Yup, I watched that game and entire series live. I thought the refs were clearly attempting to manipulate the outcome of the game. That elbow by Kobe was such a dirty play and literally in front of the refs face. I believe Adam Silver understands the value small market teams bring to the league. The Kings really do have a great young core group of very talented guys. Coach Brown got them all to buy in all in. It’s a great thing to see. GO KINGS!!! LTMFB!!!!
The euphoria in Serbia was huge for the Kings. I remember as a kid waking up watching some of those games. We were all sad Peja and Vlade didn't win a title then but 20 years later Nikola Jokic gave as similar filing and won a title
Love their middle finger photo That shows how close they were and how much they loved each other And their defense was underrated they had some amazing defensive performances
Stern gets romanticized for being this great Commissioner, but dude was a Tyrant, who obviously fixed certain "situations" for certain Teams, and Players. I'm sure that Team Picture played a role in Stern not wanting the Kings to go to the Finals. A lot of people watched and rooted for the Kings, so Ratings would NOT have been an issue.
Was saying it for years. I think Stern firmly believed the best way to build a league was promote rivalries and push dynasties. Hockey and Baseball thrives in the 70s because they had tremendous teams running the gambit for years. The NBA had eight different champions! Steen got lucky with the Celtics Lakers but I’m sure he loves the fact that only eight teams won titles during his entire reign. Plus you have to give him credit for kicking out the coke heads. Cocaine nearly sank baseball in the 80s.
@@theleap2946 Stern's "achievements" are insanely overrated. For instance, the "before Stern the NBA Finals was on tape delay" myth happened for the last time in 1980. All other finals since have been live, a good 3 years before Stern's reign of terror. The "he got the drugs out of basketball" myth is another interesting work of fiction. Notice that he only went after players on smaller market teams? (Phoenix, Milwaukee, and Golden State.) Meanwhile Bob McAdoo was coked out of his mind even during his Laker years but was never ONCE punished for it? Yeah, Stern went after a couple of cokeheads and set small market teams back years in the process while the drugs flowed like hot and cold running water in LA, Boston and NY. Then there's the salary cap. Oh everyone talked about how GREAT it was for the sport, until Stern insisted on the Larry Bird rule being added at the 11th hour. The result was the haves and have nots being even further separated than they were before a salary cap was instituted. Then of course there's the open rigging that is the NBA draft lottery. Ever notice that with 1-2 exceptions, when the small market teams DID win the lottery, it was in years where it was a horrible draft class? This thing was rigged for so long that the media was calling their shot successfully for literally decades at a time. Then we get to how he handled Seattle. This was a thriving market with arena troubles and Stern behaved so badly that they don't even miss the NBA anymore and instead support the WNBA better than many NBA teams. And then there's refball that dominated his entire reign. From the phantom "flagerant foul" to keep the Indiana Pacers out of the 1994 NBA Finals, to the blatant rigging of the 2002 WCF, to the forgotten rigging that marred the 2001 ECF, and countless other examples but as soon as the media started asking questions, Stern banned them all from all NBA arenas and TV. So let's recap, Stern rigged games, the freaking DRAFT, selectively enforced his drug policy to wreck specific teams, imposed a kinda sorta soft salary cap that was only enforced on smaller markets, (see how he destroyed the Minnesota Timberwolves in 2004,) alienated fans on every possible level, and destroyed entire franchises/markets. Still trying to see where the good outweighs the bad since Stern makes Roger Goodell look like Pete Roselle.
Kings vs lakers was the cleanest most fair playoffs game in the history of the NBA.. when mike Bibby used his head to harm Kobe's elbow the refs quickly called a foul on Bibby because they knew it was a dirty play, luckily kobe didn't hurt his elbow!
Game 6 was one of those games where it didn't matter if it did go to seven. It was that pain of inevitability that it was over. The 2002 Western Conference Finals, 2001 Eastern Conference Finals, and keeping Donald Sterling as owner of the Clippers make me f****** hate David Stern. I would have been okay with a Sacramento Kings vs New Jersey Nets NBA Finals.
@tylerriley2587 Exactly. As a die-hard Sacramento Kings fan myself, we should've won that series but since the NBA was worried about damn TV rating, and Tim Donaghy even said that it was in the NBA best interest to get the Lakers into the Finals
As a life long Kings fan it hurt to watch this video but the kind words are always appreciated. Not gonna dwell on the past while I'm tearing up so I agree with the last sentence. LIGHT THE DAMN BEAM 💜💜💜
AGREED.But,I do think the Kings were comparable to the Warriors,but,the Kings didn't play much defense earlier in their runs.Then they started to play more defense later on,but,before that,they just tried to out-score you.They had so many good shooters and passed the ball so well.There were no ball-hogs or drama-queens ( KOBE & Shaq ) LOL.
As a lifelong Kings fan you have no idea the feeling of pain and heartbreak following the game 7 loss in ‘02. Felt like the Kings outplayed the Lakers & to this day I’m still wondering how did they lose?
I'm a Lakers fan and ya besides game 1, the Kings outplayed the Lakers in every game and without that rigged game 6 and ofcourse that lucky Lakers comeback in game 4, they would have won series. They shot poorly from the line and threw up some bricks from 3 in game 7 though.
One thing that nobody ever mentions in this series is that Peja was hurt for most of it, and when he came back he was literally limping. If Peja was healthy, I don't think any amount of ref rigging could have saved the Lakers
Simple fact that 2002 was rigged, every real NBA fan just feels for Sacramento fans cause if that was your team you would hate the system too. Shaq and Kobe, love em to death they only have 2 earned championship to they name. It's sad the underdogs and the other guys of the era don't have the chip they should have as well. David Stern and just sucking off the Lakers, I swear
As a die-hard Sacramento Kings fan, we should've won that series and won the Finals that year but we got robbed in Game 6. I don't understand it. Why does it seem like when a small market team like my Sacramento Kings gets an average over a big market team like the Lakers in a playoff series but then the NBA and referees gonna try to do anything that they can to help the big market team either go to the Finals or go to the next round of the playoffs regardless
A small fact folks forget is that, in game 4, at the end of the first half, Samaki Walker “made” a shot at the buzzer, but the clock had already expired. Later, Horry’s shot gave them the 1-pt win, which wouldn’t have been possible without that earlier shot. Later, the NBA established the backboard lights to light at the end of quarters to help determine whether the ball was released on time.
