81

I did not even find out until this morning. While I was busy trying to get back to Osaka from Taipei, The Mamba was busy swallowing the Raptors whole, ho, holy shit. 81!?

I ain't jumping on no band wagon. Even as a Laker's follower, I have never been a Kobe fan and I am still not. But 81 is a lot of points.

Second only to Wilt Chamberlain's 100, in fact. Both Mark Stein and John Hollinger argue that Kobe's 89 is greater than Wilt's 100 because 1) Kobe did it from the perimeter; 2) Kobe played less minutes; 3) Kobe needed less shots from the floor and from the line; 4) the Lakers needed Kobe's points, Wilt's Warriors were blowing out the Knicks by halftime and 4) Kobe's game had a slower pace and less possessions.

Either way, he's still 19 and 19,998 shy off the Big Dipper's milestones.

Can 81 be topped? I dunno. But I'll say this for the record: if Kobe tops 81, I think I will have to buy a Kobe jersey and up my jersey collection to 2, and maybe a pair of men-tights too.