Sacramento Kings
Rivalries
Rivalries
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Prior to moving to Ohio, the Royals' biggest rival was the [Syracuse Nationals](/wiki/Syracuse_Nationals "Syracuse Nationals"), which went on to become the [Philadelphia 76ers](/wiki/Philadelphia_76ers "Philadelphia 76ers"). This left [upstate New York](/wiki/Upstate_New_York "Upstate New York") without a team until the [Buffalo Braves](/wiki/Buffalo_Braves "Buffalo Braves") were established in 1970\. This third attempt did not last, with the Braves moving to [San Diego, California](/wiki/San_Diego%2C_California "San Diego, California") in 1978 to become the [San Diego Clippers](/wiki/Los_Angeles_Clippers%231978%E2%80%931984:San_Diego_Clippers "San Diego Clippers").

In 1970, the [Cleveland Cavaliers](/wiki/Cleveland_Cavaliers "Cleveland Cavaliers") were established. This brought a new rival for the Royals, as well as a new team in Ohio. This rivalry did not last, and the Royals moved to Kansas City only a few years later. Although the NBA previously had a team in [St. Louis](/wiki/St._Louis "St. Louis"), [Missouri](/wiki/Missouri "Missouri") in the form of the [St. Louis Hawks](/wiki/St._Louis_Hawks "St. Louis Hawks"), that team moved to [Atlanta](/wiki/Atlanta "Atlanta") in 1968, thus preventing a potential new rivalry for the Kings. This made the Kings the first team in the state in four years. 13 years later, the Kings moved to California, leaving Missouri without a team.

### Los Angeles Lakers

The Kings and the Lakers have faced each other in the playoffs nine times between 1949 and 2002, and since the Kings moved to Sacramento in 1985, both have been based in California. The [2002 Western Conference Finals](/wiki/2002_NBA_playoffs%23Western_Conference_finals "2002 NBA playoffs#Western Conference finals") was one of the most bitterly contested in NBA history, with many controversial calls in game 6\. The Lakers would win the series in game 7\.

### Golden State Warriors

Since the Kings relocated to Sacramento in 1985, they have shared a geographic rivalry with the [Golden State Warriors](/wiki/Golden_State_Warriors "Golden State Warriors"), as Sacramento and [San Francisco](/wiki/San_Francisco "San Francisco") are 86 miles apart from one another. However, despite the Kings joining the BAA in 1948 (when they were then known as the Royals and based in [Rochester, New York](/wiki/Rochester%2C_New_York "Rochester, New York")), due to both teams having long periods of failing to make the playoffs, the two teams would not face each other in the playoffs until [2023](/wiki/2023_NBA_playoffs "2023 NBA playoffs"), where they faced off in the first round. In a bitterly fought series, including a rough play between [Domantas Sabonis](/wiki/Domantas_Sabonis "Domantas Sabonis") and [Draymond Green](/wiki/Draymond_Green "Draymond Green") in game 2 where Green stomped roughly on Sabonis's chest, resulting in Green being suspended in game 3, and several violent viral fan scuffles throughout the series (as opposing fans were widespread at both the [Chase Center](/wiki/Chase_Center "Chase Center") and Golden 1 Center due to the geographic proximity), the Warriors defeated the Kings in seven games to advance to the semifinals. The series drew the highest first\- and second\-round playoff TV ratings for the NBA since 1999, with game 7 peaking at 11\.9 million viewers on [ABC](/wiki/American_Broadcasting_Company "American Broadcasting Company").


When did the Kings relocate to Sacramento and what rivalry did they form with another team?