I remember that very well. I also remember Howard Eisley hitting a Curry range 3 at the shot clock buzzer in game 6 of the 98 finals. The refs waved it off even though he clearly got it off in time. That series should have went 7. The NBA does a lot of scandalous stuff.
Thank you for bringing attention to this. There was a great youtube series detailing the way the NBA brass robbed the Kings but it was suspiciously removed from UA-cam. It was called The Greatest Tragedy In Sports and was better than most sports docs Ive seen
@@teachermang Yes Sir! On copyright claims. All the nba footage on youtube and of course they would copyright strike the video series that exposes them.
loved the video! would you guys consider covering the '06-'07 Phoenix Suns? I feel like that was another instance of bad officiating from the refs screwed over a team
It still hurts until this day. Being from Michigan we was rooting for webber and they killed the lakers. Even with all the cheating they was still winning without the refs the kings win in 6
Suggestion may be out of left field but how about the 80’s Bucks? They made the playoffs pretty much every year, won 60, 59 & 57 games in a season, and had one of the most underrated players of all time in Sidney Moncreif.
@@jmcook96 I can see your point. 94 was legit!!! I feel 96 GP and Kemp were in they prime surround by shooters. I can't remember if Perkins was there in 94
Defensive rules and pace of play are why the scoring was so low in the 90’s and early 2000’s. The superstars that averaged 25+ in this era were so impressive.
This is my Team. I’ve been a Kings Fan since the 80’s. Me and my buddy went at it during this series. He is a Lakers Fan. I swear he was Scared to Death and this was our best Chance to win a Chip at that Time. We had some Battles and some Ballers. We were Torching dudes on the Low for awhile then we made a Championship Run. 🫡🫡🫡 Forever a Rochester Royals / Sacramento Kings Fan
2003 was a better chance for Rick Adelman and the Greatest Show on Court era Sacramento Kings with a better and deeper team until Chris Webber tore his lateral meniscus in his knee against the Dallas Mavericks and it went downhill from there.
It's a third rate Gov't town. Come to Sac if you want to see some of the ugliest people in the US. The sweltering summer heat is the icing on the cake.
Sac is hot in the summer and that’s probably the worst thing about it. Really chill place, good people and passionate sports fans. It’s definitely slept on
Bibby arguably more underrated then peja shouldn't have shoved him to side like even white chocolate said the reason that team was able to go far was because he left he didn't make the chemistry as good
It's such a bummer that Webber got hurt. This team was a pure joy to watch as a basketball fan and they had such a short run with the screwjob WCF as their peak
I grew up in Chicago but lived in Citrus Heights during the 2001-2002 season. I was so, so impressed how much Sacramento and the surrounding areas love their Kings. The passion for basketball that town has completely amazed me. I found their love for the game very admirable. And even as a Bulls fan, I legit loved watching those Kings play. They had some of the best structurally sound poise/passing of any team I've ever seen. I believe they lost only two home games at the Arco Arena during that entire season. Absolutely robbed in the WCF.
The 2001-02 Sacramento Kings were 36-5 at Arco Arena 2 that season. That being said, the 2002-03 Kings were a better and deeper squad than the year before until Chris Webber tore his lateral meniscus in his knee against the Dallas Mavericks and it went all downhill from there.
Bibby was clutch as hell and they had some great moments and series and good ball movement but you do not win a championship with 1) Rick Adelman as your head coach and 2) with your nominally best player playing hot potato in the clutch moments - and let's be honest C-Webb was kinda a choker. so yeah... 2002 hurts the Kings fans and rightfully so, also don't forget they lost a crucial game to a Robert Horry game winning 3 at the buzzer, instead of going up 3-1... and that was all against a prime time Shaq/Kobe Lakers!!! Except the Blazers also taking it to 7 games, and the Spurs beating LAL in 2003 (when Horry missed a game winning 3!) and the Pistons in 2004 amidst Kobe/Shaq ever-growing drama, the Kings were clearly the biggest challenge in 2002. but also to be honest, despite some bad calls in game 6, they did have a game 7 at home to win it... and blew that game.
You Guys should talk about the 1994 Knicks in the next video. really great team that couldn’t get it done. This team was the last time my Knicks ever got the closest to winning a championship in that 90’s era
The game 6 of the 2002 is why I feel Shaq is way too obnoxious about him complaining of Nash beating him to the MVP vote; sure, you should have won that MVP award, but he should have one less ring and MPV finals if we are talking about fairness.
Would the Kings have gone on to win the finals had they beat the Lakers? That was a 7 game series where game 7 went to OT! The Lakers swept the Nets in the Finals so Yes! The Kings would've crushed the nets. In fact, when they played the nets in the following regular season they crushed them by like 30 or close to it. I remember RJ trying to laugh it of in the post game interview.
@@joesakic91 yeah, they were good that season too. I don't remember much about their playoff run but I remember Paul Pearce went off. They wouldn't have beaten the Lakers or the Kings had they met in the finals. Remember the western conference finals went down to the wire and the Lakers swept the Nets in the finals. The west was so much stronger back then.
As a Lakers fan, I find no fault in the 2002 WCF. Every single Lakers win in that series was 100% fair and un-assisted by the refs or David Stern. And Kobe did not foul Mike Bibby as Bibby's face was simply in the way of Kobe's elbow.
