Mike Bibby was warned '02 series vs. Lakers could be rigged: "If they bring in this crew, it's not gonna go the way we like"

The 2002 Western Conference Finals between the Sacramento Kings and Los Angeles Lakers remains one of the most debated playoff matchups in NBA history.

Sacramento was on the verge of taking a 3-1 series lead when Robert Horry hit one of the most iconic buzzer-beaters to tie the series at 2-2. The Kings bounced back with a strong Game 5 win to put the Lakers on the verge of elimination. However, that's when things got interesting, as L.A. went on to win the last two games of the series to eliminate Sacramento.

During his appearance on The OGS Show , former Kings starting point guard Mike Bibby talked about how that series unfolded after his team won Game 5.

"Shaq is the most dominant player I've seen in my life. Kobe's a Top 3 player of all time. And just to see them on the bench looking defeated, you could look on the bench, you can even go look at some of the YouTube stuff and just see their faces on the bench, Phil Jackson's face, Fisher's face, you can look at everybody's face and just see like it's over with. I knew it was over with," said Bibby.

Chucky Brown warned Bibby

After Game 5, the Kings traveled to Los Angeles for the potential series clincher. With two days in between games, Bibby had plenty of radio appearances, and each time he went on air, the University of Arizona product confidently declared they would finish off the Lakers on their home floor.

However, his veteran teammate Chucky Brown warned Mike that things could get ugly for the Kings despite being one win away from the NBA Finals.

"Chucky Brown played for the Rockets, and he was in his 14th season," Bibby recalled. "I'm not going to say the refs' name, but we just came back from a movie premiere, and I'm like, 'This sh** is over with, running around in a limo.' He was like, 'Mike, if they bring this crew, it's not going to go the way we like.'"

Bibby, who was then in his fourth NBA season, refused to believe Brown's claim. But then Game 6 turned into one of the most controversial playoff contests ever. The Lakers were able to force Game 7 before defeating Sacramento on their home court to advance to their third straight NBA Finals.

Related: Michael Jordan opens up about his older brother Larry not making the NBA: "He has always been a good player, but he just didn't grow enough"

Webber said the Kings were cheated

While Bibby didn't say it outright, former Kings superstar Chris Webber opened up about that series and declared that the Kings were deprived of an opportunity to go all the way.

"That's the year we got cheated, I think, in Game 6," Webber said on The Real Ones podcast. "The year Robert Horry hit a crazy shot… It was that year. It was that year. You know, me and Kobe used to talk about it all the time. That was the team. We should have won the championship, and we didn't because we didn't follow through after being disappointed in Game 6."

The rest of the Kings also claimed the refs didn't give them a fair chance in Game 6, as both Vlade Divac and Scot Pollard fouled out. The Lakers were awarded 40 free throws, while Sacramento players only had 25 attempts from the charity stripe.

Still, the Kings also dug their own grave by missing seven free throws in a game that they lost by just four. So even though the refs were far from perfect, Bibby and Co. failed to deliver when it mattered the most.

Related: "I want that play" - Chris Webber shares how Mike Bibby insisted on taking the big shot in Game 5 of 2002 WCF vs. Lakers