Kings Clinch NBA Playoff Spot to End 16-Year Drought and Fans Post Victory Beam Memes

The longest playoff drought in North American professional sports no longer belongs to the Sacramento Kings after their 120-80 victory over the Portland Trail Blazers on Wednesday night.

Fans praised the Kings' success and return to the postseason for the first time in 17 years by lighting the victory beam with memes:

The Kings already clinched their first winning season since 2005-06. They have a five-game lead over the Phoenix Suns for the No. 3 seed in the Western Conference and Pacific Division title with six games remaining in the regular season.

Mike Brown, in his first season as head coach, has turned Sacramento's offense into the best in NBA history by efficiency. The unit is averaging 119.6 points per 100 possessions, more than one full point better than the Denver Nuggets in second place (118.5).

Wednesday's victory was an appropriate showcase of what has made the Kings so successful this season. They put up 120 points on 45.7 percent shooting from the field and had 30 assists on 42 made field goals.

There will certainly be questions about what Sacramento can do in the playoffs with a defense that ranks 24th in rating and 26th in points allowed per game. But those are concerns that can be focused on when the postseason begins.

For now, Kings fans should enjoy this moment. It's been a rough 15 years for the franchise before this season. The city of Sacramento is going to host at least two playoff games for the first time since April 2006.