I saw in an Article of the King's Herald that Chris Webber tore his Cartilage in the Knee. But yeah brutal to see one of the best Players from that Era of Sacramento getting injured like this
This wasn't just the best team of 02. It was an all-time great team (like top 5 ever). That's why people are especially mad about the league robbing them for their Lakers marketing garbage.
Its not fair bro... I get so mad and cry when i watch these 💔💔💔 They worked hard for that spot and got robbed !!! We're the greatest show on the court. 1999-2002 Kings era was the best 💜💜💜
I would say the Malace at the Palace was the most controversial game in NBA history lol I loved dat Kings team tho maan, would like 2 see yall cover the Malace sometime in da future
Watching the game live on TV was insane, the whistle getting blown every few seconds was ridiculous. It was so biased it was ridiculous. I was watching it in a house of Lakers fans so i got told to shut up repeatedly.
@@joesakic91 that game the kings bounced back from. The kings choked and outplayed the lakers for the rest of that series considering context. Game 6 when they got robbed by officials is what cost them the series. Not 1 nice shot by big shot rob lol
@@cameronfowler2670 And despite the Lakers getting 40 free throw attempts to the Kings 25 in Game 6, guess who had more free throw attempts in the 2002 WCF? It was Sacramento with a 204-185 edge.
@@joesakic91 exactly. Sacramento was the better more physical and aggressive team that year and earned more FTs… that just proves more so that the Refs fixed game 6 lol
@@cameronfowler2670 The Kings still choked away their chances to win it all in 2002 by failing to make a few more plays. Game 4: the Kings blew a lead as high as 24 points and failed to win the race to 100 points and grab one rebound on the final play. Game 6: the Lakers were ice cool from the free throw line going 34 of 40 including 21 of 27 in the fourth quarter. Game 7: the Kings went 16 of 30 from the free throw line and 2 of 20 from downtown. The Kings blew it and have to suffer even more when other teams beat them to the punch for NBA titles and NBA Finals appearances since 2002 while they have a snakebitten hat trick of droughts.
hey guys just stumbled upon your videos on my light night nba youtube binge last night lmao and have to say i love your content keep it up def earned a sub from me can you do the 2012-2013 knicks man i still remember that roy hibbert block like it was yesterday smh
If the Sacramento Kings were to make the 2002 NBA Finals, the Boston Celtics have to be there. This has been going on in the NBA since 1980 where the Association has been accused of having big market teams and top-tier super/megastar players succeed often.
The best team that got robbed is more like it. The league didn't want a Kings vs Nets series. The Kings were the best TEAM that year. The Lakers had the two best players.
Kings may be contending for the title sooner. Wouldn't surprise me by next season or 2, maybe even earlier. Never underestimate what Kings can do especially when they are young, chemistry is there, influence of Mike Brown. Fox and Sabonis may be even better than last season. Their home record wasn't even great last season, but I do expect better home record this season possibly top 10. Golden 1 Center could be a nightmare place for any team.
Kings were the more loaded team that year… everyone knew it was Sac’s year to run a 💍… & if Webber never got hurt in 03’ vs the Mavs, they would’ve been the modern Warriors dynasty - back then in a tougher and more talented league…
Nothing would make more me happy to see the Kings win a championship. Even Warriors fan should root for SacTown. Watching the 2000s King was a Shakespearean tragedy, pun intended.
Despite the absolutely rigged game 6 the Kings STILL shot more free throws than the Lakers in the series overall. They had chances to win game 4 and 7 but failed.
Diehard laker fan here the love for Jason williams to me never made sense growing up it was clear the better GUARD was always Mike Bibby. It was never close, one was just flashy.
You guys should do one on the 2018 sixers. A really deep team and underrated all time. I think they had a legit shot at winning it all if Kawhis shot doesn’t bounce in
The series against the Lakers was the beginning of the slow slide out of NBA fandom for me. I kept watching for a long time after, but if there were a chart that showed my games/minutes watched you'd see a steady decline to 0. The superteam era and just a plethora of generally unlikable "stars" (Leflop, Never plays Harden, Simmons, so many others) and "analysts" finished what little was left. Haven't watched a game in several years now. Relegated to watching old games on UA-cam now when i need a sports fix
Then, you missed out on a lot of things including the Splash Brother era Golden State Warriors and a potential next dynasty in Nikola Jokic and the Denver Nuggets.
He couldn't let small town Sac Town play new jersey when LA vs Jersey (basically LA/NYC) brought crazier ratings......considering the NFL NY teams played in the same sports complex as the nets right outside NYC So he screwed SAC TOWN heavy that series......smh.......May the best team win is a joke apparently!
The Kings were the GSW Before GSW , they had a starting lineup of Bibby , Christie , Peja , Webber , Divac. This team was stacked with talent , after they were loss in the west finals. It was very controversial because of the refs favourite the Lakers.
I said the samething in a comment section: Kings were GSW before GSW. Kings had so many good shooters tho,especially with Petro and the other forward who came off the bench.Both guys were tall,could shoot,but,Hedo drove to the hoop a little more.
I seriously stopped watching NBA for years after this series. To me it felt like what's the point if they are just going to rig it for whoever they want to win?
What happened to the Kings is and was a complete travesty of a team that was so dominant in the regular and postseason getting screwed by the referees but by David Stern. I will always love basketball but what happened to this Kings team really took a chunk of my love for basketball out of my soul.
They were the best team in the NBA in 02 and 03 and couldn't get a ring out of it. It's upsetting to think about. At least things are looking up with the team they have now with Fox and Sabonis.
But look who Rick Adelman and the Greatest Show on Court era Sacramento Kings ran into: two of five NBA teams who have five or more NBA titles in the Los Angeles Lakers and San Antonio Spurs.
