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Manila Bulletin devider Sports devider Basketball devider Coincidence or not? LeBron scores Lakers' 81st point at the 8:24 mark in Game 2

Coincidence or not? LeBron scores Lakers' 81st point at the 8:24 mark in Game 2

Published Oct 4, 2020 07:04 pm
Screenshot from Lakers' Instagram account

All this time, the late NBA legend Kobe Bryant has been silently watching and guiding the Lakers up from above.

Call it a coincidence, or not, but the spirit of the Black Mamba was strongly felt during the Lakers' 124-114 win in Game 2 of the NBA Finals against the Miami Heat.

In the early parts of the third quarter, Lakers superstar LeBron James scored the team's 81st point with 8:24 on the clock while sporting the Black Mamba jerseys. 

James, in transition, zoomed straight to the basket before drawing a foul from Heat's Duncan Robinson for a three-point play. Several sports media outlets and the Lakers took notice of this certain phenomenon on Instagram.

For context, Bryant achieved his career-high of 81 points in 2006 when the Lakers took a 122-104 comeback win at home against the Toronto Raptors.

"Not even in my dreams," said Bryant, who went 28-of-46 in field goals, including 7-of-13 from beyond the arc and 18-of-20 from the foul line that game."That was something that just happened. It's tough to explain. It's just one of those things."

The 8 and 24, meanwhile, were the two jersey numbers sported by the five-time NBA champion in his 20-year career with the Lakers franchise.

But this wasn't the first time that a strange event associated with Bryant happened during an NBA game.

In one instance, several players, including veteran guard Chris Paul, pointed out the scoreboard showing the scores "24-8" during the Game 4 showdown of the Lakers and the Portland Trail Blazers in the first round of the playoffs. "Bean is ALWAYS watching!!!" Miss you my brother," Paul tweeted.

After winning Game 2 against the Heat, James gave a shoutout to the Bryant family and honored Kobe, who perished in a helicopter crash along with his 13-year-old daughter Gianna and seven others last January, once more.

The victory marked the Lakers' unscathed run in the playoff series at 4-0 while wearing the Black Mamba jerseys.

“Well it’s always special to be able to represent someone that meant so much, not only to the game but obviously to the Lakers organization for 20 plus years,” said James, who flirted with a triple-double of 33 points, nine assists and nine rebounds."

Related Tags

NBA Finals Los Angeles Lakers Kobe Bryant LeBron James Miami Heat
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