarded Bryant throughout.

"The pressure is on both franchises," said Suns coach Mike D'Antoni. "We feel good about ourselves but they will be ready and we are going to be be ready. It should be a great match."

Kobe Bryant, who averaged 42.5 points facing the Suns in the regular season, had some words: "We're going into a hostile environment. We look forward to it. Let's get it on."

The reasons of Lakers' victory

Los Angeles Lakers got a 99-93 victory against Phoenix Suns, but there was a time in the game where their 17-point lead got shredded and their nerves were almost frayed. Thanks again to Kobe Bryant and a great team effort, the Lakers ultimately ran away from the Suns to even their best-of-seven series at 1-1.

Reports say that Bryant was very questioned after an unusually quiet Game 1, and he answered marking 29 points, 10 rebounds, 5 assists and made 12 of 24 shots. Lamar Odom provided another strong effort, scoring 21 points on 9-for-12 shooting.

It's important to mention that game 3 is tonight at Staples Center in Los Angeles.

Sun guard Steve Nash was more error-prone than usual, totaling 29 points and nine assists but also six turnovers. We must say though, that Shawn Marion had 13 points on 5-for-15 shooting. Tim Thomas, who had 22 points in Game 1, was limited to 11.

"I thought defensively it was our night," Lakers coach Phil Jackson stated. ''I thought that was the best thing."

But it was also Bryant. In Game 1, he scored 22 points on 7-for-21 shooting and was labeled passive, in a politically correct way, by pretty much everybody who mattered on the Suns.

He enhanced his power in Game 2, fighting through double teams, again finding open teammates and, this time, performing open shots.

"I felt much more comfortable," Bryant said about the second game. "I feel like we did a much better job. Everybody contributed . . . We moved the ball, we played perfect defensively as a team, we played great offensively as a team."

Suns against Lakers in the playoffs

Los Angeles Lakers are back into the playoffs. And the first team on their road to the title is the powerful Phoenix Suns. Los Angeles trust in the best scorer of this season: Kobe Bryant.

The Lakers crushed the Hornets, 115-95, on Wednesday night at Staples Center. That gave the Lakers the seventh seed in the West, which brings the Phoenix Suns in the playoffs' first round. That best-of-7 series begins at 12:30 p.m. PDT on Sunday in Phoenix.

Despite the 45-37 Lakers are the losingest team Phil Jackson has ever coached, he looked ahead to the possibility of advancing past 54-28 Phoenix and advancing again past Denver or the Clippers in Round 2.

On Wednesday, the Bryant team secured home-court advantage over Denver in a possible playoff matchup for the right to reach the West finals. If the Lakers met the Clippers in Round 2, obviously all the matches would be at home.

"That bracket is probably the best bracket to advance," Jackson admitted.

Previewing the Lakers-Suns series, Hornets coach Byron Scott claims: "If the Lakers play their style of basketball and their tempo - and when you have No. 8 (Kobe Bryant) out there, you can win any series - they definitely have big chance."

The Lakers must get a victory over the Hornets to avoid dropping to the eighth seed and drawing defending NBA champion San Antonio in the first round. The Lakers got it easily after Kwame Brown scored 10 of their first 22 points and then Bryant took over, living up to the "81" that Nike inscribed on the insole of his sneakers.

Kobe Bryant expressed himself: "It feels good to be mentioned among the elite players who have ever played the game,". Indeed, his final scoring average was 35.4 points, eighth-highest in league history.

It's important to notice that Jackson said he'd likely bring the team back from Phoenix after playing Sunday to practice at home Monday and Tuesday just before Game 2 on Wednesday night in Phoenix.

Suns melted Kobe's huge effort

Just like in many other matches, Kobe Bryant produced an amazing number of points for the Lakers. In fact, he scored 51, in front of a very solid defence. But this time that wasn't enough to win. The Phoenix Suns beat Los Angeles Lakers 107-96.

Steve Nash scored all 25 of his points in the first three quarters and Leandro Barbosa added 23 off the bench to enhance the Suns and win.

It's fair to say that Phoenix used a balanced attack to offset another dominant night by Bryant, who made 19-of-33 shots to get his 51 points.

Actually, it was his fifth 50-point outing this season and his fourth consecutive game over 40. But with seven players in double figures, Phoenix reached 50 wins for the second straight season and the 16th time in franchise history.

