The FORGOTTEN 14-0 Run in 52 Seconds By The Lakers

In 2002 the Shaq and Kobe Lakers executed possibly the most furious run in NBA history.
A 14-0 explosion in just 50 seconds where Sacramento couldn’t even get the ball across half court. This has been long forgotten and buried in the archives of the league.
So today I’ll dust it off and show it to you. What up everybody, my name is Stefan and this is Heat Check. Let’s get into it.
In that legendary Lakers vs Kings 7 game series, everyone remembers the Robert Horry buzzer beater or the very next game where Mike Bibby hit the game winner to bring the Kings at the brink of the finals, and of course the referee controversy that Sacramento fans will bring up to this day.
Game 3 however is completely forgotten. And why would anyone remember it. If you look at the score, the Kings won that game by 13 so there was no drama, right? Well not quite.
Sacramento got off to a big lead right from the start played great, hit their shots and, and by the end of the third quarter where they held the Lakers to only 12 points, the Kings were up by 23 in Staples Center and the crowd was silent.
And with this free throw from Chris Webber, they’re up by 26 with 7:57 left in the game.
Watch the clock because this is where things start to get crazy.
Devean George call his own number, not even looking at the 2 superstars on the team, fires away from downtown and hits it. So then…
The Lakers are pressing full court, Brian Shaw and Lindsey Hunter trap Bibby in the corner, and get the deflection, Hunter with the behind the back pass to Shaw and he lays it in. Okay, a quick 5-0 run. So now they stay in this press under the basket. Sacramento is shaken up by this blitz, and first Divac goes to take it out, but then Webber tells him that he’ll do it. In the meantime the referee starts the 5 second count so there’s added pressure, and they turn it over again.
At this point you can see it on player’s faces and even Rick Adelman starts to get worried.
The last thing they want is a comeback from the Lakers on their home court with the crowd going wild. But things continue to go downhill.
Kobe hits a three and while the lead is still big at 18, Sacramento is in full panic mode. Bobby Jackson tries to throw this ball over George, he intercepts it, and to make matters even worse, Doug Christie is in front of Hunter here, but he inexplicably just leaves and opens up a completely wide open look for 3 and Staples Center erupts.
You can even see how Devin George is excited as he bounces up and down here, not able to control himself.
Rick Adelman has to take a time out and calm the team down.
All of a sudden look at Kobe Bryant and the bounce in his step that he has just going to the bench. They sense the opportunity for a comeback and that the opponent is discombobulated.
Out of the time out, you would think that the Kings would be more focused, but Bibby and Christie turn the ball over yet again and the Lakers get another chance to cut the lead even more.
Kobe splashes another three and as we look at the game clock again, Devean George started things off at 7:55 remaining, and just 52 seconds later at 7:03 this is a 14-0 run for the Lakers.
Sacramento did not even cross half court in 4 straight possessions and they barely did that in under 8 seconds here and avoid another turnover.
They’re still confused, there isn’t a play called, nothing. The ball somehow finds Chris Webber who takes a midrange jumper and luckily for Sacramento hits it to finally put an end to this 1 minute debacle.
I have rarely seen a clutch basket to bring the lead up by 14 but this was definitely it.
You can see how big it was by the reaction of Webber himself.
Kobe who previously hit 2 in a row from downtown, went for the heat check and this time he misses, and even tho the Lakers defense is still pressuring, Mike Bibby goes down the lane and lays it in to finally break the momentum by the Lakers and slowly but surely start to bring this game to a close.
We know how this ends. Going down as one of the greatest playoff series in NBA history. And with so many iconic moments, I wanted to shed a light on a small and forgotten sequence that in my opinion deserves to be mentioned more because even tho it came in a loss, these 50 seconds of playing time still give me goosebumps 20 years after watching it live.
Hopefully this was fun for some of you that hadn’t seen this before, and a nice reminder for the more old school NBA fans who watched the series. That’s it for now, subscribe and talk to you in the next one. Peace out.