Sports really do have a way of connecting people together. Whether they form a connection of hope or just to have others to be miserable with, it brings out something different in all of us. Over the last year, we as sport fans have witnessed two historic moments from teams simply clinching playoff berths after long droughts. That would be the Sacramento Kings from the NBA and the Seattle Mariners in the MLB. Both franchises failed to reach the postseason for long periods of time but until the past and current seasons in their respective leagues, that streak is all but gone. The Mariners drought started in 2001 and they clinched a spot in last season’s playoffs. Now it’s the Kings breaking their long-awaited curse.
Coming into the year, they hired former Golden State Warriors assistant coach, Mike Brown, to take over the head coaching duties. Since that hire, he has completely transformed the culture surrounding the Kings and they just recently clinched their first playoff berth since 2006. It had been a long time coming for this once proud organization that had fallen into the abyss of dysfunction and mediocrity. Sacramento was looked at as one of the laughing stocks around the NBA but now, they are a force to be dealt with.
In just one year, the Kings will finish the regular season with a top-three seed in the wild Western Conference and will host a playoff series. That is a major turnaround from where they have been over the last 10 plus years and it’s a credit to the front office and coaching staff. But let’s not forget the players themselves as well. Last trade deadline, the Kings made the decision to move on from promising young guard Tyrese Haliburton in exchange for big man Domantas Sabonis. It was a move that was criticized by many around the association but looking back, Sacramento may have won the deal.
The move allowed guard De’Aaron Fox to really dive into his role as the starting point guard for the Kings and he has formed an incredible bond with Sabonis this season. Both players were selected to the All-Star team, and they have formed a duo that is a real problem for opponents.
Sacramento will head into the playoffs as a very inexperienced team but the mere fact that the Kings will be suiting up for the first round of the playoffs is all that anyone cares about. It’ll be a special moment for the players and the loyal fans that have supported this franchise throughout the down years. Longer tenured NBA fans remember just how much of a problem the Kings were in the early 2000’s when they were competing for spots in the Western Conference Finals, year in and year out.
This Kings team may not win the title this season as they do have some question marks, especially on the defensive side of the ball. But they have an explosive offense that will surely be must watch come playoff time. Sacramento is back into postseason play and it’ll be exciting to see just how far they can go and where they go next.
