Kobe Bryant held court with reporters before the game and said he will always think back fondly about the night in 2005 when he scored 62 points in three quarters, outscoring the Mavericks by a point going into the fourth quarter.
The game was so out of control that Bryant didn't play in the final 12 minutes.
"It was just one of those nights," he said.
So could you have scored 80 that night?
"Yes," he said. "It sounds funny to say, but yes, I could have."
Mavericks owner Mark Cuban, meanwhile, had a different perspective about that night.