I F****** knew it!

I almost never blog about sports, other than track and field, but this must be mentioned. I was just checking Drudge, when I noticed a little headline:

CLAIM: Refs fixed NBA playoff series, other games....

My first thought was that it must be the 2002 Western Conference Finals between the Kings and the Lakers. I have lived in Sacramento since 1998. I became a big Kings fan after about a year of living here; this was just when the Kings were sorta kinda starting to get good. By 2002, they were on the top of their game, and by June of that year, they were facing a stellar Lakers squad that included Kobe Bryant, Shaquille O'Neal, Robert Horry, and Derek Fisher. The series went to Game 7, and it was obvious that the referees were doing everything they could to help the Lakers win. Kings coach Rick Adelman even got in hot water for basically saying as much after the game. The Kings had come within a hair's breadth of making it to the NBA Finals where they would have dismantled the New Jersey Nets. Instead, they went home as the Pacific Conference Champions.

Sacramento has always lamented the loss of that 2002 series, and we have always muttered that the fix was in. For this muttering, we have been called whiners and sore losers and such.

So, when I clicked on the Drudge link, guess which playoff series turned out to be the one that was allegedly fixed? Yep. There is little that can be done now, six years later; you can't go back and play the games over. However, hopefully this can put to rest the notion that Sacramento was just whining about the horrible officiating. We wuz robbed!

Ever since the 2003 season, I haven't followed the Kings very much. Over the ensuing years, the members of the 2002 squad either retired or were traded away. To me, the Sacramento Kings will always be Vlade Divac, Mike Bibby, Peja Stojakovic, Doug Christie, and Chris Webber, with Bobby Jackson as their sixth man. Without them, I can't imagine the Kings with any other players.

Good Day to You, Sir