Laker rivalry continuing? (Split thread)
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Padrino
All-Star
the rivalry is dead as far as i'm concerned. does that mean i like the lakers? hell no. i still hate the lakers organization with a passion. they were the only thing in the way of at least one possible kings-title...maybe more than one. but that team is long gone, as is the kings team that they faced off against. maybe the rivalry will be revived. intrastate teams have the greatest potential for rivalry. but the rivalry of the early millenium was sparked by several factors that do not exist anymore. the ever-annoying shaq-factor being the most prevalent. he's gotta big mouth. he loves to talk smack. kobe was younger, more brash, more arrogant (hard to believe, huh?), and not worried about an image problem, so he talked his share of smack. even the role players got in on it. rick fox comes to mind. phil jackson got in on the fun as well. cowbells, anyone? not to mention the kings and lakers were without a doubt the two best teams in the west--which basically meant the entire nba--at the time. phil and kobe are the only ones remaining, but kobe's at least pretending to have matured these days...and phil's got his own team to worry about. he's not gonna bother with the cow-town up north. the rest of the factors from those rivalry glory days are gone.
i'm not giving up on a rivalry revival, though. i think we all lived for the kings-lakers rivalry. nobody would be sad to see it return. it adds an entirely new and intense dimension to being a fan of a particular professional sports team. will we ring our cowbells ever again? stay tuned...
edit: i'm inclined to believe that "BEAT LA!!!" will never go away. thats a mainstay. even if the cowbells fade into sacramento kings history, "BEAT LA!!!" will forever ring in the hearts and minds of kings fans.
i'm not giving up on a rivalry revival, though. i think we all lived for the kings-lakers rivalry. nobody would be sad to see it return. it adds an entirely new and intense dimension to being a fan of a particular professional sports team. will we ring our cowbells ever again? stay tuned...
edit: i'm inclined to believe that "BEAT LA!!!" will never go away. thats a mainstay. even if the cowbells fade into sacramento kings history, "BEAT LA!!!" will forever ring in the hearts and minds of kings fans.
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I will always hate the Lakers. I will always "hate" my high school rivals and I don't mention the name of my college rivals.
Having rivals is fun. It makes it more personal for the fans. It transcends the teams and becomes alive. Rivalries are living things. Sometimes they flourish and other times they barely get by, but they rarely die...
Die Laker scum!!!!
Ah, that felt so good.
Having rivals is fun. It makes it more personal for the fans. It transcends the teams and becomes alive. Rivalries are living things. Sometimes they flourish and other times they barely get by, but they rarely die...
Die Laker scum!!!!
Ah, that felt so good.
D-Mass
Starter
Agreed! I'll spend my 500th post agreeing with VF...seems fitting, doesn't it?
Sports would be a whole lot less interesting without rivalries. I would hate it if every competitor was on an equal plane. I could care less that they are not the team they once were. I love hating the Lakers, and as someone who lived in LA for many years, I know they love hating us too. It's a beautiful thing!
Sports would be a whole lot less interesting without rivalries. I would hate it if every competitor was on an equal plane. I could care less that they are not the team they once were. I love hating the Lakers, and as someone who lived in LA for many years, I know they love hating us too. It's a beautiful thing!
Keep telling yourself that...
O
ONEZERO
Guest
Shaq's gone. Rivalry over. Or at least, IMO, will never reach the magnitude it once had.
We hate the lakers for many reasons, but I think the main reason is 2002. Laker fans here in LA hate us equal if not more than we hate them. They hate everything about the kings. They hate the players, the coach, the owners, the organization, and most of all they hate us, the fans. They suck now so they don't open their mouths as much, but if a conversation were to come up about the kings they are so quick to return to their hating ways. They feared us. Actually let me rephrase it, they FEARED us. That's the reason they hated us so much. They coulda easily hated the spurs more than us after being swept by the spurs in 99 which led to a spurs title. The only year since 2000 and up that I've seen the spurs as a better team than the kings has been this year. I don't think the lakers ever really feared the spurs especially before 2003. The spurs were so one dimensional that the lakers could easily beat the spurs at will. But with us it was a different story. We could take it to them in a vast amount of different ways. Our offense was something they haven't seen and our defence especially with vlade guarding shaq was in a way pretty unique and succesfull. Nobody frustrated shaq more than vlade. Cause nobodys ever gonna be able to stop shaq so vlade I think did the best job to frustrate him.
