As
I am Typing this the Western Conference Finals is over and the San
Antonio Spurs have swept the Memphis Grizzlies. As I was watching
this series unfold my mind like it usually does began to to wander
off into thinking about one of the most memorable Western conference
finals of all-time. I'm speaking about the 2002 edition of the WCF
that series featured Chris Webber and the Sacramento Kings who
squared of with Kobe Bryant and the LA Lakers who were in the midst
of starting a dynasty. This is known by many as the most
controversial series in NBA history and is the subject of today’s
edition of throwback Thursday.
The
Back story
Before
the series between the Kings and Lakers even got started the records
between the two teams read like this. For the Sacramento Kings they
were 61-21 with the best record in the west. The Lakers were not to
far behind the Kings with a record of 58-24. Although the Kings had
the best record in the conference they had a record of 1-3 vs the
Lakers in the regular season, so they were still the new kids on the
block.
The
Stats
Put
the two teams players stats side by side and the Top 2 for the Lakers
were just a bit better then the top 2 for the Kings.
(Per
game stats)
Shaq:
27 Points 10 Rebounds 2 Blocks
Kobe:
25 Points 5 Rebounds 5 Assists 2 steals
Webber:
25 Points 10 Rebounds 5Assists 2 Steals 1 Block
Peja:21
Points 5 Rebounds 1 Steal 41%3-point shooter
Very
Evenly matched as far as the top goes with the edge going to the
Lakers but where things look very lopsided statistically is within
the role players of both these teams. Outside of Kobe and Shaq the
Lakers only had 1 play averaging 10 points per game and that was
Derek Fisher at 11.2 points per game who back then had enough hair to
get a 15$ haircut at the local barbershop.
The
Kings on the Other hand had 5 guys beside Chris Webber and Peja who
averaged 10 points per game or more (Mike Bibby,Doug Christie, Bobby
Jackson,Vlade Divac and Hedo Turkoglu). The highest was Bibby at 14
points per game. My main man Gerald Wallace even averaged 3.8 points
per game for that Kings team.The Sacramento Kings certainly had depth
on their side.
The
Series through 5 games
Through
5 games Sacramento had a 3-2 lead but two things kept this thing from
being a short series for the Lakers.
#1
Stealing home-court in game 1
When
you bust your tail all season to earn home-court advantage you must
never allow the road team to steal that from you and that’s exactly
what the Lakers did in game 1 with a 106-99 victory in Sacramento.
#2
Robert Horry Shot In Game 4
“Can't
forget about Jordan's retirement/Can't forget about Robert Horry's
shot to win the game in the finals kid”. Nas stated that very
eloquently in his song “Can't forget about you” and Robert Horry
Kings fans will never forget about you. Had that shot not went in the
Kings could have won this thing in 5 and advanced to the NBA Finals
but this shot kept the Lakers alive.
With
both of those negatives though the reality was that the Kings still
had a 3-2 lead on the defending champs and were just 1 win away from
taking the city and the franchise to the finals for the first time
ever.........then there was game 6.
Tim
Donaghy
Ever
heard of referee Tim Donaghy? He was the guy who made bets on games
he officiated and would make calls depending on the point spread so
he could make money. The former NBA ref even admits that the NBA
would effect the outcome of the games using referees. He also admits
that he as well as his colleagues were not allowed to call technical
fouls or throw out certain star players. Why is this relevant?
Because this is the guy who in a report back in 2008 stated that Game
6 of the 2002 Western Conference Finals was fixed.
Game
6

So
it was a beautiful for basketball in LA as the Staples Center crowd was sold out yet again for game 6. At the end of three quarters
is was all tied up 75-75 the scoreboard read. The Kings had to win
one more quarter to defeat the defending champion Lakers but then
controversy struck. The 4th Quarter saw LA take 18 free
throws and it was the most lopsided horrible officiating in the
history of the league. There is certainly a reason Kings fans and NBA
fans both call this a fixed series. In the 4th quarter of
a series like this in game 6 you got to swallow the damn whistle so
fans can watch the players play, they don't pay to watch free throws
but keep this in mind. Shaquille O'neal has always been made fun of
for his free throw shooting and in that game 6 he shot 13-17 from the
line which is pretty good for him. Kobe went perfect at 11-11, even
though the officiating was lopsided they hit most of they're free
throws. The Kings missed 7 free throws and lost by 4 points so some
of this is on them but the Refs certainly didn't help giving the
Lakers all those chances. The Lakers won game 6 by a score of 106-102
and would go onto win the series in 7 games and would go on to
capture their 3rd straight NBA title completing the “3
Peat”.
The
Legacy

All
though that Kings team remains a what if tale they are certainly not
forgotten. Many long time NBA fans call them “the real NBA Finals
Champions of 2002” and it is a valid argument and an understandable
way to feel. We can argue as fans that it was fixed but we will never
truly know but I will say this the 2002 Sacramento Kings are the
greatest team to never win the NBA Finals so much depth and top level
skill they certainly deserved one. So many players like Chris Webber,
Mike Bibby,Peja Stoakavic,Doug Christie and Vlade Divac a pretty
complete team that played hard night In and night out that wanted to
punch you in the mouth and let you know what Sacramento Basketball
was all about. I remember when I used to play NBA Live 2005 they were
the highest rated team in the game and surely the hardest to beat.
Look around Kings games even to this day and in the stands people
still sport #4, #16 and #10 jerseys the memory of that Kings team is
still fresh in the minds of those loyal fans and for a team that
almost relocated this off-season they represent a golden era.
Sacramento fans can only hope that they talk about Demarcus Cousins
they way they talk about Chris Webber.
Were
the Kings victimized of a fixed series? Are they the greatest team to
never win the NBA Finals?
Join
the Throwback Thursday debate of the day on the Tru School Sports
fan page by clicking the link and liking the page below