In the spring of 2009, the Los Angeles Lakers were on a mission to avenge their humiliating loss to the Boston Celtics in the previous year’s NBA Finals.
The man who led the charge was none other than Kobe Bryant, who was also on a mission to win a world championship without Shaquille O’Neal and validate the three rings he won with the dominant center to his critics.
After taking a 2-0 lead in the first round of the playoffs against the Utah Jazz, L.A. faltered in Game 3 at EnergySolutions Arena in Salt Lake City, losing a contest in which it scored a paltry 86 points.
Bryant had one of his worst games, shooting 5-of-24 from the field, and he knew he needed to bounce back strong to get his team another win. In Game 4, he responded with one of the more underrated performances of his career.
The Black Mamba scored L.A.’s first 11 points and finished with 38 on an amazing 16-of-24 shooting accuracy in a 108-94 victory.
The Lakers took the series in five and went on to win their first title in seven years by putting away the undermanned Orlando Magic in the NBA Finals. A year later, L.A. gained its revenge against the Celtics, beating them in a memorable Game 7 to claim back-to-back rings.
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