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Unfounded stigma still following Bryant

Suspicions surrounding his performance against the Suns four years ago don't hold up

Updated: May 19, 2010, 2:44 PM ET
By Dave McMenamin | ESPNLosAngeles.com

"This is where reputations are built," said TNT broadcaster Kevin Harlan a little more than four years ago, describing Phoenix Suns guard Leandro Barbosa on his way to a 26-point night in a blowout of the Lakers in Game 7 of a 2006 first-round series between Phoenix and Los Angeles.

The Suns, behind Barbosa, won by 31 points that night.

For Kobe Bryant, "this" loss was where reputations were tarnished as well.

It's a game that lives in infamy in Lakers lore, completing one ...

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