The morning after

Eighty-one, of course, is the most talked about sports topic on TV, internet and among sports fans today. Kobe's performance against the Toronto Raptors Sunday night was the greatest single feat I've ever witnessed in my lifetime and arguably the greatest performance in NBA history.

Think I'm wrong?

Marc Stein's perspective sides with mine while both si.com and sportsline.com raise the arguments of "could he hit 100?", the magic number of Wilt Chamberlain from 1962.

The argument will go on and on, as sports discussions always do, but a closer look at the facts makes it, in my mind, lean more towards Kobe's 81 than to Wilt's 100 as the greatest performance of NBA history.

Kobe used 46 field goal attempts and 20 free throws to get his 81, while Wilt needed 63 and 32. As John Hollinger, ESPN's stats guru, reports today, Kobe's "true shot percentage" was 73.9 while Wilt's was 63.9. During Wilt's game, the Philadelphia Warriors were intentionally fouling Knicks just to get Wilt the ball back while Kobe helped his team come back from a 17-point second-half deficit. Wilt's game he himself called a "farce" while the Lakers of 2006 were battling to try and get a win.

Wilt played the full 48 minutes while Kobe sat down for six minutes in the second quarter. Had he played a full 48, we could be talking about 90 points or — considering Kobe hit for 17 in the final five-plus of the fourth quarter alone, maybe we're talking about 100.

And for those who suggest the 3-point line in existence makes a difference, consider two things. One, Wilt was a 7-foot-1 monster in the middle who never swayed much outside the parameters of the key and, two, hitting 23-foot bombs with men in your face isn't exactly like shooting lay-ups. The fact a guy hits tough shots and get's an extra point for them doesn't diminish a thing. Michael Jordan himself once said the thought of reaching 100 points would be infinitely more difficult for a perimeter player than a big man, simply because of the type of shots taken and the energy a guard expends on the floor.

This will be argued, and that's what's great about sports. I would love to take on the argument and I'm sure I will for years to come.

I love sports and I love the fact that, on occasion, we get to be privy to watching some of the most remarkable, mind-blowing examples of human ability.