Game 7 on a Sunday in Sacramento? CAN’T WAIT

Hi there, if you didn’t know, the Golden State Warriors are about to face the Sacramento Kings in a Game 7 today. Wow, a Game 7 in Sacramento? That rings a lot of cowbells for me. If you’re a basketball fan from the West Coast like myself, you cut your teeth on the Kings-Lakers rivalry back in the early 2000’s.

And you know that 2002 Western Conference Finals Game 7 between those two teams, in Sacramento, was about as contentious as it gets. The prime Shaquile O’Neal and Kobe Bryant Lakers overcame the Chris Webber and Mike Bibby Kings in overtime in a contest that was exhilarating and dramatic.

The Kings missed 14 free throws that contest, which ultimately doomed them against a Lakers team in the midst of a three-peat. That was the closest they’ve been to the NBA Finals, with four shorter lived playoff stints following that, and then 16 seasons of futility.

Now my hometown Warriors get to head into Sacramento play the role of spoiler. The Warriors lost the first two games of this series in the Kings’ home arena before stealing Game 5 in dramatic fashion. If the Dubs want their season to move on, they’ll have to win one more time in the state’s capitol.

The Kings had a 23-18 home record during the regular season, while Golden State was 11-30 on the road. But anything can happen in a Game 7, so throw the records out.