With us just one week away from Christmas Day, we figured it was time to craft a holiday themed post at A Royal Pain. However, this holiday there isn't much to be joyful about if you're the Sacramento Kings.
Sacramento Kings Christmas Day History
The Kings have played 29 Christmas Day games in their 77-year history. Remember, this not only includes their time in Sacramento, but also Rochester, Cincinnati, Kansas City, and Kansas City-Omaha.
In those 29 games, the Kings hold an impressive 18-11 record. They are 15-9 when playing at home on Christmas and 3-2 when on the road. Recently, they have been on a bit of a Christmas day cold streak, losing seven of their last nine. However, their 62.1% win percentage is the fourth-best success rate of any team that has played at least ten games on this holiday.
The Kings' Christmas Day record isn't the reason fans should be upset, nor is their 13-14 record and place in the Western Conference standings (well, you should get upset about that, but you get the point).
The cause for our frustration is that the Kings, despite historically playing well on Christmas Day, have not played in a Christmas Day game in 21 years. That is the longest drought of any team outside of the Charlotte Hornets. But even Hornets fans can't be as upset as us because they have only existed for 35 years (over half as long as the Kings/Royals).
The Kings' last time playing in a Christmas Day game was December 25, 2003, when they fell to the Dallas Mavericks 111-103. The year before that, they beat Kobe Bryant, Shaquille O'Neal, and the Los Angeles Lakers 105-99.
Oddly enough, those two games are the only times the Kings have played on Christmas Day since they came to Sacramento in 1985. Before that, the last time they played on Christmas Day was in 1977, when they showed off against the Milwaukee Bucks (a game they lost).
So, that means that 27 of the team's Christmas Day appearances came within their first three decades as a franchise and that in the last five decades, they have only had the privilege of playing on this holiday twice.
Unlike some of our other droughts, we can blame this one on someone else. I get that Christmas Day is important to the NBA and that they want to get their big markets involved, but for a team that is as old as the Kings to have so few moments to play on December 25 is just ridiculous. Hopefully, the NBA realizes this and gets us back in the Christmas spirit soon.