The loss Friday, coupled with Sacramento's 96-93 victory over the Clippers, dropped the L.A. Lakers and Kings into a tie for the Western Conference's bottom two playoff spots at 40-37.

As we said before, with the squads having split their season series, the Lakers would be seeded eighth by virtue of the Kings having the better division record. Sacramento is 10-5 in the Pacific; the Lakers are 6-7.

At least the Lakers can take comfort with a schedule that has them playing their final five encounters at Staples Center. Then again, the Lakers also are only two matches ahead of the ninth-place Hornets.

Bryant 43 points help Lakers win

Despite all the problems he found in the game, Kobe Bryant managed to show another high scoring solo to help the Lakers win over the Sonics 106-93 at Key Arena.

He proved he is still one of the best players in the NBA, scoring 43 points in this game. 14 of them were made in the third quarter. After the match, he had many things to say.

"I just continued to attack," Bryant commented. "Fouls or no fouls, I just wanted to be aggressive."

We must remember that it was Bryant's 22nd 40-point game this season, one shy of Elgin Baylor's franchise record from 1962-63, and came as the Lakers bounced back from Thursday's loss to San Antonio with a much-needed win.

Los Angeles Lakers have won five of their last six encounters and stayed 1 games in front of Sacramento for seventh in the Western Conference standings.

Kobe claimed outloud: "When we have losses, we don't want them coming in bunches."

Seattle got within 89-83 with 7:20 remaining after Ray Allen and Rashard Lewis hit consecutive 3-pointers. However, Devean George made a basket from the arc, Bryant scored six straight points and Luke Walton hit a layup for a 100-87 edge with 2:15 to go.

Bryant made 28 in Lakers win

The main players in the Lakers squad answered when the team needed them. Kobe Bryant scored 28 points and Kwame Brown added a season-high 21 with 12 rebounds for Los Angeles, who posted an 87-80 win over the Sacramento Kings in a pivotal Western Conference battle.

Winning for just the third time in seven matches, the Lakers (36-34) earned a split of the season series and moved one game ahead of the Kings (34-34) into seventh place in the Western Conference.

"We're playing good basketball," Bryant noticed. He averaged 36.3 points in four meetings against the Kings this season. "We feel like we can carry it over into the playoffs."

In the other hand, Ron Artest paced Sacramento with 18 points and 10 rebounds as the Kings have lost three of their last four overall. Bonzi Wells came off the bench to score 15 points and grab nine rebounds.

The Lakers led by as many as 20 points in the contest and never trailed.

"It was a big win for us," said LA head coach Phil Jackson. "We caused a lot of turnovers and stepped up the tempo knowing they played last night."

Led by Bryant's 10 first-quarter points on 5-of-5 shooting from the field, the Lakers jumped out to a 30-14 lead after the opening frame. The most important part of the period was Los Angeles opening the contest on a 15-5 run.

The Kings outscored the Lakers 26-23 in the second stanza, but still trailed 53-40 at the break.

Bryant had 15 at halftime, while Brown added 11 points and six rebounds.

It's fair to say that the second half was more of the same as the Lakers continued to run in front.

LA opened the third period on an 8-2 run to take a 61-42 lead. The Lakers went on to outscore the Kings 19-18 in the quarter to take a 72-58 lead into the final frame.

As we saw in our screens, in the fourth quarter, the Kings outscored the Lakers 22-15 and managed to get within five points late, but it was not enough as Los Angeles held on.

Lakers make no sense

Los Angeles Lakers can beat the best on any given day — Detroit, San Antonio, Miami — and lose to any mid-level squad, no matter their record or reasoning, regardless of the ensuing ridicule that awaits from fans after another clumsy loss.

You can get to that conclusion after watching the Seattle SuperSonics, an underwhelming group that had been 9-22 on the road, beat the Lakers, 120-113, killing any momentum brought home on the charter flight after Friday's victory in San Antonio.

It's fair to say that the defense was kind enough to allow seven SuperSonics to top their season scoring averages, and the Laker frontcourt took a hit as well, Chris Mihm leaving late in the match after sustaining a severely sprained right ankle. X-rays were negative, but he will be sidelined indefinitely, quite possibly a few weeks, according to a Laker official.

There were other troubles, other holes left unpatched as the Lakers failed to gain Western Conference ground on sixth-place Memphis.

In fact, Kobe Bryant was out-fenced by old rival Ray Allen, scoring only 22 points in an eight-for-29 shooting effort. He was irascible and angry during the game, dressed quickly when it was over and left without speaking to reporters for the first time this season.

