THE 81-POINT GAME: Is Kobe the greatest of his generation?

The Issue: Ever since Michael Jordan retired for the second time in 1999, the NBA has been looking to anoint a successor to ‘His Airness’ as the top superstar in the league. Kobe Bryant scored 81 points Sunday, the second highest point total in NBA history, as the Los Angeles Lakers defeated the Toronto Raptors. Is Bryant the best basketball player of the post-Michael Jordan era?

POINT: Weston Reeves

Performance solidifies Byrant’s greatness

It’s easy to sit here and make a point crowning Kobe Bryant as the greatest basketball player of the post-Michael Jordan era. In fact he made 81 of them.

Now second to Wilt Chamberlain’s 100 on the list of highest points scored in a game, Bryant scored 81 points with a team whose second-best option is Lamar Odom and made the Toronto Raptors look absolutely silly.

The Raptors were well aware of the fact Bryant rarely passes the ball, yet they were unable to play tight enough defense to at least slow the guard down.

Bryant was dominant everywhere on the court, throwing down thunderous dunks, draining seven 3-pointers and scoring in transition. Fouling wasn’t even an option, with Bryant making 18 of 20 free throws.

No player has single-handedly dominated a game since Jordan put up 63 points in the playoffs against Larry Bird and the Celtics in 1986 and David Robinson scored 71 points against the Clippers in 1994.

Bryant’s 55 points in the second half alone ties Kareem Abdul-Jabbar’s high game and is better than the highest game totals of Tim Duncan (53), Charles Barkley (47) and Magic Johnson (46).

While other players such as Allen Iverson and LeBron James put up astonishing numbers on a consistent basis as well, neither has won a championship. In young James’ case, not even a playoff series.

After securing the first three-peat with the Lakers since Jordan’s Bulls, Bryant had all but sealed his place in history. Critics however have suggested he is not as dominant without Shaquille O’Neal, the most valuable player of the three title series.

The Lakers management disagreed and traded O’Neal to Miami and ousted Phil Jackson to keep Bryant in Los Angeles.

Bryant’s performance Sunday night finally sealed his place in history as the greatest player of his generation.

COUNTERPOINT: Philip Bogenberger

Not the ‘air apparent’

There’s no arguing that Kobe Bryant’s performance Sunday may go down as the greatest single-game played of all time.

He scored 55 of his 81 points in the second half to help his team register a come-from-behind victory over the lowly Toronto Raptors. Plus, his dazzling heroics came one month after he dropped 62 on the Dallas Mavericks in three quarters.

But two great games do not make Kobe Bryant the best player of a whole era.

How many most valuable player awards has Bryant received? None. That is two less than San Antonio’s Tim Duncan and two behind what Philadelphia’s Allen Iverson should have (‘AI’ deserved the MVP last season instead of Phoenix’s Steve Nash).

Granted, Bryant was a major part of three consecutive championship teams, but Duncan was the focus of his teams’ title runs.

How many times did Bryant take home playoff most valuable player honors? None. That is three fewer than Duncan and three behind former teammate Shaquille O’Neal, who is now playing for Miami.

How many NBA scoring titles has Bryant won? None. Iverson leads Bryant by four in this category, and O’Neal and Houston’s Tracy McGrady led the league in scoring twice each.

Sure there is more to basketball than scoring, but Bryant is not known as one of the league most deft passers. He’s a gunslinger on the court: Shoot first and answer the critics later.

With his long arms and astonishing athletic ability, Bryant makes it difficult for opponents to score.

But how many times has he been the league’s top defender? You guessed it, none. That’s two less times than Detroit’s Ben Wallace.

And let’s not get started talking about what LeBron James will do by the time his career is done.However, Bryant has won something that neither O’Neal, Iverson, Duncan, McGrady, Wallace and James can claim: An NBA Slam Dunk Contest title.

But even Golden State’s Jason Richardson is one up on Bryant there.