Domantas Sabonis (d), a Kings player, tackles the basket against Portland Steve Dykes (AP)
End of the other major drought in California. A series of storms left the region behind the three driest years in its history. This Wednesday ended another string of bad luck that punished the region for 17 years. The Sacramento Kings have qualified for the playoffs for the first time since the 2005-2006 season. Today’s win over the Portland Trail Blazers (120-80) not only ends the longest postseason absence in pro basketball, but for every team in the four major US professional leagues (NBA, NFL, NHL and MLB). ).
Sacramento’s long-awaited victory had been elusive. The team, number 3 in the west (46-30), has been stroking the historic victory for several days. They looked to take it Monday at home against Minnesota but were shut out by four points in the fourth quarter. It was the third loss in the last five games. Tonight, on the other hand, they’re targeting a Portland who doesn’t have Damian Lillard, who’s injured his right calf, and who has given up any chance of progressing. The Kings, the third-best goalscorer in the NBA, maintained their status, beating their neighbors by 40 points with a great performance by star duo D’Aaron Fox, who scored 18 points, and Domantas Sabonis, with 15 points.
With Monday’s setback in Sacramento, where the stadium was packed, fans didn’t get a chance to enjoy the big coup that spurred a city with just one professional team. After each win, a player presses a large button that shoots a purple beam into the sky from the roof of the Golden 1 Center arena. The signal, à la Batman, can be seen from almost anywhere in the California capital. One can eat at home or drive on the highway. The jet means the boys won at home. The Light has normalized winning, which was unthinkable not so long ago. The Kings added 16 years with more losses than wins (30 wins/52 losses in the past).
The key this year was the offensive program developed by coach Mike Brown. This is the coach’s first year at Sacramento, a veteran who spent the last six years as Steve Kerr’s assistant at Golden State. Brown has finally brought some stability to a team that has gone through eleven coaches and one change of ownership. Brown has opted for an explosive attack led by point guard De’Aaron Fox and Lithuania center Domantas Sabonis. The pairing has propelled the Kings into one of the most offensive quintets of the season, averaging 121 points per game (the highest since 1983-1984). In February, they beat the Los Angeles Clippers in a game of double overtime by a score of 176-175, the second-highest score in NBA history.
Kevin Huerter lights the Lightning of Kings after his team’s win over Utah on March 25th. LOREN ELLIOTT (Getty Images via AFP)
Rookie Keegan Murray scored 14 points tonight. Murray, selected by the Kings in the fourth round of the draft, leads the season with 3 points among rookies. Tonight he scored his triple number 188, surpassing the mark set by Donovan Mitchell 2017-2018. Murray was five years old when the Kings last played a postseason game. It was May 5, 2006 against the San Antonio Spurs. Those from California lost in the first round.
The NBA was different back then. In January of this year, Kobe Bryant played the legendary game against the Raptors in which he scored 81 points. This year’s champion, the Miami Heat, had three more 1990s veterans in Shaquille O’Neal, Alonzo Mourning and Gary Payton. Dwayne Wade was just a young man with two years in the league.
That season was the bitter end of a great run for the Kings, who came to Sacramento in 1985. The era began in 1999 when Rick Adelman came on the bench and was able to build a winning team around Chris Webber, Vlade Divac and Croatian Peja Stojakovic. The team advanced to the next round in the eight seasons that Adelman was coach. In 2001-2002 they lost the Western Conference Finals to the Lakers (3-4).
The Kings have had 61 wins this season. Sacramento fans are being rewarded for their patience with their best performance since. The younger and less experienced squad won’t reach 60 wins as they only have six games left. Some of the games will feature teams trying to stay alive in the conference, like New Orleans, Dallas and the Warriors in seventh place. The hardest part of Sacramento is yet to come.
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