LeBron almost tore Marvin Bagley’s arm off
Historically, the Sacramento Kings and Los Angeles Lakers have a bitter rivalry. However, this rivalry centered around the Chris Webber/Peja Stojakovic era Kings vs. the Shaq/Kobe Lakers. During each of their three title runs, the Kings were an obstacle for the Lakers. In 2002, the Kings were the NBA’s best team, and many believe they actually beat the Lakers, but some Game 7 shenanigans gave LA the win.
While the Sacramento Kings gradually got worse every year following this, the Lakers went through dramatic changes. The Lakers enjoyed another dynasty, led by Kobe Bryant and Pau Gasol, as the Kings last made the playoffs in 2006. In 2013, the Kings were nearly relocated to Seattle, where they would have undoubtedly have become the SuperSonics.
Since then, the Kings have perpetually been rebuilding. The Lakers, meanwhile, entered a similar fate, bottoming out during Kobe’s final years. While they built a promising young core, they gradually got rid of all of those pieces, when LeBron James joined the team. Within two years, LeBron’s Lakers won a championship.
LeBron James has struggled with injuries and the Lakers have had chemistry issues, in the years since the title. Last season, the Lakers started 21-7, only for injuries to unravel the team, leading to them falling into the play-in. Beating the Golden State Warriors, they earned the seventh seed. Facing the Phoenix Suns, they were handed an unceremonious first round playoff exit.
This season, the Lakers retooled in hopes of returning to championship form. When the core plays together, they are good, but the Lakers are .500, halfway through the season. On the other hand, the Suns, Warriors, Grizzlies, and Jazz have a lock on the West’s top four spots. Last night, the Lakers played the Kings in what was to be an easy win.
Instead, it was a loss, where LeBron James almost injured Marvin Bagley.
