The 2005-06 season was a struggle for the Los Angeles Lakers, as they had to make do with a subpar roster.
They hovered around .500 for just about the entire season, and heading into early March, they were in danger of missing the playoffs for the second straight season.
On March 4, they hosted the Detroit Pistons, a team that had defeated them two years prior in the NBA Finals and postponed their budding dynasty. Detroit had a gaudy 48-10 record and looked like the superior team by far.
Luckily, Kobe Bryant brought his A game that night.
He scored 40 points on 13-of-26 shooting, and he helped the Lakers overcome a third-quarter deficit to win, 105-94.
Before long, Los Angeles would win 11 of its final 14 games of the season, sending it to the playoffs with momentum and starting its revival after the Shaquille O’Neal trade in 2004.
