Many people like watching sports that are live without so-called hinderances like “not knowing what the results are already” “being played by players that aren’t retired and/or dead” and “in high definition on Television and not uploaded onto YouTube off of some guy’s VCR rip.” And to that I say: suit yourself!
For me, one of the magical elements of the COVID era of sports is the beauty of rediscovering, or, in many cases, discovering for the first time, classic sporting events online. The combination of nostalgia, completionism, Learning About The History of the Game, and a healthy dose of Guy Remembering has made the process eminently enjoyable, so much so that I have decided to share it with the world in this new series.
Plus, all these games have fans in the stands! What a throwback.
To kick off our blog, I went back and visited one of the most controversial series in NBA history: The 2002 NBA Western Conference Finals.
The Date
June 2, 2002
The Game
2002 Western Conference Finals Game 7 – Sacramento Kings vs. Los Angeles Lakers
Background
The 2002 Western Conference Finals matchup between the Kings and Lakers was marred by terrible officiating, but was also one of the most competitive and dramatic matchups ever.
The Lakers, of course, entered the 2001-02 season going for a historic three-peat behind Shaquille O’Neal and Kobe Bryant.
The Kings, meanwhile, were owners of the top seed in the West after winning 61 games. Led by dominant power forward Chris Webber, the Kings were an extremely fun, deep team that also featured shot-making point guard Mike Bibby, crafty center Vlade Divac and sharpshooter Peja Stojakovic.
With the Kings up 2-1 in the series, Robert “Big Shot Bob” Horry’s famous 3 at the buzzer gave the Lakers life in Game 4, evening up the series at two games apiece.
Not to be outdone, Bibby hit a game-winner of his own in Game 5, putting the Kings on the brink of their first NBA Finals appearance.
That brings us to Game 6, which is one of the blackest marks in NBA history. Needing a win to stave off elimination on their home court, the Lakers outshot the Kings at the foul line 40-25, including a whopping 27 free throw attempts in the fourth quarter of what ended up being a 106-102 Lakers win.
In later years, the game would be at the center of the Tim Donaghy crooked referee scandal, where the disgraced official stated that officials “made up calls” against the Kings to try to help ensure the series would go seven games.
One of the most infamous moments occurred in the game’s closing moments, when Bryant elbowed Bibby in the face, only for Bibby to be assessed a foul, leading to two Bryant free throws.
Nevertheless, Sacramento still had a golden opportunity to clinch an NBA Finals appearance on their home court in Game 7.
Have I seen this game before?
Almost assuredly yes. The NBA’s post-Jordan years are at a peak for my watching nostalgia, as I was too young to appreciate the 90s era. But anything from 2000-2003, especially NBA on NBC was must-see viewing for my young self. Plus, Roundball Rock!!
What else was going on in the world on 6/2/02?
The number one song in America in it’s first week on top of the charts, is this Certified Bop.
“White Chicks” somewhat memeified “A Thousand Miles,” but it’s as good of a standalone song from the Early 2000s Singer/Songwriter genre as you’re going to find.
Vanessa Carlton’s hit supplanted Pink’s “Don’t Let Me Get Me,” from the top of the charts, which, if you had asked me the year of release previously, I would have said like, 2008. Every Pink song after “Get This Party Started” sounds like it could legitimately be from any year between 2001-2015.
The No. 1 movie in America was something called “The Sum of All Fears” starring Ben Affleck and Morgan Freeman, which apparently is a real movie. Behind that was “The Devine Secrets of the Ya-Ya Sisterhood” (??) and “Star Wars Episode II: Attack of the Clones.” Believe it or not, 2002 was not the peak of cinema.
The pilot episode of “The Wire,” which I have also recently seen, debuted on this night on HBO.
What Happened In The Game?
As evidenced by the fact that this series went the full seven games, these two teams were about as evenly matched as you can get, and it remained that way for much of Game 7 with neither team ever fully taking control.
The Kings held a narrow two-point lead at halftime and looked like they had momentum early in the third as the Lakers came out flat. Sacramento upped their lead to as many as nine.
However, the Lakers battled back with almost all of their offense coming from either Shaq or Kobe. Shaq’s mere size and strength made a huge difference, as Vlade Divac ended up fouling out of the game late in the fourth quarter. But Shaq’s reputation as a dreadful free throw shooter did not follow him, as he shockingly ended up going 11-15 from the charity stripe in the game.
Entering the 4th quarter, the teams remained largely even with the Kings leading by only one, and it remained tight entering the game’s final minutes.
After Bibby put the Kings on top 94-93 with under two minutes to play, Big Shot Bob struck again with a massive 3-pointer to give the Lakers a two-point lead.
