CaryEdmondson.com

The NBA regular season came to an end last Wednesday night.

My days of shooting the Kings in Sacramento may have also come to an end.

With speculation that the Kings will be moving the team to Anaheim next year, fans watched their team lose a heartbreaker in overtime to the Los Angeles Lakers.

I think I speak for the majority when I say I was surprised that the Kings even had a chance to win a game that the Lakers “needed” to win in order to secure the Number 2 seed for the playoffs. The Lakers were cruising with a large lead for most of the game, and Kobe Bryant was resting on the bench for the start the fourth quarter with no intentions of returning to the game. But then strangely enough, the Lakers lead fell to just ten points with about seven minutes remaining. I looked over at the photographer next to me and said… “You know, the Lakers need to win this game.” Just moments after I said that, the head coach of the Lakers put Kobe back in the game.

But at first, the move didn’t make much of a difference. The Kings continued their furious comeback and took the lead with under a minute remaining in the game. The crowd was louder than I’ve ever heard it all year, and after the Lakers missed a shot with less than 20 seconds remaining, … they were forced to foul the Kings and send them to the free throw line. Members of  the Kings were all smiles, pointing to the sky as victory was only seconds away. After a Kings player shot two free throws to give them a three point lead, fans and players began to celebrate. It was the best departing gift that the players could give their fans… a victory over the defending World Champions. What could be better at this point?

I focused on Kobe’s reaction because I was curious to see how he would handle the Lakers breakdown in the closing moments of the game to one of the worst teams in the league. He barely even grimaced after the second free throw was made. He didn’t make eye contact with anyone and calmly walked over to the bench as a timeout was called.

It’s no surprise what happened next. Kobe made a three point shot with under 5 seconds remaining and Kings fans sank lifelessly back into their seats. The Lakers went on to win the game in overtime and instead of a glorious final celebration, members of the Kings simply glanced up at the scoreboard and walked into the locker room. The Kings head coach gave a few final waves to the crowd and now all the city of Sacramento can do is wait and see what happens next.