After the offseason shakeup of both of The Kings biggest conference rivals, who do you think currently stands as the sole rival of Sacramento? My Vote is The Mavericks, they certainly are still capable of putting up huge numbers and piecing together blow outs with their current roster. Regardless of the fact they've lost Nash, they've seem to have held their ground in the conference, I'm not so sure I can say the same for The Lakers. The more competitive the team, probably the better season rival...
Im going to have to disagree with both of you guys and say the Minnesota Timberwolves. They went 7 games in the semis last year, there was that heated exchange between KG and AP, fans pelted noisemakers on the court during one of the games, the T-Wolves always seem to find a way to win at Arco... Minnesota gets my vote.
yeah the t-wolves would look like a good choice. they didn't even come to my mind at first. so far the t-wolves have gotten the best of the kings, hopefully that will turn around. kg is a punk..did i just say that? oh my forgive me, but it's true.. the mavs and kings never really had any bad blood between them, but have had some high scoring and exciting games. i don't see the mavs as a team that really likes to rough it up with guys. the lakers without shaq, no way, shaq was a big reason there was a kings lakers rivalry. maybe if kobe starts talking trash about sacramento and suddenly gets the lakers to be a better team.
Too be Honest it's really no particular team at this moment. The Suns are at the top of the Pacific Confernce now,than there's the Lakers who wev'e had our battles over the years.Also Minnesota since they have a good record against us..but there's really no one were really rivarling with at this moment...the Mavericks,i really don't consider to be rivals with at all.so i don't even entertain that thought. At the end of the season,i think we will find out who are true rivals are if we want to win the Pacific title..till then..we will enjoy the games we play.
To me a rivalry is defined by how competitive two teams are with eachother and an element of dislike between the teams' players and fans.Of course the classic rivalry has been between the kings and the lakers but the players dont have that intense dislike for one another as LA has acquired many new players.The only team that is competitive with Sac AND shares a disliking for them is Minnesota.So its got to be the Twolves.
I dont see where the level of dislike is.... Its not on the part of the Kings, and the only amount of dislike towards the kings that I could think of would be as a result of AP's elbow & AP was only in sac for one season & is now gone. the closest thing I can think of to a rivalry is still the suns... it was only a few years ago that the suns were the team to loose to the kings in the post season in 20 years, add to that with Nash going to PHX, there has got to be something left in him for those two out of the past three years that Sac has eliminated him from the playoffs. its not much... but I think that is about the only thing close to a rivalry thats going on right now
I would think that a rival is someone that always brings out your best and you feel lucky having had beaten. Rivalries don't always have to have bad blood too. I don't believe that the Kings and Wolves have a personal dislike for each other. The Lakers and Kings, plenty, but not the Wolves. In this case I'd say, for Divisional purposes..the Suns. And for intensity of good old fashioned Game 7 rivalry.....Minnesota. Just My Opinion.
I'd still like to say our Rival is with the Lakers..to some extent anyways. Granted Shaq's not a Laker anymore and he did stir up the Anti-Kings crap for the Lakers,so in that aspect it's not as intense as it use to be. Another point someone mentioned was Kevin Nash..since we had the Mav's number in the playoffs,now that he's with the Suns it could intensify. Overall,like i said before..i think we will find out our Biggest Rival will be whomever is at the top of the Pacific(if it's not us)or if were on top..it will come down to the Suns or the Lakers...Time will tell on this?
<div class="quote_poster">Quoting MR_SAC_KING:</div><div class="quote_post">I'd still like to say our Rival is with the Lakers..to some extent anyways. Granted Shaq's not a Laker anymore and he did stir up the Anti-Kings crap for the Lakers,so in that aspect it's not as intense as it use to be. Another point someone mentioned was Kevin Nash..since we had the Mav's number in the playoffs,now that he's with the Suns it could intensify. Overall,like i said before..i think we will find out our Biggest Rival will be whomever is at the top of the Pacific(if it's not us)or if were on top..it will come down to the Suns or the Lakers...Time will tell on this?</div> Isn't Kevin Nash still wrestling? Hehe. And...by the way...I'd still say it's the Lakers, only because the fans will always remember us.
