LOS ANGELES - There are still five shopping days left until the second-annual Christmas showdown, but Kobe Bryant just might have sent a message Tuesday night that could be heard all the way in South Beach.
Once Santa Claus is done with his work, Bryant is coming to town. And Shaquille O'Neal can only hope what Bryant did to the Dallas Mavericks wasn't a warm-up act.
They chanted Bryant's name long and loud at Staples Center as the superstar guard delivered a signature performance, finishing with a career- high 62 points in only three quarters as the Lakers demolished the Mavericks, 112-90, on an unforgettable night.
"It's a great feeling to do it here at Staples Center, in front of our fans," Bryant said. "They've been extremely supportive of us and patient, and to be able to give them this show, and before Christmas, it's kind of an early Christmas present for them."
''I was angry at how we lost against Houston and wanted to show everyone who are the masters in Staples Centre. I believe they got the message now.''
To put Bryant's night in perspective, consider that Wilt Chamberlain had 69 points through three quarters when he scored 100 in a game on March 2, 1962.
It was the kind of game when all Lakers coach Phil Jackson could do was write Kobe 62, Dallas 61, on the board he would normally use to diagram plays. Bryant outscored the Mavericks all by himself through three quarters, something Jackson never before had seen.
It was the kind of game when Bryant could predict beforehand he would score 50 points, according to guard Smush Parker, and somehow deliver an even bigger number. Bryant's previous career high was 56 points - also in three quarters - against Memphis on Jan. 14, 2002.
It was the kind of game that might have been summed up best by Dallas coach Avery Johnson, who was ejected and didn't even stick around long enough to watch Bryant set a Lakers franchise record by scoring 30 points in the third quarter.
"It was like he was in a gym all by himself working on all his moves," Johnson said.
No other Lakers player finished in double-figures. Bryant was within striking range of Elgin Baylor's franchise record of 71 points, and Jackson gave Bryant the option of going back in with nine minutes left if he wanted the milestone. But Bryant passed on the chance at history. The Lakers led by 34 points after three quarters and Bryant figured he had taken care of business after Sunday's disappointing loss to Houston, a game in which he scored 24 points and took just 13 shots.
Even in only 33 minutes, Bryant managed to eclipse O'Neal's previous Staples Center record of 61 points.
"I just felt like I could continue to attack those guys," Bryant said. "It wasn't one of those games where I felt like everything was flowing, the basket was really big. It was just determination, just take it to them."
I kad netko pocne razmisljati o tome tko je
jedini pravi Jordanov 'nasljednik'.. psst..
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a jesu se i napuhali ovi u renou bili 
znaci, kimi u ferrari 2007. ...pa i nije to tako lose 
