Everything that was different the last time the Kings made the playoffs
The Sacramento Kings are on the cusp of securing their first playoff berth since 2006.
Seventeen years is a long time and a lot has changed in the world since then. For one thing, the Kings still had a decade left to play at Arco Arena (OK, sure it became Power Balance Pavilion in 2011 and then Sleep Train Arena later in 2012.)
The Golden 1 Center downtown didn't yet exist. Before DOCO there was Downtown Plaza.
Over at the Capitol, California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger held court at his cigar tent.
KCRA 3 is here with a time capsule to put in perspective just how long it's been since the Kings last had a chance to compete in the postseason.
What is an iPhone?
In 2006, Apple had still not even announced the launch of the first iPhone. That didn't happen until January 2007. Instead, we had the Motorola RAZR and BlackBerrys.
The iPhone was then released in June 2007. At least Kings fans have been able to console each other on FaceTime throughout the 17-year playoff drought.
What music were people listening to in '06?
Kings fans have been in this together for years, so it's fitting that the highest-selling album of 2006 was the "High School Musical" soundtrack.
The three biggest songs of that year, according to Billboard's singles charts? "Bad Day" by Daniel Powter, "Temperature" by Sean Paul and "Promiscuous" by Nelly Furtado and Timbaland.
The biggest movies that year?
"Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest," "Cars" and "X-Men: The Last Stand" were the three highest-grossing films at the box office in 2006.
Those franchises have combined for more than 13 films over the span of the Kings' playoff drought.
What was happening around the NBA?
The 2005-2006 NBA was a much different league than it is today. This season the Sacramento Kings are leading the league in scoring with an average of 121 points per game.
The highest-scoring team of the 2005-2006 season was the Phoenix Suns, led by two-time MVP Steve Nash, who averaged 108 points per game.
Kobe Bryant won the scoring title that season, Chris Paul was the rookie of the year and Dwyane Wade's Miami Heat were the NBA champions.
How did the Sacramento Kings do that year? They were defeated in the first round of the playoffs by the San Antonio Spurs.
Other fun facts about 2006
- President George W. Bush was in the middle of his second term.
- The average price of gas in America was $2.59 per gallon
- Sacramento Kings standout rookie Keegan Murray turned 6-years-old in 2006
- Twitter was launched
- Pluto was classified as a dwarf planet
- "Crash" won best picture at the Oscars
- Google bought YouTube