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On Kobe Bryant's last day in the NBA we reflect on his best moments versus the Nets

It has been an amazing career for Kobe Bryant. We reflect on some of his best moments versus the Nets.

By Anthony Parisi
Noah K. Murray-USA TODAY Sports

It was three arenas and two team names since Kobe Bryant was beating the New Jersey Nets alongside Shaquille O'Neal in the 2002 NBA finals. Kobe's illustrious career comes to an end tonight after 20 incredible years.

A future Hall of Famer, 5-time NBA champion,18-time all star, one-time regular season MVP, two-time Finals MVP,  four-time all star game MVP -- the list of accolades goes on and on for Kobe, the youngest player in NBA history to reach 30,000 career points at 34 years old and 104 days of age.

Most NBA fans will miss seeing the greatness that Kobe brought out on the floor every single night, but the one thing they won't miss is him dominating their favorite team. Besides Lakers fans, every single NBA fan that was fortunate enough to witness Kobe's historic career witnessed their favorite team get dominated by 'the Black Mamba' at some point.

In the 2002 NBA finals, Nets fans were the victims of his greatness. Kobe helped the Lakers sweep the Nets in the Finals to become NBA champions. In the series, Kobe averaged 26.8 points, 5 rebounds and 5.3 assists in 43.8 minutes per game.

Kobe let the Nets know that they didn't stand a chance to beat the Lakers even on their homecourt.

Kobe always had that killer instinct and it kicked in at its highest point in the playoffs. For his career in the postseason, which was 220 games, Bryant averaged 25.6 points, 5.1 rebounds and 4.7 assists.

Some players fold in pressure moments and others thrive. Kobe was always at his best when the game was on the line and the pressure was at its highest. He hit his huge chunk of game winning shots and here's one that he hit versus the Nets in 2001.

It may seem like Kobe was a Nets killer, but don't feel bad because he killed everyone. Here's another clutch shot that Kobe hit versus the Nets, this one took a little luck, but when you're that good the basketball gods are on your side.

Younger Kobe was known for thunderous dunks, but even later in his career, he managed to posterize Kris Humphries and Gerald Wallace. It was so good that the Barclays Center crowd and even Ian Eagle went nuts.

This next moment did not occur versus the Nets, but I had to include it because it truly shows what Kobe was all about. Kobe tears his Achilles which is one of the most painful injuries in all of sports. Most athletes would be down and need to be helped off the floor after suffering a torn Achilles, but Bryant not only walked off the injury, but he stayed in the game to shoot his free throws.

Kobe's toughness and competitive nature is one of a kind. Injuries took a toll on him towards the end of his career, but it doesn't take away what Kobe did for the league and for the Lakers organization. Kobe was a role model to so many of the league's current players including Nets rookie Rondae Hollis-Jefferson. Hollis-Jefferson finally got the chance to meet his idol this year.

This is the end for a living legend, but his legacy will be remembered forever. I speak for so many others when I say thank you Kobe. Thank you for loving the game, respecting the game and playing it the right way. After tonight, Kobe will end his remarkable career as one of the best to ever put on an NBA uniform.

And thanks to the basketball gods, he will never kill the Nets again!

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