It’s been 17 seasons since the Sacramento Kings last played in the playoffs. The Kings may have had talented players come and go, but none of them have been able to lead the franchise into the postseason since the 2005-06 NBA season.
In fact, the Kings currently have the longest playoff drought in the history of the NBA. Fortunately for the franchise, things are finally looking good for them in the 2022-23 NBA season. They currently have a record of 20-16 and are in the 5th spot in the Western Conference, having been led by none other than De’Aaron Fox.
It may finally be the Kings’ year to get back into the playoffs. But there is another bigger concern for the Kings that head coach Mike Brown highlighted in a recent interview.
Mike Brown On The Sacramento Kings Not Getting The Respect From NBA Referees
Being one of the worst teams of the last 15 years or so, the Kings have slowly but surely lost the respect of referees. So much so that Brown believes his team doesn’t even get correct foul calls.
Via The Athletic:
Brown showed that same fiery trigger last month when he was ejected during a game at Toronto.
One of the league’s young non-staff officials, Brent Haskill, gave Fox a technical after Fox argued a non-foul call on Fred VanVleet. An enraged Brown stormed the court and was immediately tossed by veteran official Zach Zarba.
A coach on Brown’s staff went to dinner this year with a coach from an opposing team’s staff after a game. The opposing coach admitted they told their guys at that day’s shootaround to do certain things because they wouldn’t get called (by the officials) — because they were playing the Kings.
“You just don’t get the respect,” Brown said. “And I’ve been in those games, I’ve played Sacramento and I’ve seen it. ‘I can’t believe we got that call.’”
Brown agreed Fox was chirping a little bit, but it wasn’t aggressive and certainly not worthy of a technical. This was Brown sprinting the sideline again, but this time he did it in the face of the officials.
“When I saw that, I said this is not right,” Brown said. “And it cost me.”
Brown was fined $25,000 by the league for the outburst. He was happy to pay if it helps change the perception of the franchise.
“I don’t care what people say about me. I don’t care what they say about my team,” Brown said. “I’m gonna coach this team how I feel like I need to coach them.
But has this injustice really started just now? We all remember the controversial playoff game between the Los Angeles Lakers and the Sacramento Kings in 2002. That season the Kings had the best record in the league and faced off against the Lakers in the Western Conference Finals.
After leading the series 3-2, the Kings looked all set to win Game 6 and represent the West in the NBA Finals. But it all changed in the fourth quarter of Game 6 when the Lakers shot 27 foul attempts and ended up making 21 of them. Many believe the game was rigged in favor of the Lakers, and to this date, it remains one of the biggest controversies in the NBA.
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