Pretty lengthy piece about the 2002 Western Conference Finals http://grantland.com/features/2002-...-history-los-angeles-lakers-sacramento-kings/
All The Kings' Men Article from Grantland
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Wow what a terrific read. I liked this one (one of the refs talking about game 6)
Bernhardt: Ed Rush, my boss at the time, called and asked what I thought about the game. I said, “I’d rather not say.” He said, “Tell me, Ted.” I said, “You know me, Ed. I’d rather not say.” He goes, “Ted, tell me.” I said, “Well, I thought my partners sucked.” He says, “OK, thank you. That’s what I’d thought you think.” Click. That’s why I hate talking about it, because I really care about Delaney and [third official Dick] Bavetta.
Bernhardt: Ed Rush, my boss at the time, called and asked what I thought about the game. I said, “I’d rather not say.” He said, “Tell me, Ted.” I said, “You know me, Ed. I’d rather not say.” He goes, “Ted, tell me.” I said, “Well, I thought my partners sucked.” He says, “OK, thank you. That’s what I’d thought you think.” Click. That’s why I hate talking about it, because I really care about Delaney and [third official Dick] Bavetta.
F***. that was a brutal recollection. i wept. melodramatic? probably. my father and i have a great relationship now, but during my adolescence, we struggled to communicate, like many fathers and sons. he didn't really know how to navigate his way through the problems i was having, but we always had the kings as a middle ground. it was our common language, our way of speaking to each other, and godDAMN that team was GOOD. the 2002 western conference finals were so electric, so intense, so disappointing, so fraught with controversy that the aftermath gave my father and i an opportunity to engage in a shared emotional catharsis (along with every other kings fan who was busy rationalizing away the pain). without c-webb, vlade, peja, christie, bibby, b-jax, adelman, and even the maloofs (as they were in those days), perhaps my father and i don't have anything to build on; perhaps we don't become as close as we are today. i'm endlessly thankful for that team, and that time in my life. it can be hard to look back on, but what great years for the city of sacramento...
I don't think that most Kings Fans will disagree with the statement that we lost Game 7, clean. That's not why most Kings Fans can't get over 2002.
The reason why most Kings Fans can't get over 2002 is because most Kings Fans believe that there should never have been a Game 7 in the first place. It's not like we were down in the series, and forced a Game 7, only to come up short: we were ahead in the series, and could have won in six, and many Kings Fans believe that we should have won in six, but that Game 6 was taken from us.
When you feel like you shouldn't have been in a Game 7, it's a tough sell to hear that you should just accept that you lost the series.
The reason why most Kings Fans can't get over 2002 is because most Kings Fans believe that there should never have been a Game 7 in the first place. It's not like we were down in the series, and forced a Game 7, only to come up short: we were ahead in the series, and could have won in six, and many Kings Fans believe that we should have won in six, but that Game 6 was taken from us.
When you feel like you shouldn't have been in a Game 7, it's a tough sell to hear that you should just accept that you lost the series.
Seems I always wind up being the guy who has to say this (as he dons his beat up old flame suit), but we won game 5 on a very bad call / lucky break. The ball was out of bounds off the Kings, and the refs gave it to us. Bibby knocked down the biggest shot in Kings history to give us the 3-2 lead, but he never should have had that chance. And so in the end, game 6 was a 48 minute make-up call. We could not make free throws or open shots in a game 7 - that is why we were not NBA champions that year.
Yeah that Walker shot eats at me a lot, especially since it was what the next year they instituted replay?
I know you can't just falsely say one basket made the game because the game would play differently but 1) the Laker players seem to say they got a huge boost from that shot and 2) pretty much everything went right in the second half for the Lakers and the lead never changed hands and even when that final 3 went in it was like a huge WTF just happened, that's impossible.
uggh. just when you think it's past you.
Thanks a lot, Grantland.
I know you can't just falsely say one basket made the game because the game would play differently but 1) the Laker players seem to say they got a huge boost from that shot and 2) pretty much everything went right in the second half for the Lakers and the lead never changed hands and even when that final 3 went in it was like a huge WTF just happened, that's impossible.
uggh. just when you think it's past you.
Thanks a lot, Grantland.
I read this last week. Brought back a lot of memories, unfortunately many bad one's. I just remember feeling physically ill that entire 2 weeks of the series and then how the whole town went from being electric to solemn after game 7. Scott Howard Coopers description of a hot, sweaty wall of anxiety (or something to that affect) was spot on. I was at some of those games a few rows up and that is exactly what it felt like..in person and from my couch.
No doubt. They choked that game away in embarrassing fashion, from the players down to the coach. It was truly a surreal thing to watch. The horrid, almost unreal wide open misses, the miss after miss at the FT line, ice water in his veins Bobby Jackson inexplicably on the bench in crunch time over a gimpy Peja and clearly rattled Christie...and there they were at the end, in OT with a chance to still win. If they shoot 54%...just 54% from the stripe, they were champions.
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The free throw line was the true deciding factor. For a team of solid shooters, that was horrific.
One of most entertaining teams in NBA history and my personal favorite ever. If we put together anything close to that going into the new arena, it's going to really be something to experience. I think it will happen at some point in the not too distant future
One of most entertaining teams in NBA history and my personal favorite ever. If we put together anything close to that going into the new arena, it's going to really be something to experience. I think it will happen at some point in the not too distant future
Agreed. If there is one thing you can say about the Lakers, it was that they were clutch. Outside of Bibby, the Kings choked a lot in that series.
I can go back to game 3. They were up 20 before letting the Lakers get it down to like 3 or 4 before holding them off.