All Rick Adelman and the Greatest Show on Court era Sacramento Kings had to do was to make a few more plays and win either Games 4, 6, or 7 of the 2002 WCF against Phil Jackson, Shaq, Kobe, and the two-time defending NBA champion Los Angeles Lakers, but they failed when they lost all three of the those games. Now, the Kings have to suffer even more when other teams beat them to the punch for NBA titles and NBA Finals appearances since 2002 including the Lakers tacking on three more titles in 2009, 2010, 2020, the Dallas Mavericks, Milwaukee Bucks, and Denver Nuggets overcoming their heartbreaks to win it all, and even worse, their NorCal rival Golden State Warriors have a successful dynasty of their own. Meanwhile, the Sacramento Kings are still snakebitten since 1951 with a hat trick of the longest droughts in NBA history. As the late, great Dick Enberg once said, "Oh my!"
I've never seen an NBA team get robbed so blatantly. Kobe literally punched Mike Bibby in the face, and they called a foul on Mike Bibby
Bibby instigated it.🤷🏾♂️🤷🏾♂️🤷🏾♂️
@@teflonjohn4018hop off he’s dead homie 🚁 🏔 💥
@@teflonjohn4018he sure did.. he used his head to hit Kobe's elbow., What a dirty move by Bibby
@@JetEngine85bibby really broke the code by having his face there. can’t have that dirty play. pathetic
Yup, I watched that game and entire series live. I thought the refs were clearly attempting to manipulate the outcome of the game. That elbow by Kobe was such a dirty play and literally in front of the refs face. I believe Adam Silver understands the value small market teams bring to the league. The Kings really do have a great young core group of very talented guys. Coach Brown got them all to buy in all in. It’s a great thing to see. GO KINGS!!! LTMFB!!!!
The euphoria in Serbia was huge for the Kings. I remember as a kid waking up watching some of those games. We were all sad Peja and Vlade didn't win a title then but 20 years later Nikola Jokic gave as similar filing and won a title
Shout out to Novak on his 35th grand slam final!
Love their middle finger photo
That shows how close they were and how much they loved each other
And their defense was underrated they had some amazing defensive performances
Greeks claimed Peja then and still do along with Serbs. 2 nations that hated what happened in that series and to our guy.
Not even remotely close. Peja and Vlade brought us gold in 2002 .. joker is racing horses
@@Zigibau16 crazy hater energy my guy. That was 21 years ago, what did Jokic do wrong?
Stern gets romanticized for being this great Commissioner, but dude was a Tyrant, who obviously fixed certain "situations" for certain Teams, and Players. I'm sure that Team Picture played a role in Stern not wanting the Kings to go to the Finals. A lot of people watched and rooted for the Kings, so Ratings would NOT have been an issue.
Was saying it for years. I think Stern firmly believed the best way to build a league was promote rivalries and push dynasties. Hockey and Baseball thrives in the 70s because they had tremendous teams running the gambit for years. The NBA had eight different champions! Steen got lucky with the Celtics Lakers but I’m sure he loves the fact that only eight teams won titles during his entire reign. Plus you have to give him credit for kicking out the coke heads. Cocaine nearly sank baseball in the 80s.
@@theleap2946 So true about the coke-heads and cocaine ruining the nba's reputation and Stern doing something about it.
Stern was ok but mess that cp3 trade
@@theleap2946 The Lakers were the very first dynasty, and won several titles before anyone ever heard of Stern. So did the Celtics.
@@theleap2946 Stern's "achievements" are insanely overrated. For instance, the "before Stern the NBA Finals was on tape delay" myth happened for the last time in 1980. All other finals since have been live, a good 3 years before Stern's reign of terror.
The "he got the drugs out of basketball" myth is another interesting work of fiction. Notice that he only went after players on smaller market teams? (Phoenix, Milwaukee, and Golden State.) Meanwhile Bob McAdoo was coked out of his mind even during his Laker years but was never ONCE punished for it? Yeah, Stern went after a couple of cokeheads and set small market teams back years in the process while the drugs flowed like hot and cold running water in LA, Boston and NY.
Then there's the salary cap. Oh everyone talked about how GREAT it was for the sport, until Stern insisted on the Larry Bird rule being added at the 11th hour. The result was the haves and have nots being even further separated than they were before a salary cap was instituted.
Then of course there's the open rigging that is the NBA draft lottery. Ever notice that with 1-2 exceptions, when the small market teams DID win the lottery, it was in years where it was a horrible draft class? This thing was rigged for so long that the media was calling their shot successfully for literally decades at a time.
Then we get to how he handled Seattle. This was a thriving market with arena troubles and Stern behaved so badly that they don't even miss the NBA anymore and instead support the WNBA better than many NBA teams.
And then there's refball that dominated his entire reign. From the phantom "flagerant foul" to keep the Indiana Pacers out of the 1994 NBA Finals, to the blatant rigging of the 2002 WCF, to the forgotten rigging that marred the 2001 ECF, and countless other examples but as soon as the media started asking questions, Stern banned them all from all NBA arenas and TV.
So let's recap, Stern rigged games, the freaking DRAFT, selectively enforced his drug policy to wreck specific teams, imposed a kinda sorta soft salary cap that was only enforced on smaller markets, (see how he destroyed the Minnesota Timberwolves in 2004,) alienated fans on every possible level, and destroyed entire franchises/markets. Still trying to see where the good outweighs the bad since Stern makes Roger Goodell look like Pete Roselle.
Kings vs lakers was the cleanest most fair playoffs game in the history of the NBA.. when mike Bibby used his head to harm Kobe's elbow the refs quickly called a foul on Bibby because they knew it was a dirty play, luckily kobe didn't hurt his elbow!
That would've been a scary injury that would've derailed Kobe's career forever
That was-FUNNY !!! LOL. Very funny. LOL.
😂😂😂😂 man am dead
The refs didn't make the kings miss all those free throws in G7
Kings got robbed in game 6
Game 6 was one of those games where it didn't matter if it did go to seven. It was that pain of inevitability that it was over. The 2002 Western Conference Finals, 2001 Eastern Conference Finals, and keeping Donald Sterling as owner of the Clippers make me f****** hate David Stern. I would have been okay with a Sacramento Kings vs New Jersey Nets NBA Finals.
