While the Kings look for a new arena, an old financial debt came into view recently. Apparently the Kings still owe $83 to the city of Sacremento.

"They've been in the arena a number of years and it looks like nothing has been paid on the principal," said Joe Sullivan, president of the Sacramento County Taxpayers Association. "How much has the city really gotten back?"

"They were not able to put any capital into the business to keep it going, for players or any other expenses," Friery said. "They never got a dime coming back to help pay for basketball operations. And meanwhile, the costs of basketball continued to rise."

Terri Hardy reports that the Sacramento City Council and Thomas settled on a loan of $70 million. The city would go to a bank, borrow the cash and float 30-year bonds. The Kings would own the arena and make payments on the loan each year.

Although the loan contract addresses what is necessary if the Kings were to move out of the city, it does not specify requirements if the team moves to another arena in Sacramento.

Sullivan, of the taxpayers group, said his members are concerned that if a new arena deal is forged, the old loan will be waived.

"That's a lot of money to forgive," Sullivan said. "That's not the way our tax money should be spent."

Councilman Steve Cohn said even though the contract does not specifically outline a new arena scenario, he believes the Maloofs would be required to pay the loan.

"I don't think there is a circumstance where they can get out of it," Cohn said. "That could mean wrapping it up in a new loan or paying it off in its entirety."

John Thomas said no matter what happens with a new arena, the Maloofs intend to pay the loan.

"The clear view we have is that the loan is a debt obligation that we intend to fulfill; it's one of the Maloofs' family values that we pay our bills on time or earlier," Thomas said. "At no time have Joe or Gavin asked or discussed being let out of the loan. We have no expectation of that."

Failing to reach the finals once again after being labeled a Championship contendor for so long, the Maloofs have every right to dismbember and rebuild. Rather, the Maloofs will try again with some advice from John Madden.

"I think two days after that loss in Minnesota, Gavin and I were at a bar mitzvah at some good friends of ours in Sacramento," Joe says, "and John Madden was there. You know John Madden, the broadcaster, who used to be the football coach? You know who Madden is.

"And he says to us, 'Lemme tell ya something: You guys are so close. You were four free throws away from going to the Western Conference finals.' He says, 'Be careful. Don't do drastic things. This is still one of the top teams in the NBA.' "

According to this columnist in The Sacramento Bee, Kings president Geoff Petrie had a difficult decision to make after his team was bounced from the playoffs again.  Perhaps this was his most difficult call during his six years running the Kings in Sacramento.

Petrie had to decide who would stay and who would go and his head coach Rick Adelman was the first and easiest person he could dismiss.  But Petrie made the choice to stay with Adelman and now all eyes are on the Kings front office to see if Chris Webber has played his last game as a King.

Petrie?s decision certainly had to have something to do with the fact that Adelman had the team playing beautifully with Webber out of the lineup early in the season.  

They got off to a terrific start, were the model of good ball movement, and played with a furious tempo and energy that even made their defense suffocating at times.

Then Webber came back into the lineup, declared that the Kings were still his team, and the team?s basketball efficiency and winning ways slowed down.  

So without saying so explicitly, Petrie is ready to find out what he can bring back for Chris Webber.  Or at least this is the assumption.  So now the pressure is on Petrie to come up with an ingenious maneuver or two to keep his team moving forward.

Petrie will look to make the 2004-05 Kings younger, deeper and more athletic, and Webber will be available in this pursuit.

The task will not be easy.  Trying to deal Webber for premium value will be at the heart of the Kings? off-season planning but this presents a number of obstacles.  Webber has an $80 million deal and a bad knee, and he is now getting into the later stages of his playing days at 31 years of age.

Sam Cassell has a sore hip and back.  But throughout his illustrious NBA playing career, one thing seems to be true about the point guard and now more than ever as he enters the latter stages of his playing days:  No pain in his body is bigger than the man?s heart.

Cassell?s strong will to win, take the spotlight, and be part of the big play, was on display in the Timberwolves? Game 7 win over the Kings.

