2001–02 Sacramento Kings season

The 2001–02 Sacramento Kings season was the 53rd season for the Sacramento Kings in the National Basketball Association, and their 17th season in Sacramento, California.^[1] During the off-season, the Kings acquired Mike Bibby from the Vancouver Grizzlies,^[2][3][4] who had recently relocated to Memphis, Tennessee.^[5][6]

With the addition of Bibby, and despite Chris Webber missing the first 20 games of the regular season due to a preseason ankle injury,^[7][8][9] the Kings won 17 of their first 22 games, then posted a 12-game winning streak between December and January, as the team held a 37–12 record at the All-Star break.^[10] The Kings won eleven straight games near the end of the regular season, finishing in first place in the Pacific Division with a 61–21 record (.744 in winning percentage), the best record in the league, and earning the first seed in the Western Conference;^[11] the team won their first Division title since the 1978–79 season, back when the team was known as the Kansas City Kings.^[12]

Webber averaged 24.5 points, 10.1 rebounds, 4.8 assists, 1.7 steals and 1.4 blocks per game in 54 games, and was named to the All-NBA Second Team, while Peja Stojaković averaged 21.2 points and 5.3 rebounds per game, and led the Kings with 129 three-point field goals, and Bibby provided the team with 13.7 points and 5.0 assists per game. In addition, Doug Christie averaged 12.0 points and 2.0 steals per game, and was named to the NBA All-Defensive Second Team, while Vlade Divac provided the team with 11.1 points and 8.4 rebounds per game. Off the bench, sixth man Bobby Jackson contributed 11.1 points per game, while second-year forward Hedo Türkoğlu averaged 10.1 points and 4.5 rebounds per game, Scot Pollard provided with 6.4 points, 7.1 rebounds and 1.0 blocks per game, and Lawrence Funderburke contributed 4.7 points and 3.5 rebounds per game.^[13]

During the NBA All-Star weekend at the First Union Center in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, Webber and Stojaković were both selected for the 2002 NBA All-Star Game, as members of the Western Conference All-Star team; it was Stojaković's first ever All-Star appearance.^[14][15][16] In addition, Stojaković also won the NBA Three-Point Shootout,^[15][17] while Türkoğlu was selected for the NBA Rookie Challenge Game, as a member of the Sophomores team,^[18][19] and rookie small forward, and first-round draft pick Gerald Wallace participated in the NBA Slam Dunk Contest.^[20][17] Webber also finished in seventh place in Most Valuable Player voting,^[21] while Jackson finished in second place in Sixth Man of the Year voting, behind former Kings forward Corliss Williamson of the Detroit Pistons,^[22][21] and head coach Rick Adelman finished in second place in Coach of the Year voting, behind Rick Carlisle of the Pistons.^[23][21]

In the Western Conference First Round of the 2002 NBA playoffs, the Kings faced off against the 8th–seeded Utah Jazz, a team that featured All-Star forward Karl Malone, Donyell Marshall and John Stockton. The Kings won Game 1 over the Jazz at home, 89–86 at the ARCO Arena II, before losing Game 2 at home, 93–86 as the Jazz evened the series. The Kings managed to win the next two games on the road, which included a Game 4 win over the Jazz at the Delta Center, 91–86 to win the series in four games.^[24][25][26]

In the Western Conference Semi-finals, the team faced off against the 4th–seeded Dallas Mavericks, who were led by the All-Star trio of Dirk Nowitzki, Steve Nash and Michael Finley. The Kings won Game 1 over the Mavericks at the ARCO Arena II, 108–91, but then lost Game 2 at home, 110–102 as the Mavericks evened the series. Stojaković suffered an ankle injury in Game 3, in which the Kings defeated the Mavericks on the road, 125–119 at the American Airlines Center, taking a 2–1 series lead.^[27][28][29] After winning Game 4 on the road in overtime, 115–113, the Kings won Game 5 over the Mavericks at the ARCO Arena II, 114–101 to win the series in five games, and advance to the Conference Finals for the first time since the 1980–81 season.^[30][31][32]

In their first trip to the Western Conference Finals, and for the third consecutive year, the Kings faced off against the 3rd–seeded, and 2-time defending NBA champion Los Angeles Lakers, who were led by All-Star center Shaquille O'Neal, All-Star guard Kobe Bryant, and Derek Fisher. The Kings lost Game 1 to the Lakers at home, 106–99 at the ARCO Arena II, but managed to win the next two games to take a 2–1 series lead. After the team lost Game 4 on the road, 100–96 at the Staples Center, Stojaković returned to play in Game 5, in which the Kings defeated the Lakers at the ARCO Arena II, 92–91 to take a 3–2 series lead.^[33][34][35] However, the Kings lost Game 6 to the Lakers at the Staples Center, 106–102 which tied the series, and then lost Game 7 at the ARCO Arena II in overtime, 112–106, thus losing in a hard-fought seven-game series.^[36][37][38]

The Kings-Lakers series of the Western Conference Finals was one of the most controversial NBA playoff series in history; Game 6 at the Staples Center was the most controversial game of the series, with the calls made by the referees against the Kings, and with the Lakers winning the game, 106–102 to even the series.^[39][40][41] The Lakers would then go on to defeat the New Jersey Nets in a four-game sweep in the 2002 NBA Finals, winning their third consecutive NBA championship.^[42][43][44]

The Kings finished 15th in the NBA in home-game attendance, with an attendance of 709,997 at the ARCO Arena II during the regular season.^[13][45]