At least it would have been competitive. Stern was very business savy but he really started shitting the bed from the 2000s on.
@@alexhennigh5242 his dream matchup was this Lakers versus Lakers
That’s how I felt when Ray Allen hit the shot vs San Antonio. Spurs lost all momentum.
@@Hawkeyes319 😡......Don't mention that name....I would rather deal with chalk being destroyed across the board than see that shot.
@tylerriley2587 Exactly. As a die-hard Sacramento Kings fan myself, we should've won that series but since the NBA was worried about damn TV rating, and Tim Donaghy even said that it was in the NBA best interest to get the Lakers into the Finals
As a life long Kings fan it hurt to watch this video but the kind words are always appreciated. Not gonna dwell on the past while I'm tearing up so I agree with the last sentence. LIGHT THE DAMN BEAM 💜💜💜
agreed man. I hate even watching this shit lol
I can feel your pain and I'm not a Kings fan
Still not the BEST team to never win though.
As a Kings fan from the late 90s, it still hurts, but thanks for showing the team some love!
AGREED.But,I do think the Kings were comparable to the Warriors,but,the Kings didn't play much defense earlier in their runs.Then they started to play more defense later on,but,before that,they just tried to out-score you.They had so many good shooters and passed the ball so well.There were no ball-hogs or drama-queens ( KOBE & Shaq ) LOL.
@@powerbadpowerbad
And Webber was getting triple doubles and its hardly spoke on as a power forward
As a lifelong Kings fan you have no idea the feeling of pain and heartbreak following the game 7 loss in ‘02. Felt like the Kings outplayed the Lakers & to this day I’m still wondering how did they lose?
I'm a Lakers fan and ya besides game 1, the Kings outplayed the Lakers in every game and without that rigged game 6 and ofcourse that lucky Lakers comeback in game 4, they would have won series. They shot poorly from the line and threw up some bricks from 3 in game 7 though.
@@garrybrown2627 can’t disagree about game 1 or 7 but yeah I’ve always thought the Kings won that series 5-2
One thing that nobody ever mentions in this series is that Peja was hurt for most of it, and when he came back he was literally limping. If Peja was healthy, I don't think any amount of ref rigging could have saved the Lakers
Robert horry misses that 3 lakers lose in 5 but big shot bob with the splash
Game 5 could have gone either way too.
Simple fact that 2002 was rigged, every real NBA fan just feels for Sacramento fans cause if that was your team you would hate the system too.
Shaq and Kobe, love em to death they only have 2 earned championship to they name. It's sad the underdogs and the other guys of the era don't have the chip they should have as well. David Stern and just sucking off the Lakers, I swear
As a die-hard Sacramento Kings fan, we should've won that series and won the Finals that year but we got robbed in Game 6. I don't understand it. Why does it seem like when a small market team like my Sacramento Kings gets an average over a big market team like the Lakers in a playoff series but then the NBA and referees gonna try to do anything that they can to help the big market team either go to the Finals or go to the next round of the playoffs regardless
One time Stern was asked what his dream finals matchup would be? I'm not lying he said the Lakers VS Lakers. There's your proof why it's rigged
A small fact folks forget is that, in game 4, at the end of the first half, Samaki Walker “made” a shot at the buzzer, but the clock had already expired. Later, Horry’s shot gave them the 1-pt win, which wouldn’t have been possible without that earlier shot.
Later, the NBA established the backboard lights to light at the end of quarters to help determine whether the ball was released on time.
I remember that very well. I also remember Howard Eisley hitting a Curry range 3 at the shot clock buzzer in game 6 of the 98 finals. The refs waved it off even though he clearly got it off in time. That series should have went 7. The NBA does a lot of scandalous stuff.
Thank you for bringing attention to this. There was a great youtube series detailing the way the NBA brass robbed the Kings but it was suspiciously removed from UA-cam. It was called The Greatest Tragedy In Sports and was better than most sports docs Ive seen
whoa that got removed???
@@teachermang Yes Sir! On copyright claims. All the nba footage on youtube and of course they would copyright strike the video series that exposes them.
I loved watching that series, at least once a year I would watch it. Brought back so many good memories on this unbelievable unstoppable Kings team.
3:47 can we just take a second and acknowledge what an insane pass this was?
loved the video! would you guys consider covering the '06-'07 Phoenix Suns? I feel like that was another instance of bad officiating from the refs screwed over a team
Very funny, both these controversial western conference playoff series involve Robert Horry…
@@awc6007 oh yeah huh, what a neat little coincidence....
Inside job
@@name1146-x Yes, they are both western conference teams, hmm....
That was tough to relive. I was rooting for them against the Lakers.
Kings were so fun to watch. I was a huge CWebb fan!
I am loving this series so far! Keep up the good work!
I’m not a conspiracy theorist but that 2002 Western Conference game 6 is extremely fishy
Everybody knows it was rigged
as a lakers fan, i think i can confidently say: it's not a conspiracy. it's basically been confirmed to have been fixed.
It was rigged 💀 it wasn't just "fishy"
not a conspiracy, it's true
NBA rigged the game
It still hurts until this day. Being from Michigan we was rooting for webber and they killed the lakers. Even with all the cheating they was still winning without the refs the kings win in 6
Suggestion may be out of left field but how about the 80’s Bucks? They made the playoffs pretty much every year, won 60, 59 & 57 games in a season, and had one of the most underrated players of all time in Sidney Moncreif.
