Kings lost to the Warriors — but the playoff ride was ‘fantastic’ for Sacramento

The Sacramento Kings fell to the Golden State Warriors — NorCal rivals and defending champions — in the final game of NBA playoff’s first round on Sunday. But fans, while disappointed, expressed gratitude for the season.

“[It’s] definitely gut-wrenching that we lost that game, but this is such a great team, such an exciting young team to watch, I’m trying to be optimistic for the next season,” said fan Desiree Kawas after the game at Golden 1 Center.

The Warriors defeated the Kings 120-100.

Even before the game tipped off, Warriors fans cheering for their team were met with loud jeers from Kings fans — sometimes at double the volume. Though there were several Bay Area fans in the crowd repping Steph Curry, Klay Thompson and the rest of the Warriors, the majority of the audience was bathed in purple and black jerseys or “FEEL THE ROAR” Kings T-shirts, provided by the team.

Cowbell clangs and cheers of “Sac-ra-men-to” rang out throughout the game at a deafening volume, even in the game’s final minutes, as it became apparent that the Kings wouldn’t proceed to another round. 

Some Kings fans took the loss hard, including Kawas and her sister Moriah, who both watched the game at the Golden 1 Center. 

“Definitely I feel like someone just punched me in the face,” Desiree said.

Others shared excitement for the team’s future, like Brandon Raposa, another long-time fan in attendance at Sunday’s game.

“It was fantastic to make it through the whole ride, we’re very happy they made it to the playoffs. Very disappointing in the end,” Raposa said. “To be honest, I don’t want to go to another regular season games, I only want to go to playoff games.”

And though it’s over now, the series was rife with headline-dominating drama, from several high-profile game ejections (of both players and fans), questionable calls by NBA referees and a ban on cowbells at the Warriors’ Chase Center in San Francisco.

The Warriors also fell behind 2-0 in this series, but ultimately won twice on the road in front of a passionate, cowbell-clanging crowd here in Sacramento. They are now the first reigning champion to drop the first two games and win any postseason series.

It took a long time for the Kings to make it here: The last time the team made the playoffs was 2006. Fans waited through 16 years of losing basketball, front office mismanagement and relocation drama before seeing their team return to the postseason stage.

But this season, with new front office management and a new head coach — Mike Brown, who was just awarded the title of NBA Coach of the Year — the team turned over a new leaf, ending the season with 48 wins.

And another new addition this season has marked the Kings’ new-found success (literally): A collection of giant purple LED lights sit atop the arena and are lit every time the team wins, whether in Sacramento or at an away game.

“The Beam,” as it’s been lovingly named, was unveiled on September 16 — 916 day, a local holiday celebrating Sacramento — and has captivated basketball fans and Sacramentans alike, sparking memes, monikers and merchandise galore. 

And all that winning has brought some other successes to Sacramento. Mike Testa, Vice President and CEO of Visit Sacramento, said some businesses in the Downtown Commons shopping center — where the Kings arena is located — have seen an increase in profits during basketball season.

“Well, it's been a revival,” he told CapRadio after the team made the playoffs. Like many cities, Sacramento’s downtown corridor was hit especially hard at the start of the COVID-19 pandemic. 

“Part of the value of the Golden 1 Center is [that] people are coming in before the games and they're staying after the game,” Testa said. “We didn't see that at Arco arena. It's much more of a destination than it ever was before.”

And though the postseason is over for the Kings this year, never fear: The NBA Draft is scheduled for June 22. 

Additional reporting by the Associated Press.