Doug Christie still doesn't know who stepped on his hand last Sunday at Arco Arena, causing a deep cut that resulted in seven stitches and one game on the sideline, but we can report with certainty that it was not referee Dee Kantner. She missed everything that night.

The gift call that got Sacramento to overtime against the Mavericks, before Dallas won there in the name of justice and their coach's dry pants, should stand as a lasting reminder to those who still cling to the small-minded notion that officials in some games have it in for the Kings. Only Shaquille O'Neal ever gets a call, right? That play cemented it -- as if the folly of Steve Francis getting wrongly ejected here last season for allegedly showboating wasn't enough in the first place -- and so much more.

The Mavericks game had it all: a massive Kings comeback, a missed free throw by Peja Stojakovic that was every bit as stunning as Kantner's whistle that put him at the line in the first place, Nelsons flying all over the court, a big finish between the teams for the second time in four days, and an international flavor. Which is only fitting since the matchup has it all.