It has been more than 10 years since the Sacramento Kings last made the NBA playoffs in 2006. That drought has been wearing on the franchise for a while. Over the past few years, they’ve so obviously chased a low-seeded postseason berth, only to come up short.
Nothing has changed this season. Snagging the Western Conference’s No. 8 spot remains the Kings’ goal. According to DeMarcus Cousins, per CSN Bay Area’s James Ham, it’s their only goal:
Following Sacramento’s win at the Palace at Auburn Hills, DeMarcus Cousins was asked about the playoff picture.
“It’s my only goal this season,” Cousins told reporters following the game. “My only goal.”
When pushed on the subject, he gave a more complete answer.
“Oh man, it’s eating me alive – every loss or every time another team wins that’s battling for the eighth spot, it’s eating me alive,” Cousins added. “Our only goal is to be in the playoffs this season.”
You can understand Cousins’ desperation. This is his seventh season. Not only have the Kings failed to make the playoffs since he entered the league, but they’ve yet to even crack 35 wins. And as of now, they’re only on pace to hit 31 or 32 victories.
That puts their race for the No. 8 seed on edge. The bottom half of the Western Conference is terrible, so the Kings aren’t out of it. But they trail the eighth-place Denver Nuggets by 1.5 games, with the New Orleans Pelicans and Portland Trail Blazers standing between them.
Even if the Kings make the playoffs, they don’t earn themselves anything more than a first-round sweep at the hands of the Golden State Warriors. Players like Cousins won’t think in these terms, and ownership isn’t going to pass up two games’ worth of postseason revenue, but sneaking into the playoffs this year of all years won’t show progress on the Kings’ behalf.
More than anything, it’ll be an indicator for the sorry state of the bottom-most part of the West.
