 The Sacramento Kings began as the Rochester Royals and immediately made their mark as the NBL champions in 1946. The team, later to be known as the Kings, moved from BAA to the NBA. There, in the NBA, the future Sacramento Kings won their second championship in 1951. The team moved from Rochester to Cincinnati, relying on its two stars, Jack Twyman and Maurice Stokes, to lead them into a new period of glory after the good days in Rochester were numbered. The hopes were not answered as Twyman became the lone talent on a team after Stokes suffered a brain injury against the Lakers in the final game of the 1958 regular season. The injury resulted in a lifetime of seizures that left him paralyzed. The Kings, had their most notable days as the Royals in Cincinnati with Oscar Robertson and Jerry Lucas. Robertson is known as the first triple-double machine (though Stokes might have bet him to it if not for the injury). Despite the talented duo, the team could never advance very far in the playoffs. The next stop west landed the Royals in Kansas City, where a conflict with the baseball team forced the basketball team to become the Kings. The Kings had up and down seasons, with a single decent run in the playoffs in 1981 that ended in the conference finals at the hand of the Rockets. Poor play and small crowds forced another move, this time to Sacramento. As the Sacramento Kings the team built a loyal fan base and, after the Maloof brothers took over the team, the Kings became competitive again. Chris Webber, Vlade Divac, Doug Christie, Peja Stojakovic, Hedo Turkoglu, and Mike Bibby repeatedly took the high scoring team to the postseason. The team was among the most entertaining, with an offense based on back screens and an offense starting at the high post. The team of great passers and good shooters could not overcome the Lakers, and the Sacramento Kings window had come to an end.
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