They were up again by 20 in game 4 before letting it slip away. Horry never should've been in position to hit that shot in the first place. Kennadog and others have mentioned the Samaki Walker shot but the way I see it, the Lakers would've adjusted accordingly and began their comeback a minute earlier or started fouling 30 seconds earlier which, if the rest of the series was any indication, would've led to more King missed free throws.
There was game 5 and like John Galt said, the ball was off Webber. You could also make a case for Bobby Jackson fouling Kobe on the final shot.
And of course, you had the Kobe food poisoning situation before game 2. If Webber gets food poisoning in LA, you can only imagine the amount of conspiracy theories that would've been flying around in Sacramento.
I will say this though. The Laker fans were even more full of the conspiracy crap going into game 6. It wasn't just game 5. They think Shaq was getting hammered throughout the series and that game 6 was just the officials calling it like they should've all along. Now that's complete BS but it just illustrates how much both sides went to the conspiracy/bad officiating card. There's a narrative that says that Laker fans have this smirk about how they got away with the series but I have to say, that's not the case at all. They honestly think they got jobbed in every game but game 6.
For me personally, I've never rooted for a team in any sport ever as hard as I rooted for the Kings in that series. It still hurts that they lost that series. But it makes it a lot easier to get past it if you look at it objectively and not just from a King fan standpoint.
I can go back to game 3. They were up 20 before letting the Lakers get it down to like 3 or 4 before holding them off.
They were up again by 20 in game 4 before letting it slip away. Horry never should've been in position to hit that shot in the first place. Kennadog and others have mentioned the Samaki Walker shot but the way I see it, the Lakers would've adjusted accordingly and began their comeback a minute earlier or started fouling 30 seconds earlier which, if the rest of the series was any indication, would've led to more King missed free throws.
There was game 5 and like John Galt said, the ball was off Webber. You could also make a case for Bobby Jackson fouling Kobe on the final shot.
And of course, you had the Kobe food poisoning situation before game 2. If Webber gets food poisoning in LA, you can only imagine the amount of conspiracy theories that would've been flying around in Sacramento.
I will say this though. The Laker fans were even more full of the conspiracy crap going into game 6. It wasn't just game 5. They think Shaq was getting hammered throughout the series and that game 6 was just the officials calling it like they should've all along. Now that's complete BS but it just illustrates how much both sides went to the conspiracy/bad officiating card. There's a narrative that says that Laker fans have this smirk about how they got away with the series but I have to say, that's not the case at all. They honestly think they got jobbed in every game but game 6.
For me personally, I've never rooted for a team in any sport ever as hard as I rooted for the Kings in that series. It still hurts that they lost that series. But it makes it a lot easier to get past it if you look at it objectively and not just from a King fan standpoint.
True to a certain extent but keep in mind that a lot of those individuals have their own agenda and it's usually an anti NBA agenda.
The Donaghy worshippers are the ones who love talking game 6 because it boosts their agenda for obvious reasons.
You also have people who love the sport and the players but hate the suits who run the league so they love to run with the conspiracy theories as well.
I didn't read the article before writing my previous post but after reading it, I found it interesting that some of the most objective writers like Adande and even Cooper, who used to cover the Kings, reminded readers of some of the breaks that the Kings were getting.
Personally, I think the worst thing that ever happened to the Kings was Webber's knee injury a year later. They were on their way to being up 2-0 on Dallas heading back to Sacramento and then you have a showdown with San Antonio. I remember the Kings beating the Spurs by 20 in San Antonio that season. I realize that the playoffs are a different animal but that team could've beaten San Antonio and then gone on to beat New Jersey in the finals.
The Donaghy worshippers are the ones who love talking game 6 because it boosts their agenda for obvious reasons.
You also have people who love the sport and the players but hate the suits who run the league so they love to run with the conspiracy theories as well.
I didn't read the article before writing my previous post but after reading it, I found it interesting that some of the most objective writers like Adande and even Cooper, who used to cover the Kings, reminded readers of some of the breaks that the Kings were getting.
Personally, I think the worst thing that ever happened to the Kings was Webber's knee injury a year later. They were on their way to being up 2-0 on Dallas heading back to Sacramento and then you have a showdown with San Antonio. I remember the Kings beating the Spurs by 20 in San Antonio that season. I realize that the playoffs are a different animal but that team could've beaten San Antonio and then gone on to beat New Jersey in the finals.
Who is an example of a talking head that would be talking about 2002, and be anti-NBA? Are you working from a different definition of "talking head" than I am?
Again, I don't think we're working with the same definitions of words: there's not one talking head I've ever heard talking about Game 6 that could reasonably be described as a "Donaghy worshiper."
Okay... I'm just not sure what those people have to do with the people I'm referring to.
If you consider J.A. Adande, who up until a couple of years ago, was a beat writer for the gd lakers, to be "one of the most objective writers," then we are at an impasse... Writers aren't "heads," anyway. And, while I would say that Adande counts as a "head" since he started working for "The Worldwide Leader," Cooper isn't.
Again, I don't think we're working with the same definitions of words: there's not one talking head I've ever heard talking about Game 6 that could reasonably be described as a "Donaghy worshiper."
Okay... I'm just not sure what those people have to do with the people I'm referring to.
If you consider J.A. Adande, who up until a couple of years ago, was a beat writer for the gd lakers, to be "one of the most objective writers," then we are at an impasse... Writers aren't "heads," anyway. And, while I would say that Adande counts as a "head" since he started working for "The Worldwide Leader," Cooper isn't.