This past week has been a pleasant surprise for the Sacramento Kings and their fans.
As of now, the Kings are currently on a three-game winning streak which contains a home victory against the Portland Trailblazers and two comeback wins on the road against the Utah Jazz and Minnesota Timberwolves. Because of the Kings’ recent success, the team now finds themselves in the playoff picture as the number eight seed in the Western Conference.
Compared recent competition, tonight’s home matchup against the Philadelphia 76ers (record: 7-22) should be a cakewalk for the purple and white, which would increase Sacramento’s current win streak to four games. But based on the franchise’s troubled past, this game has a good chance of disrupting the rhythm that the Kings’ currently hold.
It wouldn’t be a surprise if the Sacramento Kings community was the most mentally ill fan base in the NBA. I say this because of how head scratching their beloved team can be on the court.
In past seasons, the Kings can be a pleasant surprise by upsetting opponents like LeBron’s Miami Heat, the always dominant San Antonio Spurs, and the Toronto Raptors (who they have defeated twice this season).
But with those little treats comes the constant notorious defeats that the team suffers like against the Los Angeles Lakers, the hapless Dallas Mavericks, and tonight’s opponent, the Philadelphia 76ers.
The 76ers have been a complete horrid for the last four seasons, but during that span, the Kings have only been able to defeat the “shoo-in” opponent only 37.5% of the time. Believe it or not, if the Kings are able to win tonight’s game it would show huge growth from the team.
Before the Kings can return back to relevancy, they need to prove to the league and their fans that they can beat inferior opponents at a consistent rate. Tonight’s game can be the start of a new trend if Sacramento can make a statement win against a young, but talent, Philadelphia squad.
So overall this night can go two ways for Sacramento Kings fans. If their team is able to win, confidence and hope will rise to the fullest. But if defeated, madness will continue within the fan base due to the confusion of why their team cannot close winnable games.