Ranking the 2012 Season with Kobe Bryant's Best Seasons

Before sidelining himself for his longest rest in more than 10 years, Kobe Bryant was having an MVP season. But does his dominance in 2011-12 crack the top five of the best seasons for his career?

With 16 amazing 82's to choose from, it's hard to pin down exactly where the 2011-12 compressed season fits in the parthenon that is Kobe Bryant's annual body of work.

But given this unique opportunity to reflect on the last 50-plus games for the season, it's only fair we give the Mamba his due.

Let's have a look at where the 2011-12 season fits in Kobe Bryant's personal Hall of Fame.

What Makes a Great Season?

What exactly makes a great season?

Is it the scoring? Is it the individual awards? Is it the championships?

The answer is obvious to a natural-born winner like Kobe Bryant, but rings can't be the end-all. Something needs to be said for being the best player on the court night in and night out, regardless of whether your team wins the trophy.

We'll assess the season to date for No. 24, revisit historic seasons from the past and attempt to place this year's performance among his all-time best.

When fans look back a year from now, what will be said about the 2011-12 regular season?

2011-12: The Year of the Masked Mamba

Given the most adverse circumstances of his career, through the combination of the NBA lockout, the Chris Paul trade veto, a brand-new coach, a torn wrist in the preseason and a spousal divorce, Kobe Bryant faced a stacked deck to start the year but, true to his nature, came out swinging.

Leading his Lakers to a 20-14 record by the All-Star break, Kobe Bryant helped the Lakers claim the Pacific Division lead over the Chris Paul-led Clippers and led the NBA in scoring.

Points were had by way of volume, with the Mamba taking more shot attempts than anyone in the league (second place Kevin Durant wasn't even close), causing many skeptics, including his own teammates, to question his shot selection and ball possession.

Still, the Lakers needed to find a way amidst all the uncertainty, and their leader was there to carry them. Now, with his team coming together at precisely the right time, Kobe Bryant can sit back and enjoy the fruits of his labor before the playoffs start and the real journey begins.

Does his MVP-like 2011-12 campaign place among Kobe's top five?

2007-08: The MVP Year

In no particular order, let's delve into the greatest seasons for the Masked Mamba, beginning with, of course, the year he actually was the MVP: the 2007-08 season.

Putting up an MVP-worthy 28.3 points, 5.4 assists and 6.3 rebounds per game, Kobe was long overdue for this award and had been regarded as the best player in basketball for many years despite lacking the actual award to prove it.

While the individual accolade was well-deserved, the ultimate award wasn't as easy to get. The Lakers were trounced in a physical NBA Finals series against the eventual champion Boston Celtics that culminated in a 39-point drubbing to end the Lakers' playoff run.

2001-02: The Magnificent Three

When it's all about titles for a player like Kobe, the 2001-02 season had to be one of the sweetest years yet for the then-23-year-old.

Accomplishing one of the most difficult feats in all of sports, Kobe Bryant and running mate Shaquille O'Neal made the three-peat look easy, sweeping Jason Kidd and the New Jersey Nets in the 2002 NBA Finals.

On the season, Kobe averaged 25.2 points and 5.5 assists per game.

More impressively, his three-year average over this span was one ring per year.

All this man did was win.

2005-06: The 81 for No. 8

Kobe Bryant got absolutely stupid in 2005-06, putting up an insane 35.4 points per game (by far the highest of his career), which included legendary scoring performances, the likes of which NBA fans may never see again.

The famed 81-point game against the Toronto Raptors and the equally impressive 62-point, three-quarter performance against the Dallas Mavericks were by far the highlights of Kobe's ridiculous scoring this year.

Surrounded by a mediocre supporting cast, the floor was all Mamba's, and he knew exactly what to do with it: torch defenders game-in and game-out.

2009-10: The Boston Tea Party

This year, the playoffs absolutely belonged to Mamba. Just look at the series-by-series numbers:

Round 1: 23.5 points per game versus the Oklahoma City Thunder

Round 2:  32.0 points per game versus the Utah Jazz

Western Conference Finals: 33.6 points per game versus the Phoenix Suns

NBA Finals: 28.5 points per game versus the Boston Celtics.

Personally, the Phoenix Suns series was the best I've ever seen Kobe Bryant play, hitting the sickest shots off spins, turnarounds and fadeaways, capping it off with close-out Game 6 heroics to solidify what could possibly be his greatest postseason series. 

Naturally, Kobe Bryant led his team to back-to-back titles and earned his second consecutive NBA Finals MVP award.

1999-00: The First of Five

Barely 21 years old, Fro-be was already regarded as one of the game's best players when he notched his first of five rings in the 1999-00 NBA season.

It was also the year that began his legend of clutchness, pulling off the impossible and helping his team overcome a 15-point fourth-quarter deficit Game 7 in the now-historic Western Conference Finals versus the Portland Trailblazers.

The Young Mamba had 25 points, 11 rebounds, seven assists and four blocks in the game and continues to haunt Portland Trail Blazer fans in their sleep to this day.

Kobe and Co. went on to win their first championship of the 2000-2002 three-peat.

2002-03: The Unstoppable Scorer

Coming off the three-peat, it seemed nothing could stop Mr. Bryant in 2002-03.

Kobe continued his league-wide domination with unimaginable scoring sprees, highlighted by the unbelievable nine consecutive game streak of 40-plus points. He averaged 40 points a game during the month of February—a truly insane feat in the modern game. 

The defending champions failed to capitalize on this scoring bonanza, losing to eventual NBA Champions San Antonio Spurs in the second round and falling short of the impressive four-peat.

Still, Kobe Bryant had entered his prime—a place from which he has yet to retreat—and his play during 2002-03 gave basketball fans everywhere plenty to be excited about, offering 30 points a night over this 82-game stretch.

Where Does This Season Rank?

At this point, with all the accolades, accomplishments and overwhelming success, ranking Kobe's best seasons is not a matter of fact, but of opinion.

Given the murky depths to start the 2011-12 season and the bright future on the playoff horizon, the Year of the Masked Mamba has been most impressive and one of his best.

But really, a true ranking cannot be comfortably made until the 2012 NBA Playoffs are over. And if you ask the man himself, despite the MVP performance and the unbelievable challenges he's already overcome this year, the 2011-12 season will be a complete failure if he does not achieve ultimate championship glory.

For that alone, any season we are still graced with his presence and are able to witness his greatness on the floor after 16 years of utter dominance should be considered his best season yet. Love him or hate him, one thing is for sure: You'll miss the Mamba when he's gone.