10 Wins Away from the Best Record in History!

On March 28, 1998, the Lakers faced the Jazz on the road.

If February belonged to the Lakers, then so far, March belonged to the Utah Jazz!

Although the Jazz had not made any huge moves on the trade market like the Bulls or Magic, Malone, Richmond, and Stockton had developed increasingly polished chemistry. The Jazz went 11-1 throughout March, finally playing like true overlords.

The Lakers had lost two games so far in March. One was against the Spurs led by Tim Duncan and David Robinson, while the other was against the SuperSonics.

The loss to the SuperSonics had come during an international back-to-back.

On March 15, the Lakers had just beaten the Grizzlies in Vancouver. The next day, they flew to Seattle to face the third-ranked team in the West. The entire team had been exhausted mentally and physically, while Vin Baker erupted for 27 points, 13 rebounds, 3 assists, and 2 blocks. The Lakers ultimately fell 97-110 to the SuperSonics, suffering their sixth loss of the season.

After that, the Lakers charged forward without looking back.

First, they crushed the Suns 118-97 at home. Then they returned home to face the SuperSonics once again.

In that game, the Lakers showed the league what cruelty truly meant!

129-76! A 53-point massacre!

Kobe dropped 57 points, 11 rebounds, 4 assists, 6 steals, 1 block, and 4 turnovers right over Payton's head. The Glove, who had proudly boasted just days earlier about locking down Kobe and breaking the Lakers, acted completely out of character after the game—he said nothing and walked straight off the court.

Kobe's 57 points kept him firmly in the lead in the scoring-title race!

Kobe: 31.5 points, 5.8 rebounds, 8.3 assists, 3.6 steals, 0.9 blocks, and 2.8 turnovers.

After Pippen's return, Jordan's scoring average had dipped