March in review: Kobe Bryant, Lebron James - Top 11 NBA Players – Part 4
2. Kobe Bryant – Los Angeles Lakers
Kobe Bryant and the two times defending champions Los Angeles Lakers are hitting their straps just at the right time. The Black Mamba of the league scored at a league 4th best this March with an average of 25.8 points.
In doing so, Kobe roped in shooting percentage of 42.3 from the court, 31.1 from the three point range and 83 from the foul line to go with 4.8 rebounds and 4.4 assists per game.
Consequently, the Lakers have the force to reckon with in the post All-Star stretch. Barring a loss at the hand of the red hot Miami Heat at the South Beach, the mighty Lakers have been literally unstoppable and boast the best
12-1 record in March.
Kobe’s best performance of the month came against the Phoenix Suns on March 22. In a thrilling encounter that went right down to the wire, Kobe launched a 42-point, 12 rebounds and 9 assist foray as the Lakers squeaked their way
past the Suns 139-137 in triple overtime.
1. LeBron James – Miami Heat
In a tipsy-turvy month, the Miami Heat started slowly, picked up pace midway and then plummeted again at the end. One thing that was constant throughout that stretch was the artistic brilliance of the two times reigning MVP LeBron
‘King’ James.
In the month under the spotlight, James led the league with a resounding average of 28 points per game on a 58 percent shooting from the field. He also grabbed 7.6 rebounds per game and was second only to Andre Iguodala, among
all the forwards in the league in terms of dishing out assists with an average of 6.1.
To complement that, he also led the league in player efficiency rating, a feat he has held on to for four years running. Pitched up against his former franchise, the Cleveland Cavaliers on March 29, James landed his fourth triple-double
of the season as he finished 27 points, 12 assists and 10 rebounds in 43:17 minutes of play. However, the rest of the supporting cast failed to pick up the slack as he had to undergo the embarrassment of losing at the Quicken Loans arena. On the very next
night though, James vented his frustration by unleashing a 35 points, 8 boards, 8 assists and 5 steals assault on the Washington Wizards.
James however reserved his best performance of the month against the Eastern Conference rivals Atlanta Hawks. In a game that witnessed point guard Mike Bibby’s homecoming for the very first time, James went berserk with 43 points
on ridiculous 16-of-21 shooting from the field, 5-of-7 from downtown and 6-of-7 from the charity stripe.
James' only real struggle came in a home loss to Oklahoma City Thunder on March 16, when he was reduced to 19 points, 8 rebounds and 3 assists.
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