The end of a rivalry

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In the end, it's the games that matter. The anticipation that this game may produce something special. It's why we sit through Titans 47, Rams 7. It's why we sift through blogs and trade rumors and box scores. We like the games. We picked the 25 best games, matches and races of the decade -- believe us, it wasn't easy -- and listed them in reverse chronological order. We want you to rank the best. Enjoy the look back as ESPN.com writers remember these classics.

ESPN.com's 25 best games of the decade: 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 21 | 22 | 23 | 24 | 25

Andrew D. Bernstein/NBAE/Getty Images

Game 7 was the only game I've ever covered that extracted a physical toll on me. When it was over, my ears were ringing and my head was pounding like a construction crew had used a jackhammer in my brain, thanks to three hours of continuous noise in Arco Arena. My stomach hurt from following all the twists and turns of the game, which looked as if it belonged to the Kings, then the Lakers, then the Kings and finally the Lakers for good after an extra five minutes.

This game was a perfect summation of the dramatic back-and-forth of the series, which included a huge Lakers comeback and Robert Horry shot for the ages in Game 4, a poisonous room-service meal consumed by Kobe Bryant, a game-winning shot by Mike Bibby in Game 5 and controversial officiating in Game 6. The only thing more you could ask of a series would be an overtime in Game 7, and we got it.

The Kings were more talented, but what mattered at the end was that the Lakers were more experienced. The Kings weren't quite ready for such a big moment, as revealed by their 16-for-30 free throw shooting in Game 7 and guard Doug Christie's admission that he was "scared to death" in that game.

We didn't know it then, but Game 7 marked the end of the NBA's best rivalry of the new decade, a passionate and colorful feud that had everything from Lakers coach Phil Jackson's darts at Sacramento ("semi-civilized") to Kings owner Gavin Maloof dancing on the scorer's table after a big win. Although I'll never forget Bryant, on his way out of Arco after that Game 7, crowing that it wasn't a rivalry at all because the Lakers had won three consecutive playoff series against Sacramento.

"They've got to beat us first," Bryant said. "C'mon, you know the rules."
--J.A. Adande

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