The rivalry that never was. The dream matchup the NBA family, fans and players all wanted to see. The King versus The Black Mamba. Kobe Bryant versus LeBron James.
For the 22nd and final time, the two biggest stars in the NBA over the last 15 years met up at different parts of their career. LeBron, leading a Cavaliers team that sits on top of the Eastern Conference, in need of a win to help separate them and the hungry second place Toronto Raptors who were just two games behind them in the standings going into the game. Kobe Bryant on the otherhand is leading a young group of potential stars as the once proud franchise heads towards the bottom of the standings in hopes of securing another top draft pick.
James is in his prime of his career, headed towards the end of that phase but still playing on a high level and Bryant, way beyond his prime, just looking to turn out one more good final performance before he hangs it up and calls it a career.
The battle of former MVP and NBA Champions did not disappoint on this night. LeBron James had some nice plays, including a sick dunk off the backboard off the assist from his teammate JR Smith. Kobe Bryant didn’t disappoint either despite the fact he did not put down any slams, he did make some nice moves on The King and hit some shots over him.
LeBron James scored 24 points on the night on 9-18 shooting, handing out seven assists and grabbing five rebounds while Kobe Bryant scored 26 points on 11-14 shooting with five rebounds.
