Throughout his illustrious career, the late, great Kobe Bryant went to the Finals a grand total of seven times. He won the title in five out of those seven appearances, giving him a 71% winning percentage in the pinnacle of the sport.
Bryant had no shortage of amazing moments throughout those seven Finals appearances. We've compiled five of his best here today to form our list of Top 5 most memorable moments in the NBA Finals.
2004 NBA Finals: Kobe's Game-Tying Trey
In 2004, the Los Angeles Lakers were out for some revenge. After winning the coveted three-peat between 2000 and 2002, L.A. was a notable absence in the 2003 Finals, after bowing out to the eventual champs, the San Antonio Spurs in the Western Conference semifinals. They were back in the grandest stage of them all the following season, and they were up against a no- nonsense Detroit Pistons squad.
Bryant's shining moment in this series came in Game 2, as he hit a game-tying 3-pointer in the dying seconds of regulation. Kobe actually had a tremendous performance all evening long, as he led the Lakers to a much-needed victory to tie the series at 1-1. He finished with 33 points, four rebounds, seven assists, and an astounding triple that sent the game to overtime.
Unfortunately, that turned out to be the only victory the Lakers took in that series, as they suffered a huge upset against the Pistons, who took the title in just five games.
2001 NBA Finals: Kobe Comes Home to Philly
In 2001, Bryant came out with one of his best performances in the Finals in a duel against then-season MVP Allen Iverson of the Philadelphia 76ers.
After sweeping the entire Western Conference on their way to the Finals, the Lakers suffered a shocking defeat in Game 1 against the Sixers in Staples Center. They managed to split the series by winning Game 2, and went to Philly needing to win Game 3 to reestablish their dominance. Bryant grew up in Philadelphia, and this was a homecoming of sorts for him. He did not disappoint.
Bryant came up with a few clutch plays towards the end of this tightly-contested matchup. He ended the evening with 32 points, and six rebounds, as he secured the crucial victory for L.A.. The Lakers went on to win the remaining two games in Philadelphia, as they clinched title No 2.
2009 NBA Finals: Kobe Sets the Tone Early
Entering the 2009 NBA Finals, Kobe and the Lakers were on a redemption mission to avenge their loss at the same stage the previous season against the Boston Celtics. This time around, they were pitted against the Orlando Magic, who was led by then-Defensive Player of the Year winner Dwight Howard.
The Lakers were the favorites to win the title, and Bryant made sure not to give the Magic any ideas by dominating from the get-go. In Game 1, he dropped a career Finals high 40 points on 16-of-34 shooting (and 8-of-8 from the charity stripe), along with eight rebounds, eight assists, two steals, two blocks, and just one turnover in 38 minutes of play. Bryant set the tone early, and he led the Lakers to the title in five games — their first championship in seven years.
2000 NBA Finals: Kobe Dominates Indiana
First, the premise. Bryant played just eight minutes in Game 2 of the 2000 Finals against the Indiana Pacers due to an ankle injury. Years later, Pacers guard Jalen Rose admitted that he intentionally tripped Kobe on that infamous play, causing the Lakers star to miss majority of Game 2 and the entirety of Game 3.
Come Game 4, Kobe made his return, and boy did he make it count. He ended up playing 47 minutes in that overtime victory with a bad ankle, and finished with 28 points on 14-of-27 from the floor, along with four rebounds, five assists, a steal, and two blocks.
Kobe came up big in the clutch to prevent the Pacers from tying the series at 2-2, with Game 5 in Indiana. Simply put, this performance was a complete showcase of Kobe's greatness.
2010 NBA Finals: Kobe Vanquishes his Demons
We copped out a bit here because we're presenting Kobe's performance throughout the entirety of 2010 NBA Finals as one of, if not his most memorable Finals moments of all time. We're doing this for good reason, though.
There was no better matchup for Bryant and the Lakers than their age-old rivals, the Boston Celtics. The C's toppled Kobe and company a couple of years earlier, and this time around, the stage was set for Bryant to vanquish his demons from 2008.
Kobe had a tremendous series, averaging 28.6 points, 8.0 rebounds, 3.9 assists, and 2.1 steals. If we had to pick the best from the bunch, however, then we're definitely taking his Game 7 performance in Staples Center. Does it get any bigger than Game 7 of the NBA Finals? For his part, Bryant stepped it up when it mattered most.
He did not exactly have an efficient evening, going 6-of-24 from the floor (the Celtics put forth an all-time performance on the defensive end). However, he did log a Finals career-best 15 boards, proving just how much he wanted the W.
Bryant willed his victory to the series-clinching win, as he bagged his fifth and final title in his decorated career.
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