I second that
They were tough
I have the 93 Sun's and 96 Sonics up there also
@@dewanewelch1744 the 94 sonics were way better, imo. but ur allowed to have urs, so I respect it
@@jmcook96 I can see your point. 94 was legit!!! I feel 96 GP and Kemp were in they prime surround by shooters. I can't remember if Perkins was there in 94
Defensive rules and pace of play are why the scoring was so low in the 90’s and early 2000’s. The superstars that averaged 25+ in this era were so impressive.
anyone who avg in that era 25 ,today would avg 10 more ez
@@ziginaigrafacts
Way better game back then. A bucket was worth a lot more back then.
This is absurd I just met Doug Christe at Costco 4 days ago 😂😂😂
Apparently bro was gettin cucked by his wife back in the day
Bro I once saw Bobby Jackson at In N Out 😂
I went to pre school with Chocolate Thunder’s kid in Allentown, PAcand met him several times when he came to pick his kid up
This is my Team. I’ve been a Kings Fan since the 80’s.
Me and my buddy went at it during this series. He is a Lakers Fan.
I swear he was Scared to Death and this was our best Chance to win a Chip at that Time.
We had some Battles and some Ballers.
We were Torching dudes on the Low for awhile then we made a Championship Run.
🫡🫡🫡
Forever a Rochester Royals / Sacramento Kings Fan
Loved this video 🙌 you guys should do another one on the Derrick Rose era Bulls, that team was lethal when everybody was healthy
or the 2012 Thunder would also be a great video
Scott Pollard fouled out in 7 minutes, 6 fouls in 7 minutes!!!
Idk who doesn't talk about Peja. This guy legit made me shoot the ball
Great videos guys keep up the great work btw love the thumbnails
Thanks for keeping this light hearted because this life long kings fan has serious PTSD from this series. #lightthebeam
Peja is probably my favourite shooter ever, effortless
Except when it was clutch-time and mattered. Best practice shooter in league history.
I remember those Kings they should have gone to the Finals in 2002, and they would have won it too against the Nets
2003 was a better chance for Rick Adelman and the Greatest Show on Court era Sacramento Kings with a better and deeper team until Chris Webber tore his lateral meniscus in his knee against the Dallas Mavericks and it went downhill from there.
I’ve legit considered moving to Sacramento because I feel like the city in general might be slept on
Its pretty good, especially compared to other california cities
@@3alenciagaboots4th best city in CA, 5th best city west of the appalachians
It's a third rate Gov't town. Come to Sac if you want to see some of the ugliest people in the US. The sweltering summer heat is the icing on the cake.
Sac is hot in the summer and that’s probably the worst thing about it. Really chill place, good people and passionate sports fans. It’s definitely slept on
One of the best channels that’s keep me on UA-cam
Baffles me how you views and subs you have
I guess it means I caught this channel early
looking forward to seeing half-a-mil subs down the line
Should have won in 2003 (Webber injured knee in the playoffs) and 2004 (choked in the playoffs) as well.
Especially 2003 with a better and deeper team.
Son. C Webb was %100 That top of the line star for sac. Along with being a superb all-around team
Bibby arguably more underrated then peja shouldn't have shoved him to side like even white chocolate said the reason that team was able to go far was because he left he didn't make the chemistry as good
It's such a bummer that Webber got hurt. This team was a pure joy to watch as a basketball fan and they had such a short run with the screwjob WCF as their peak
If Webber doesn't get hurt, that would have been a interesting 2003 Western Conference Finals Kings vs Spurs.
Fantastic Video
I grew up in Chicago but lived in Citrus Heights during the 2001-2002 season.
I was so, so impressed how much Sacramento and the surrounding areas love their Kings. The passion for basketball that town has completely amazed me. I found their love for the game very admirable.
And even as a Bulls fan, I legit loved watching those Kings play.
They had some of the best structurally sound poise/passing of any team I've ever seen.
I believe they lost only two home games at the Arco Arena during that entire season.
Absolutely robbed in the WCF.
The 2001-02 Sacramento Kings were 36-5 at Arco Arena 2 that season.
That being said, the 2002-03 Kings were a better and deeper squad than the year before until Chris Webber tore his lateral meniscus in his knee against the Dallas Mavericks and it went all downhill from there.
I never even realized that Horry had no business being anywhere near the 3 point line in game 4. It really pisses me off now that I think about it. 😂
Thank Vlade for smacking that ball to him
Almost as heartbreaking as nick Anderson 4 missed free throws 😡
Bibby was clutch as hell and they had some great moments and series and good ball movement but you do not win a championship with 1) Rick Adelman as your head coach and 2) with your nominally best player playing hot potato in the clutch moments - and let's be honest C-Webb was kinda a choker.
so yeah... 2002 hurts the Kings fans and rightfully so, also don't forget they lost a crucial game to a Robert Horry game winning 3 at the buzzer, instead of going up 3-1... and that was all against a prime time Shaq/Kobe Lakers!!! Except the Blazers also taking it to 7 games, and the Spurs beating LAL in 2003 (when Horry missed a game winning 3!) and the Pistons in 2004 amidst Kobe/Shaq ever-growing drama, the Kings were clearly the biggest challenge in 2002.
but also to be honest, despite some bad calls in game 6, they did have a game 7 at home to win it... and blew that game.
C-Webb kinda a choker ??? Remember what he did in that Michigan championship game ??? LOL.
Don’t forget that CWebb was also a terrible defender and constantly sagged off Robert Horry which led to his game winning in game 4.
You Guys should talk about the 1994 Knicks in the next video. really great team that couldn’t get it done. This team was the last time my Knicks ever got the closest to winning a championship in that 90’s era
I became a Kings fan by accident around this time. I just watched the playoffs and thought their team was super solid and enjoyable.
The game 6 of the 2002 is why I feel Shaq is way too obnoxious about him complaining of Nash beating him to the MVP vote; sure, you should have won that MVP award, but he should have one less ring and MPV finals if we are talking about fairness.
