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Mike Bibby calls 2002 WCF ‘greatest tragedy in sports’
Former Miami Heat guard Mike Bibby remembers being warned that their 2002 conference finals series against the Los Angeles Lakers could be manipulated.
By Stephanie Meadows | 8:00 AM EDT
Chris Webber walks with Mike Bibby
Chris Webber walks with Mike Bibby / Jed Jacobsohn/GettyImages
NBA Legends and former teammates Udonis Haslem and Mike Miller welcome Heat legend, Mike Bibby to “The OGs Show” to talk about Bronny James, getting robbed, untold Miami Heat stories, and much more.
Setting the stage for the NBA’s most controversial Western Conference Finals series
The 2002 Western Conference Finals between the Sacramento Kings and Los Angeles Lakers is still a topic of much debate among NBA fans. Sacramento was close to taking a 3-1 series lead, but Robert Horry’s iconic buzzer-beater tied the series at 2-2. The Kings then secured a strong Game 5 win, putting the Lakers on the brink of elimination. However, L.A. managed to win the last two games of the series, ultimately eliminating Sacramento.
The Lakers were the back-to-back defending NBA champions during the 2001-2002 season, finishing with a record of 58-24. They were tied with the San Antonio Spurs for second place in the Western Conference, but lost the tiebreaker and ended up as the No. 3 seed in the playoffs. The team from Los Angeles had two future Hall of Famers in Kobe Bryant and Shaquille O’Neal, along with skilled role players like Derek Fisher, Rick Fox, and Robert Horry, as well as a future Hall of Fame coach in Phil Jackson.
Sacramento, on the other hand, won 61 games, setting a franchise record that still stands today. The Kings had seven players who averaged double-digit points, with Chris Webber leading the way with 24.5 points per game, followed by Peja Stojaković with 21.2 points and Bibby with 13.7 points. Many believed that the winner of the Western Conference Finals would go on to win the NBA championship.
The series between Sacramento and Los Angeles was highly competitive, with Games 4 and 5 being split by the two teams, each game coming down to the final possession. The Kings were ahead 3-2 against the Lakers as they headed into Game 6 in Los Angeles. At the end of the third quarter, the score was tied at 75, and that’s when things took a very unusual turn.
During his appearance on “The OGs” Podcast, the former Kings starting point guard talked about how that series unfolded after his team won Game 5.
“Shaq is the most dominant player I’ve seen in my life. Kobe’s a top-three player of all time. And just to see them on the bench looking defeated, you could look on the bench, you can even go look at some of the YouTube stuff and just see their faces on the bench, Phil Jackson’s face, Fisher’s face, you can look at everybody’s face and just see like it’s over with. I knew it was over with,” Bibby said.
