There was Vladimir Radmanovic’s buzzer-beating 3-pointer in
December, sending the game into overtime. The Warriors, after
trailing by 16, pulled out the victory. There was Stephen Jackson’s
25 points in April 2007, lifting the Warriors to a clutch win that
was part of a five-game winning streak to close the season and put
the team in the playoffs. Warriors fans had better savor their
memories at Arco Arena, because Golden State likely won’t be
creating any new ones up north.
SACRAMENTO
There was Vladimir Radmanovic’s buzzer-beating 3-pointer in December, sending the game into overtime. The Warriors, after trailing by 16, pulled out the victory.
There was Stephen Jackson’s 25 points in April 2007, lifting the Warriors to a clutch win that was part of a five-game winning streak to close the season and put the team in the playoffs.
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There was the double-overtime 148-136 win at Arco Arena in March 1992, when Chris Mullin (34 points) outdueled his old friend Mitch Richmond (33 points).
Warriors fans had better savor their memories at Arco Arena, because Golden State likely won’t be creating any new ones up north. Certainly, the current squad didn’t create any good ones Monday night, losing to the Sacramento Kings 129-119 in what is now called Power Balance Pavilion.
The blowout loss, in which the Warriors trailed by as much as 23 points, could very well be Golden State’s last in Sacramento. For those familiar with the rivalry, the possibility that it’s ending is perhaps worthy of a tear.
“Regardless of the records between these two teams, there is always a fantastic show,” Warriors coach Keith Smart said before the game. “Driving in, I was thinking about that. Everywhere I went (Monday), people were saying it might be the last one. It’s been a lot of fun with the fans.”
Smart had little fun Monday as his Warriors had their two-game winning streak snapped by the worst team in the Western Conference. On top of that, the Kings were without their best player in guard Tyreke Evans (plantar fasciitis).
That’s possibly how the Warriors’ signed off their rivalry with Sacramento. By allowing Kings center Samuel Dalembert to set a career high with 27 points to go with 16 rebounds. By allowing guard Marcus Thornton to drop 42 points, the first Warriors rival to break 40 since Kevin Durant did it last year.
The Kings were obviously up for the game, a winnable affair against an area rival. But that rivalry is expected to become history soon.
The expectation is the Kings are headed to Anaheim, where they will co-occupy the Honda Center with the NHL’s Ducks. Even Sacramento Mayor Kevin Johnson, after meeting with Kings owners Joe and Gavin Maloof earlier this month, said the franchise was more likely to move to Anaheim than stay in Sacramento.
The Kings have an April 19 deadline to apply for a franchise move. According to the Los Angeles Times, the Maloofs were granted an extension by the NBA board of governors on their relocation application so they could present their options in a league meeting in mid-April.
For years, the Maloofs have been looking for an upgrade from rundown, 17,000-seat Arco Arena. But unwilling to finance their own arena, and with the city of Sacramento refusing to foot the bill, it has become increasingly obvious over the years the Kings’ days in Sacramento were numbered. With the opportunity to play in the Pond, a move could come as soon as next season.
Undoubtedly, the rest of the league won’t miss the rivalry, as neither team has been a real contender save for the Kings’ Chris Webber-Vlade Divac years in the early 2000s.
“The problem is they were never good at the same time,” said Warriors radio broadcaster Tim Roye, who spent six years with the Kings before working the last 16 with the Warriors. “Always one team was significantly better than the other. … I always thought it would be so cool for the league and the franchises themselves if they could’ve gotten into a playoffs together.”
Never happened. But that hasn’t always tainted their matchups. Even when both teams were struggling, the chance to get a win seemed to add intensity to the rivalry.
Such was the case Monday night.
— Story by Marcus Thompson II, Contra Costa Times
