SACRAMENTO, Calif. -- In the Sacramento Kings' biggest game in 51 years, only Mike Bibby could handle the pressure.

	Mike Bibby and his 29 points weren't enough for the Kings.

The Kings clanged away the chance to go to the franchise's first NBA Finals since 1951, with nearly every player on one of the most prolific offensive teams in league history missing important shots in the final minutes of the Lakers' 112-106 overtime victory in Game 7 of the Western Conference finals Sunday.

When push came to shove on the NBA's biggest stage, the Kings pushed their shots long, short and wide -- anywhere, it seemed, but in.

''You have to learn how to make shots when it counts, when it's absolutely critical, and they haven't done that yet,'' Lakers forward Rick Fox said.

The Lakers insisted throughout the series that their extensive postseason experience would make a huge difference, even when Sacramento pushed the champs to the brink of elimination in Game 5.

	“	You have to learn how to make shots when it counts, when it's absolutely critical, and they haven't done that yet. ”
		— Lakers forward Rick Fox on the Kings' shooting woes

The best season in Sacramento's 54-year history ended with a flurry of deflating misses that were completely out of character for the Kings, who went 13-for-32 in the fourth quarter and overtime. Sacramento didn't score in the final 2:17 of overtime after Bibby's jumper gave the Kings a 106-104 lead.

''We missed a lot of shots we should make,'' said Bibby, who had 29 points, five rebounds and four assists to cap a dominant series. ''It just happens sometimes. Sometimes you just aren't hitting.''

It was even more painful because Sacramento was at home, playing on the rims where the Kings averaged 107.3 points a game during the regular season.

It started at the free-throw line -- perhaps the best barometer of any team's mental state in a big game. The Kings went 16-for-30 to cap a weak 65.7-percent performance for the series, and they were 9-for-18 after halftime with three critical misses in the fourth quarter.

''Obviously, free throws were the reason we lost this game,'' Vlade Divac said. ''We just shot terrible free throws. I can't recall ever having a night like tonight.''

Instead of following Bibby's lead, the Kings seemed to reflect the play of Chris Webber. Sacramento's $123 million man scored just six of his 20 points after halftime, going 3-for-10 from the field while playing decent defense against Shaquille O'Neal after Divac fouled out.

Once again, Webber did nothing to silence those who doubt his ability to carry a team to victory. He had 11 assists and eight rebounds, but never demanded the ball down the stretch -- even when his teammates clearly needed someone to step up and end their nervous shooting spree.

After failing to score in the final 5:10 of regulation, Webber hit an early overtime jumper but missed two shots down the stretch, including a jumper with 1:37 left that could have given Sacramento the lead, and had another shot blocked by O'Neal.

Bibby, Sacramento's only regular without postseason experience, carried the Kings into overtime, scoring 10 of their final 12 points in regulation, including two game-tying free throws.

Doug Christie was 2-for-11, tainting his remarkable defensive play against Kobe Bryant with a horrible offensive performance. Christie missed an open 3-pointer and was way off on a potential game-tying jumper with 21 seconds to play.

But the ugliest miss of all came from Peja Stojakovic, who only returned to the Kings' lineup two games ago after missing nearly three weeks with a sprained ankle. With the Lakers up 99-98 in regulation, Stojakovic airballed an open 3-pointer that could have put Sacramento in charge with 11 seconds left.

The Kings were only 2-for-20 from 3-point range, including Stojakovic's 0-for-6 outing.

''I had a great look, and my footwork was fine,'' Stojakovic said. ''No excuse. Everything was good. ... But it wasn't a good game for us anytime. I don't know what happened to us.''