After a Divac put-back and Bryant making one of two free throws on the other end, the Lakers held a 97-96 lead with under a minute to play when Bibby once again responded. Playing in one of the best games of his life, the Kings’ point guard gave his team the lead with a jumper with 38 seconds to go.
But on the other end, the Kings’ decision not to double Kobe in the post led to a foul on Doug Christie, and two more free throws from the late Bryant to give the Lakers a one-point edge.
What followed that is one of the most infamous moments from this game. On the ensuing possession, Hedo Turkoglu penetrated into the teeth of the defense and kicked it out to a wide open Stojakovic, one of the best shooters in NBA history.
Then this happened.
Thankfully for the Kings, Shaq made only one of two free throws off the rebound, giving them life on their final possession. Bryant attempted to deny Bibby the ball on a handoff, but generated too much contact sending Bibby to the line, where he calmly sank the two biggest freebies of his life.
On the final play of regulation, the Kings forced Shaq into a tough shot and an Horry tip-in attempt was off the mark — and — for the first time ever — Game 7 of a Conference Finals game was headed to overtime.
In the extra session, the teams traded buckets until O’Neal hit two huge free throws to give the Lakers the lead once again with just under 1:30 to play, and they never looked back.
After Webber tied the game at 106, the Kings’ final possessions looked like this:
- Bibby missed jumper
- Turkoglu turnover
- Christie missed jumper
- Webber missed 3
- Christie turnover
The Lakers would go on to win 112-106, ending the Kings’ season in heartbreaking fashion.
Who was the star of the game?
It’s Shaq, who went for 35 points and 13 boards, including his aforementioned outstanding performance from the line. After Divac fouled out, the Kings tried to stick Webber on the Big Diesel instead of subbing in Scot Pollard, and it did not work, at all.
Who was the goat?
Doug Christie. Although his primary objective was to match up defensively against Kobe, the Kings’ shooting guard was a huge liability offensively, going 2-11. But none of his nine misses were bigger than when he decided to jack one up in OT with the Kings down only 2 with 20 seconds to go.
It was… not close.
What was the deciding factor?
The Kings had every opportunity to win this game, but one area in particular that ensured their fate was their performance from the free throw line.
Overall, Sacramento shot only 16-30, and Divac and Turkoglu made only 6 of their 14 combined attempts.
What else surprised me from this game?
Bill Walton’s commentary, which was a far cry from his modern day Basketball Hippie persona.
Walton was terse and extremely critical of both the players and coaches, even coming across as a little mean at times. One would have to imagine Walton was still just finding his voice as a broadcaster, and didn’t yet have the clout to ignore some random Pac-12 matchup for 15 minutes to discuss the best bike trails in Napa Valley or whatever, but it was still jarring.
Commercial of the Game
Big shouts to YouTube user Existent David, who’s VCR rip of this game also included dozens of glorious 2002 commercials. Some of my favorites included trailers for cinema classics like “Signs” and “Like Mike,” a Britney Spears-Austin Powers Pepsi spot, and Circuit City reminding me it once existed.
However, nothing screams early 2000s advertising quite like Coors Light’s “And Twins” ad, which has aged … poorly, but is still extremely catchy.
I too love burritos at 4 a.m my man! So relatable.
Let’s Remember A Guy
Today we remember the great Samaki Walker, who checked in for a whole two minutes and six seconds in the first half to give poor Shaq a quick breather, only to immediately be called for traveling as soon as he touched the ball while recording no other stats in the game.
Walker carved out a career for himself as a backup big despite being not that big (6-foot-9) or seemingly good at any observable basketball skills. His best season came in his second year in the league in 1997-98 where he averaged 8.9 points and 7.4 rebounds in around 25 minutes for an atrocious Mavs team.
Despite his inability to ever find a starting role for himself, Walker managed to hang around the league for 10 seasons, last playing for Indiana in 2005-06.
The Aftermath
The Lakers, of course, would go on to dominate the Nets in the NBA Finals, capturing the three-peat despite their locker room troubles. It would be the last title of the Kobe-Shaq era in L.A., though both would win titles without their most famous co-star later in their careers.
As for the Kings, this was their last, best shot at a title with their 2000s core. They returned to the postseason the following season, but fell in a classic series against Dirk Nowitzki and the Mavs in the second round. They gave it another crack in 2003-04, but lost in the conference semis again, this time to Kevin Garnett and the Minnesota Timberwolves. Webber was traded to the Sixers during the 2004-05 season, and the hope of a Bibby-Webber-Peja core ever capturing a title were gone.
The franchise has not returned to the postseason since 2006.
Thanks for reading the debut edition of Let’s Remember Some Games. Got a classic game you want me to remember? Let me know in the comments! I’m open to any and all sports, as long as there is staticky full version of it uploaded to YouTube.
The One Who Knocks 