In the final minute, kobe missed an off-balance three-point attempt on an inbounds play and, after tracking the rebound, missed an open three-pointer from the right side, unable to get the Lakers closer than 119-113.

Six seconds later, another Bryant three-point attempt missed everything but the bottom of the backboard.

In a sad move, Mihm writhed on the court after appearing to come down on Rashard Lewis' foot with 48 seconds to play. Mihm was helped into the locker room by Ronny Turiaf and Andrew Bynum.

A Laker official later compared the severity of the injury to the sprained ankle that cost Bryant a month last season.

Kobe Bryant scored 16,000 points

He is used to achieving record numbers. And he did it again: Kobe Bryant became the youngest player to score 16,000 points, finishing with 42 in the Los Angeles Lakers' 106-94 victory over the Golden State Warriors on Friday night.

In fact, Chris Mihm added 16 points, but Bryant's stellar play with a sinus infection was just about the only beautiful thing in the Lakers' third straight victory over the Warriors. Bryant scored 40 points for the 16th time this season while conserving his energy and playing with thoughtful caution.

"I've played sick before," Bryant admitted, recalling his 2002 playoff performance against the Sacramento Kings after apparently getting food poisoning from a room-service cheeseburger. "I've played sicker than this. It's kind of old hat for me. You've only got to use your energy more wisely, play a more cerebral game. You have to pick your spots."

Celtics beat Lakers 112-111

After a hard game, the Celtics conclude a successful 3-and-1 road trip with a 112-to-111 victory over Los Angeles Lakers.

The records will say that Paul Pierce completed one of the best months of his career, scoring 39 points, including the deciding foul shot with 3-point-two seconds remaining.

Indeed, Pierce was fouled by Kobe Bryant, and made one foul shot to complete the scoring. He averaged 33-point-5 points in eleven games this month.

We must notice that Bryant—who scored 40 points but was held to three in the final period—missed as time expired.

Ryan Gomes added a career-high 19 points and 12 rebounds for Boston, and Delonte West had 19 points and a career-best ten assists. Wally Szczerbiak added 16 points. Brian Cook scored 19 for the Lakers.

East beat West in All-Star Game

Kobe Bryant took part of the All-Star Game once again, but let's face it: this time was different. Everybody still wants to see the 81-point man crushing the score records and facing Shaquille O'Neal. But this two things didn't appear in the expected level. East beated the West Conference by 122-120 and the figures were the Pistons' four and LeBron James. Maybe next time.

Hawks beat Lakers

Hawks visited Lakers and got a 114-110 victory, despite Bryant's effort. Atlanta`s Josh Smith tied career-bests with 21 points and 15 rebounds on Wednesday night.

What's more, Josh Childress added 21 points off the bench and Joe Johnson compiled 20 points and a personal-best 15 assists for the Hawks, who won for only the fifth time away from home this season.

Now the Lakers have to spend six days thinking about their loss to the Atlanta Hawks, who hadn't beaten a Western Conference team on the road in more than a year.

In fact, Kobe Bryant finished with 39 points but uncharacteristically missed 4 of 10 free throws in the fourth quarter. Josh Smith led the Hawks with 21 points and 15 rebounds, and Joe Johnson had a monstrous 20-point, 15-assist game.

To make it clear, it was a disastrous game for the Lakers, who led by 15 points in the first quarter and appeared on the way to an easy night. They went just 6 of 15 from the line in the fourth quarter, though, and the Hawks went 27 of 31 for the game.

The Lakers had a chance to tie in the final minute as Bryant stole a Royal Ivey pass along the sideline and fed ahead to Smush Parker. However Parker blew the dunk with Smith closing fast from behind.

It's important to notice that Bryant and Parker ended up falling on top of each other, and the Lakers couldn't grab the loose ball. At the other end, Johnson followed Ivey's missed shot all alone with 22.7 seconds left. Bryant missed a 3-point attempt with 15.9 seconds left.

Bryant was the hero in Lakers victory

Kobe Bryant was 6-for-20 from the field and was outscored by Utah guard Devon Brown, but his 23 points were enough to help the Lakers get a victory over the Jazz 94-88 on Monday night.

Bryant, whose league-leading scoring average dropped from 35.2 to 34.9, averaged 43.4 points in January - including a franchise-record 81-point effort against Toronto and a streak of 62 consecutive free throws made.

