Sports 4 Dorks

This pairing gives me a little spring in my step for a couple
of reasons. For starters, it reminds of the classic first round playoff series
between these two teams in 1999.

Brilliant series: Greg Ostertag scoring at will a couple of
times over Chris Webber in the first game, Sacramento coming back to make a
series out of it, the bloom not quite off Jason Williams‘ rose just yet, Vlade
Divac (tired from fretting over the
Serbian conflict) missing a potentially series-winning rolling hook at the end
of regulation in Game 5, watching that jump hook in a basement that stunk of crummy American beer the
day after my 19^th birthday party. "Predrag" Stojakovic. Lawrence Funderburke.
Todd Fuller.

By now, it excites because of the potential both teams
exude. Sacramento
may not retain its current roster for long, but this is an exciting rotation to
behold.

On the other end of things, the Jazz are hoping to go the
distance with their current set-up intact; and while their first 42 games (with
24 wins) have been up and down, this doesn’t feel like a ninth seed.

Still, we’ve at least three hours before tip-off, so let’s
revel in a little late-90s nostalgia, cool?

I like this video because it includes clips of future Kings
coach Reggie Theus calling Game 2 of the 1999 series:

This one focuses on that classic Game 5, one that the Jazz
pulled out in overtime:

The Jazz were the better team, though not by much. This
should have been a seven-game series. Think of it any time you hear someone
complaining about how long the NBA’s initial postseason rounds go on since the
switch to seven games in 2003.

Utah Jazz: 24-18, 93.1 possessions per game
(7^th most in the NBA), 112.6 points scored per 100 possessions (3^rd
in the NBA), 108 points allowed per 100 possessions (16^th).

Sacramento Kings: 18-23, 92.4 possessions per
game (10^th), 107.1 points scored per 100 possessions (16^th),
110 points allowed per 100 possessions (26^th).