Los Angeles Lakers star Kobe Bryant didn't score 81 points in a game, like he did once in 2006.
Bryant probably isn't the MVP frontrunner, an award he won last year. Bryant had another monster season in 2008-09, however, and it was highlighted by a record-breaking performance on the NBA's most famous stage -- Madison Square Garden. On Feb. 2, Bryant scored 61 points to lead the Lakers to a 126-117 victory over the Knicks. In the process, he broke Bernard King's record for single-game scoring in the new Garden. King scored 60 points in 1984. "It's a blessing to do what you love to do and have moments like this," Bryant said after the game. A sold-out crowd started the game booing Bryant, but by the time he broke King's record with 2:33 remaining, even the Knicks fans were chanting, "M-V-P, M-V-P." Among those in attendance was filmmaker Spike Lee, who is working on a project with Bryant and was going to meet him after the game. "I didn't feel like sitting next to him and hearing him talking trash about the Knicks," Bryant joked. "So that was added incentive [to do] well." Playing for the first time without center Andrew Bynum, who injured his knee two nights earlier against Memphis and wouldn't play again until April, Bryant was unstoppable from the opening tip. He scored 18 points in the first quarter and had 34 by halftime. "He wouldn't speak to anyone on the court," New York's David Lee said. "He was very quiet. By the time he hit his first two threes, you could see what he was attempting to do. ... "It was very obvious by the middle of the first quarter that he wasn't in a distributing-type of mode or in a get-10-rebounds mode. He was going to try and score the basketball tonight."
Bryant probably isn't the MVP frontrunner, an award he won last year. Bryant had another monster season in 2008-09, however, and it was highlighted by a record-breaking performance on the NBA's most famous stage -- Madison Square Garden. On Feb. 2, Bryant scored 61 points to lead the Lakers to a 126-117 victory over the Knicks. In the process, he broke Bernard King's record for single-game scoring in the new Garden. King scored 60 points in 1984. "It's a blessing to do what you love to do and have moments like this," Bryant said after the game. A sold-out crowd started the game booing Bryant, but by the time he broke King's record with 2:33 remaining, even the Knicks fans were chanting, "M-V-P, M-V-P." Among those in attendance was filmmaker Spike Lee, who is working on a project with Bryant and was going to meet him after the game. "I didn't feel like sitting next to him and hearing him talking trash about the Knicks," Bryant joked. "So that was added incentive [to do] well." Playing for the first time without center Andrew Bynum, who injured his knee two nights earlier against Memphis and wouldn't play again until April, Bryant was unstoppable from the opening tip. He scored 18 points in the first quarter and had 34 by halftime. "He wouldn't speak to anyone on the court," New York's David Lee said. "He was very quiet. By the time he hit his first two threes, you could see what he was attempting to do. ... "It was very obvious by the middle of the first quarter that he wasn't in a distributing-type of mode or in a get-10-rebounds mode. He was going to try and score the basketball tonight."
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