LeBron James did a lot this year–including the best individual game performance of the 2013-13 NBA season. (Photo by Scott Mecum/Wikimedia Commons)
When a player is having a transcendent performance, you can often tell early in the game. He makes a few key shots early on and before the first quarter is over, he’s got 20 points. That’s when you start to wonder if you might witnessing something special. Sometimes, those players cool down for the rest of the game, but occasionally, they stay hot for the entire game. The five players on this list all managed to do that. Let’s check out the five best individual performances of the 2012-13 NBA season.
5. Kobe Bryant, Los Angeles Lakers
Feb. 24 vs. Dallas Mavericks: 38 points, 12 rebounds, seven assists, 13-21 FG 4-5 3PFG, 8-10 FT
Kobe had many excellent performances this year, but this one stands out the most because of Kobe’s motivation. Earlier in the week, Mavericks owner Mark Cuban had alluded to the possibility of amnestying Kobe. While he made clear than it’s not a decision he would expect the Lakers to make, the mere mention of this incensed Kobe, spurring him on to an incredible game, in which he shot better than 60 percent from the field and was three assists shy of a triple-double. When all was said and done, he made his feelings on the Cuban situation perfectly clear by tweeting:
Amnesty THAT
— Kobe Bryant (@kobebryant) February 24, 2013
This may be the best tweet by a professional athlete to date.
4. James Harden, Houston Rockets
Feb. 20 vs. Oklahoma City Thunder: 46 points, seven rebounds, six assists, 14-19 FG, 7-8 3pFG, 11-12 FT
Forty-six points on 19 shots! That alone would be enough for inclusion on this list, but that Harden was able to do it against his old team–the one that chose Serge Ibaka over him–made it even more noteworthy. After the Thunder dominated the first two matchups between these teams, Harden single-handedly guided the Rockets to victory, reminding the Thunder just how much they gave up when they traded him to Houston and making it clear that the Rockets now had a franchise player for the foreseeable future.
3. John Wall, Washington Wizards
March 25 vs. Memphis Grizzlies: 47 points, seven rebounds, eight assists, 13-22 FG, 2-4 3PFG 19-24 FT
Wall gets extra credit for not only having a brilliant game, but doing it against the usually stingy Grizzlies’ defense. Wizards fans have debating whether Wall truly is the future of this franchise ever since he was drafted No. 1 overall in 2010. If he’s an All-Star two years from now, it’s quite possible we’ll look at this game as the turning point; the moment when we knew for sure that Wall was the real deal. It’s hard to watch him carve up the Grizzlies defense and not think this is a star in the making.
2. Stephen Curry, Golden State Warriors
Feb. 27 vs. New York Knicks: 54 points, six rebounds, seven assists, 18-28 FG, 11-13 3PFG 7-7 FT
Yes, Curry’s Warriors wound up on the losing end in this one, but that doesn’t make Curry’s night any less impressive. The Warriors guard was simply unstoppable in this game, looking like one of the best shooters to ever play in the NBA (which he might be). Always an excellent 3-point shooter, Curry made 11 in this game. Curry played all 48 minutes in this one and at times the Warriors seemed to adapt a strategy of “just give it to Steph.” Even if his his team lost, Curry was brilliant in this game and no one who saw it will ever forget it.
1. LeBron James, Miami Heat
Feb. 26 vs. Sacramento Kings: 40 points, eight rebounds 16 assists, 14-23 FG, 1-2 3PFG, 11-12 FT
LeBron had dozens of great games this season, so it was hard to choose one, but this was his best all-around performance and the finest illustration of everything he brings to the table. With the lowly Kings giving the Heat far more of a fight than they might have anticipated, LeBron took over, dominating in every possible aspect. He shot better than 60 percent on 23 shots, while somehow managing to pick up 16 assists, getting all of his teammates involved in the action. LeBron’s performances against more quality competition may stick out in our minds more than a game against one of the worst teams in the league, but still, LeBron was phenomenal in this game. With the Kings taking the Heat into double overtime, desperate to pull off the upset, LeBron shut the door by himself. It may have happened against a bad team, but this was still the best performance of the season.
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