Ranking the Top 10 Plays and Moments from Los Angeles Lakers 2014-15 Season

We all know about how bad the 2014-15 season was for the Los Angeles Lakers.

Everyone—including yours truly—has written multiple pieces going on and on about the futility of this putrid campaign, and the gloom will continue until hope springs new at the upcoming NBA draft.

Let us, just for sanity's sake, break the endless cycle of bitterness and take a moment to reflect on the good times (Yes, there were a few. I promise!) had during the year.

Here are the top 10 plays and moments from the season, ranked in reverse order. Let's hope we have a wider selection to choose from next year!

10. Kobe Bryant's Return

Kobe Bryant made his long-awaited return to regular-season basketball on opening night against the Houston Rockets.

The game itself wasn't a classic, as L.A. fell behind in the opening minute and never came back, falling 108-90 in the end. Bryant was predictably rusty, shooting 6-of-17 from the field for 19 points and committing five fouls in 29 minutes of action.

One memorable moment sticks out, though (Well, two, if you include Julius Randle's injury—but we're shooting for positivity here!). Bryant and former teammate Dwight Howard were involved in a brief skirmish after Howard elbowed a pestering Bryant following a fourth-quarter rebound. Heated words were exchanged, and there was plenty of postgame chatter on the matter.

Though his debut was not triumphant, Bryant gave Lakers fans something to cheer for and reminded everyone who the alpha dog is in L.A.

9. Jeremy Lin Getting His LeBron on

LeBron James is well-known for his spectacular chase-down swat-jobs as a one-man fast-break destroyer.

Jeremy Lin typically isn't scaring anyone at the rim in transition, but he had everyone rethinking that after running down Golden State Warriors forward Draymond Green and rejecting his dunk attempt.

This made for one of the more amusing plays of the season, as Green has developed a reputation for chirping loudly at opponents and pompously preening after his own defensive gems. Funnily enough, he was quiet after getting his shot sent back by a smaller man.

Kudos to Lin on the hustle.

8. Kobe Shows Off the Lefty Touch

Bryant has done so many outrageous things over his career that we almost take it for granted whenever he pulls a new trick out of his bag.

After clearly injuring his right (shooting) shoulder against he New Orleans Pelicans, Kobe did exactly what you'd think Kobe would do and stayed in the game. Despite the bad wing, Bryant still drew a double-team on a post-up and simply switched hands when going to his patented fall-away jumper.

And what do you know? Bottoms.

What else would you expect from the man who calmly sank a pair of free throws just after tearing his Achilles tendon?

7. Jordan Clarkson End to End

Jordan Clarkson's development was the lone bright spot in the Lakers' season. Perhaps his greatest highlight came in a February meeting with the Utah Jazz just after the All-Star break.

Clarkson got things started by picking off a Dante Exum pass. He proceeded to streak down the court and rise up with Exum coming hard for the denial. But Clarkson elevated just a little bit higher and perpetrated some rookie-on-rookie crime, finishing strong through the contact.

It was a beautiful play in a 100-97 win, making the Lakers one of only two teams to crack triple digits against the Jazz in regulation at Salt Lake during the second half of the season.

6. Lakers Beat the Warriors Without Kobe

One of the biggest upsets of the season came on the eve of Christmas Eve, as the Lakers shocked the Golden State Warriors without Kobe Bryant.

The Warriors came in winners of 18 of their previous 19 contests, asserting their dominance over the league. That went out the window against an L.A. team that looked almost relieved to be playing without Bryant glowering over them.

Seven Lakers scored in double figures en route to a 115-105 victory that saw L.A. lead their in-state counterparts by a whopping 22 points after three quarters. The Lakers amassed a 58.4 percent effective field-goal percentage against the team that led the league in that category defensively.

5. Clarkson Beats the Sixers

Clarkson really came into his own down the stretch, notching his first career game-winning basket against the Philadelphia 76ers.

With the clock winding down in overtime, Clarkson's nifty backdoor cut was spotted by Wayne Ellington. His one-handed loft found the bottom of the net to earn a 113-111 win.

It was also Clarkson's first career double-double. The rookie mustered an impressive 26 points, 11 assists, six rebounds and three steals, while shooting 60 percent from the field.

The only reason this isn't higher on the list is because the Lakers would actually have been better off losing this game, as they were in direct competition for lottery balls with the Sixers at the time. Fortunately, L.A. retained the fourth-worst record, and we can now celebrate Clarkson's achievement.

4. Kobe Still Clutch

The Lakers' first win of the 2015 calendar year came at home against the Indiana Pacers, courtesy of none other than Kobe Bean Bryant.

As time dwindled down in regulation, Bryant dribbled up the floor facing a one-point deficit. He juked past Solomon Hill and spun into the lane, releasing a feathery soft baby jump hook that swished through to give the Lakers the lead, and the win.

It could very well go down as the final game-sealing basket of Bryant's career.

3. Kobe's Historic Triple-Double

On the final day in November, the Lakers were locked in a tight battle with the Toronto Raptors. At the time, the Raptors looked like the class of the Eastern Conference, sporting a 13-3, while the Lakers came in scuffling at 3-13.

Bryant led the team to a 129-122 overtime win with a vintage Kobe performance. The Black Mamba piled stats on stats on stats, finishing the contest with 31 points, 11 rebounds and 12 assists.

He became the oldest player in the last 30 years to record a 30-point triple-double, per Basketball-Reference.com. It was impressive stuff and thoroughly enjoyable to watch Bryant turn back the clock and do it all to carry the team to victory.

2. Nick Young with Too Much Swag for the Spurs

No list of memorable Lakers moments would be complete without a contribution from Swaggy P.

Nick Young caught the ball 30 feet from the basket with the Lakers down by a point in overtime in San Antonio against the Spurs.

With the shot-clock buzzer about to go off, Young stepped into a deep three-pointer over Manu Ginobili's outstretched arms and buried it with just seven seconds to go, giving L.A. the 112-110 win.

It was Young's most impressive game of the season. He racked up 29 points off the bench on just 14 shots—including six treys—leading to a ridiculous 89.5 percent true shooting percentage for the game. 

1. Kobe Passes Michael Jordan

Was there ever any doubt as to what would top this list?

There's only one moment to go to, and that's Bryant vaulting Michael Jordan into third place on the NBA's all-time scoring list.

The feat came on a pair of free throws against the Minnesota Timberwolves. Play was halted for a brief ceremony as Timberwolves owner Glen Taylor stepped onto the court to present Bryant with the ball.

It was a remarkable achievement by a remarkable player and was the best moment of the 2015 season for the Lakers.