Kings rival mistakenly ‘targeting’ Sacramento playoff matchup

The Sacramento Kings don’t appear ready to let up anytime soon. After a strong first half of the NBA season, they remain locked in following the NBA all-star break.

All season long, experts and rivals have overlooked the Kings success. Despite being in third place in the Western Conference, many see them as closer to the tenth-best team than the top team in the west. It doesn’t look like they’re going to be changing any minds during the regular season, either.

In the playoffs, maybe critics will be ready to fairly evaluate this group. Right now, our latest reminder of how underrated this team is comes via the Los Angeles Lakers.

Lakers ‘Targeting’ NBA Playoffs Matchup with Sacramento Kings;’Dream Scenario’?

ESPN’s Brian Windhorst made some note-worthy comments regarding the Lakers and Kings in a potential playoff matchup. When referring to the Kings Windworst said,

"“That’s the team that they want in the first round, an inexperienced team. That’s their dream scenario.”"

The Lakers ‘dream scenario’ is playing the high scoring, looking to outshoot you Sacramento Kings? That seems a bit bold, even by Lakers standards. Shouldn’t their dream scenario just involve getting into the playoffs?

The Kings should take this as a clear and direct slight from the Lakers. While L.A. prefers the Kings mainly due to their inexperience, saying they are their dream opponents is disrespectful to what this Kings team is capable of.

It’s not as if the Lakers shouldn’t be aware, either. The Kings are 3-1 against the Lakers this season and in those four games, Sacramento averaged 126 points per game. The Lakers should have absolutely no desire to be asked to slow down this Kings offense in a playoff series.

Sure, L.A. looks drastically different now than they did early in the season. Even if LeBron James returns to full health, why would L.A. prefer trying to slow down De’Aaron Fox, who has lit them up head-to-head this season?

In this hypothetical series, the Kings would have nothing to lose. That can make a team more dangerous in a playoff format. There is a long way to go before the playoffs, and it’s likely smart if the Lakers focus on getting themselves in and not who they would like to play against.