Entering the 2007-08 season, the big question surrounding the Los Angeles Lakers was whether Kobe Bryant would remain with the team after infamously demanding a trade.
Against seemingly all odds, the Lakers, a team that had won just 34, 45 and 42 games in the previous three seasons, became a good team in the fall of 2007.
They won seven of their first 10 games and 16 of their first 26. Slowly but surely, the anxiety around the squad was dissipating.
With the Lakers’ young players emerging to give Bryant some much-needed support, they headed to Madison Square Garden to face the New York Knicks on Dec. 23.
Bryant put on a show there, scoring 39 points while adding 11 rebounds and eight assists in a 95-90 Los Angeles win.
Bryant has had some big performances at the Garden, but this one has been somewhat forgotten.
Still, it was part of the Lakers’ long-awaited revival that season, a revival that culminated with an NBA Finals appearance that June and back-to-back championships the following two years.
