There’s a new focus now. The Kings handled the preliminaries to the tune of 48 wins and 105 points, which tied the franchise high for points for the regular season. But the season that really matters has arrived and their focus is completely on the Edmonton Oilers. A collision course waiting to happen is here.

The Oilers won the best-of-7 series against the Kings in five games last season on their way to the Stanley Cup Final. Edmonton won in six games in 2023 and battled back from 3-2 down to win in seven games in 2022.

The Edmonton Oilers and Los Angeles Kings are in a constant battle in the Stanley Cup Playoffs. The wild card playoff format doesn’t offer much variability in playoff matchups, but having to play the same team in the first round in four consecutive years is a whole new level.

This arguably should rank even higher given how little Sacramento has in the way of young, ascending talent. Even the Kings' most promising building blocks aren't all that young: Keegan Murray turns 25 in August, and rookie Devin Carter turned 23 in March.

It's playoff time. The two teams that I think are on a collision course to meet in the NBA Finals aren't the top seeds in either conference. Rather, I think the Boston Celtics and

Before I end this season’s edition of the Power Rankings, I want to hand out the final grades for the season. I did say fourth-quarter grades were coming, so don’t be surprised. I will add that the fourth quarter of the NBA season tends to be the silliest.