 |
Record
Wins: 61
Losses: 21 Win PCT: 0.744 Playoffs: Lost Western Conference Finals (4-3) to Los Angeles Lakers |
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Stat Leaders
Points: Chris Webber (24.48 PPG)
Assists: Mike Bibby (5.04 APG) Rebounds: Chris Webber (10.11 RPG) |
The Sacramento Kings are one of the best teams of the 2000s to never win a title. Their elite core of Chris Webber, Mike Bibby, Vlade Divac, Doug Christie and Peja Stojakovic seemed destined to win a title during the 2001-02 season—when they finished a league-best 61-21.
Webber and Co. wound up losing in the Western Conference Finals in seven games against the Lakers, but it’s since come to light that officiating may have played a gigantic role in that series loss.
In a
2008 article for ESPN
, Chris Sheridan wrote that ex-referee Tim Donaghy—who pled guilty to
federal felony conspiracy charges for rigging NBA games—said the
controversial Game 6 between the Lakers and Kings “was impacted by the
actions of two of the three referees who worked the game.”
Columnist Bill Simmons wrote the following of Game 6 for ESPN at the time:
“From an officiating standpoint, the most one-sided game of the past decade … at least six dubious calls against the Kings in the fourth quarter alone … LA averaged 22 free throws a game during the first five games of the series, then attempted 27 freebies in the fourth quarter alone of Game 6.”
Donaghy served prison time for fixing professional games, so there’s plenty of reason to believe the Kings got hosed in the 2002 playoffs. That’s a genuine shame, because the 2001-02 Kings were really good, and certainly deserving of a title.
Columnist Bill Simmons wrote the following of Game 6 for ESPN at the time:
“From an officiating standpoint, the most one-sided game of the past decade … at least six dubious calls against the Kings in the fourth quarter alone … LA averaged 22 free throws a game during the first five games of the series, then attempted 27 freebies in the fourth quarter alone of Game 6.”
Donaghy served prison time for fixing professional games, so there’s plenty of reason to believe the Kings got hosed in the 2002 playoffs. That’s a genuine shame, because the 2001-02 Kings were really good, and certainly deserving of a title.
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