The Emperor 70 points, Towns 62 points, tribute to Kobe Bryant, foreign center Shengshi ended the small-ball era?

"Laker Kobe Bryant has become a masterpiece, and there is no black mamba in the world." There are 4 days left to mark the 4th anniversary of Kobe's death, and now it is the 18th anniversary of Kobe's 81-point dragon slaying. Two foreign super centers staged a super scoring performance to pay tribute to Kobe, Embiid scored 70 points and Towns scored 62 points, becoming the fourth pair of players in history to hit 60+ on the same day. This season is expected to be the first time in NBA history that five international players will monopolize the best team for a while, and the big-sized teams they lead are also changing the ecology of the small-ball era and leading a new trend in the league.

Kobe Bryant's 81 points on the 18th anniversary of the dragon slay

In the game against the Raptors on January 23, 2006, Beijing time, Kobe Bryant gave the highest scoring performance of his career, and also staged a classic "dragon slaying" drama, which is still a classic memory of countless fans.

In the "Dragon Slayer" 18 years ago, Kobe Bryant played 42 minutes, shooting 28 of 46 on the offensive end (hitting a career record of 28 balls), including 7 of 13 three-point shots, plus 18 of 20 free throws, slashing 81 points to set a career single-game scoring record, and it is also the second highest score in history after Chamberlain's 100 points in a single game.

Although after Kobe, players such as Booker, Mitchell, and Embiid have successively had 70+ performances in a single game, there is still a certain gap from Kobe's 81-point record. What's more, Kobe Bryant has passed away due to an accidental helicopter crash, which has become an unbearable pain in the hearts of countless fans.

Miss Kobe, remember Kobe, and pay tribute to Kobe...... will become an eternal topic in the basketball world, and it will also make Kobe's 81-point and 18th anniversary once again arouse the shock of fans.

恩比德70分+唐斯62分致敬

Kobe Bryant has inspired countless fans, and naturally inspired countless players, he has become a role model for future generations, his "Mamba spirit" continues to inspire future generations, and "Los Angeles at 4 a.m." is still an enduring inspirational story.

The best way to pay tribute to idols is naturally to use the best performance on the court to show their abilities and pay tribute to Kobe Bryant in heaven.

Today, on the 18th anniversary of Kobe Bryant's dragon slaying, the two super centers successively staged super scoring performances to pay tribute to their idols. Embiid played 36 minutes on 24-of-41 shooting (1-of-2 from three-point range), plus 21-of-23 free throws, for 70 points, 18 rebounds, 5 assists, 1 steal and 1 block. Towns played 38 minutes on 21-of-35 shooting, including 10-of-15 three-pointers and 10-of-14 free throws, for 62 points, eight rebounds and two assists.

Although Embiid and Towns were happy and sad, Embiid led the team to beat the Spurs to consolidate the third place in the East, and Towns was difficult to stop the Timberwolves from being reversed by 18 points, but both of them played the best scoring performance of their careers so far. Embiid and Towns scored 60+ points on the same day, becoming the fourth time in NBA history that such a miracle has occurred, and the last time has to be traced back to the distant 1977-78 season, when David Thompson blasted 73 points and George Gervin scored 63 points!

Embiid has become a leading representative of the active center's super scorer, even if he is still far from the legendary Chamberlain's super scoring ability, but who can replicate Chamberlain's miracle of averaging 50+ points per game in a single season and 100 points per game?

This is Embiid and Towns' tribute to Kobe, and Embiid tweeted after the game: "Kobe Bryant !! 70 points." Embiid said bluntly in an interview after the game: "From the moment I started playing basketball, Kobe Bryant was my idol...... He was the reason I started playing basketball. ”

The outbreak of two centre-forwards ushered in the era of foreign player domination

When Embiid and Downs, the two super centers, both played explosive performances, it was actually just a microcosm of the blowout performance of foreign players this season, and Doncic and Alphabet both hit 30+ triple-doubles today. The U.S. media is already looking forward to the possibility of this season for the first time in NBA history, with foreign international players dominating the NBA's best team.

Judging from the individual performance and team performance so far this season, the five foreign players who may be in the best team are: Embiid, Jokic, Antetokounmpo, Doncic, and Alexander.

Embiid (Cameroon, the United States, France has three nationalities at the same time): 36.1 points, 11.6 rebounds, 5.9 assists, 1.2 steals and 1.9 blocks per game, third in the East for the 76ers.

Jokic (Serbia): 26.1 points, 11.9 rebounds, 9.1 assists, 1.2 steals and 0.9 blocks per game, third in the West for the Nuggets.

Brother Alphabet (Greece): 31.2 points, 11.5 rebounds, 6.1 assists, 1.4 steals and 1.1 steals per game, second in the Bucks East.

Pelosi (Slovenia): 33.6 points, 8.5 rebounds, 9.3 assists and 1.4 steals per game, eighth in the West for Lyon.

Alexander (Canada): 31.1 points, 5.6 rebounds, 6.3 assists and 2.2 steals per game, second in the West for the Thunder.

Embiid, Jokic, and Antetokounmpo have been the regular season MVPs for the past five seasons, and they are also the favorites for MVP this season, plus Doncic and Alexander are also potential contenders. As for the American players, Tatum's hopes of competing for MVP are not very big, at least this season.

The rise of big-sized teams to end the small-ball era?

When the interior players led by Jokic, Embiid, and Brother Alphabet are brave, as well as Porzingis, Towns, Sabonis Jr., Shin Jing, Wembanyama, etc., are also performing well, and they are all international players, does it mean that the small-ball era is gradually ending?

When the Warriors opened the small-ball era under the leadership of Kutangchai, especially after Durant joined, the Warriors could be called "cosmic brave". It's just that the Warriors have a poor record this season and rank fourth from the bottom in the West, and the Warriors dynasty has gradually collapsed to its demise, which seems to be the end of the small-ball era?

In fact, it is not the league that has returned to the era of interior domination, but also the era of interior king, which is different from the era of the last century, and it is still difficult for traditional centers to become "rulers" in the current league. The NBA is still in the era of small ball, but it is no longer dominated by small guards, more and more tall centers have evolved into all-rounders, and the big teams they lead are getting stronger and stronger, which is the "new trend" of the small ball era.

Last season's championship team was led by Jokic, who currently leads the Nuggets to third place in the West. Embiid's 76ers are third in the East, the Bucks led by Antetokounmpo are second in the East, the Celtics led by Porzingis are first in the league, the Timberwolves led by Towns are first in the West, the Kings led by Sabonis Jr. are seventh in the West, the Rockets led by Shin Jing are 11th in the West, and the new champion Wembanyama is also an international player who has performed well.

The big teams led by the super interior line, getting stronger and more dominant, will become the mainstream of the NBA today and in the future, and players and teams that take into account all-around, projection and size can be more dominant in the NBA.

(Text/Drunken Sleeping)