Critics said the Kings didn't even know how to lose right, which is quite a statement for a team that's missed the playoffs for 12 consecutive seasons.
Losing teams often tank to end the season in hopes of increasing odds in the NBA draft lottery, but not the Kings. They won nine of their last 21 games, way too much winning for a team that needed to bolster its chances of getting lucky.
"I don't like that word," Kings general manager Vlade Divac said. "Tanking, I hate it."
Still, the lottery went the Kings' way for a second year in a row as the Kings moved up from the seventh slot to the second pick Tuesday at Palmer House Hilton in Chicago.