Even 12 years after his retirement, Mike Bibby can’t escape the controversy surrounding the 2002 Western Conference Finals. The former Kings guard was on Jeff Teague’s ‘Club 520′ podcast when the hosts asked Bibby about the infamous series against the Lakers.
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In 2002, the Kings were up 3-2 on the Lakers in the WCF and were looking to put the series to bed in Los Angeles. They had been the better team for most of the series and Bibby was so confident in his side that he was openly rubbing it in. “I was at movie premieres and red carpets talking sh*t. Sh*t’s over with, ain’t nothing they can do,” Bibby recalled.
While the young guard was riding the wave of confidence, his veteran teammate, Chucky Brown had a more critical disposition.
“Chucky Brown pull me aside, ‘Mike. You know if they bring in a certain crew, it’s gonna go a certain way’.“
Brown. who was at the tail-end of his NBA career, had seen it all over 14 years in the league. It was likely from his own experience that he warned his teammate of how a specific mix of officials could put the Kings at a severe disadvantage. Bibby though, wasn’t having any of it.
“I was like, ‘Bullsh*t man, it’s the NBA. Ain’t no way,'” admitted Bibby. Unfortunately for Mike, Brown’s warning would ring true and some questionable officiating would take away the Kings’ chances during Game 6, handing the Lakers a 106-102 win.
“I believe to this day, it was the worst officiated game in NBA history,” said the Kings’ play-by-play announcer Grant Napear.
But in case you, like a younger Mike Bibby, are skeptical of this, it might help to hear from a former referee himself. Tim Donaghy was an NBA referee from 1994 to 2007, infamous for being involved in a gambling scheme. Donaghy served 15 months in prison but when he got out, he dropped some bombshells.
He introduced the concept of the ‘company men’, officials that would call games in a manner that suited the league’s best interests. Speaking on the infamous 2002 series, Donaghy revealed,
“That night, it was in the NBA’s interest to add another game to the series.”
The former NBA official would go on to explain,
“The referees called made-up fouls on Team 5 [Kings] in order to give additional free throw opportunities for Team 6 [Lakers]. Their foul-calling also led to the ejection of two Team 5 players.”
While many, including then-commissioner David Stern, have contested Donaghy’s claims, it is true that two Kings players, Vlade Divac and Scot Pollard fouled out of the game. Years later, Mike Bibby now shares Chucky Brown’s skepticism. He would add, “We kind of sh*t the bed Game 7. But I really don’t think it should have got to a Game 7.”
Bibby and the Kings could never replicate their success again, losing out in the 2nd round in 2003 and 2004, and then 1st round exits in 2005 and 2006.
