If you would have held a poll before the season to gauge which NBA team in California would have two All-Stars and the best record going into the break, a number of responses would have seemed appropriate.
The Warriors would have been a natural pick, as they were coming off their fourth title within the past decade and have a trio of future Hall of Famers alongside young star Jordan Poole. The Lakers, even with roster issues, had a pair of Top 75 players, in LeBron James and Anthony Davis, who won the championship together in 2020. The Clippers haven’t reached the Promised Land, but they also boast a star pairing in Kawhi Leonard and Paul George. And many analysts, including this author, picked them as the preseason favorites to come out of the West.
Much further down most people’s lists you would have found the Kings; the team currently mired in a 16-year playoff drought—the longest in NBA history, and currently the longest-running postseason dry spell of any team in the four major American men’s pro leagues.
