The Indiana Pacers will face Kobe Bryant for one last time on Monday, but hopefully, for the Pacers, they’ll do better stopping him than they did in these three game.
This is the last time Kobe Bryant will visit Bankers Life Fieldhouse and the last time the NBA legend will take on the Indiana Pacers. Kobe announced his retirement right before playing the Pacers earlier this season.
He’s earned begrudging respect from most of his opponents as he’s given nightmares to almost every one of them at least once or twice. For the Indiana Pacers, it was the 2000 NBA Finals where the Los Angeles Lakers beat them 4-2 to claim Kobe’s first NBA title that probably makes it hard for Indiana’s fans to love him.
With history on our minds, let’s take a look back at Bryant’s best three games of this career when facing off against the Indiana Pacers.
Game 4 of the 2000 NBA Finals
Out of the 38 games where the Indiana Pacers and Los Angeles Lakers faced off, no one might have more important than their Game 4 meeting in the NBA Finals in 2000. Los Angeles held a 2-1 series lead going into Game 4, but the Pacers had the chance to level the series if they could pick up a win at home just as they had done in Game 3 with Kobe missing the game with an injured ankle.
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However, even with Kobe’s ankle bothering him, he still managed to score 28 points while grabbing 4 rebounds and 5 assists. He started off slowly with only 6 points in the first two-quarters, but Bryant picked up the pace in the second half. Reggie Miller scored 13 fourth-quarter points and helped Indiana push the game into overtime. Even though Shaquille O’Neal fouled out, Kobe knocked down a trio of baskets to keep the Pacers at bay on overtime. Reggie missed a last second 3-pointer and the Pacers fell 120-118 at home to give the Lakers a 3-1 series lead.
Miller lead the Pacers in scoring that night with 35 points on 9 of 19 shooting, 6 of 9 from deep, followed by Rik Smits with 24 points on 11 of 14 shooting. Jalen Rose had 14 while Sam Perkins, Travis Best and Austin Croshere all had 10 points each off the bench.
Not only had Kobe lead the Lakers to a playoff win on the road, but he did it on a hurt ankle as well. Indiana would win one more game in the series, but the Lakers would close out at home in Game 6 for their first of three-straight titles.
January 9, 2006
Though this was only a season or so after Reggie Miller retired and the post-Brawl shakeup, both teams came into the game with winning records. However, this would be the night Kobe scored the most points in his career against the Indiana Pacers,
Bryant went 14 of 32 on the night (43.8% FG%) for 45 points while picking up a double-double with 10 rebounds in the game. Kobe went to the foul line 21 times and made 15 of his free throws from there and also picked up 5 assists in a steal in the game. With 17 points and 12 rebounds, Lamar Odom was the only other Laker with double-digit scoring or rebounds.
Indiana was led on that night by Jermaine O’Neal with 24 points on 8 of 21 shooting, followed by Anthony Johnson with 14 and Danny Granger with 12.
Though the game was just another regular season showdown, it was one of the best all-around performances Kobe had against the Pacers and one of the three times he scored more than 40 points against Indiana.
January 9, 2009
Three years later Kobe had what might have been the best game he had against the Indiana Pacers, at least according to the game score statistic on Basketball-Reference.
Kobe had 13 assists in the game, the most he ever had against the Indiana Pacers. With 36 points on 10 of 20 shooting and 7 rebounds, he was just shy a few plays shy of getting a triple-double against the Indiana Pacers. Unsurprisingly, this Lakers team with Kobe and Pau Gasol went on to win the championship that year.
Danny Granger led the Pacers that night with 28 points on 8 of 17 shooting followed by Troy Murphy with 24 points on 9 of 14 shooting. Mike Dunleavy also had 22 points on 8 of 14 shooting.
In the 38 games Kobe played against Indiana, he went 305 of 736 from the field for a 41.4% field goal percentage and was a 32.3% shooter from 3-point range against the Indiana Pacers. He had 153 rebounds, 158 assists, 58 steals, 19 blocks and a total of 899 points against the Pacers while posting a 24-14 record against them.
If the Pacers want to stop Kobe from scoring more than 900 points against Indiana in his career, they’ll need to keep him scoreless tonight, something they’ve only done once. On March 15, 2013, Kobe was 0 of 4 in 12 minutes of play with 1 rebounds and 2 assists to his credit as he tried to fight through injury.
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Pacers fans won’t be too sad to see him go, but they will get one last time to watch the future hall of famer take on Indiana when the game tips off tonight at 7 p.m.