Doug Christie didn’t need many words to express how he feels about Tyronn Lue, a former on-court rival that faced and beat him on Wednesday night. Christie took over the Sacramento Kings after Alvin Gentry entered the league’s health and safety protocols, winning two games and losing three.
Christie faced the Los Angeles Clippers on Wednesday, meeting a known face that constantly beat him when they were players. The Kings hosted the Clippers, getting blown out, 105-89, suffering their 20th loss of the season.
That situation brought some memories to Doug, who couldn’t get past Lue and the Los Angeles Lakers during the Purple and Gold’s dominant run at the start of the new millennium. Even before the game, the coach explained he didn’t have good memories from playing against Lue.
He didn’t use many words to describe what Lue and the Lakers meant for him. Kings reporter Justin Anderson revealed Christie’s response, leaving no room for doubt.
“He was a Laker, right?” Christie said. “Enough said.”
Acting Kings coach Doug Christie was asked about his memories of Clippers coach Ty Lue from their playing days in the NBA.
"He was a Laker, right?" Christie said. "Enough said."
— Jason Anderson (@JandersonSacBee) December 23, 2021
The Sacramento Kings had their biggest chance to win the NBA championship in the early 2000s. They created a terrific team with Chris Webber, Mike Bibby, Vlade Divac, Peja Stojakovic, and Christie himself.
However, they weren’t able to get past the Lakers, who eliminated them on several occasions during their magical run. Lue played for the Purple and Gold from 1998 through 2001, living those battles against the Kings, who tried and tried but never beat the Lakers.
Just like he did during his playing days, Ty prevented Christie from winning last night. The Clippers dismantled the Kings and easily won to keep the alarms set at the Golden 1 Center. After those glory days, Sacramento entered a horrendous streak. They haven’t made the playoffs for 15 years, and as things stand right now, that drought will stay alive for many years.
