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http://www.sacbee.com/content/sports/basketball/kings/story/11609016p-12498595c.html
A night of bad timing for Kings
By Sam Amick -- Bee Staff Writer
Published 2:15 am PST Monday, November 29, 2004
Tim Sheehan knew the Kings when they were mere princes, starting in 1985 as the reliable statistician and scoreboard operator.
And before the rumors get started, the unprecedented clock malfunction that halted both time and the Kings' seven-game winning streak Sunday night wasn't his fault.
Chalk it up to good old computer malfunction. Emphasis on the "old."
With 2:52 left in the fourth quarter and the Minnesota Timberwolves up 106-104, the WhiteWay Sign WS 3000 scoreboard mechanism quit early for the first time since the arena opened in 1988.
After a seven-minute delay, the electronic ticker that Sheehan operates didn't move the arena's clocks for the rest of the evening, and certainly not as quickly as the T-Wolves, who went on an 11-0 run that set up their bizarre 121-110 win.
"It works great when it works," Sheehan said. "That's never happened before."
The seven-minute delay was of the worst timing for the Kings, who had pulled within two points on Bobby Jackson's three-point play.
The crowd, rowdy after the Kings came back from seven points down, eventually quieted while referee Joe Crawford delegated duties to the scorer's table. Kings coach Rick Adelman and T-wolves coach Flip Saunders chatted while they waited, and players in both uniforms wandered about the court in mass confusion.
"My hot streak's cold now," Jackson said, rolling his eyes.
Time was eventually kept the old fashioned way - on a handheld stopwatch. Public address announcer Scott Moak announced the remaining seconds every so often while the scoreboard was frozen at 2:52. The time later went black on each of the arena's monitors, followed by the score reading Kings 110, T-wolves (blank).
Adelman screamed "What's the score?" at official Marc Davis and was referred to press row for an answer. When word came that the game was over, the echoes of the final dribbles could be heard in a half-empty Arco Arena.
"You don't really expect that, especially at home," Kings forward Darius Songalia said. "And I don't think the countdowns were very accurate. They'd say 10 seconds, and 10 seconds later it's 5 (seconds)."
T-wolves guard Sam Cassell didn't mind, scoring 11 points after the snafu with Mike Bibby guarding him. Meanwhile, the Kings missed 6 of their 8 shots, including two layups.
"It was tough," said Bibby, who had 22 points. "We didn't know how much time there was. It was hard out there, because a lot of it is clock management."
"There's 2:52 in the game, and all of a sudden the clock breaks down?" Cassell said in jest. "We went up four and the clock breaks - there must be a conspiracy there."
The conspiracy theorists could see the incident as fodder for the arena discussions, too, the perfect example of why Arco Arena and all its outdated amenities need to be replaced.
Moak, the announcer, saw it as a chance to change venues. "Next week's game against Indiana will be at El Camino High School," Moak joked afterward. "The clocks work there."
A night of bad timing for Kings
By Sam Amick -- Bee Staff Writer
Published 2:15 am PST Monday, November 29, 2004
Tim Sheehan knew the Kings when they were mere princes, starting in 1985 as the reliable statistician and scoreboard operator.
And before the rumors get started, the unprecedented clock malfunction that halted both time and the Kings' seven-game winning streak Sunday night wasn't his fault.
Chalk it up to good old computer malfunction. Emphasis on the "old."
With 2:52 left in the fourth quarter and the Minnesota Timberwolves up 106-104, the WhiteWay Sign WS 3000 scoreboard mechanism quit early for the first time since the arena opened in 1988.
After a seven-minute delay, the electronic ticker that Sheehan operates didn't move the arena's clocks for the rest of the evening, and certainly not as quickly as the T-Wolves, who went on an 11-0 run that set up their bizarre 121-110 win.
"It works great when it works," Sheehan said. "That's never happened before."
The seven-minute delay was of the worst timing for the Kings, who had pulled within two points on Bobby Jackson's three-point play.
The crowd, rowdy after the Kings came back from seven points down, eventually quieted while referee Joe Crawford delegated duties to the scorer's table. Kings coach Rick Adelman and T-wolves coach Flip Saunders chatted while they waited, and players in both uniforms wandered about the court in mass confusion.
"My hot streak's cold now," Jackson said, rolling his eyes.
Time was eventually kept the old fashioned way - on a handheld stopwatch. Public address announcer Scott Moak announced the remaining seconds every so often while the scoreboard was frozen at 2:52. The time later went black on each of the arena's monitors, followed by the score reading Kings 110, T-wolves (blank).
Adelman screamed "What's the score?" at official Marc Davis and was referred to press row for an answer. When word came that the game was over, the echoes of the final dribbles could be heard in a half-empty Arco Arena.
"You don't really expect that, especially at home," Kings forward Darius Songalia said. "And I don't think the countdowns were very accurate. They'd say 10 seconds, and 10 seconds later it's 5 (seconds)."
T-wolves guard Sam Cassell didn't mind, scoring 11 points after the snafu with Mike Bibby guarding him. Meanwhile, the Kings missed 6 of their 8 shots, including two layups.
"It was tough," said Bibby, who had 22 points. "We didn't know how much time there was. It was hard out there, because a lot of it is clock management."
"There's 2:52 in the game, and all of a sudden the clock breaks down?" Cassell said in jest. "We went up four and the clock breaks - there must be a conspiracy there."
The conspiracy theorists could see the incident as fodder for the arena discussions, too, the perfect example of why Arco Arena and all its outdated amenities need to be replaced.
Moak, the announcer, saw it as a chance to change venues. "Next week's game against Indiana will be at El Camino High School," Moak joked afterward. "The clocks work there."
this better not happen again.
