It’s Too Bad This Great Day Had to End

It’s 10:32 p.m. I’ve been at Staples Center for almost 12 hours.

You’d think I’d be ready to go home, but I can’t move. Just like thousands of fans who are on their feet, cheering, tossing black pom-poms on the ice. Reveling in the aftermath of one of the great days in Staples Center’s young history.

I’ve just been jolted by the smack of a wooden stick hitting a frozen rubber puck, followed by the roar of 18,000 fans.

The Kings won. Earlier, the Kings lost. Both are good things as far as Los Angeles sports fans are concerned.

Glen Murray’s goal with 17:19 left in the second overtime period kept the dreams alive, gave L.A.’s hockey team a 1-0 victory over the Colorado Avalanche and sent their second-round series back to Denver for Game 7.

In the first game of the double-header, the Lakers remained undefeated in the playoffs, beating Sacramento’s version of the Kings in Game 1 of their second-round series.

If only for a few more days, it’s possible to think of two parades downtown.

A month’s worth of work came to fruition Sunday. The Lakers would have started their series at Sacramento had they not won their last eight regular-season games to pass the Kings for the Pacific Division title. And the hometown hockey club wouldn’t be playing anywhere if it hadn’t overcome a two-games-to-none deficit against Detroit in the first round and then fought off elimination in Game 5 at Colorado on Friday.

Two playoff games in one arena on one day. Whether planted on your couch, seated in the Premier section or ensconced in a suite, the L.A. Lakers and L.A. Kings gave you every reason to keep watching--and keep cheering.

Throughout the playoffs, Kings fans have generated more noise than the cell phone-toting, wearing-sunglasses-indoors crowds at the Laker games. But lo and behold, in the second half of the Laker game Sunday, the fans actually began to chant “De-fense” without any prompting by the scoreboard.

It’s a rarity, something befitting a unique sports day at Staples Center.

The building was free for one team to use Monday night, but the NBA and the NHL wanted to use this game in their Sunday evening (East Coast time) slots. At one point the leagues were going to let a coin flip determine who would get the date. Then they decided they would share it, with the Lakers taking a noon start and the Kings dropping the puck at 6:30.

These are high-level issues, involving the league offices and the television networks.

On the local front, there’s still the battle for perception over just who takes precedence in this building.

It was the Kings and Philip Anschutz’s money that were behind it. It was the Lakers with their star power that helped make it happen--and recently Coach Phil Jackson was quick to point out to the suddenly hockey-happy town that the Lakers were still top dog.

If there’s any one sports figure associated with this building, it’s Shaquille O’Neal.

This is Shaq’s Shack. When you think of the great athletic performances in this arena, O’Neal comes to mind.

The 61 points he put on the Clippers last year. The times he single-handedly carried the Lakers in playoff games. Standing on the balcony above 11th Street after the championship parade, calling out to the masses assembled below: “Can Youuuu Dig It?”

He was at it again Sunday, working for 44 points, 21 rebounds, seven blocked shots and four assists against Sacramento.

At about 3:20, some 40 minutes after his basketball duties had ended, O’Neal tried to clear out the crowd of reporters surrounding him at his locker so he could leave.

“It’s Sunday,” he said. “Go home.”

Not an option. Not on this Sunday.

It was as good a combination as you could ask for: a playoff basketball game decided by three points, with both teams scoring in the 100s, followed by a double-overtime hockey game.

It doesn’t get more exciting than overtime playoff hockey. The Kentucky Derby, World Series ninth innings, the NCAA tournament--nothing tops the rising heartbeat accompanying each rush down the ice when the next goal can decide the fate of a series and season.

The Kings have been majoring in drama this postseason, winning all their games by one goal, three of them in overtime.

On Sunday they did everything they could to make this a memorable night.

Goalie Felix Potvin stopped a quick burst of Avalanche shots in the first minute and didn’t relent.

The Kings kept the game flowing with long, cross-ice passes. Risky, but for most of the game they were effective.

Throughout the game, Murray took every opportunity to fire at the net, and he did the dirty work too, like stepping onto the ice to start a shift and hustling all the way over to the other side of the rink in pursuit of a loose puck.

Defenseman Aaron Miller battled Peter Forsberg for the puck behind the Kings’ net in overtime, matching Forsberg’s will at a time the Avalanche star looked determined to end the game.

But ultimately it was Murray who ended it. Finally, an hour or so after the games were supposed to be finished.

So, when can we do this again?

*

J.A. Adande can be reached at his e-mail address: ja.adande@latimes.com