''I really don't care about the scoring title. I could care less,'' Bryant said. ''I don't care about shooting the ball or anything. I mean, if I need to score 35 or 40 points, or whatever it is, I do it to win the game. If I don't need to, then I don't. We needed this win, and that is what we were able to do.''

Grizzlies beat Lakers

It looked like a Lakers' victory, but Pau Gasol scored four of his 31 points in the final 53 seconds, Eddie Jones had 25 points, and the Memphis Grizzlies kept Kobe Bryant in check en route to a 100-99 victory over the Los Angeles Lakers on Saturday night at Staples Center. Chucky Atkins had 18 scorings for the Grizzlies, who ended a season-worst five-game losing streak and a six-match road skid. Memphis has won three of its last four games against the Lakers in Los Angeles, after losing the first 18.

Kobe Bryant scored 12 of his 26 points in the fourth quarter and Smush Parker added 20 for the Lakers. Bryant, who came in averaging a league-leading 35.4 points, missed 12 of his first 17 shots and finished 10-for-28 from the field.

It's important to notice that Bryant made a 3-pointer that triggered a run of eight consecutive points by the nine-time All-Star and gave the Lakers an 86-77 lead with 7:48 to play. But Jones' 3-pointer capped a 9-2 spurt and got Memphis within 90-89 with 3:53 remaining.

Fans could see that Bryant gave the Lakers some breathing room with a 14-footer, Kwame Brown converted an offensive rebound of Lamar Odom's long miss into a 3-point play and Bryant drained a 20-footer for a 99-95 lead with 1:07 left. But the Grizzlies wouldn't quit.

Actually, Brown tied a season high with 18 points and grabbed eight rebounds before fouling out with 53 seconds to go. And Gasol sank both free throws, then blocked a shot by Odom at the other end and tied the score at 99 on a layup with 29 seconds left. But he missed a free throw attempting to complete a three-point play.

It is true that Brian Cook missed a 16-footer for the Lakers and Atkins made one of two free throws for a one-point lead with 3 seconds on the clock. Devean George rebounded the ball on Atkins' second attempt, and the Lakers had a chance to pull out the win. But Bryant was closely guarded by Jones and missed a long jumper he got off after the final buzzer.

Kobe Bryant scores 32 in Lakers victory over Rockets

At first, Kobe Bryant was stunned to find so many big gaps in the Rockets' defense. Once the shock wore off, Bryant took advantage, scoring 32 points and dishing out a season-high nine assists as the Lakers snapped a four-match losing streak with an 89-78 victory Wednesday night.

"I started coming off the pick and roll and I was so wide open," noticed Bryant, who went 13-for-29 from the field. "It really threw me off at first. It's been two months since I've been that wide open."

And when Bryant wasn't burning the Rockets, Brian Cook was. In fact, Cook added 27 points and 10 rebounds one night after scoring a season-high 28 in the Lakers' 102-87 loss at Dallas.
"A lot of other teams only focus on Kobe," Cook noticed. "I only hang around on the weak side and nights like tonight, Kobe gives it up."

Is important to notice that Rafer Alston made 16 and Yao Ming added 14 points and 13 rebounds for the Rockets, who had a four-match winning streak snapped.

"We got too comfortable with ourselves with the winning streak," McGrady noticed. "It's really disappointing to come home and have an outing like this, myself included."

Houston coach Jeff Van Gundy ripped his team's effort after the match. He noticed the Rockets were equally lackadaisical in their shootaround.

"How little we put in the match, from the start of the day to the end of the match, was totally uninspiring," Van Gundy noticed. "We went through the motions, but didn't even fake it really well."

The match drew 18,291 fans - a season high at the Toyota Center - but those hoping to see a 1-on-1 duel between Bryant and All-Star Tracy McGrady left disappointed.

Detroit win despite Bryant's 39

The Pistons got a great victory. Even with Kobe in front of them, scoring 39 points. And while the Lakers turned a 22-point blowout into a close game down the stretch, the Pistons held on for a 102-93 victory.

This way, the Pistons are 37-5 and have won 11 in a row.

Kobe Bryant shot 12-for-28 from the court. His three-point shooting did him in, with 3-for-11 from beyond the arc.

"Tonight it didn't matter if he made 50, 40, 20, 10," coach Flip Saunders noticed. "The idea was for us to win. It wasn't Kobe Bryant against us, it was the Lakers against Detroit."

