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The Sacramento Kings are back in the NBA playoffs after a 17-year absence. They have qualified as the No. 3 seed in the West with homecourt advantage at least through the first round.
However, the team must face the NBA’s defending champions, the Golden State Warriors, who clinched the final full-fledged playoff berth on the regular season’s final day.
Despite the Sacramento Kings’ impressive regular season, the Warriors won three of the four meetings between the two teams. The defending champions will surely be difficult to beat in seven games as they boast multiple legends capable of hurting the Kings.
Speaking to The Athletic, an unnamed NBA executive lamented the fact that the Sacramento Kings will be up against the Golden State Warriors. The executive also seemed to agree, and claimed that it was unlucky for the Sacramento Kings to be up against the Warriors.
“Baaaad, baaadd, baaadd luck for Sacramento, man. They get in, and they have the great year they had, and — oh my gosh, you know? I couldn’t be any happier for them, but then to get this — kaboom! —and draw Golden State?”
He continued:
“What a horrible matchup. Golden State in six. They’re the champs. I don’t know if they have it in them to go the distance, but I think they have it in them to win a first-round matchup. Maybe they wear down a little bit physically as it progresses, but I think they can win a first-round series.”
Sacramento Kings tipped to lose to the Golden State Warriors
The Kings have an inexperienced young lineup that is offensively stacked but has its defensive issues. Domantas Sabonis is having a great season while De’Aaron Fox got the first All-Star appearance of his career.
Still, the Warriors, along with the likes of Stephen Curry, Draymond Green and Klay Thompson, are battle-hardened teams that cannot be discounted.
They had a tough season, but are now relatively healthy, with Andrew Wiggins set to return after absense due to personal reasons. The Warriors have played well down the stretch and have drawn the most inexperienced team in the West as their first-round opponent in the Sacramento Kings.
This will be the first time that the two NBA teams representing Northern California will face each other in the playoffs. Regardless, while the Kings had a great regular season, they might have been unlucky in coming up against the Warriors so quickly.