Good point
Would the Kings have gone on to win the finals had they beat the Lakers? That was a 7 game series where game 7 went to OT! The Lakers swept the Nets in the Finals so Yes! The Kings would've crushed the nets. In fact, when they played the nets in the following regular season they crushed them by like 30 or close to it. I remember RJ trying to laugh it of in the post game interview.
How about the Celtics in 2002?
@@joesakic91 yeah, they were good that season too. I don't remember much about their playoff run but I remember Paul Pearce went off. They wouldn't have beaten the Lakers or the Kings had they met in the finals. Remember the western conference finals went down to the wire and the Lakers swept the Nets in the finals. The west was so much stronger back then.
It hurts every time I watch anything to do with game six. I was so hyped for the Kings. Hell, I even got to go to game five.
Oh my god how was that atmosphere??
@@teachermang It was one of the most incredible crowd experience I have ever been a part of it.
As a Lakers fan, I find no fault in the 2002 WCF. Every single Lakers win in that series was 100% fair and un-assisted by the refs or David Stern. And Kobe did not foul Mike Bibby as Bibby's face was simply in the way of Kobe's elbow.
Thats a good joke
@@danielkarcis1174 Pedowitz report is legit.
I saw in an Article of the King's Herald that Chris Webber tore his Cartilage in the Knee. But yeah brutal to see one of the best Players from that Era of Sacramento getting injured like this
This wasn't just the best team of 02. It was an all-time great team (like top 5 ever). That's why people are especially mad about the league robbing them for their Lakers marketing garbage.
the 03 Kings team was even more talented, it’s a shame C-Webb went down in the playoffs
And deeper.
Chris Webber should have won the 2003 MVP also
Its not fair bro... I get so mad and cry when i watch these 💔💔💔 They worked hard for that spot and got robbed !!! We're the greatest show on the court. 1999-2002 Kings era was the best 💜💜💜
You mean, 1999-2003 Kings. The 2003 Kings were arguably a better and deeper team until Chris Webber tore his lateral meniscus in his knee.
I would say the Malace at the Palace was the most controversial game in NBA history lol I loved dat Kings team tho maan, would like 2 see yall cover the Malace sometime in da future
Watching the game live on TV was insane, the whistle getting blown every few seconds was ridiculous. It was so biased it was ridiculous. I was watching it in a house of Lakers fans so i got told to shut up repeatedly.
Kings bodies and minds were beaten up by game 7. The league left them to die and they still made it a game. Broken bones and bad calls & all 💜 👑
Game 4 of the 2002 WCF was more of a killer for the Kings.
@@joesakic91 that game the kings bounced back from. The kings choked and outplayed the lakers for the rest of that series considering context. Game 6 when they got robbed by officials is what cost them the series. Not 1 nice shot by big shot rob lol
@@cameronfowler2670 And despite the Lakers getting 40 free throw attempts to the Kings 25 in Game 6, guess who had more free throw attempts in the 2002 WCF? It was Sacramento with a 204-185 edge.
@@joesakic91 exactly. Sacramento was the better more physical and aggressive team that year and earned more FTs… that just proves more so that the Refs fixed game 6 lol
@@cameronfowler2670 The Kings still choked away their chances to win it all in 2002 by failing to make a few more plays.
Game 4: the Kings blew a lead as high as 24 points and failed to win the race to 100 points and grab one rebound on the final play.
Game 6: the Lakers were ice cool from the free throw line going 34 of 40 including 21 of 27 in the fourth quarter.
Game 7: the Kings went 16 of 30 from the free throw line and 2 of 20 from downtown.
The Kings blew it and have to suffer even more when other teams beat them to the punch for NBA titles and NBA Finals appearances since 2002 while they have a snakebitten hat trick of droughts.
Ugh. Lived in and around SAC my whole life. Sometimes I just pretend we won in 02. Lakers never 3-peated because it wasn't earned.
hey guys just stumbled upon your videos on my light night nba youtube binge last night lmao and have to say i love your content keep it up def earned a sub from me can you do the 2012-2013 knicks man i still remember that roy hibbert block like it was yesterday smh
Appreciate the love for the kings
Loved my Kings, David Stern is the reason why I don’t have a favorite team anymore. It’s all business.
If the Sacramento Kings were to make the 2002 NBA Finals, the Boston Celtics have to be there.
This has been going on in the NBA since 1980 where the Association has been accused of having big market teams and top-tier super/megastar players succeed often.
They also never mentioned that Peja won the 3 point competition 2 years in a row. 02' and 03'
Light the beam ❤ . Love you guys content .
The best team that got robbed is more like it. The league didn't want a Kings vs Nets series. The Kings were the best TEAM that year. The Lakers had the two best players.
A Lakers-Celtics 2002 NBA Final would've been better.
Kings may be contending for the title sooner. Wouldn't surprise me by next season or 2, maybe even earlier. Never underestimate what Kings can do especially when they are young, chemistry is there, influence of Mike Brown. Fox and Sabonis may be even better than last season. Their home record wasn't even great last season, but I do expect better home record this season possibly top 10. Golden 1 Center could be a nightmare place for any team.
I'm also a Kings fan, our biggest threats imo are the Warriors, & especially Nuggets, what's the response?
@@ThePrescriber perhaps they are the biggest threat. Don't forget the Suns.
I’ll never understand why they traded Peja away at all and especially for Ron Artest
Kings were the more loaded team that year… everyone knew it was Sac’s year to run a 💍… & if Webber never got hurt in 03’ vs the Mavs, they would’ve been the modern Warriors dynasty - back then in a tougher and more talented league…
2003 was a better chance in my opinion with a deeper squad.
@@joesakic91 Webber got hurt in 03’… you aren’t seeing the math
@@joesakic91 I would agree if the Kings most talented player back then wasn’t limping into fourth quarters
Scott Pollard is the image that pops into my head when I think of Trevor Philips making it into the NBA.