The result was that the solitary star couldn't beat a team of five stars. All of the Pistons' starters scored in double-digits, compared to two for L.A.

"The best thing about us is, we feel we've got five superstars out there," said shooting guard Richard Hamilton, who scored 20 points. "Everybody says we don't have a superstar. No, we've got five superstars."

We must notice that The Lakers hadn't lost four regular-season clashes in a row to the Pistons since the early 1970s. Asked whether there's a rivalry between the teams that fought for the NBA title two seasons ago, Bryant claims, "It's a little one-sided to be a rivalry."

In the end Detroit Pistons led by nine at halftime and blew the game open in the third quarter with a 9-0 run. Tayshaun Prince, who scored 19 points and checked Bryant most of the game, netted five during that run.

Bryant gets ready for "Just Another Game"

The world wants to see what will he come up with on the next game. And Kobe Bryant claims it's just one more game. But we know it is not. When the Lakers and the Warriors go to battle on Friday, the sports world will be watching the man who did a 81-point game. "We'll just go out there, do what we do, try to get the victory," Bryant said before Thursday's practice. "That's about it. Just go out there and do what we do, same old thing. Punch the clock. It's normal, it really is." Bryant, whose 81 points record is second in NBA history behind Wilt Chamberlain's 100 in 1962, thinks that as long as fans are excited for Friday's game, it doesn't matter why. "It's good for us," he said. "I think if anything, it's given a lot of writers a lot to talk about, whether it's good, bad or indifferent."

The NBA world after Kobe's 81 points record

Nobody can deny the importance of his last achievement. Kobe Bryant's 81-point record Sunday night in the game with Toronto was eye-popping stuff, regardless how you view the Lakers' star.

Wether you love him or hate him, you have to give credit for the second-highest NBA scoring game ever. His talent has never been questioned, and on this night - 28 of 46 from the field, 7 of 13 from 3-point range, 18 of 20 from the free-throw line - he was at his best.

After all, we can say that this match, this singular performance, was what the Shaq-Kobe feud was all about. Now you can see why there is no more Shaquille O'Neal in L.A., no more shared spotlight. This was all Kobe, all the time, the way he's always felt it had be. And most of the fans too.

Kobe Bryant has his championship rings, earning three as a co-star with O'Neal. But the co-star thing drove him nuts, and drove Shaq out of town.

Today the story is different in the Lakers dressroom. Kobe is the man, the face and facade of the Lakers. He is the headliner on a 22-19 team with zero chance of winning a championship.

Kobe Bryant Super Record: 81 Points

Kobe Bryant, usually unstoppable, this time was more than that. The Los Angeles Lakers' star made a phenomenal 81 points Sunday night _ the second-highest total in NBA history _ in a 122-104 victory over the Toronto Raptors.

Just Wilt Chamberlain's storied 100-point match nearly 44 years ago ranks higher. "Not even in my dreams," Bryant noticed. "That was something that just happened. It's tough to explain. It's just one of those things.

"It really hasn't, like, set in for me. It's about the `W,' that's why I turned it on. It turned into something special. To sit here and say I grasp what happened, that would be lying."

Actually, the Lakers trailed by as many as 18 points early in the third quarter, angering Bryant. "He was ticked off," teammate Lamar Odom noticed. When asked what Bryant noticed at that stage, Odom replied: "Nothing. That's when it's bad."

Bryant made 51 points after the Raptors extended a 63-49 halftime lead to 71-53. The Lakers outmade the Raptors 38-14 to finish the third quarter to go ahead for good.

"That was amazing, remarkable," Odom noticed.
It’s good to know that Bryant, the NBA's leading scorer, left to a standing ovation with 4.2 seconds remaining, having shot 28-of-46 from the floor, including 7-of-13 from 3-point range, and 18-of-20 from the foul line.

With the 18,997 supporters at Staples Center chanting "MVP! MVP!" Bryant made two free throws with 43.4 seconds remaining for his final points. He made 27 points in the third quarter, 28 in the fourth.

"We are on a journey, and to put on a show like this for the supporters here in L.A. is truly something special," Bryant noticed. "I grew up in front of these people, and now they are seeing me as an older, young man."

The 27-year-old Bryant joined the Lakers out of high school, and is in his 10th NBA season.

Chamberlain made 100 points for Philadelphia against the New York Knicks at Hershey, Pa., on March 2, 1962, shooting 36-of-63 from the field and 28-of-32 from the foul line while playing all 48 minutes.