Fox's attempts at stoping peja(most of the time would work), shaqs big mouth(pretty much took the rivalry to another level), kobes arrogance, phils big mouth(quietly had a big mouth), d fish's flopping(god I hate that guys defence with a passion), and horrys big shot(I still have nightmares over this. Really, I do) are the main reasons why we or at least I hate the lakers with a passion and I will always hate them.
Its funny cause I grew up hating the lakers. When my dad came to america he automatically hated the lakers and loved the celtics. He thought me and my 2 older brothers to hate them. The celtics were never really my favorite team and I was kinda young to remember it anyways. So what I'm trying to say is when I was younger I really had no real reasons to hate them besides the fact that they sucked throughout my childhoods prime which was during the 90's. Then as the laker/celtic rivalry began to end my dad began to like the bulls and jordan which then turned me into a diehard bulls fan which lasted until the late 90's. Then came the lockout year. Jordan retires and the bulls are broken up. I have no one to root for(I was a jordan fan more than a bulls fan). Then came the loveable likes of vlade, j will, and C webb. I was hooked, and oh boy was I HOOKED. Then a year later ironically a rivalry with the lakers arises thus bringing a new reason to hate the lakers, but this time with a desired passion.
Does it feel good that the lakers are trash now and the kings are still in the thick of things? Yes. Does it feel good that they have 3 titles to our 0? Hell no. Do I want the rivalry back? Yes and no. Last, but not least, do I think the rivalry will ever come back? No.
We hate the lakers for many reasons, but I think the main reason is 2002. Laker fans here in LA hate us equal if not more than we hate them. They hate everything about the kings. They hate the players, the coach, the owners, the organization, and most of all they hate us, the fans. They suck now so they don't open their mouths as much, but if a conversation were to come up about the kings they are so quick to return to their hating ways. They feared us. Actually let me rephrase it, they FEARED us. That's the reason they hated us so much. They coulda easily hated the spurs more than us after being swept by the spurs in 99 which led to a spurs title. The only year since 2000 and up that I've seen the spurs as a better team than the kings has been this year. I don't think the lakers ever really feared the spurs especially before 2003. The spurs were so one dimensional that the lakers could easily beat the spurs at will. But with us it was a different story. We could take it to them in a vast amount of different ways. Our offense was something they haven't seen and our defence especially with vlade guarding shaq was in a way pretty unique and succesfull. Nobody frustrated shaq more than vlade. Cause nobodys ever gonna be able to stop shaq so vlade I think did the best job to frustrate him.
Fox's attempts at stoping peja(most of the time would work), shaqs big mouth(pretty much took the rivalry to another level), kobes arrogance, phils big mouth(quietly had a big mouth), d fish's flopping(god I hate that guys defence with a passion), and horrys big shot(I still have nightmares over this. Really, I do) are the main reasons why we or at least I hate the lakers with a passion and I will always hate them.
Its funny cause I grew up hating the lakers. When my dad came to america he automatically hated the lakers and loved the celtics. He thought me and my 2 older brothers to hate them. The celtics were never really my favorite team and I was kinda young to remember it anyways. So what I'm trying to say is when I was younger I really had no real reasons to hate them besides the fact that they sucked throughout my childhoods prime which was during the 90's. Then as the laker/celtic rivalry began to end my dad began to like the bulls and jordan which then turned me into a diehard bulls fan which lasted until the late 90's. Then came the lockout year. Jordan retires and the bulls are broken up. I have no one to root for(I was a jordan fan more than a bulls fan). Then came the loveable likes of vlade, j will, and C webb. I was hooked, and oh boy was I HOOKED. Then a year later ironically a rivalry with the lakers arises thus bringing a new reason to hate the lakers, but this time with a desired passion.
Does it feel good that the lakers are trash now and the kings are still in the thick of things? Yes. Does it feel good that they have 3 titles to our 0? Hell no. Do I want the rivalry back? Yes and no. Last, but not least, do I think the rivalry will ever come back? No.
T
thesanityannex
Guest
I live in L.A.
I still hate the Lakers
They can't compete
Hate lives, the rivalry is dead.
I still hate the Lakers
They can't compete
Hate lives, the rivalry is dead.
