Hoops Habit
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Could Anyone Match Kobe Bryant’s 81 Points Today?

By Carter Johnson

January 14, 2016; Oakland, CA, USA; Los Angeles Lakers forward Kobe Bryant (24) waves to the crowd before the game against the Golden State Warriors at Oracle Arena. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports
January 14, 2016; Oakland, CA, USA; Los Angeles Lakers forward Kobe Bryant (24) waves to the crowd before the game against the Golden State Warriors at Oracle Arena. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports /
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Dec 4, 2015; New Orleans, LA, USA; Cleveland Cavaliers forward LeBron James (23) against the New Orleans Pelicans during overtime of a game at the Smoothie King Center.The Pelicans defeated the Cavaliers 114-108 in overtime. Mandatory Credit: Derick E. Hingle-USA TODAY Sports
Dec 4, 2015; New Orleans, LA, USA; Cleveland Cavaliers forward LeBron James (23) against the New Orleans Pelicans during overtime of a game at the Smoothie King Center.The Pelicans defeated the Cavaliers 114-108 in overtime. Mandatory Credit: Derick E. Hingle-USA TODAY Sports /

LeBron James

On a normal night, King James would be the least likely out of these candidates to erupt.

More than anyone else on this list, James prides himself on affecting every facet of the game and is renowned as one of the great all-around players we have ever seen. His career stat line of 27.2 PPG, 7.2 RPG and 6.9 APG backs that up.

But a switch goes off in LeBron in games where his team’s season is on the line and their backs are against the wall. In those moments, he becomes one of the most explosive, devastating and downright unstoppable scorers in league history.

Although his career-high of 61 points came in a regular season game against the Charlotte Bobcats, LeBron’s most memorable scoring performances have come in playoff games.

From scoring 29 of the Cavs’ last 30 points in the fourth quarter and overtime period of a Game 6 win over the Pistons in 2007 to his monumental 45-point performance to save Miami’s season against the Boston Celtics in 2012 to his all-around dominance in Games 2 and 3 of the 2015 NBA Finals, LeBron is the ultimate big game performer.

It is this LeBron James who poses the biggest threat to Kobe’s 81-point performance.

Despite being a team player and being surrounded by a decent supporting cast in Cleveland that boasts two All-Star caliber players in Kyrie Irving and Kevin Love, James knows when he needs to lock in and turn it on — and he has proven highly capable of turning out some outstanding performances when doing so.

Granted, James does seem to be on the down slope of his career at age 31, but as his MVP-caliber performance in last year’s Finals indicated, he can still provide the juice when needed.

If the Cavaliers continue to find themselves in do-or-die situations, watch out.

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