Kings' maturity starting to show

By Greg Beacham
Associated Press

SACRAMENTO, Calif. — Mike Bibby stayed up late, rehashing the biggest shot of his life with his girlfriend, mother and brothers. When he finally went to bed, however, he had a sound, dreamless sleep.

The euphoria from Game 5 of the Western Conference finals had died down by yesterday afternoon, when Bibby and the rest of the Sacramento Kings were reminded that although they've got the Los Angeles Lakers on the brink of elimination, it won't mean a thing unless they can give the two-time champions one last push.

"It's hard to think of it that way, but we really haven't done anything," said Bibby, whose 22-foot jumper with 8.2 seconds left gave Sacramento a 92-91 victory.

Game 6 is tomorrow night at Staples Center, where the Kings had lost 10 of 11 before winning Game 3 and nearly taking Game 4 before Robert Horry's dramatic game-winning 3-pointer.

Bibby, in his first trip to the postseason, has been the unlikely symbol of the Kings' playoff maturity — a quality that takes years to develop, but which has fruits that appear in sudden bursts.

Bibby's game-winner was the result of a tenacious effort by the Kings throughout the fourth quarter against the foul-plagued Lakers, who couldn't quite hang on to a lead.

"There's a point where a team just takes that next step," said Kings coach Rick Adelman, who led the Trail Blazers to the NBA Finals in 1990 and 1992. "These guys are grabbing an opportunity, and they're getting even better in each round."

Before the series began, Los Angeles was quick to highlight the Kings' inexperience — and what Samaki Walker said was a history of choking in the teams' playoff meetings the past two seasons. But the Lakers have developed a grudging admiration for the Kings' tenacity — particularly after Game 5, when the Kings rallied from a fourth-quarter deficit to beat Los Angeles.

"They've played better at bigger moments than I thought they were capable of playing," said Lakers forward Rick Fox.