He had 23 points, 7 assists, with 11 of his points coming in the first quarter to help the Wolves get out of the gates and shake off nerves.  

Cassell?s deep playoff experience was certainly a factor, and he plays smart with the game on the line.  It can rightfully be said that Cassell is one of the best and most proven clutch players in the game.

Kevin Garnett validated his MVP award and put the Minnesota Timberwolves into the Western Conference finals.

Garnett had 32 points, 21 rebounds and five blocks on his 28th birthday, and the Timberwolves held on to beat the Sacramento Kings 83-80 Wednesday in Game 7 of their semifinal series.

The victory wasn't assured until Chris Webber's 3-point attempt went in and out at the final buzzer, giving Sacramento a Game 7 playoff loss for a third straight year.

Minnesota will host the Los Angeles Lakers, who have been idle since Saturday, in Game 1 of the conference finals Friday night.

Sacramento Kings' Guard Anthony Peeler will receive a 2 game suspension for throwing an elbow to the face of NBA's reigning MVP, Kevin Garnett. The two players were teammates for 5+ seasons prior to this one in Minnesota.

The suspension means Peeler will be ineligible to play in decisive game 7 of the Western Conference semi-final series. He had been a part of a shortened 7 man rotation for Sacramento.

Garnett himself was fined $7,500 for throwing an elbow to Peeler's chest during the incident, which occurred with 13.5 seconds left in the third quarter of Sacramento's 104-87 game 6 victory on Sunday.

Brad Miller is now a little lighter in the wallet.

"The Kings big man was fined $10,000 by the NBA on Sunday for flipping off the crowd following his ejection from Game 5 in Minneapolis on Friday. He had retaliated for what he deemed a sucker punch from a "chump" in Minnesota reserve guard Darrick Martin by piling onto Martin, who had tagged Miller in an attempt to get through a screen. Miller took exception, and both were promptly ejected."

The Kings battled back again in the series to pull out a big win and tie the series at 3-3 and force a Game 7 in Minnesota.

The Kings had a balanced attack led by Peja Stojakovic who scored 22.  

Anthony Peeler could be suspended in the final game for an altercation with Kevin Garnett.

"Now it's a one-game series," Kings Coach Rick Adelman said. "And you never know what's going to happen in a one-game series. I keep telling them to extend this. We extended it today and now we want to extend it to the next round."

The winner of Wednesday night's showdown takes on the Lakers in the Western Conference finals.

Martin McNeal writes that only the Kings could reverse their scoring reputation and now be known as a defensive force.  

But their chances to emerge from their series with the Timberwolves are also going in reverse.

The Kings defended everybody but Latrell Sprewell in their Game 5 loss to the Wolves in Minnesota, giving the Wolves the 3-2 advantage and pushing the Kings to the bring of elimination.

Sprewell was driving hard to the basket and applying pressure to the Kings? defense.  He did this repeatedly and saw the good results he wanted.  

"He gets himself going by attacking the basket, and then he's making shots," King coach Rick Adelman said.  "But if we keep shooting 33 percent, like I keep saying, it's going to be hard to win. We've got to get an offensive game going here, and we don't have a lot of time to do it."

Game 6 is Sunday afternoon at Arco Arena.  The Kings will try to force a decisive Game 7 at the Target Center.

The pressure is back on the Timberwolves in their playoff series with the Kings.

Not noted for their defense, the Kings have slowed the Wolves? high-powered offense down.

So the burden falls back on The Big Ticket?s shoulders.  It?s unfair but it?s the reality of the Wolves? situation as they come back home and try to re-gain the advantage tonight.  

Garnett has performed well in these playoffs but the Wolves will need him to step it up even more.  And that?s what the playoffs are always about:  Superstars grabbing what is theirs, and that is ultimate victory.

Garnett must dominate on both ends of the floor.  In short, to win the game and then the series, the Wolves need Garnett to control the boards and rip a hole in the Kings defense.