"Go big or go home:" Kings fans rally to celebrate one day before playoff run begins, flood downtown businesses
SACRAMENTO - Saturday marks the day Sacramento Kings fans have been waiting for for 17 years: the start of playoff play.
The Kings host the Golden State Warriors at 5:30 p.m. at the Golden 1 Center for round one of the playoffs.
Even one day early, DOCO and the downtown corridor were electric Friday, from a Kings fan rally to the team's playoff playground that hosted hundreds -- if not thousands -- of excited fans.
It's clear that if you're a Kings fan, there's only one way to do the playoffs.
"Go big or go home. That's been the mantra of Kings fans always. We are the loudest fan base in the league for a reason," said lifelong fan Taylor Cummings, who was dressed in a crown and a robe fit for royalty.
In many ways, the energy surrounding the team and all of downtown, in general, has never been higher.
"We're back, baby. It feels like the good old days," said Liz Guerrero, general manager of DOCO's Polanco Cantina.
Guerrero says cashing in on the "Beam Team" has revived them and her staff is ready for the numbers Saturday's playoff kickoff will bring.
"If they're on the payroll they're working tomorrow. It is all hands on deck," said Guerrero.
"After everything the businesses downtown have gone through with covid, this is a really exciting time," said Tina Lee- Vogt, Sacramento's nighttime economy manager.
Lee-Vogt says this playoff team not only brings in big revenue for downtown and the surrounding area, it puts the city on the map.
"In the past, you wouldn't see Madonna or Pink or Lizzo stopping through Sacramento. So, I think it's all part of the momentum of really putting Sacramento right up there as a top-tier city," said Lee-Vogt.
The Kings buy-in is real.
And if you thought the beam was just in the sky, well, think again. Robert Wood took to DOCO Friday dressed head to toe as Sacramento's iconic beam.
"Being in the playoffs for the first time in 17 years, I really had to take advantage of this year and be the beam, said Wood.
Fans are ready now to send the Warriors in town packing.
"Kings in 6. It's the last dance for the warriors, baby," said Cummings.
The Sacramento Police Department says it has doubled its staffing for game one of the playoffs Saturday with 18,000 excited fans packing the G1C and even more descending on downtown. Police say they are prepared.
