The Greatest Show on Court, Sacramento had enthused casual fans and NBA junkies alike since 1999 with legendary assistant coach Pete Carril’s Princeton offense that produced a unique combination of flash and fundamentals. “There’s no question in my mind that we were the better team.” Pollard was a reserve power forward and center for the Kings, a bleach blonde energizer known as much for his candor as for his rebounding. "If we get to re-rack that series, the Kings beat the Lakers 99 out of 100 times in a seven-games series,” former Sacramento player Scot Pollard said in a phone interview. “League-preferred” being, of course, the result that generates the most revenue. “But the referees/league didn’t allow the better team to win.”ĭonaghy, a convicted felon for betting on games he officiated and who Stern has insisted was a lone “rogue official” whose claims about other referees can’t be taken seriously, has written at length about the ways he says officials influence games, often to help produce a league-preferred result. “Sacramento had the best team in the league,” former NBA referee Tim Donaghy wrote in an email interview about the series. Two games were decided in the final seconds, and the climactic Game 7 went into overtime. The Shaquille O’Neal and Kobe Bryant-led Lakers were the defending NBA champions, while the Kings, with star Chris Webber and a superb supporting cast, seemed poised for a breakthrough. Years of consecutive playoff matches bred fierce competition between the players, and palpable hatred between their fans. A decade later, it remains the first piece of evidence for anyone building a case that the NBA is rigged. This year’s playoffs added a dubious and crucial non-call benefitting the Miami Heat in their Eastern Conference matchup against the Boston Celtics to the conspiracy canon.īut the mother ship of NBA conspiracy theories remains Game 6 of the classic 2002 Western Conference Finals between the defending champion Los Angeles Lakers and the upstart Sacramento Kings. In a league where savvy bettors consider which referees are assigned to a game, everything from the Patrick Ewing lottery, to Michael Jordan’s first retirement (or was it a suspension?), to Dwyane Wade’s record-setting parade to the free throw line in the 2006 NBA Finals has earned a cloud of suspicion. The Kings were involved in the following transactions from June 14, 2002, the day after the deciding game of the 2002 Stanley Cup Finals, through June 9, 2003, the day of the deciding game of the 2003 Stanley Cup Finals.The NBA has birthed more conspiracy theories than Roswell. Stats reflect time with the Kings only.Īwards and records Awards Type ‡ = Left team via a transaction (e.g., trade, waivers, release) during the season.† = Joined team via a transaction (e.g., trade, waivers, signing) during the season.Position abbreviations: C = Center D = Defense G = Goaltender LW = Left wing RW = Right wing.Win (2 points) Loss (0 points) Tie (1 point) Overtime loss (1 point) January 22, Mighty Ducks of Anaheim ( 2002–03) November 14, Vancouver Canucks ( 2002–03) November 9, Montreal Canadiens ( 2002–03) Schedule and results 2002–03 regular season Z – Clinched Conference Y – Clinched Division X – Clinched Playoff spot Western Conference Rĭivisions: PA – Pacific, CE – Central, NW – Northwest Note: CR = Conference rank GP = Games played W = Wins L = Losses T = Ties OTL = Overtime loss GF = Goals for GA = Goals against Pts = Pointsīolded teams qualified for the playoffs. The Kings tied the Detroit Red Wings, New Jersey Devils and Washington Capitals for the fewest short-handed goals allowed, with just four.
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