When the kings lost game 6 of the 2002 western conference finals to the lakers, sacramento fans and a lot of the national media. In one of the most controversial playoff series in nba history, the twotime defending champion lakers defeated the kings in 7 games to advance to their third straight nba finals appearance and. During his career in the nba, donaghy officiated in 772 regular season games and 20 playoff games. The three that we rank as the most important are game 7 of the 2000 western conference finals, game 6 of the 2002 western conference finals and game 5 of the 2006 nba finals. The kings are coming off of a 20point blowout to the utah jazz, so they should be well rested. It stared back at me, with its big doofy bald head and oversized xxxxl lakers number 34 jersey. Exreferee says 2002 nba playoff was rigged a former referee at the center of a gambling scandal has alleged that nba referees rigged a 2002 playoff series to. Has there ever been proof that a sports game was rigged. Sacramento kings 2002 nba world champions home facebook.
See also other dates, venues, and schedules for the lakers vs. The sacramento kings clinched the best record in the nba, and earned home court. Shaquille oneal was named nba finals mvp for the second straight year. Think about it you guys, why would the nba not want the sacramento kings the most exciting team in the league at that time to be in the nba finals. This year a lot of games came down to the wire in all three leagues. Lakers game 6 2002 wcf im sure many of you know why this game is infamous, its the game by far most referenced when talking about nba game rigging or suspicious reffing. A decade later, it remains the first piece of evidence for anyone building a case that the nba is rigged. When the kings lost game 6 of the 2002 western conference finals to the lakers, sacramento fans and a lot of the national media immediately thought something was up. Allegations have long existed that game 6 of the 2002 western conference finals between the lakers and kings was fixed. Dec 19, 2011 this upcoming nba season marks the 10 year anniversary of the greatest tragedy in sports history.
Diehard laker fan ryan and lifelong kings fan zack pore over the footage and details, in an attempt to settle it once and for all. Jun 12, 2008 exreferee says 2002 nba playoff was rigged a former referee at the center of a gambling scandal has alleged that nba referees rigged a 2002 playoff series to force it to seven games. Two games were decided on game winning shots and game 7 was decided in overtime. Nfl, nba and mlb viewership were on a downward spiral. That series my friend is the 2007 suns vs spurs matchup. When the kings and lakers clashed in the 2002 western conference finals, many felt that the nba itself rigged. The nba is the most rigged product in the world utah should of never won game 5. The 2002 nba playoffs were the postseason tournament of the national basketball.
A disgraced ref, the fbi, and the kingslakers 2002. The referee, tim donaghy now banned from working, told the nba that yes, the referees were rigging game 6, to give way to a game 7. Lakers shaquille oneal attempts a free throw despite the distraction from the trailblazer fans in g wally skalij contributorgetty images male watching sports match on television, hands raised. Sep 29, 2018 when the kings lost game 6 of the 2002 western conference finals to the lakers, sacramento fans and a lot of the national media immediately thought something was up. The 2002 western conference finals is widely regarded as one of the best series in nba playoff history, with the last four games coming down to the final seconds. Why does everyone say the lakers 2002 championship was rigged. Lakers kings game 6 by roland beech, founder theres been a lot of talk about this next game. A former referee at the center of a gambling scandal has alleged that nba referees rigged a 2002 playoff series to force it to seven games. What if robert horry missed lakers gamewinner in game 4 of the 2002 western conference finals duration. It barked in my face and shouted defiantly, almost as though it had actually, legitimately won something. What really happened in game 6 lakers vs kings 2002 wcf finals.
The frozen envelope and the 5 best sports conspiracy theories. Seatgeek is the largest ticket hub on the web which means your chances are increased at finding the right tickets at the right price lets go. Hackashaq, inconsistent officiating, poisoned room service, and the road to the last threepeat. David stern has rigged hundreds of games in his 24 years in office. This upcoming nba season marks the 10 year anniversary of the greatest tragedy in sports history. When the kings lost game 6 of the 2002 western conference finals to the lakers, sacramento fans and a lot of the national media immediately thought something. According to oddsmakers from online sports book bovada. It really deserves its own article, maybe even its own book one day. Sacramento kings 2002 nba world champions, sacramento, ca.
