When Emmanuel Mudiay had 24 in the first quarter, everyone who was aware was thinking the same thing. Do not try to deny it:
Wilt’s 100 in great danger of being surpassed.
Kobe’s 81 soon to be a forgotten footnote.
I admit, I allowed my imagination to run free…
Emmanuel Mudiay, dribbling out the clock in front of the stunned Celtics faithful, sitting at 98 points. The game has been won long ago but the final and most monumental trial lies still ahead. Marcus Smart is right in his face, pressuring the ball. A sane team would be doubling, tripling him to prevent the embarrassment to come, but Smart, with a twisted sense of pride, demands again and again to defend Mudiay one-on-one, again and again getting burned. So it is now, as the final seconds tick away. Mudiay takes a hard dribble to the right, then quickly crosses over. Smart overcommits on the first move; his feet collide and he tumbles to the parquet. He gazes with regret up at the now towering figure shooting a three above him. The buzzer sounds as the shot makes its harsh arc towards the rim.
Swish.
The crowd cannot help but cheer as Mudiay is swarmed by his teammates. Gary Harris has somehow acquired a piece of paper with “101” written on it, and presents it to his tearful teammate, now the sole owner of the NBA’s single game points record. They summon a courtside photographer to center court, where Mudiay crouches and holds the paper in front of him. Wiping away the tears, he flashes a smile as his teammates flank him…