The 2001- 2002 Sacramento Kings had it all except for one thing: LUCK
Image Source: https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/736x/f1/73/66/f173662fe613bfa04e117772d96600cd.jpg
Coming into the 2001-2002 season, the mighty Los Angeles Lakers led by the dynamic duo of Shaquille O'Neal and Kobe Bryant were the heavy favorites to win it all for the third consecutive year. No matter how all the other 28 teams tinkered with their lineups through the draft, trades and free agency, it was extremely difficult to doubt the chances of the back to back NBA champions. Yet, as the season went by, there was one team that emerged as a legitimate threat to the dreams of Phil, Kobe and Shaq to complete a three-peat- none other than the Lakers' Pacific Division rivals, the Sacramento Kings.
The Kings had everything that any basketball fanatic could ask for. Allow me to elaborate on this point, one aspect at a time. Shooting was provided by deadshots Peja Stojakovic, newly acquired point guard Mike Bibby, Turkish phenom Hedo Turkoglu, and major spark plug Bobby Jackson. Passing, ball movement and crisp execution were the team's trademarks and were heavily displayed by any Kings player on the court. Hard nosed, man to man defense was mainly provided by defensive ace Doug Christie. Toughness and physicality were provided by role players like Scot Pollard, Mateen Cleaves and Lawrence Funderburke. Veteran leadership wasn't missing as well because of Vlade Divac and Chucky Brown. Go-to-Guy was obviously present as the Kings had one of the top players in the league in C-Webb. Youth was evident as well with a young Gerald Wallace who unfortunately, did not see much action. Coaching was top-notch as well as the Kings were led by offensive genius Rick Adelman. To simply put it, the Kings had all the tools to go all the way except for one thing- Lady Luck wasn't on their side.
Chris Webber
Image Source: images
As the 2001- 2002 NBA playoffs began, the Kings after finishing the season with a 61-21 record (1st in the Western Conference and in the whole NBA) had to first battle the John Stockton- Karl Malone led Utah Jazz in the first round. This was a great test for the Kings as the Jazz were a veteran team that knew playoff basketball very well. In fact, it seemed like the Kings were rattled when they dropped Game 2 in Sacramento, 93-86. Yet, the Kings showed poise, maturity and swagger after the tough loss. They bounced back and did not back down from the moment in a very hostile Utah environment. They eliminated the Jazz in 4 games via a classic 91-86 win in Game 4. C-Webb was the best player of the series as he averaged 20.8 points, 10.8 boards, 3.5 assists, 1.3 steals and 1.3 blocks.
Mike Bibby
Image Source: images
Then, in the second round, the Kings faced the Dirk Nowitzki-Steve Nash-Michael Finley led Dallas Mavericks. If you were a fan of up and down, high octane basketball, then this was the series for you. Sacramento averaged 112.8 points per game during this series while the Mavs averaged 106.8 ppg. (By the way, I got all of the stats from basketball-reference.com, highly recommended site). Like in the Utah series, the Kings, once again, dropped Game 2, 110-102 as Steve Nash had a superb game. Yet, the Kings, unfazed and all, went to Dallas and defeated the Mavs twice in spite of the heroics of Nick Van Exel. They went back to Sacramento and finished the job in Game 5 with a 114-101 drubbing of the Mavs. Still, there was one problem though that would haunt them for the rest of the playoffs, as their second best player, Peja Stojakovic got injured in Game 3. He averaged 20.5 ppg and 6 boards during the Utah series and finished the Dallas series averaging 15 ppg (the ppg went down because Peja missed a big chunk of game 3). Anyway, even if the Kings won the series, everyone knew that the injury of Peja was a major blow to the Kings. C-Webb was still dominant during the Dallas series as he averaged 25.2 points, 10.8 boards, 3.4 assists and 2 blocks, but it was Mike Bibby who brought his game to another level during this series. Bibby caught fire as he shot a sizzling 54.2% from beyond the arc, 100% from the free throw line and 45.3% from the field. He had a fantastic stat line of 21.8 ppg, 3.6 rpg, 6.8 apg and 1.0 spg. He, literally, outplayed Steve Nash in this series.
