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Going it alone Bibby's teammates abandon him down the stretchPosted: Monday June 03, 2002 1:49 AMUpdated: Monday June 03, 2002 1:57 AM
SACRAMENTO, Calif. -- Kings guard Mike Bibby cajoled, pleaded and begged. But no luck. He was going to have to go it alone. "I don’t want to, Daddy!" 3-year-old Michael Bibby Jr. said, practically wriggling out of his father’s arms. Bibby was trying to get his son to join him at the news conference following his team’s heartbreaking Game 7 loss to the Lakers, but the youngster would have none of it. Instead he left Bibby all by himself. Kind of like Doug Christie. And Peja Stojakovic. And, yes, even Chris Webber. Had any of those guys not abandoned him like temperamental children at the end of Game 7 on Sunday, Bibby would be preparing for Jason Kidd right now. Bibby did everything in his power to lift his team past the Lakers in the Western Conference finals -- scoring 16 of his team-high 29 points in the fourth quarter and overtime -- but Sacramento’s supporting cast did nothing to help him. As a result, the Lakers were able to steal the series right out from under Bibby’s sore nose. "It hurts. It really hurts big," said Bibby, feeling far worse than when he got smacked in the face by Kobe Bryant in Game 6. "We played a great series. We should have closed it out." "Choke" might be too strong a term, but the Kings sure looked like a team fighting some jitters during Game 7. They missed a slew of shots early. They hit just 16-of-30 free throws, and 2-of-20 from 3-point range. They blew a nine-point second-half lead. They allowed L.A. to snatch some huge offensive rebounds. And, for the first time in the series, they flinched down the stretch. Webber was just 2-of-9 in the fourth quarter and OT. Stojakovic shot 3-of-12, including an airball on a wide-open 3-pointer at the end of regulation. Christie went 2-of-11, including an airball of his own on a potential game-tying shot at the end of OT. "I dished a few times, and the shots didn’t do down," Bibby said. "That happens. I missed some shots that were easy, too." The Lakers, meanwhile, showed why they’re the two-time defending champs. L.A. didn’t get rattled by the hysterical Arco Arena crowd, patiently running its offense. Shaquille O’Neal and Bryant carried the scoring load and avoided early foul trouble. When the Kings sliced through L.A.’s defense for easy baskets, Lakers coach Phil Jackson made adjustments. When the Kings were threatening to pull away in the third quarter, Derek Fisher hit a 3-pointer and Rick Fox found a seam in the defense for a layup. And after Bryant got whistled for a controversial foul on Bibby in the closing seconds of regulation, the Lakers didn’t come unglued. "We kept our composure," said Bryant, who sank four huge foul shots down the stretch. "That’s why championship experience shows through." The Kings have no reason to be ashamed. From Bibby’s masterful orchestration of the offense and unending clutch shots to Vlade Divac’s clever defense on Shaq, from Christie’s badgering of Bryant to Webber’s unselfish passing, Sacramento gave L.A. all it could handle. "They pushed us to the limit," Jackson admitted. In the end, Sacramento simply had to learn the same painful lesson that so many past NBA champions have had to endure: You have to have your heart broken before you can truly love. The Pistons, Bulls and, yes the Lakers, all truly believed they were the better team (and probably were), but all came up short in the years before finally reaching the throne. That was the case with the Kings this year. It’s just a shame that Bibby will have to wait.
Marty Burns covers pro basketball for CNNSI.com. Click here to send Marty a question or comment.
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