The last showdown between Kobe Bryant and LeBron James was nothing less than entertaining. Bryant had one of his more efficient nights, scoring 26 points on 11-16 shooting. A great night for Kobe, especially with him dealing with a sore right shoulder. James answered with 24 points of his own, to combine with 7 assists and 5 rebounds that ultimately led to the Cavaliers win, 120-108.
This was the rivalry that never was. Many feel the world was robbed of a Kobe vs LeBron NBA Finals match-up but it was just one of those things that didn’t happen. These two guys love to compete and play hard and even though they might not view it as a rivalry, they love playing against each other.
“It was just fun,” Bryant said. “I enjoy the physicality of it. Playing against him is fun because of his size. It’s always fun to bump with him and to have that physicality, backing him down and driving and bumping. That’s fun.”
“It was everything for a competitor like myself,” James said. “I know he was not taking this game off for sure, and I definitely wasn’t taking it off. It was great to be out there.”
Their last duel was a great one and it will make for more highlights in their extensive compilation of NBA battles.
