NBA Conspiracy Eastern Conference Finals 2002: Kings vs Lakers, was it Fixed?

It was Game 6 of the Eastern Conference Finals in 2002. The Kings led the series three games to two and required only one additional victory to move to the NBA Finals. The Kings were a rough and tumble team led by future Hall of Famer Chris Webber and Mike Bibby. They were 61-21 during the regular season and appeared to be destined for an NBA championship. The Los Angeles Lakers were led by superstars Kobe Bryant and Shaquille O’Neal. They were attempting to win back-to-back championships. 

The 2002 NBA Finals were the championship series of the National Basketball Association (NBA) for the 2001-02 season. The Western Conference champion Los Angeles Lakers (who were already two-time defending NBA winners) faced the Eastern Conference champion New Jersey Nets in a best-of-seven playoff. The Lakers defeated the Nets in four games to capture the franchise’s 14th NBA finals and third in a row. The 56th edition of the championship series took place between June 5 and June 12 and was streamed live on NBC — the network’s final NBA broadcast to date. 

The Lakers’ triumph in this year’s Finals would also kick off what will indeed turn out to be a fruitful year for professional athletes in the Los Angeles area. Four months later, the nearby Anaheim Angels won their first World Series championship. It was only the second time in NBA and MLB history that a city/metropolitan area won both championships during the same schedule year. The last time this happened was in 1988, when the Lakers managed to win the NBA Finals in June and the Dodgers swept the World Series four months later. In terms of minor league sports, the Los Angeles Sparks managed to win the WNBA Finals two months after the Lakers won the 2002 Finals, and the Los Angeles Galaxy managed to win the MLS Cup exactly one week before the Angels swept the World Series in October.

2002 Western Conference Finals – Kings vs. Lakers

The 2002 Western Conference Finals between both the Sacramento Kings and the Los Angeles Lakers were one of the league’s most memorable. The prevalent (though small market) Kings led the two-time defending NBA title holder Lakers three games to two entering Game 6 at Staples Center, a game that would go down in history as the most infamous of the series. The game, which the Lakers won by four points, included several contentious calls, including a late-game no-call encompassing Mike Bibby, who was bleeding from being jabbed in the nose by Kobe Bryant. This game exemplified the series’ major problem. At various points throughout the series, both teams made complaints about the officiating.

The Kings eventually lost Game 7 of the series at home. In 2008, former Basketball referee Tim Donaghy filed court papers alleging that Game 6 was rigged by the NBA. NBA Commissioner David Stern has refuted these claims. Lawrence Pedowitz, who led an overview of the league’s officiating after the scandal broke, deduced that, while Game 6 was badly refereed, no solid proof of a fix existed.

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