In addition, Chamberlain had 59 points in the second half _ the just player with more points in a half than Bryant's 55 after halftime in this match.

Chamberlain's second-highest total was 78 against the Lakers in three overtimes on Dec. 8, 1961.

Michael Jordan's career high was 69 points, and just four players had ever made more than 70 _ Chamberlain, Elgin Baylor, David Thompson and David Robinson.

Bryant made it five. His previous career record was 62 points during a 112-90 victory over Dallas. "I was just determined. I was just locked in, tuned into what was going on out there," Bryant noticed. "These points tonight mattered. We needed them. The points I put in the basket were instrumental. It means a lot more."

Bryant raised his scoring average to an NBA-leading 35.9 points this season.

"I never imagined I would see history like that," noticed Devean George, a teammate of Bryant's with the Lakers for 6 1/2 seasons. "I can't tell you where that came from. He just kept attacking, attacking, attacking _ every time he got the ball."

Bryant played nearly 42 minutes, going the entire second half until being lifted by coach Phil Jackson.
We also know that Jackson coached Jordan and the Chicago Bulls to six championships in the 1990s and the Lakers, with Bryant and Shaquille O'Neal, to three more titles, from 2000-02.

"That was something to behold," Jackson noticed. "It was another level. I've seen some remarkable matchs, but I've never seen one like that before."

Baylor held the Lakers' previous franchise record of 71 points at New York on Nov. 15, 1960. Lakers special assistant Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, the NBA's all-time leading scorer, saw that match, too.

"Elgin's match was an amazing performance, also," Abdul-Jabbar noticed. "I don't think there's any comparison. Elgin did it without 3-point lines. His match was attacking the hoop and hitting jumpers inside 20 feet. Kobe's range is unreal, and he does it his way.

"It was a real treat. His skill to shoot from long range and also attack the hoop, split the defense and get in close for opportunities near the basket is unique. He's made a niche for himself, and he deserves it."

Bryant made all but 15 of his team's 42 points in the third quarter, and all but three of their 31 in the final period.

"You're sitting and watching, and it's like a miracle unfolding in front of your eyes and you can't accept it," Lakers owner Jerry Buss noticed. "Somehow, the brain won't work. The easiest way to look at it is everybody remembers every 50-point match they ever saw. He had 55 in the second half."

Bryant made a season-low 11 points in the Lakers' 102-91 victory over the Raptors in Toronto last month. He has led the Lakers in scoring in the last 21 matchs in which he's played, and is averaging 45.5 points in 10 matchs since sitting out a two-match suspension. "We were just watching him shoot," Toronto's Chris Bosh noticed. "He takes the type of shots where you don't think they're going in, but suddenly he's rolling, so he's kind of hard to stop. We tried three or four guys on him, but it seemed like nobody guarded him tonight."

Bryant's 51 points were not enough

The Lakers have played more games than any other this season in the NBA. And no player in the tournament has made more big fourth quarters than Kobe Bryant.

But this time the story was sad for them. What looked like a fantastic night for the Lakers as Bryant and Lamar Odom leaped to bump chests with 35.5 seconds left in regulation ended with an agonizing 118-109 overtime loss to the Sacramento Kings.

"We beat the team, but they won." Odom said a deep phrase.

"Many of crazy things can happen in the NBA," Bryant added, "and tonight was one of those nights."

Indeed, with only the clock standing between them and their seventh win in eight games, the Lakers gave away the game, winding up in overtime as Brad Miller drilled an improbable 3-pointer with 4.1 seconds left.

It wasn't quite payback for Robert Horry's shot in the 2002 Western Conference finals, but the Kings' faithful would take it. Bryant finished with 51 points, the eighth 50-point game of his career, but it was not enough.

If the Lakers thought their days of late-game disappointings were behind them - they had won their previous four games decided by six points or fewer - they were sorely mistaken. They led 102-97 with 35.5 seconds to play as Odom connected on a 3-pointer.

It came after Kobe Bryant, who had taken shots on five consecutive possessions down the stretch, kicked a pass to Odom at the top of the key. He scored just 1 of 5 3-pointers for the night, but hit the shot that counted.

But Odom made a major mistake after Miller made one of two free throws for the Kings. With the Kings electing not to foul, Odom drove to the basket with 16 seconds left on the shot clock.

In the last part, the Lakers could have taken the clock inside of the final 10 seconds, but Odom was called for a charge with 22 seconds remaining against Kenny Thomas. Odom thought the call was questionable, but it was not.

