It’s been almost 20 years since Los Angeles Lakers icon Kobe Bryant’s 81-point game, and people are still amazed by the display of offensive perfection. Analysts and former players still bring it up from time to time, either to parse it in detail or just remind themselves of the Mamba’s greatness.
Flimsy defense
Behind those 81 points was a varied set of circumstances that, to an extent, favored the Lakers icon. A tight knee initially bothered him in the beginning. Bryant admitted that he was getting a feel for things in the first few minutes. But things drastically changed when he went up for a layup. It felt so easy that it became awkward. Kobe noticed something wrong with the Toronto Raptors’ defense.
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“There’s one possession early in the game where I drove the ball baseline and just laid it up,” Bryant said, via ESPN. “From that first possession, I knew if I could get going it’s going to be a great night because their rotations were extremely slow. For me to take two dribbles and get all the way to the basket meant I could really do some damage because their rotations were so slow.”
Bryant remained patient and surveyed the defense every chance he got. He mixed up things to keep the seemingly flimsy defense honest. He started to develop a rhythm, and at the same time, his knees were loosening up. Everything was looking good, and the game was far from over.
Jalen Rose pulls the curtain
The Raptors’ defense looked bad because it really was. Jalen Rose revealed that the team started in a 2-3 zone defense primarily because they lacked frontcourt defensive assets. Enforcing a 2-3 zone required great communication among the players — a trait that the Raptors didn’t have yet.
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They were one of the worst teams in the league at that time. Toronto was still trying to construct a roster around 2003 NBA Draft fourth overall pick Chris Bosh. In other words, they were easy prey for the hungry Mamba.
“Our game plan against the Lakers, initially, we actually started out in a 2-3 zone. We were a team that didn’t have much bulk up front. So our coaching staff decided the best approach to playing against the Lakers would be to keep them on a perimeter, and they thought that a 2-3 zone would be the remedy,” Rose disclosed.
The Mamba’s best
It’s because of the Raptors’ vague identity that Rose wasn’t all that impressed with Kobe’s 81-point game. Yes, it was a once-in-a-lifetime achievement, but everything was laid out for Bryant. All he needed to do was execute, which he had been doing all year long. In Rose’s eyes, Bryant’s best performance that year came a month earlier against the contender squad Dallas Mavericks.
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“Kobe Bryant was already erupting that year in the league,” Rose said. “Multiple games he scored 40-plus points. A better game than the 81-point game, that’s right, because we weren’t a playoff team; we weren’t competitive, was to put up 62 points in three quarters versus the Dallas Mavs. A team that went to the NBA Finals. Now, that’s work.”
Nevertheless, that cool night in January 2006 in Los Angeles was a game forever seared in the memories of Lakers fans and basketball diehards in general. It was the purest display of skill and finesse. For one night, the world witnessed a master who had perfected his craft.
This story was originally reported by Basketball Network on Aug 29, 2025, where it first appeared in the Old School section. Add Basketball Network as a Preferred Source by clicking here.