The Road to catching the Spurs
- Thread starter sactowndog
- Start date
I think tomorrow is the biggest game of the year. Going against one of the leagues best teams in an incredibly tough place to play to start off a brutal stretch right in the middle of a tight playoff race with 26 games remaining. If they can pull this out it should be a huge boost to start this stretch and really for the remainder of the year
Well, if AD wants the Lakers to get a good high Lottery Pick in this draft, so the Lakers can pick up a good rookie or to use the Lottery pick in a trade for him, then AD should be motivated to put the beat down on the Lakers. 
The rest of the NO team should be motivated to beat LA.
The better AD shows against the Lakers, the more motivated the Lakers will be to up the proper package to trade for him this summer.
The rest of the NO team should be motivated to beat LA. The better AD shows against the Lakers, the more motivated the Lakers will be to up the proper package to trade for him this summer.
I just can’t see how a road game in Denver, playing at high altitude against the best home team in the league, can be expected to be anything but a loss. Of course if they win it’s a huge win, but I’ve got this one chalked up as an L and won’t let myself get bent out of shape if they don’t play well.
The Laker loss was huge. They have 25 games left and need to go 16-9 to get to 44.
Likely losses: Houston, Milwaukee, Denver, @Toronto, @Milwaukee, @OKC, Golden State
That means they can only lose 2 of: @NO (NOB2B), @Memphis, New Orleans, @Phx (LALB2B & PHXB2B), LAC (LACB2B), Boston, @Chicago, @Detroit (LALB2B), @NYKnicks, Brooklyn, Sac (SacB2B), Washington, @Utah (LALB2B), Charlotte, @NO, @LAC (LALB2B), Utah, Portland
Likely losses: Houston, Milwaukee, Denver, @Toronto, @Milwaukee, @OKC, Golden State
That means they can only lose 2 of: @NO (NOB2B), @Memphis, New Orleans, @Phx (LALB2B & PHXB2B), LAC (LACB2B), Boston, @Chicago, @Detroit (LALB2B), @NYKnicks, Brooklyn, Sac (SacB2B), Washington, @Utah (LALB2B), Charlotte, @NO, @LAC (LALB2B), Utah, Portland
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When the KINGS were rudderless and talentless and weren't vying for a playoff spot, perhaps losses should be expected. But c'mon now, this team has talent, is 4 games over .500 and in the thick of a playoff race. They've been off since Sunday evening. No excuses. This is a game they need to compete for a W right down to the wire with the expectation of winning. Anything less is a disappointment.
FWIW, it looks like Isaiah Thomas might make his season debut against his former team: http://www.espn.com/nba/story/_/id/...-isaiah-thomas-return-wednesday-vs-sacramento
FWIW, it looks like Isaiah Thomas might make his season debut against his former team: http://www.espn.com/nba/story/_/id/...-isaiah-thomas-return-wednesday-vs-sacramento
Thankfully the players have more confidence in the team than you fellas . Is Denver good, and at home too? Of course. But, I think our team can play with anyone. Will they? We'll see. I'm not counting any games as an expected loss.
. Is Denver good, and at home too? Of course. But, I think our team can play with anyone. Will they? We'll see. I'm not counting any games as an expected loss.
What do you mean by "no excuses"? If they don't win we should blast them? They are playing a far superior team. Of course I expect them to play with effort and try to win the game, but I don't expect it. Doesn't mean I won't be cheering for them and if they lose by a point I will probably be ticked off to no end.
The original point I was responding to was that this was the "biggest game of the year". I just don't agree with that.
The original point I was responding to was that this was the "biggest game of the year". I just don't agree with that.
I think this oversimplifies and really mistates the reality that from the fourth place down you have an essential dog fight with no guarantees for anyone.Looking at the numbers, two teams will be left out in the cold between 6 teams that are all within five games of each other. While I wouldn't rule any of them out I certainly wouldn't count any of them in at this stage of the game. I think Vlade did a great job of reloading the team and giving us a real shot at the playoffs but in many ways this was a last-minute effort to respond to a team that has performed much better than expected and put it together much quicker than I think even Vlade thought they could get it. The way I see it, if the Kings can pull one win out of the next 4 games they might not be treading water numerically but given we are facing 4 top 6 teams in a row, 1 win is not bad, two wins is crazy good. But the real pressure starts after that stretch where the Kings have to win all the games they are supposed to win, as well as picking up some surprise victories along the way. There's no way to sugarcoat it making the playoffs is going to be tough but these kids do not seem to have any quit in them and do not accept the narrative written before them as their fate.
