Kobe Bryant 's years after Shaquille O'Neal's departure were bittersweet. It featured a couple of first-round exits and an injury-riddled season, but it also showcased the Black Mamba's phenomenal offensive repertoire.
One of the rare high moments for Bryant during that stretch was 2006. That was the year he dropped 81 points against the Toronto Raptors , just weeks after outscoring the Dallas Mavericks , 62-61, after three quarters.
However, nothing could beat the excitement of the Los Angeles Lakers' first-round series against the second-seeded Phoenix Suns . In Game 4, Bryant lifted the Purple and Gold via a dramatic buzzer-beating finish to put the Suns on the ropes.
At this point, the Lakers strung together two straight victories against the Suns after losing Game 1. A Game 4 loss would mean one foot out the door already, and that would be quite an upset if that happened.
With this grim scenario in mind, the Suns did everything in their power to hold off the Lakers in their own homecourt. They were up by eight at one point, 81-73, but L.A. persisted and kept the game within striking distance. Still, Phoenix was up by two, 90-88, with only 7.9 seconds remaining with ball possession.
However, the Lakers' defense answered the call by forcing a Steve Nash turnover, which led to a tough Kobe floater to send the game into overtime. In the extra session, Luke Walton secured possession by winning a jump ball over Nash with 6.1 seconds left, setting the stage for Bryant's heroics. The Black Mamba rose up over Raja Bell and Boris Diaw near the right elbow, and knocked down the J for a 99-98 win.
As stupefying as that was to see on TV, Simmons swore it was nothing compared to seeing it unfold live.
"Kobe's game-winning shot was 10 times more amazing in person," Simmons wrote for ESPN back in 2006.
"Everyone in the building knew Walton was winning the tip and everyone knew Kobe was getting the ball and making the final shot. Which is exactly what happened. So it's hard for me to properly explain this, but the place was exploding even before he took the shot -- everything had worked out perfectly, he had the ball in his hands, so people were reacting even as things were still unfolding."
"And then, when the shot went in ... pure bedlam," he added.
Simmons compared the whole thing to a movie, where "a wide shot of the teammates happily charging the court" is always the best part. And with the cardiac game taking place in Hollywood, that's exactly what it was.
As the Lakers inched closer to a second-round ticket, the sound of an L.A. vs L.A. matchup (A.K.A. "The Hallway Series") was a marketing story that wrote itself. Both franchises never met in the playoffs until that juncture and unfortunately, it stayed that way.
The Suns dug deep and handed the Lakers three straight defeats, two by way of massive blowouts. L.A. had a chance to close it out at home, but a Tim Thomas 3-pointer and a drought in overtime dashed the Lakers' hopes to the ground.
What followed almost felt like the darker second act of the same Hollywood script. Even a 50-point eruption by Bryant in Game 6 couldn't save the team from impending doom, as Phoenix found a way to steal a win.
Then came the most puzzling scene. In Game 7, Kobe attempted only three field goals in the entire second half, a decision that left fans and analysts stunned. The Suns ran away with the series, turning what looked like a perfect Hollywood ending into a living nightmare for Tinseltown.
This story was originally published by Basketball Network on Mar 8, 2026, where it first appeared in the Old School section. Add Basketball Network as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
