For Sacramento Kings fans, the 2002 Western Conference Final remains a sore spot. The Kings had the best team in the league and rolled through the first two rounds of the playoffs, setting up a showdown against the defending champion Los Angeles Lakers.

The series was one of the best in NBA history. The two teams split the first two games in Sacramento and headed back to L.A. tied up at 1-1.

The Kings took Game 3 103-90 and held a 14-point lead at the half of Game 4. The Lakers battled back and cut the deficit to two. Robert Horry hit a 3-pointer at the buzzer to give L.A. the win and tie the series at 2-2.

Chris Webber was the best player on that Sacramento team. He jumped on Zach Lowe’s podcast and was asked about that series:

Mike Bibby’s jumper with 8.2 seconds left gave the Kings a 92-91 win in Game 5. The two teams went toe-to-toe in Game 6, which will go down as one of the most controversial games in NBA history.

The Lakers had 40 free-throw attempts to Sacramento’s 25. L.A. shot 27 free throws in the fourth quarter alone. 27 free throws!!! While the Kings only went to the line nine times in the period.

Webber went 17 years without watching Game 6 and finally did so in 2019:

Sacramento lost Game 7 in overtime at home. The Kings missed 14 free-throws in the tightly contested affair as the Lakers got a 112-106 win:

The Lakers went on to win their third consecutive championship, beating the New Jersey Nets in the NBA Finals.

The Kings were still a dominant team the following season. Unfortunately, Webber got hurt in Game 2 of the second-round series against the Dallas Mavericks during the 2003 playoffs.

Webber was traded to the Philadelphia 76ers during the 2004-05 season. He averaged 23.5 points and 10.6 rebounds over his seven seasons in Sacramento and looked back at his time there fondly:

Those Kings squads were terrific to watch. Head coach Rick Adelman implemented a system that was ahead of its time. It was magical watching how they spaced the floor and unselfishly shared the ball.

Webber — who should be in the Hall of Fame — spent the best years of his career in Sacramento. It’s a shame we didn’t get to see him hoist the Larry O’Brien trophy with the Kings.