No excuses as in we should expect a competitive game with the chance to win. Didn't I say that already?
The game isn't on a back-to-back and they've had several days rest.
No they aren't. Denver isn't back-to-back champs with 5 all-stars in their lineup. Denver is merely a good team that any team in the playoff hunt can beat, KINGS included.
You act as if this damn team is the Warriors -- who the KINGS have competed quite well against BTW. They're the only proven 'far superior' team in this league. Numerous other teams might be better, but the difference isn't far superior. Denver fits into that category.
FWIW, I seem to recall the KINGS playing Denver down to the wire last time they met. The Nuggets needed a late game hot finish by Jamal Murray to hold them off. There's no reason to expect anything different this time around, in terms of a competitive game.
Sure, the KINGS could get blown out too. But the KINGS could blow out the Nuggets as well, considering that those things sometimes happen over 82 games. Point is, every KINGS fan should go into this game expecting a competitive game with a good shot to win it. If it doesn't happen, c'est la vie.
The game isn't on a back-to-back and they've had several days rest.
No they aren't. Denver isn't back-to-back champs with 5 all-stars in their lineup. Denver is merely a good team that any team in the playoff hunt can beat, KINGS included.
You act as if this damn team is the Warriors -- who the KINGS have competed quite well against BTW. They're the only proven 'far superior' team in this league. Numerous other teams might be better, but the difference isn't far superior. Denver fits into that category.
FWIW, I seem to recall the KINGS playing Denver down to the wire last time they met. The Nuggets needed a late game hot finish by Jamal Murray to hold them off. There's no reason to expect anything different this time around, in terms of a competitive game.
Sure, the KINGS could get blown out too. But the KINGS could blow out the Nuggets as well, considering that those things sometimes happen over 82 games. Point is, every KINGS fan should go into this game expecting a competitive game with a good shot to win it. If it doesn't happen, c'est la vie.
If you want to target a top team I would target OKC. The play Utah the night before playing us. It’s not at altitude and WCS plays well against Adams. OKC has limited depth our second unit can make hay against.
OKC is a game we could and hopefully will get a win. My 3 are @OKC, @Minne, Clippers. If we get those three we will be well positioned.
OKC is a game we could and hopefully will get a win. My 3 are @OKC, @Minne, Clippers. If we get those three we will be well positioned.
AND Jamal Murray caught fire. That type of thing happens from time to time, but can't be counted on each and every game. Assuming it doesn't happen again, the KINGS should have a good chance as long as they play hard and smart.
The one thing I worry about most is defense. The KINGS were already shaky from time to time but with all the new guys, the Nuggets are a team that can take advantage of miscommunication and indecision.
You're right. We better win this game.
You know what I notice with our back and forth here and other places, is that you like to spin a statement into a condemnation against the Kings. I never said they can't win this game or insinuated that we were a crap team. I would love for a win tonight, but I'm not going to lose sleep on this one if we come out with an L. That's not the same thing as saying I don't have faith in our team. 38-18 (24-4 at home) vs. 30-28 (11-15 on the road). We played them on the road once and at home once. On the road we lost by 14 and were down 27 at one point. At home we were outscored by 17 in the second half and lost 4. Nuggets have won 7 of the last 8 games against the Kings. On the road at mile high, before the all star break. If I was a betting man, this wouldn't be the game I put my money down on.
Now, you can respond and tell me what an awful fan I am and I need to have more faith.
You know what I notice with our back and forth here and other places, is that you like to spin a statement into a condemnation against the Kings. I never said they can't win this game or insinuated that we were a crap team. I would love for a win tonight, but I'm not going to lose sleep on this one if we come out with an L. That's not the same thing as saying I don't have faith in our team. 38-18 (24-4 at home) vs. 30-28 (11-15 on the road). We played them on the road once and at home once. On the road we lost by 14 and were down 27 at one point. At home we were outscored by 17 in the second half and lost 4. Nuggets have won 7 of the last 8 games against the Kings. On the road at mile high, before the all star break. If I was a betting man, this wouldn't be the game I put my money down on.
Now, you can respond and tell me what an awful fan I am and I need to have more faith.