"I take the blame for that one," Odom said. "I should have ran the clock down a little bit more. First time in a long time that my aggressiveness beat me. But I had just hit that shot and I was thinking, 'Get to the basket.'

"I just wish I had put my team in a better place. A flop call on a team that's dead, though, that kind of gave them new life."

The Lakers still had a chance to win, but Mike Bibby (40 points) connected on a 3-pointer to make it 102-101 with 18.7 seconds left. Bryant sank two free throws for the Lakers - he set the franchise record for consecutive foul shots made Thursday - but Sacramento got the ball with a chance to tie.

The Lakers denied Bibby a shot on the Kings' final play of regulation only to watch as Kwame Brown tried to help inside and left Miller alone beyond the arc. Miller, a 32 percent 3-point shooter, drilled the shot.

"I must have stayed at home," Brown told us. "He hit a desperation shot and I should have hugged him closer. I trusted my quickness to get back to him. I got back, I just should have stayed at home."

Jackson let Odom have the final shot of regulation for the Lakers, hoping he would redeem himself, but Odom couldn't connect. The Lakers fell apart in overtime, as they were outscored 14-5 and Odom fouled out.

The Lakers have played 22 games decided by six points or fewer, the most in the NBA. Bryant, meanwhile, leads all players in fourth-quarter scoring, averaging 9.1 points per game.

Kobe Bryant was especially aggressive Thursday against a Sacramento team that was forced to use Kevin Martin, Francisco Garcia and Jason Hart on him with Bonzi Wells still injured.

Is important to say that Bryant looked to be up to his old tricks in the final four minutes, taking the game upon himself. He posted up Garcia with the Kings sending Miller to double-team. They couldn't get Bryant, however, to give up the ball.

He pulled up on the right side, pump-faked twice to get Garcia in the air and knocked down a 19-footer. Bryant hit 3 of 5 jumpers down the stretch, including one over the 7-foot Miller.

Bryant and Shaquille face to face

It has been a really long story, and now the longest trade in professional sports history is nearly over. We can say that Shaquille O'Neal brought something unexpected to Los Angeles Staples Center Monday night: A pregame greeting for former Lakers teammate Kobe Bryant.

The teams stretched during warm-ups, at that time O'Neal reached down to Bryant, who was being stretched by a trainer, and extended a hand. Is good to notice that this was O'Neal's first public acknowledgement of Bryant since the center left the Lakers in the 2004 offseason. The game ended too late for this edition of The Star.

After that encounter and during the pregame captains' meeting, O'Neal and Bryant embraced and shared a laugh. The eyes of the world were on them. The referee gave a wuick look. Kobe tapped Shaquille's head twice. When the video screen showed a second embrace, the crowd cheered, with Bryant raising his arm to acknowledge the ovation.

Both embraced just before the opening tip, leading to another ovation. Heat coach Pat Riley said he expected an eventual thaw. "One day, you've just got to move on," he thinks, "but it's an individual decision."

Bryant, with 37 points, is ascending. O'Neal might have a couple more memorable playoffs in him, but he is clearly descending. Other players wedged their way onto the stage Monday night, including Andrew Bynum, who was born when O'Neal was 15 years old.

Indeed, the Lakers did catch Miami at the end of a seven-match, 12-day trip, however they also looked new and vastly different from the distracted band that plodded through November. They even looked cleansed, ready for brand new questions, as they held off the Heat, 100-92.

Kobe Bryant scores 41, but Lakers lose

The Portland Trail Blazers were able to defeat Los Angeles Lakers on Wednesday night, even though Kobe Bryant scored 41 points, ending his streak of 45-plus games at four, The game ended 113-103 for the Blazers.

"They came out and performed a lot harder than we did,'' Bryant told the reporters. "After the last showing they had on their court, I'm sure they took it upon themselves and played with more effort and much heart. And they did it.''

Kobe Bryant, who had 23 points at the half, dunked with 23.9 seconds left to make the score 111-103, but the Lakers couldn't get any closer. This way, they ended a three-game winning streak.

"The Coach explained what it was all about,'' guard Steve Blake explained. "He only said you've got to play with a lot of heart and a lot of passion. You've got to desire it.''

For the records, Kobe had scored at least 45 points in his last four matches, becoming the first player to score as many since Wilt Chamberlain in 1964. Elgin Baylor also reached the milestone in 1961.

