Sacramento had been gradually declining since effectively being robbed of the NBA title in 2002. The Kings lost in the second of the playoffs in both 2003 and 2004, and then made a first-round exit in 2005. The 2006 Sacramento Kings continued the pattern—another first-round loss ended a period of success that went back to […]
The Sacramento Kings had been one of the NBA’s historically inept franchises. In 1999, they enjoyed a breakthrough year in the strike-shortened season of 1999 and began a slow ascent. 1999 saw them go 27-23 and take Utah to a decisive fifth game in the first round of the playoffs. One year later they went 44-38 and squared off the Lakers, again going to a fifth before coming up short. In 2001 the Kings broke the 50-win barrier, winning the franchise’s first playoff series since relocating. The Lakers were again the roadblock. The 2002 Sacramento Kings had to feel like their time had come.