Show Kobe scores 81 Chad Cannon Contributing Writer Championship Sunday in the National Football League wasn't all about the and The Seattle did earn a trip to their first ever Super Bowl Bowland Bowland Bowland and the stage is set for Pittsburgh Jerome Bettis to end his pro career on top in the city of Detroit which he calls home The historic and unforgettable story doesn't come from any of those cities but from the hardwood floor at Los Angeles Staples Center home of the Los Angeles Lakers and Kobe Bryant It was only a few weeks ago when Mr Hollywood Kobe Bryant showcased one of the jf out jL I I r m most st am amazing mg performances IIIi in III i J j J I J sports history Bryant had sc scored red a previous career high 62 points in in three quarters of basketball basketball basketball bas bas- against the Dallas Mavericks He chose not play in inthe inthe inthe the fourth quarter because his team had already secured a win At the end of three quarters Bryant had outscored the visiting visiting visiting visit visit- ing Mavericks by himself Bryant could have made history that night by becoming the first ever player to out score an opponent by himself but Bryant wasn't after any records or historic historic historic his his- games that night This last Sunday evening however was a different story Bryant scored a new career high 81 points in four quarters of play on Sunday Yes 81 This was the actual year old Kobe Bryant This is the second highest high high- est scoring performance by an individual in history Bryant now only trails the great Wilt Chamberlin who hit triple digits with ith points poin bac back i in I March Maich of 1962 The The most most surprising stir sur numbers of that game were Bryants Bryant's second half points Bryant had 55 of his 81 points in the final two quarters of play which was also second to Chamberlin's 58 Bryant shot 61 percent from the field 54 percent from behind the arch and hit 18 of 20 from the charity charity charity chari chari- ty stripe Bryant is the leagues league's current leading scorer and has also set a anew anew anew new franchise record in points scored in a single game which was previously held by Elgin Baylor who had 71 in New York back in 1960 Even one of the legends of the game Michael Jordan never hit the mark of 70 Jordans Jordan's career high was 69 Bryant left the game to a standing ovation after hitting two free throws that gave him points 80 and 81 with seconds seconds seconds sec sec- remaining Bryant left to chants of from his fans with his right index finger raised high If Bryant yant keeps keep up these performances its it's ye very y possible that hell he'll have that award to put alongside his several other trophies trophies trophies tro tro- tro- tro he has earned throughout his career |