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This week’s theme at SB Nation is “Sports moments that made you cry.” Sacramento Kings fans have suffered through a lot of downs over the years, so let’s kick it off with a happy moment.
The best stretch in recent Kings’ history came during early years of the century. With Chris Webber, Peja Stojakovic, Mike Bibby and Vlade Divac leading the way, Sacramento became one of the best franchises in the NBA
During the 2001-02 season, the Kings were setting the league on fire, running their opponents out of the gym. That Sactown squad won a franchise-record 61 games, and advanced to the Western Conference Finals against the Los Angeles Lakers.
With the series tied at 2-2, the Kings trailed the Lakers 91-90 with 11.4 seconds to go in a pivotal Game 5 when this happened:
I remember jumping up and down while watching with four of my friends, with one of them being a Lakers fan. He reminded that there were still 8 seconds left, which brought me back down to earth a little bit. When Kobe Bryant missed at the buzzer, I was convinced the Kings were winning it all.
Although the steaks weren’t nearly as high, Bibby also hit back-to-back buzzer beating game winners in March of 2005.
On the flip side, my saddest moment came less than a year later when Chris Webber injured his knee during the 2003 playoffs. I wrote about that two weeks ago, and I remember how deflated I felt the rest of the night, knowing the Kings’ chances at a championship went out the window.
What is you happiest and saddest moment as a Kings fan?
On to some more links:
Do the Kings need another big man? John Hollinger of The Athletic suggested a trade that would send Harrison Barnes to the Philadelphia 76ers for Al Horford.
What is the biggest error the Kings have made over the last 20 years? Bleacher Report’s Greg Swartz made a list of each NBA team’s biggest mistake since 2000, and focused on Sacramento’s draft picks.
Which are the five greatest teams in Kings history? Clutch Points’ Ashish Mathur gives his list of the best five Sacramento squads.
From around the NBA:
We still don’t know the format the NBA will use for a potential return to play. The New York Post’s Joseph Staszewski says the Zion Williamson factor is playing a huge role in the league’s decision, which could help the Kings.