Hoops Habit
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5 Greatest Kobe vs. LeBron Moments

By Carter Johnson

Feb 17, 2013; Houston, TX, USA; Eastern Conference forward LeBron James (6) of the Miami Heat and Western Conference guard Kobe Bryant (24) of the Los Angeles Lakers laugh during the second half of the 2013 NBA All-Star Game at the Toyota Center. The Western Conference won 143-138. Mandatory Credit: Brett Davis-USA TODAY Sports
Feb 17, 2013; Houston, TX, USA; Eastern Conference forward LeBron James (6) of the Miami Heat and Western Conference guard Kobe Bryant (24) of the Los Angeles Lakers laugh during the second half of the 2013 NBA All-Star Game at the Toyota Center. The Western Conference won 143-138. Mandatory Credit: Brett Davis-USA TODAY Sports /
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Jan 26, 2014; New York, NY, USA; Los Angeles Lakers shooting guard Kobe Bryant talks with American director Spike Lee talks during halftime against the New York Knicks at Madison Square Garden. The Knicks won 110-103. Mandatory Credit: Anthony Gruppuso-USA TODAY Sports
Jan 26, 2014; New York, NY, USA; Los Angeles Lakers shooting guard Kobe Bryant talks with American director Spike Lee talks during halftime against the New York Knicks at Madison Square Garden. The Knicks won 110-103. Mandatory Credit: Anthony Gruppuso-USA TODAY Sports /

2. The Madison Square Garden Week (2009)

Ironically, one of the greatest moments of the Kobe-LeBron rivalry didn’t come in a one-on-one battle between the two — at least not a direct one.

One of the more hyped and memorable moments of the battle between the two came in the span of three days against a common, unlucky foe: the New York Knicks.

Before they obtained the likes of Amar’e Stoudemire and Carmelo Anthony, the Knicks were a bottom-of-the-barrel team in the Eastern Conference with the great misfortune of drawing home games against Kobe’s Lakers and LeBron’s Cavs in the same week. As both had a history of putting on remarkable performances in the Garden, all eyes were on New York in the first week of February.

The Black Mamba got the first crack at the Knicks and set the tone, breaking the record for most points scored by any player in the Garden with 61 points. Bryant was on fire, shooting a whopping 61 percent from the field, 50 percent from three and making every one of 20 free throws in a spectacular outing that led the Lakers to a 126-117 win over the Knicks.

Naturally, Bryant’s performance built massive anticipation for how LeBron would respond when his Cavs faced the Knicks two days later. True to form, the King rose to the occasion.

James put on one of the more ridiculous all-around performances of his career, going for 52 points on 51 percent shooting in addition to 11 dimes and 10 boards on his way to his 20th career triple-double and joining Michael Jordan as the only visiting players in MSG history with multiple 50 point games.

The performance also led the Cavs to a 107-102 win over the Knicks.

Poor Knicks fans.

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