Speak for yourself; I didn't start hating the lakers in 1996, and I didn't stop in 2004.ONEZERO said:
Records have nothing to do with a rivalry; absolutely nothing. And, quite frankly, it seems as though it's only in the NBA that this is even a question. Packers fans don't stop hating the Bears just because the Bears are sorry. The hated Dogs don't stop hating my beloved Jackets just because we're not as good. Red Sox fans will always hate the Yankees, even after finally beating them. Maple Leafs fans will ALWAYS hate the Canadiens. Navy will always hate Army, at least on the football field. And so on...
This is one of those things that I blame free agency for. That, and David Stern; he put years and millions of dollars into promoting the NBA as a star-driven league, and now fans identify teams with players, and players only. And I think that's baloney: I hated the Lakers when they were a great team and we were ****ty. I hated them when we were both high-thirty/low-forty win teams in the early-90s. I hated them when we went head-to-head in the playoffs three years in a row, I continue to hate them now that they've fallen out of the playoff chase, and I will STILL hate them when we're both at or around the same level again.
I don't let records or rosters dictate to me: I don't hate the Lakers because of wins, I don't hate them because of losses. I don't hate them because of players, I don't hate them because of coaches. I don't hate them because of management, I don't hate them because of ownership. I don't hate them because we're in Northern California, and I don't hate them because they're in Southern California. I hate the Lakers... because they're the ****ing Lakers.
The rivalry will never die.
O
ONEZERO
Guest
Basketball rivalries don't last as long as other sports rivalries. Are the knicks and pacers still heated rivals? No way. Are the knicks and heat still hated rivals? No way. Are the bulls and pistons still hated rivals? No way. The biggest rivals ever in the lakers and celtics aren't even heated rivals anymore. Rivalries in basketball end. Period.
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Only if fans allow them to.
ONEZERO - Once again, you fail to understand that there can be differences of opinion about something.
Just because rivalries don't last for you - or haven't in your 20 years of life - doesn't mean they don't last for others.
If you don't think there's a rivalry, that's fine. You won't feel the same way some of us will when we play the Lakers. And you know what? That's fine. It's not an absolute.
Just because rivalries don't last for you - or haven't in your 20 years of life - doesn't mean they don't last for others.
If you don't think there's a rivalry, that's fine. You won't feel the same way some of us will when we play the Lakers. And you know what? That's fine. It's not an absolute.
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ONEZERO
Guest
What real good ones?^^
O
ONEZERO
Guest
Why is it that "I" fail to understand "difference of opinions"? Others are debating my opinions too, right?
ONEZERO said:
I already mentioned several rivalries - before you amended your comments to basketball only. Just so you know, there are still a lot of Celtic and Laker fans who cannot stand each other. And although you patently disagree, there are Kings fans who still consider a rivalry with the Lakers to be an active, vibrant thing. And I know lots of Laker fans - although they may not always admit it - who feel the same.
Again, if you don't accept it, fine. You won't feel the same way I do when we play the Lakers. And, quite frankly, I think I'll have the much better time. Because for me there is still a rivalry and all the fun that goes with it.
ONEZERO said:
It's not discussion or debate when you make comments like:
Basketball rivalries end. Period.
You're saying your opinion is the only valid one... I'm saying I disagree. And, by recognizing that a rivalry DOES still exist (even though you won't acknowledge it) I'm proving your statement false. If I - and 6th - and Mr. S£im - recognize a basketball rivalry, it's still there even though you may have given up on it. It's there for us and that's what I've been trying to get across.
It's like believing in Santa. If you find out there is no Santa Claus, does that mean he doesn't exist for anyone else? What about the little kid down the street who wrote the letter, sat on his lap, etc. and still firmly believes in him? Santa still exists for him even if you no longer acknowledge him. It's about faith...and so are rivalries.
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ONEZERO
Guest
I'll still love seeing us beat the lakers. I hate the lakers. And I'll have more fun than you'll ever have watching them lose. I've hated them my whole life. Why would it change just cause I feel that with us being where were at and them being as $%@^y as they are? There's still gonna be a strong dislike, obviously. I live in LA and I haven't heard anybody discuss their hatred for the lakers or their hatred for the celtics in probably over 10 years. What I do hear is raider fans hating the broncos and niner fans hating the cowboys and red sox fans hating the yankees. I hear the lakers/kings hatred only cause it is still fresh in everyones mind. If the rivalry doesn't redeem itslef fast, it will end.