They were robbed so bad, that it's a wound will never heal on Sacramento, what impress me the most is that the fans didn't riot like crazy
You guys really need to do a deep dive on the late 90s-early 2000s JailBlazers teams. I f*@%#ing loved those teams.
nice vid
David Stern rolling in his grave as we speak
life long laker fan. shameful how Stern influenced the finals. Kings deserved to win the title
That Kings with Webber, Peja, Bibby, Divac, Christie, Jackson should have won that year!
But they didn't because they weren't good enough.
Should have won in 2003 (Webber injured knee in the playoffs) and 2004 (choked in the playoffs) as well.
Ah love watching short entertaining sports vids.
How is Webber not in the HOF? He was a really special player.
I believe it's because of the scandal he was part when he played for Michigan unfortunately
He is in the HOF.
@@johndebono1870 really? cool.
@@luther1546 Yeah, he was in the 2021 class with Bosh and Ben Wallace.
He's in and gave a hell of a HOF speech
Kings video. love it
Others: kobe elbowed mike bibby
All Lakers fans: nah, mike bibby hit the elbow of black mamba with his head. And flopped
LIGHT THE BEAM!!!🗣️🗣️🗣️🟪🟪🟪
I was at game 7, it was so tragic
Nothing would make more me happy to see the Kings win a championship. Even Warriors fan should root for SacTown. Watching the 2000s King was a Shakespearean tragedy, pun intended.
The Los Angeles Refers were just better
No, they wanted the series to go to seven for money and ratings They were acting in the NBA interest that night in game six
One of the best teams to never make an NBA Finals appearance.
Despite the absolutely rigged game 6 the Kings STILL shot more free throws than the Lakers in the series overall. They had chances to win game 4 and 7 but failed.
Diehard laker fan here the love for Jason williams to me never made sense growing up it was clear the better GUARD was always Mike Bibby. It was never close, one was just flashy.
Playing the worlds smallest violin for the 02 kings
Forgot to mention the Kings missed like 13 free throws in game 7 if they make their free throws they win
You guys should do one on the 2018 sixers. A really deep team and underrated all time. I think they had a legit shot at winning it all if Kawhis shot doesn’t bounce in
2019
@@therealjaystone23442018-2019
Or if the refs call Kawhi's travelling.
The series against the Lakers was the beginning of the slow slide out of NBA fandom for me.
I kept watching for a long time after, but if there were a chart that showed my games/minutes watched you'd see a steady decline to 0.
The superteam era and just a plethora of generally unlikable "stars" (Leflop, Never plays Harden, Simmons, so many others) and "analysts" finished what little was left.
Haven't watched a game in several years now. Relegated to watching old games on UA-cam now when i need a sports fix
Then, you missed out on a lot of things including the Splash Brother era Golden State Warriors and a potential next dynasty in Nikola Jokic and the Denver Nuggets.
He couldn't let small town Sac Town play new jersey when LA vs Jersey (basically LA/NYC) brought crazier ratings......considering the NFL NY teams played in the same sports complex as the nets right outside NYC
So he screwed SAC TOWN heavy that series......smh.......May the best team win is a joke apparently!
this squad was nice, Legendary Squad, the west was deep at the time too
The Kings were the GSW Before GSW , they had a starting lineup of Bibby , Christie , Peja , Webber , Divac.
This team was stacked with talent , after they were loss in the west finals.
It was very controversial because of the refs favourite the Lakers.
I said the samething in a comment section: Kings were GSW before GSW. Kings had so many good shooters tho,especially with Petro and the other forward who came off the bench.Both guys were tall,could shoot,but,Hedo drove to the hoop a little more.
Difference is, the Splash Brother era Golden State Warriors have titles to go along with their unselfish team basketball.
I seriously stopped watching NBA for years after this series. To me it felt like what's the point if they are just going to rig it for whoever they want to win?
If that was the case, the Lakers and Celtics would've had 20+ NBA titles by now.
Stern really was the Vince McMahon of the NBA he screwed the Sacramento Kings out of a NBA Championship and a ring
Nah. The Kings did it to themselves.
The reflection from Bibby’s head is the OG beam
It's well known that the NBA always fixed games for the Lakers since the beginning of time and this was just another example.
You do know that the Lakers aren't the only ones who went to the NBA Finals often since 1980.
What happened to the Kings is and was a complete travesty of a team that was so dominant in the regular and postseason getting screwed by the referees but by David Stern. I will always love basketball but what happened to this Kings team really took a chunk of my love for basketball out of my soul.
Then, you missed out on other chunks.
96 Sonics next? 👀
Here we go blame on the ref video
They were the best team in the NBA in 02 and 03 and couldn't get a ring out of it. It's upsetting to think about. At least things are looking up with the team they have now with Fox and Sabonis.
But look who Rick Adelman and the Greatest Show on Court era Sacramento Kings ran into: two of five NBA teams who have five or more NBA titles in the Los Angeles Lakers and San Antonio Spurs.
All Rick Adelman and the Greatest Show on Court era Sacramento Kings had to do was to make a few more plays and win either Games 4, 6, or 7 of the 2002 WCF against Phil Jackson, Shaq, Kobe, and the two-time defending NBA champion Los Angeles Lakers, but they failed when they lost all three of the those games.
Now, the Kings have to suffer even more when other teams beat them to the punch for NBA titles and NBA Finals appearances since 2002 including the Lakers tacking on three more titles in 2009, 2010, 2020, the Dallas Mavericks, Milwaukee Bucks, and Denver Nuggets overcoming their heartbreaks to win it all, and even worse, their NorCal rival Golden State Warriors have a successful dynasty of their own.
Meanwhile, the Sacramento Kings are still snakebitten since 1951 with a hat trick of the longest droughts in NBA history.
As the late, great Dick Enberg once said, "Oh my!"
4:14 iverson wouldnt work in this era? as if there isnt a lot of iso player in the league rn 🤔
The only screwjob worse than this is Montreal in 97'!
Or the Rams and Saints in the 2018 NFC Championship Game