...of 3 straight, the Kings are a combined 49-80 (61%) from the FT line. Missing key FT's has lead to the kings either not staying in games late, or just not winning them at all. And this comes from Hawes, Thompson, Noc, Donte, and especially Casspi. I can handle teams outplaying the kings. I can't handle the kings giving away games that are in reach.
During this losing streak...
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Going into the season no one thought these games would be in reach. No one thought we would mention the word playoffs. No one thought we would enter December above .500. No one thought we would have a winning record at home.
The fact that this team has surprised everyone, locally and nationally, is what makes these losses hard to stomach. This team will have its ups and downs. It won't always be from game to game. We'll have tough stretches where we don't play to our full potential for a week or two, maybe longer. Its all part of rebuilding and growing. It won't happen overnight.
The fact that this team has surprised everyone, locally and nationally, is what makes these losses hard to stomach. This team will have its ups and downs. It won't always be from game to game. We'll have tough stretches where we don't play to our full potential for a week or two, maybe longer. Its all part of rebuilding and growing. It won't happen overnight.
It starts with winning at home, which we're already able to do on occasion. Then it expands to playing close on the road, which we're doing. The next step is to actually close out those close games on the road...
It's not an overnight process. I know it's tough, but we have to let these kids walk before they run.
It's not an overnight process. I know it's tough, but we have to let these kids walk before they run.
I would agree if it were more complicated than making FT's...but in a lot of cases, that's all it would have taken for the team to have a good shot at winning. FT shooting is something that doesn't need experience, or growth, or veterans, it just takes execution. Hell, I would have thought most kings fans knew this already seeing as how it cost the Kings a ring. You can have all the talent in the world, and experience, but it doesn't matter when it comes to the charity stripe.
Absolutley, it is frustrating as hell to watch NBA players miss free throws (my daughter was 24-25 in 1 HS playoff game, her 1 miss costing her the state record) so to see the Kings shoot themselves in the foot is oh so frustrating. But the fact I am sitting there in the game, rooting like hell for the team, on the road in the final 1 minute is in and of itself amazing.
i love this team right now, and am so excited to be a Kings fan.
i love this team right now, and am so excited to be a Kings fan.
A coach once told me that missing FTs is contagious. Based on what we've seen lately, I can understand why he said that. It's frustrating, but there's not much a coach can do about it. The players have to learn to focus and accept the importance of every single trip to the stripe. Until/unless they do that, they're gonna keep missing...
I guess we could hypnotize them or put those electrical training collars on them.
I guess we could hypnotize them or put those electrical training collars on them.
I have to admit that I'm a little frustrated right now. I think a good night sleep will do me good as I have to do some traveling tomorrow.
I will say that I'm very excited about my favorite player, Tyreke Evans. The Kings have nowhere to go but UP, and I'm still looking forward to great things this year! GO KINGS!!!
I will say that I'm very excited about my favorite player, Tyreke Evans. The Kings have nowhere to go but UP, and I'm still looking forward to great things this year! GO KINGS!!!
Well, we would almost definitely lose the Miami game anyway, but that's besides the point. Truth is you should be making free throws at a very high rate. It's not like we have Shaq on our team, we have great shooters who should be even better at the free throw line, but for some reason they just can't hit them.
If there was anything I would want to be wrong with your team, of all things, I would choose free throws. It is the easiest to correct, by far. We are doing the most important things pretty well at this point, way ahead of schedule. Second thing I would choose is turnovers, third is fouls. Those are all pretty much isolated things that just need to be cleaned up. And they can. The more important things we have shown solid improvement on this year. It can't come all at once. The free throws will come.
Excellent observation. And each is solvable. JT's fouls is learning not to use hands so much, get arms straight up and use body more. FT shooting is contagious but it is also focus and relaxing and practice. TO's are reduced by improving focus and taking it easy, not trying to do too much. That last comment comes from Jerry and Grant several times every game as they watch from center court. With the "kids" it will take time. At least they are progressing and improving a bit each game.
Since freethrows seems to be the subject of this thread, here are the stats of our main contributers.
Udoka: .929%
Beno: .875%
Evans: .785%
J.T.: .778%
Hawes: .767%
Sergio: .750%
Nocioni: .622% (career: 803%)
Greene: .576%
Casspi: .500%
From Sergio on up the percentages are fine. Not great, but certainly acceptable. For some reason Nocioni is shooting almost 20% under his career average. Greene and Casspi simply have some work to do. I keep hearing that Casspi shot freethrows well in the european league, but his technique is terrible. It looks like different parts of his body are moving separately from one another.
Udoka: .929%
Beno: .875%
Evans: .785%
J.T.: .778%
Hawes: .767%
Sergio: .750%
Nocioni: .622% (career: 803%)
Greene: .576%
Casspi: .500%
From Sergio on up the percentages are fine. Not great, but certainly acceptable. For some reason Nocioni is shooting almost 20% under his career average. Greene and Casspi simply have some work to do. I keep hearing that Casspi shot freethrows well in the european league, but his technique is terrible. It looks like different parts of his body are moving separately from one another.
When you shoot poorly from the line, it only emboldens the teams more so to put you there. Yes if the kings made 80% we would have 3 more wins, but that is in the past, and the players should look at this game against the Spurs as the ultimate measuring stick. The Spurs are still looking for a ring, and a win against them would solidify where the Kings fit and how they should move forward from here. This game should be Thompson's.