Kobe and Shaq
Image Source: images
And so, the Kings went on to the Western Conference Finals in a much anticipated match-up against their Pacific Division rivals and two-time defending champions, the Los Angeles Lakers. With all due respect to the New Jersey Nets (the team that went on to the Finals but were swept by the Lakers), the Kings versus Lakers series was like the NBA Finals of the 2002 season. Yes, it was that GOOD. Game 1 went to the Lakers in the tune of 106-99, as the Kings looked overwhelmed and bedazzled by the presence of Big Daddy Shaq and his equally talented partner Kobe Bryant. Just like that, the Kings lost their homecourt advantage and the Lakers seemed a little too experienced for them. Yet, in Game 2, Sacramento bounced back with a 96-90 win against the Lakers and looked more confident. Still, the Lakers were very confident as Games 3 and 4 would be played in Staples Center. To the surprise of a jam-packed Staples Center crowd, the Kings blew out the Lakers 103-90 in Game 3 and regained the much coveted homecourt advantage. Of course, the highly confident Lakers, as expected, just vowed to come back stronger in Game 4. This was when all the drama started and made this series a classic. Game 4 was a close game but the Kings were evidently, in control. In the last one minute of the game, the defending champions looked in trouble as the Kings looked poise to take a commanding 3-1 series lead. With a few ticks away, the Lakers were down two, 99-97, they had possession and knew that they had to convert to avoid a major disadvantage. On the other hand, the Kings knew that they were one stop away from possibly tearing apart the heart of the champs. The play was for Kobe Bryant. Without any hesitation, the young phenom attacked right and drove hard to the basket as everyone collapsed on him. Kobe Bryant missed his layup attempt and all the big men scrambled for the ball. Shaq missed a follow up lay-up. It seemed like the Lakers' dynasty would come to an end. Then, DISASTER struck the Kings. Thinking that the best solution was to keep the ball away from the paint, Cenetr Vlade Divac slapped the ball outside as the seconds kept ticking away. Yet, of all people, who would catch the basketball as it went back to the top of the key, it was Mr. Big Shot Bob himself, Robert Horry that caught it and in rhythm, took the three and drilled the three at the buzzer to the delight of all the Lakers fans in Staples. The place went CRAZY and the Lakers stayed alive in their quest for a third straight title. Talk about a heartbreaker for the Kings. The players and the coaching staff were stunned and all they could do was to silently walk back to the locker room. OUCH would not even pass as an understatement, that was how painful it was.
Source: youtube
Still, no matter how painful the Game 4 loss was, the series was still tied up at 2-2 and the Kings still had homecourt advantage. And so, they came into Game 5 with a mindset of protecting home floor and take a 3-2 series lead. It was another down the wire type of game and in crunch time, it was Sacramento's turn to break the hearts of the Lakers. Sweet-shooting point guard Mike Bibby came to the rescue during the dying seconds of Game 5 as the Kings were down by a point, 90-91. Bibby hit a clutch jumper from the side that gave them a 92-91 lead. Kobe had one last chance to win it with a fadeaway but missed it. Just like that, the Kings were up 3-2.
Source: youtube
Then, in Game 6, when the Kings had a golden opportunity to close out the Lakers, Shaq and company heavily refused and won Game 6 by four points, 106-102 and sent the series to a deciding Game 7.
A Game 7 between the Lakers and the Kings was what every basketball fan wanted. It was the perfect way to end a truly epic battle. I was very sure that a lot of people tuned in to this game because of all the drama that had transpired throughout the series. Game 7 was a classic and it did not disappoint at all. For the third straight game, the Kings and Lakers exchanged buckets after buckets, hard hits after hard hits and were once again in a tightly contested match. During the last 2 minutes of the 4th quarter, the Kings had legitimate opportunities to close out the Lakers but failed to capitalize on them and the game went on to overtime. During the extra session, the Lakers took advantage and closed out the resilient Sacramento Kings via a 112-106 victory. The season ended in heartbreaking fashion for C-Webb, his teammates and the whole Kings Nation. They blew a 3-2 series lead and a chance to eliminate the defending champions. On the other hand, Shaq, Kobe and Phil went on to the NBA Finals and swept the New Jersey Nets in lopsided manner and got their much awaited three-peat.
Lakers eliminated the Kings
Image Source: images
A lot of skeptics would probably say that...
1) The series was fixed.
2) David Stern never wanted a Sacramento-New Jersey NBA Finals match-up as it would kill the ratings and would be bad for the league.
3) The Finals needed star-power coming from Shaq and Kobe.
4) The Lakers needed a three- peat and the dynasty should not end just because of the Kings.
5) The officiating was so biased and the referees just favored the Lakers especially in Games 6 and 7.
Skeptics could have their own opinions about it. Yet, for me personally, it was never about all these so- called conspiracy theories that killed the Sacramento Kings. They just didn't have Lady Luck with them. I mean, just imagine if Peja was healthy or if Horry did not catch the ball in the dying seconds of Game 4, the theme of this article would be totally different. The Lakers would not have had a three-peat and the Kings would have been champions. Yet, as the old cliche goes, "It just wasn't meant to be." Sad, but true. The 2002 Sacramento Kings would forever be remembered as the team that had all the tools to go all the way with the exception of one thing: They forgot to include and invite Lady Luck to join their party, which their nemesis (The Lakers) did not fail to do so.
Sometimes in life, it helps to have a little luck with you as well. I guess, for the Kings, it was the difference between winning a championship and almost winning one.
No comments:
Post a Comment