Kobe, the 52 Points and all that Jazz

The B-52 bomber pulverized the Utah Jazz at the Staples Center in LA last night. Agencies are still trying to figure out where it came from.

It’s the season record, it’s a franchise record for points in a period, he actually equaled his own record, three short of the all time record, a cent percent record in shooting in one quarter and a streak spanning eleven successive baskets. The question is what do you get in the end ?
One, a league leading team licking its wounds. Two, a jubilant Lakers team and coach. Three, a grinning Kobe, and four, chants of M-V-P.

The Lakers dished out a 132-102 thrashing to Utah Jazz and avenged the loss at Salt Lake last Friday. That surprisingly was not the exact reason for the jubilation amongst the fans, the best for them was : Kobe’s back. Back with both his spring and the sting. After recording 15 of 47 in the last two games. He ended the day in office with 19-of-26 from the floor and 12-of-15 from the line. That is not all add four rebounds and three assists to that.

By the end of the first two quarters he had pulled up his personal tally to 22 points and helped his team to an eight point lead at half time. The scoreboard read 53 – 41. Then came the third quarter that knocked the wind out of the Jazz line up. All their attempts to keep Kobe the Bomber away from the basket either ended in vain or in free throws.

Kobe racked up 30 points in the third quarter alone, courtesy ten on ten from the free throw line and two on two with three pointers. He was on fire and unstoppable, that’s how it can be summed up. It was his twelfth fifty and above score and the sixth best in his personal scoring tallies.

The Laker’s hero went out towards the end of the third quarter and sat out for a major part of the fourth, and returned to put the finishing touches on the game. His team led by twenty at that point of time.

Kobe has not packed in the killer punch till now after undergoing arthroscopic surgery on his right knee in mid-June. He was the league’s top scorer last season with a 35.4 average. This time around he is pushing it around 24.1, but if he has more games like the one on Thursday, we know which way that is going to go. Up, up and away.

The Lakers knocked up 42 points in the third quarter, of course courtesy Kobe. It is their best tally since their game in January against Toronto where Kobe had performed his stunner of 81 points in a game.

Kobe also managed to surprise himself with his 11 in-a-row streak, he doesn’t remember doing it on the turf before. It is difficult, but yesterday it was his day and it all fell right into place in that third quarter. Coach Phil Jackson was happy with the performance and said that Kobe had some amazing plays and that the fire was still in him to go and blast the opposition anytime he wanted.

His performance managed to get Jackson smiling and he gave him a high-five and a hug as he walked to the bench towards the end of the third quarter, he had set the foundation for the win. Kobe also understood the meaning of that, he knew he had done his job, that is what he plays for.

So let’s join the chants which are doing the rounds after that third quarter, M-V-P… M-V-P.

Will this be the turning point for the Lakers this year ? Will it trigger the magic run for the team that propels them to the finals. The 14 time Championship title holders will certainly hope it turns out to be just that. And no one else but Kobe will have the biggest hand in that.