<div class="quote_poster">Quoting realdealbneal:</div><div class="quote_post">Isn't Kevin Nash still wrestling? Hehe. And...by the way...I'd still say it's the Lakers, only because the fans will always remember us. </div> Yeah Nash is in the NWA/TNA wrestling.LMAO my bad.i mean't to post Steve,but was looking on the NWA/TNA's site and put his name on instead. :-o And I'll go and say the Kings Biggest Rivarly is the Lakers too.Just because of what happened over the years..regardless if they have Shaq or not,i still think it can be an intense rivarly myself...So does that make you happy that a Kings fan agrees with you?
There should be no question about this. Come on people. <font size="3"><u>LAKERS.</font></u> I don't consider Kings/Mavericks a rivalry. Just bitterness towards each other because both teams have knocked each other out of the playoffs. No bad blood there at all. T Wolves/Kings not a rivalry by any means at all. What you have with the Kings and the Lakers is a rivalry. Bad blood and bitterness. The players have gotten into it, orally and physically. The fans are always into it. Whenever these two teams get together, no matter what state the two teams are in, it's always a battle. The answer's the Lakers, no question about it. It's barely debatable.
<div class="quote_poster">Quote:</div><div class="quote_post">The players have gotten into it, orally and physically. </div> I believe youre thinking of lakers teams of years past and not this years lakers team.Im unaware of any players from either team getting into it with eachother this season.If there is any form of rivalry between LA and SAC now, its between the fans and thats it.
^ What makes a rivalry isn't solely what happens in the present. What happens in the present is what keeps the rivalry fresh and intense. Just because the Lakers lost a lot of their past players doesn't, by any means, mean that Lakers/Kings isn't a rivalry anymore. All it does is take away from its intensity. What happened between the past Sacramento and Laker teams is what built this rivalry's foundation.
i dont think the kings are at the Mavs level so i'll say the kings. Kings have lost a lot in a couple of years as the Mavs, Spurs and T'wolves drift away from the Kings and Lakers. So they can have each other.
<div class="quote_poster">Quoting samoan-maverick:</div><div class="quote_post">i dont think the kings are at the Mavs level so i'll say the kings. Kings have lost a lot in a couple of years as the Mavs, Spurs and T'wolves drift away from the Kings and Lakers. So they can have each other.</div> huh? what do you mean by lost a lot and what do you mean by those other teams have drifted away.
For us Mavs fans who've seen Kings beat us a few times in the playoffs over the last few seasons, Kings are our major rivals. But I dont think that's the case from a Kings fan perspective. I'd say the Lakers are/were the most hated rivals. The Mavs style of play is a whole lot different this year and cannot be compared to the Kings anymore. Suns would better fit that category
The Lakers-Kings rivalry is over right now. The Lakers probably won't be contenders this year, and the Kings know it. It'll probably take a year or so for another rivalry to really develop.
<div class="quote_poster">Quoting GiantMidget:</div><div class="quote_post">I believe youre thinking of lakers teams of years past and not this years lakers team.Im unaware of any players from either team getting into it with eachother this season.If there is any form of rivalry between LA and SAC now, its between the fans and thats it.</div> Doesn't matter at all. And yourself being a Laker fan I'm sure, you should've noticed the volume rising from a quiet library at Staples Center to a raucous atmosphere in our first meeting this season nationally televised on TNT, you should've witnessed the competitive fire from both sides, and how it came down to the wire at the end, the annoying little smirks on the floor and the Kings bench as the camera zoomed in on their faces, this still isn't a rivalry? Doesn't matter if LA doesn't have the biggest King haters on the planet anymore, particularly Shaq and Rick Fox, and I can care less if we have one of their guys in Vlade Divac, no matter who's on the floor....you still want the current Lakers to dominate.
<div class="quote_poster">Quoting harbingerofdoom:</div><div class="quote_post">huh? what do you mean by lost a lot and what do you mean by those other teams have drifted away.</div> definition of lost a lot v. : Bench being depleted, not having a bench compared to the years past. other teams have drifted away adj. : Mavs, Timberwolves, and Spurs (those other teams)are all fighting for the Championship while the Kings used to be, but arent anymore.
