If the climax was the Lakers knocking the Kings out of contention for the third-straight time, then the dismantling of the rivalry began after punches were exchanged between Lakers forward Rick Fox and Kings forward Doug Christie during a pre-season game.
The Kings were never quite the same after that, key players moved on, Webber had major knee surgery and lost some of his quickness and athleticism. Attempts the Kings made to stay in contention failed and it’s all led up to the cowbell-clunking Sacramento crowd having to say goodbye to their beloved franchise.
So it appears that destiny would have the Lakers matched up against the Kings on their last night of existence in Sacramento.
It’s anyone’s guess how the Kings will bow out of the season and essentially out of the arena that was once considered the loudest and toughest to play in on the road. The truth is, even if the players do come out and play hard against the Lakers will it even matter? For the players it probably won’t, but for the fans who’ll no longer get to see another Lakers/Kings match-up at Arco Arena it might.
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