{"id":1449,"date":"2011-11-30T18:08:43","date_gmt":"2011-12-01T00:08:43","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/pauleide.com\/?p=1449"},"modified":"2020-12-13T15:03:20","modified_gmt":"2020-12-13T21:03:20","slug":"kobe-bryants-81-vs-david-robinsons-71-which-is-more-impressive","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/i80sportsblog.com\/kobe-bryants-81-vs-david-robinsons-71-which-is-more-impressive\/","title":{"rendered":"Kobe Bryant\u2019s 81 Vs. David Robinson\u2019s 71 – Which Is More Impressive?"},"content":{"rendered":"

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A lot of Spurs fans seem to think that David Robinson\u2019s performance against the Clippers doesn\u2019t get the respect it deserves. Namely, that Kobe gets more love for his 81 point game.<\/p>\n

My response is, why wouldn\u2019t he? He scored 10 more points. And that\u2019s only one of five reasons I can think of.<\/p>\n

Robinson Compromised His Team’s Offense<\/h2>\n

With nothing to play for as a team, the Spurs only focus was getting Robinson the ball as much as they could. Suffice it to say, most NBA players could have a career scoring day if they were the sole focus of the outcome, regardless of what was happening in the game.<\/p>\n

What\u2019s more impressive about Kobe is that he did it gradually, in the normal flow of the offense. When it became obvious he had the hot hand, he was given the green light. Two other players (Chris\u00a0Mihm\u00a0and\u00a0Smush\u00a0Parker) had double figure scoring outputs during his 81 point game. The second highest scoring Spur during Robinson\u2019s 71? Dennis\u00a0Rodman\u00a0with eight.<\/p>\n

The Game Didn\u2019t Matter<\/h2>\n

The Spurs had already clinched a playoff spot and the Clippers had been eliminated from playoff contention. And it was the last game of the regular season.<\/p>\n

Conversely the\u00a0Lakers\u00a0were a game above .500 (20-19) losing to a bad Raptors team (14-25) by 15 at halftime and 16 early in the third quarter. Kobe\u2019s team needed him to step up and he responded in the second half, carrying the\u00a0Lakers\u00a0to victory.<\/p>\n

Robinson\u2019s performance was great, but he had a lot less on the line. The whole offense was setup for him to take 41 shots and 25 free throws. Kobe took his 46 shots and 20 free throws without preferential treatment.<\/p>\n

The Spurs Were Fouling The Clippers At The End Of The Game To Get Robinson More Touches<\/h2>\n

Which is why he was able to score 7 points in the last minute, five of them on free throws, in a game the Spurs would win by 15. Robinson scored his\u00a064th\u00a0point on a free throw with 1:33 to play. Spurs coach John Lucas then instructed his team to foul the Clippers intentionally even though the Spurs held a 101-80 lead.<\/p>\n

\u201cRobinson was spectacular,\u201d Clippers coach Bob Weiss said after the game. \u201cI think the foul situation was a little ridiculous, though.\u201d Kobe scored all his points in a legitimate fashion, within the flow of the game.<\/p>\n

Most Of Robinson\u2019s Shots Were Made From 10-15 Feet<\/h2>\n

As a center, this goes without saying. Does this mean he didn\u2019t work as hard as Kobe did to score? Not at all.<\/p>\n

Robinson was double<\/a> and tripled teamed the majority of the game, especially in the second half. It was a great performance by Robinson, no doubt.<\/p>\n

But, it just wasn\u2019t as impressive as Kobe\u2019s. Bryant was hitting shots from all over the court- dunks, deep jumpers, three pointers; you name it. It was a display of scoring and overall skill that few in the game could ever rival.<\/p>\n

Robinson\u2019s scoring binge was epic, one for the ages, no doubt. But to say it was as good as Kobe\u2019s is a mistake.<\/p>\n

Whose scoring output impressed you more: Kobe or The Admiral?<\/p>\n

Related NBA Content:<\/p>\n