The Sacramento Kings effectively secured their spot in the 2023 NBA postseason playoffs with a victory by a score of 120-80 on Wednesday. That’s right: The National Basketball Association (NBA) has ended the postseason drought that held the record for the greatest amount of time in 16 years.
Even though it took a few extra days, the Kings were able to take charge of their own playoff fate by claiming an overwhelming victory against the depleted Portland Trail Blazers. Towards the conclusion of the game in Portland, cries of “Light the beam” were heard coming from the crowd.
The Sacramento Kings have secured a spot in the playoffs for the Western Conference, joining the Denver Nuggets and Memphis Grizzlies as the only other teams. To put it gently, this is not what the smart community anticipated before the season.
This wasn’t always the case, however. By the turn of the century, the Kings were consistently regarded as one of the league’s most dominant teams.
Under the direction of head coach Rick Adelman, they made it to the playoffs for eight consecutive seasons in a row, and they won 50 or more games in each of the five seasons that followed, including a league-best 61 games during the 2001-2002 season, which came to a devastating (and possibly malicious) conclusion.
Those Sacramento teams, headed by players such as Chris Webber, Vlade Divac, and Peja Stojakovi, delighted in quick breaks, ball movement, 3-point bombs, and highlight-reel finishes; their style radiated excitement and packed the content to match.
The Kings have achieved the first step in achieving their goal, which was to qualify for the playoffs, and when we consider how far they’ve gone and how fast they’ve done it, it won’t be wise if we continue to question them.
