Miami Heat star Bam Adebayo’s 83-point outburst on Tuesday was reminiscent of late superstar Kobe Bryant’s 81-point performance in January 2006. In that game, the Los Angeles Lakers trailed the Toronto Raptors 63-49 at halftime. Kobe, who scored 26 points in the first half, came on fire and the Lakers eventually won 122-104.
Ever since Adebayo scored 83 points, many people, especially Lakers fans, have been defending Kobe and his 81-point game. In fact, some people claim that Adebayor scored more than 81 points in a single game, which is disrespectful to the Black Mamba.
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Rashad McCants, who played in the NBA in the mid-to-late 2000s, told The Sports Rush that Kobe could score 120 or 130 points in a game “if he wanted to.”
“There’s a formula,” McCants declared. “Especially when it comes to scoring every quarter, stopping the clock, shooting three-pointers. Kobe Bryant knows the formula. He can score at least 120, 130 points in a game if he wants to.”
In Tuesday’s game, Adebayo made 20 of 43 shots, 7 of 22 three-pointers, and 36 of 43 free throws. After shooting 10 of 16 in the first quarter, he shot below 40 percent in each subsequent quarter.
In comparison, Kobe shot 28 of 46 from the field, 7 of 13 from the paint, and 18 of 20 from the free throw line, scoring 81 points.
In his era, it was rare to see an entire team score 120 points in a game. Of course, these days, with the fast-paced nature of the NBA, improved three-point shooting, and an increase in the number of three-point attempts, it’s not uncommon for teams to score 130 or 140 points in a game. When the Heat defeated the Washington Wizards on Tuesday, they scored 150 points.
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If Kobe was playing in this era, it seems strange to say he could score 120 points in a game. But one has to wonder if he can do better than his 81-point outburst on that Sunday night in 2006.
This article originally appeared on LeBron Wire: Rashad McCants: Kobe Bryant ‘could have scored at least 120, 130 points’