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Just because you haven't heard something doesn't mean it doesn't exist. That's all I'm trying to say. There are more people out there than you come in contact with...
The last time you heard someone say they hate the Celtics was when you where 10? Sorry, but you probably haven't been in the right places to run into the lifelong Celtic haters. They're still out there, though... and there will still be Kings fans who hate the Lakers as long as we live.
The last time you heard someone say they hate the Celtics was when you where 10? Sorry, but you probably haven't been in the right places to run into the lifelong Celtic haters. They're still out there, though... and there will still be Kings fans who hate the Lakers as long as we live.
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ONEZERO
Guest
I live in LA. How could I not run into celtic haters even if there were some.
Gargamel
Starter
ONEZERO said:
Being a Laker fan, I can attest to the fact that small markets hate the Lakers the most. It doesn't matter if they've had success against them in the playoffs or not. EG: Utah & SA. They've beaten the Shaq/Kobe Lakers 4 times in the playoffs and still hate them as much as teams the Lakers have whipped on. The Kings fans have that and 3 straight series losses to work with (4 including KC).
Clippers fans hate them because they are constantly reminded from all angles that they are meaningless in LA no matter HOW talented they are. Warriors fans are bitter because they have no one else better to hate. East Coast fans of various teams hate them typically because they value all things East Coast. Then you factor in that LA is 53-16 in playoff series since 1980. That doesn't pick up good vibrations.
Rockin' in the Free World
G-League
Gettin' a little fiesty in here. No shame in rivalries being more intense for some than others, that's pretty much the nature of the beast. We make a rivalry what it is, it does not exist in and of itself. Why should the fact that VF21 hates the lakers a lot more than I do decrease the viability of the rivalry?
That being said, the Nor-Cal/So-Cal thing cannot be overstated. Giants/Dodgers, Niners/Rams (even after the move amazingly enough), Angles/A's (a litle less heated). There is a cultural tension between the two regions and it is expressed in the sporting arena, it is as "natural" a rivalry as there is.
Also, as Gargy pointed out, the Lakers are as close to the Yankees of the NBA as there is. They have been good at various times in every era of NBA play. The Celts can't claim that and neither can anyone else. And everybody hates that damn team that is almost always good because it isn't OUR team!
And oh yeah.... LA Lakers, I wish you ill!
That being said, the Nor-Cal/So-Cal thing cannot be overstated. Giants/Dodgers, Niners/Rams (even after the move amazingly enough), Angles/A's (a litle less heated). There is a cultural tension between the two regions and it is expressed in the sporting arena, it is as "natural" a rivalry as there is.
Also, as Gargy pointed out, the Lakers are as close to the Yankees of the NBA as there is. They have been good at various times in every era of NBA play. The Celts can't claim that and neither can anyone else. And everybody hates that damn team that is almost always good because it isn't OUR team!
And oh yeah.... LA Lakers, I wish you ill!
slugking50
All-Star
I hate LA. Have since I was a little kid. I have lived here in Sac all my life and have grown to dislike everything about LA. For 20 + years The Lakers, the Dodgers, The Rams, (Yes I still hate them), Raiders, Angels, The Ducks and The Kings have all earned their place on my Dartboard of Dislike.
To me no matter the record there is and always will be a rivalry. As long as Im a sports fan and on Earth, I will rejoice in a rivals loss just as much as I will rejoice in a win by The Kings.
To me no matter the record there is and always will be a rivalry. As long as Im a sports fan and on Earth, I will rejoice in a rivals loss just as much as I will rejoice in a win by The Kings.
loopymitch
All-Star
Rivalries are good for sports and just because they're not thrown in your face doesn't mean they don't exist. The players mat not admit it but I'm sure they get more fired up to play Lakers and mavs. A big part of it is location, both teams are in Cal. it's also the big games like Kings-Mavs. in the playoffs. It really was getting old playing them, not that Seattle turned out very well but you get the point.
I never liked the Lakers before I became a Kings fan and dislike them even more now and can add mavs to my personal "hate" list.
I never liked the Lakers before I became a Kings fan and dislike them even more now and can add mavs to my personal "hate" list.