Kobe Bryant Bio: The Athlete and the Star

Kobe Bean Bryant is more than an idol in Los Angeles Lakers; he is the greatest star in the NBA and the world knows that for sure. His father was the former Philadelphia 76ers player Joe "Jellybean" Bryant. Although personal issues and criticism have lowered his esteem in the thoughts of many, Bryant's uncanny mix of talent, skill, athleticism, and work ethic still inspire most to see him as one of the premier athletes in the game nowadays. As such, many fans and critics consider him to be one of the greatest players of his time.

Kobe Bryant was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The reason he got the name Kobe is uncommon, and he loves it. Bryant's grandmom told him when she first heard his name, she thought, "What in the world were Pam and Joe thinking naming him Kobe; perhaps they'll have time to change it before the birth certificate is registered. Maybe they'll give him a more conventional name". But he kept it.

When he was 6, he, his two sisters, and his parents moved to Italy. In that land, his father began playing professional basketball. While living there, he step by step became habituated to the lifestyle and subsequently learned to speak the Italian language fluently. In 1994, the Bryants moved back to the USA. He says that after a outstanding high school career in the Philadelphia suburb of Lower Merion, at Lower Merion High School, Bryant achieved national recognition as a prodigal basketball talent. He then scrapped his original plans of continuing on to college by making the leap from high school directly to the NBA, a bold but controversial decision made by the then seventeen-year old. It is known that he was in the first place selected 13th by the Charlotte Hornets in the 1996 NBA Draft, but they traded him on July 11, 1996 to the Los Angeles Lakers for center Vlade Divac. At that time he was young and somewhat introverted, but his talent made an impression on his teammates on the practice court. Despite his natural talent, Bryant frequently had trouble relating to teammates away from the basketball court, and he struggled to make friends early in his career.

It's good to remember that during this time the 20-year old Bryant first met 16-year old Vanessa Laine on the set of a music video where Laine was working as a background dancer. The two began dating and were engaged six months later. They got married on April 18, 2001 in Dana Point, California, while Laine was still a senior at Marina High School in Huntington Beach, California. Their baby Natalia Diamante was born on January 19, 2003. Bryant's parents initially disapproved of the marriage because of the couple's young age, but have since reconciled with Kobe. In November 2004, after Vanessa suffered a miscarriage (due to an ectopic condition) in the spring of 2005, the Bryants announced that they are expecting another child in May 2006.

Bryant's career as an NBA player out of high school has been nothing short of exceptional. By the age of 24, Bryant had already won many individual awards, from his annual inclusion in the All-NBA teams and a seven time selection into the NBA All-Star team. Bryant, along with former teammate Shaquille O'Neal, helped lead the Los Angeles Lakers as perennial championship contenders, resulting in three consecutive NBA championships in 2000, 2001, and 2002. Indeed, The Lakers also ventured to the 2004 Finals against the Detroit Pistons, but lost the series four games to one. After the loss to the Pistons, Bryant opted out of his contract to test the free agent market. After flirting with the idea of joining several teams, including the Lakers' cross-town rivals the Los Angeles Clippers, he signed a new seven-year deal with the Lakers worth over $136 million on July 15, 2004.

Fans can see that Bryant's image and achievements on and off the basketball court made him one of basketball's most popular and marketable players. Even big corporations like McDonald's and Coca-Cola had him part of their image. For several years, he had an exclusive apparel and shoe deal with Adidas but is currently under a four-year, $45 million advertising contract with Nike

Many people agree that Kobe Bryant's meteoric career rise in the NBA is attributed to his consummate work ethic. In each of his years in the league, Kobe showed improvement in all areas of his game, from offense to strength to defense. On-court he is a quite composed and competitive player with impressive concentration, able to deliver the toughest and clutch shots at the times most required. These attributes, for the most part, have made him a premier player in the NBA.

One peace of his talent: on December 20, 2005, in one of the most spectacular individual scoring feats in NBA history, Bryant marked a career-high 62 points in only 33 minutes of play in a 112-90 rout of the Dallas Mavericks. His 30 points in the third quarter alone surpassed the Lakers' previous franchise record of 24 points in a single quarter. Bryant had outscored the entire Dallas Mavericks team 62-61 by the time he departed at the end of the third quarter. His career night was only 9 points shy of Elgin Baylor's franchise record of 71, and may well have broken it had he stepped foot on the court during the fourth quarter.