In the 2002 nba finals where the lakers faced the kings, was. In one of the most controversial playoff series in nba history, the twotime defending champion lakers defeated the kings in 7 games to advance to their third straight nba finals appearance and win their 14th championship in a sweep over the nets. Many diehard nba fans swear by the theory that this series was rigged by the nba for one reason and one reason only. Eight years ago, the sacramento kings were robbed of an nba championship in one of the most lopsided officiated series in sports history. In 2002, when the lakers were playing the kings for the western conference nba title. The three most infamous rigged games in nba history. This was the final postseason that held a bestof5 firstround series. The 2001 nba playoffs was the postseason tournament of the national basketball associations 200001 season. Lakers vs kings game 6 2002 wcf entire 4th quarter youtube. Because just like in 2001, this team is all about the sum of its parts. Kings, 2002 western conference finals possibly affected by the leagues desire to see the series extended and the lakers as the victors. This can be done primarily through bad officiating that is easily detected by fans. When people talk about rigged series, they look at 2000 lakers vs blazers, 2001 bucks vs 76ers, and of course the 2002 lakers vs kings series.
In the 2002 nba finals where the lakers faced the kings. In 2002, the sacramento kings were robbed of an nba championship in. The lakers won game 6 106102, attempting 18 more free throws than the kings in the fourth. The conversation turns to game six of the 2002 lakerskings series, in which the lakerswho went on to win the nba finalswere sent to the foul line a. Blazers appear in donaghy book excerpt blazers edge. Nba picks from proven computer model sportsline simulated tuesdays kingslakers game 10,000 times. A disgraced ref, the fbi, and the kingslakers 2002 western. Along with being a popular article, it led to frequent emails requesting i. Down 32 in the series, the lakers beat webbers kings at the staples center in part thanks to 40 free throw attempts, 27 of them in the fourth quarter. We can beat any team on any given night even if were down big in the 4th quarter. Aug 26, 2011 why does everyone say the lakers 2002 championship was rigged. But there is one series that doesnt get as much talked as the other. The frozen envelope and the 5 best sports conspiracy theories by mike vaccaro.
The controversy behind game 6 in lakers vs kings 2002 wcf series. A couple of years back i did an extensive breakdown of the referee calls in mavsheat game five of the nba finals. Tim donaghy also says the nba routinely encouraged referees to ring up bogus fouls to manipulate results but ignore calls against star players. May 12, 2010 it stared back at me, with its big doofy bald head and oversized xxxxl lakers number 34 jersey. Lakerskings game 6 by roland beech, founder theres been a lot of talk about this next game. The sacramento kings are the most exciting nba team to watch. Seriously, this is big, bad stuff and it certainly can get much worse for the nba and for anybody who cares about the integrity of the refereeing and the playoff system. The 2002 series certainly wasnt the first or last time bavetta weighed in on an important game.
Lakers kings game 6 2002 nba playoffs officiating breakdown. Where was the justice for the best team in basketball in decades. The lakers and kings will be donating all proceeds generated from the game to directly benefit the victims, families, and first. When the kings and the lakers met in the 2003 preseason, the. What really happened in game 6 lakers vs kings 2002 wcf. Watched the entire game live im assumming youre talking about game 7 of the western conference finals. Im sure many of you know why this game is infamous, its the game by far most referenced when talking about nba game rigging or suspicious reffing. Meet the king of sports conspiracy theories vocativ.
But then the lakers started to mount a comeback, and it was in part fueled by free throws. The 2002 nba playoffs were the postseason tournament of the national basketball associations 200102 season. Sacramento kings 2002 nba world champions, sacramento, ca 2020. The documents did not name the series, but the lakerskings western conference finals was the only series in 2002 that went to a seventh game, with the lakers winning game 6, 106102. Sacremento kings are still the 2002 nba champions in my book and many.
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