Just how much of a rivalry remains between the Kings and Lakers depends on whom you ask.
Center DeMarcus Cousins, in his third NBA season, called it a "big rivalry."
Gary Gerould, the Kings' radio play-by-play man since the team relocated to Sacramento in 1985, sees it a little differently. For most of the team's 28 years in Sacramento, the Kings have been just another opponent as the Lakers chased championships.
None of that will matter Saturday night in the latest - and perhaps final - edition of Kings vs. Lakers at Sleep Train Arena. If Sacramento Mayor Kevin Johnson's efforts to keep the Kings from moving to Seattle fail, the question next season will be if the Lakers will beat the SuperSonics.
The Kings-Lakers rivalry has been one-sided. Los Angeles leads the series 85-35 since the Kings moved to Sacramento.
But for many Kings fans, the animosity toward the Lakers stems from a brief period when both squads were title contenders.
That's when Chris Webber and Vlade Divac led a renaissance in Sacramento basketball, culminating in the 2002 Western Conference finals won by the Lakers in overtime of a Game 7 on their way to a third consecutive NBA championship.
Those are the Kings the younger generation recalls.
"Bobby Jackson, C-Webb, Vlade, Doug Christie," Cousins said. "I was watching that. I remember the fights with the Lakers."
But it has been more than 10 years since Christie and Rick Fox duked it out at Staples Center. The major players from those teams, except Kobe Bryant and Derek Fisher, no longer play in the NBA.
The Lakers have won two more championships since that 2001-02 season, but the Kings haven't reached the postseason since 2006.
"It sometimes really hasn't dawned on me, (but) it's been more than 10 years since that playoff series and the controversial finishes that went to seven games," Gerould said. "And as entertaining as that was, I think a lot of Kings fans really live off of those memories, and that's what perpetuates what we call a rivalry. The Lakers, they probably just pooh-pooh it and say there's no rivalry: We've owned you over the years with the exception of a handful of seasons."
Nothing epitomizes the chasm between the two franchises like Feb. 4, 1987. The Kings were down 29-0 and trailed 40-4 after the first quarter - all four points coming on free throws.
The longest night in Kings history against the Lakers ended in 128-92 laugher.
"Because of things like that and because of the Lakers' total dominance, it was always pretty special, even if you were competitive," Gerould said. "And then to have some success and you feel like you had a legitimate shot anytime you stepped on the floor in beating them, it was like, 'Wow, we've gone to the moon. This is amazing.' "
The Kings have beaten the Lakers in their past three meetings in Sacramento. But the last time something truly was at stake was April 13, 2011.
That was the first "last game in Sacramento." The Kings appeared headed to Anaheim after the season, and the Lakers needed to win to secure the No. 2 seed in the Western Conference.
The Kings rallied from a 20-point deficit, but Bryant's block of Marcus Thornton's potential game winner at the end of regulation forced overtime. Los Angeles' raced to a 116-108 victory, leaving some fans in tears.
The Kings enter tonight's game coming off consecutive wins and playing their best basketball late in the season, and coach Keith Smart expects the team to compete well tonight.
"It still starts with Kobe, for one - he's going to be playing - and Dwight Howard is the other one," Smart said. "I think the fact that it is the Lakers in our building, you're still going to have the intensity of that game."
Despite the Lakers' addition of guard Steve Nash and Howard at center, injuries have hurt the team this season. Bryant, who has battled injuries all season, used a crutch to walk out of Milwaukee's Bradley Center on Thursday night because of a bone spur.
The Lakers have lost four of their past five games and are clinging to the eighth and final playoff spot in the Western Conference.
It makes for an intriguing matchup between the two longtime rivals.
The question is, will it be their last?
Follow The Bee's Jason Jones on Twitter @mr_jasonjones and read more about the team at www.sacbee.com/kings.
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