15 years ago today, on Jan. 22, 2005, Kobe Bryant torched the Toronto Raptors for 81 points in one of the most memorable performances in NBA history.
Famously, many of the Mamba's buckets came while being “guarded” by Jalen Rose.
However, considering how locked in Bryant was on that unforgettable night at the Staples Center, Rose believes the Raptors actually did a pretty good job on the Los Angeles Lakers legend, according to an excerpt in ESPN's Jorge Sedano's article on Bryant's victimized defenders over the years.
“When people try to tease me, I say, ‘We held him under a hundred,'” Rose said with a laugh.
What sticks most with Rose from that game isn't the sheer number of points scored but Bryant's reaction to putting up a number no one has come close to since.
“When you go back and watch that game, he wasn't running around the court doing airplane wings, thumping his chest or pointing at the sky,” Rose recalled. “As a matter of fact, he didn't say a word.”
“The Mamba mentality,” Rose said.
Rose has always had a good sense of humor about the 81-point game. In 2017, he and Bryant teamed up for a classic commercial that features the Lakers legend roasting Rose for being on the wrong end of one of the hottest shooting nights in basketball history.
Kobe Bryant made 28-of-46 field goals vs. Toronto in the second-highest single-game scoring performance in NBA history. He shot 7-of-13 from three-point range and 18-of-20 from the free throw line in the 122-107 Lakers win.
Bryant also bested Rose in the 2000 NBA Finals, earning his first of five championship rings as the Lakers defeated the Indiana Pacers in six games. He even admitted to Jalen Rose-ing Bryant as a last line of defense.
“We also realized very quickly we couldn't guard him,” Rose told Sedano. “This dude is something different. So I acted like I was contesting the jump shot and purposely made him come down on my foot. In my mind, I didn't want him to break his ankle. But I wouldn't mind if he missed the next few games because we would have a better chance to win.”
If you're wondering, Rose had 17 points on 3-of-11 shooting (11-12 FT) in the 81-point game.
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