A big reason why many people are turned off by the NBA or don't watch its regular season is that it is hard for them to find excitement in the mundanity of an 82-game season.
To spice things up, the NBA has tried to implement different novelties to generate more interest in the league prior to the postseason. Most infamously, last season, the league implemented a midseason tournament that was formerly known as the "In-Season Tournament" but is now referred to as the "NBA Cup."
Something else the league added is NBA Rivals Week. What is NBA Rivals Week, you ask? Well, with this week (the week of January 20) being Rivals Week, we figured this would be the perfect time to explain the event and highlight how the Sacramento Kings will play a part in it.
What is NBA Rivals Week?
NBA Rivals Week is a week during the NBA season where the league schedules ten nationally televised games (on TNT, ESPN, ABC, and NBA TV) between two teams that have an extra incentive (i.e., bragging rights) to beat each other. This year, these games will take place from Tuesday, January 21, through Saturday, January 25. This will be the third annual Rivals Week.
Will the Sacramento Kings be featured in Rivals Week?
Unlike with NBA Christmas Day, the Kings will have a place in Rivals Week. The Kings will play the Golden State Warriors on Wednesday, January 22 (10 PM EST on ESPN).
This is actually a pretty prestigious honor when you think about it, as only 14 of the 30 teams in the NBA have at least one game that will be nationally televised during Rivals week. Maybe the NBA doesn't hate the Kings after all.
Why the Golden State Warriors?
Outside of sharing a conference, a home state, and a division, the Warriors and Kings have taken turns ending the other's season in the past two years.
It started in 2023 when, after finally ending their 16-year playoff drought, the Kings were defeated by the Warriors in an electric seven-game first round series. The Kings executed their revenge in the following season, beating the Warriors in the first round of the Play-In Tournament to end their season.
Now, the Kings/Warriors will have a national platform to duel once more. This time, the stakes will be fighting to maintain/improve seeding (both teams are currently 21-20) in the unforgiving Western Conference.