Ailene Voisin: Key Kings play as individuals and falter
By Ailene Voisin -- Bee Sports Columnist
Published 2:15 am PDT Wednesday, April 27, 2005
SEATTLE - Please, someone, let's try this again.
When do the NBA playoffs start?
In this seven-year itch of a postseason run, of inspired, often spectacular offensive basketball interspersed with defensive failings and those crushing seventh-game blows, there has never been anything quite this embarrassing, not against the Phoenix Suns, the Minnesota Timberwolves, the Los Angeles Lakers, and not even that Game 5 blowout against the Dallas Mavericks in 2003.
Yet against the Seattle Sonics - a team that can be characterized more by its togetherness than overt talent - Peja Stojakovic and Mike Bibby and Cuttino Mobley, or in other words, Rick Adelman's significant others, performed like a one-man band Tuesday night, as if unaware Bono had cleared out of KeyArena hours earlier.
These were the Kings in chaos, with separate agendas on both ends of the floor. These were the Kings confused and in complete disarray, at least until the second unit attempted a valiant, if ill-fated, rescue during the final quarter.
One can only hope both teams boarded the flight home.
"They (reserves) should be a good example for us," Stojakovic suggested afterward. "They just played good basketball, and it all started on the defensive end. The way we play, when we play good defense, it carries over to the offensive end, and we move the ball and get good shots. We didn't do that tonight. Somehow we have to go home and find out how to get back to doing that."
All anyone needs to know about Game 2 of this best-of-seven encounter - besides the blown layups, the forced shots and the passive defense - is this: North Carolina coach Roy Williams dashed for the exit with 10:49 remaining, stopping only long enough to pat Greg Ostertag on the shoulder as he walked past. Joe, Gavin and Colleen Maloof followed moments later, appearing almost as eager to leave.
This was supposed to be an entertaining, fast-paced 48-minute effort, not a 48-year life sentence, and after weeks of flat, faltering starts, the Kings finally seemed excited, seemed happy to be here, seemed to be oozing confidence as they shot around during warmups, perhaps encouraged by their spirited, if unsuccessful comeback in Saturday night's opener.
Based on developments in Game 1, Adelman also made two significant adjustments: He reinserted Brad Miller into the starting lineup and directed Mobley to bring the ball upcourt, freeing Bibby to avoid the smothering 94-foot pressure applied by the cat-quick Luke Ridnour. And seriously, now. What were the odds of the Kings' clutch player enduring another nightmare?
Even excluding Bibby's history of quick recoveries, this is one of the most competitive creatures in Northern California. Were he a little more antisocial, he could swap snarls with Barry Bonds in the corner of a clubhouse/locker room. Postseason defeats pummel Bibby's psyche, trouble him far more than any tight hamstring or even the bruised left foot he placed in an oversized rubber boot while seated on the bench.
But if the Sonics were wary of a wounded Bibby, the Kings needed to be a little uneasy about one thing - about Bibby trying to score too much, shoot too often, assume too much of the offensive burden.
As a scoring point guard, his duties are two-tiered: He's relied upon for points but also for involving his teammates, and this becomes problematic on nights when Miller is ailing or unable to execute the high post offense.
Of perhaps even greater concern, however, was the absence of a physical, bruising, interior presence to counter the brute force of Reggie Evans, Danny Fortson and Jerome James, the 7-foot-1 center who's making a career out of these outings against his former team. When James wasn't blocking shots, he was intimidating under the basket, causing the Kings to blow layups, miss runners in the lane and hurry jumpers to avert aggressive rotations.
"We lost our composure," Adelman said. "They (Sonics) were the aggressors. They were pushing and shoving, and we looked at it. We know it, and we need to respond. I said to the team, 'You can't allow this thing to go in this direction.' ... I don't want to hear about changes. You gotta compete."
That was the worst of it, the very worst of it. In a first, the Kings caved.
http://www.sacbee.com/content/sports/basketball/kings/story/12795777p-13646434c.html
By Ailene Voisin -- Bee Sports Columnist
Published 2:15 am PDT Wednesday, April 27, 2005
SEATTLE - Please, someone, let's try this again.
When do the NBA playoffs start?
In this seven-year itch of a postseason run, of inspired, often spectacular offensive basketball interspersed with defensive failings and those crushing seventh-game blows, there has never been anything quite this embarrassing, not against the Phoenix Suns, the Minnesota Timberwolves, the Los Angeles Lakers, and not even that Game 5 blowout against the Dallas Mavericks in 2003.
Yet against the Seattle Sonics - a team that can be characterized more by its togetherness than overt talent - Peja Stojakovic and Mike Bibby and Cuttino Mobley, or in other words, Rick Adelman's significant others, performed like a one-man band Tuesday night, as if unaware Bono had cleared out of KeyArena hours earlier.
These were the Kings in chaos, with separate agendas on both ends of the floor. These were the Kings confused and in complete disarray, at least until the second unit attempted a valiant, if ill-fated, rescue during the final quarter.
One can only hope both teams boarded the flight home.
"They (reserves) should be a good example for us," Stojakovic suggested afterward. "They just played good basketball, and it all started on the defensive end. The way we play, when we play good defense, it carries over to the offensive end, and we move the ball and get good shots. We didn't do that tonight. Somehow we have to go home and find out how to get back to doing that."
All anyone needs to know about Game 2 of this best-of-seven encounter - besides the blown layups, the forced shots and the passive defense - is this: North Carolina coach Roy Williams dashed for the exit with 10:49 remaining, stopping only long enough to pat Greg Ostertag on the shoulder as he walked past. Joe, Gavin and Colleen Maloof followed moments later, appearing almost as eager to leave.
This was supposed to be an entertaining, fast-paced 48-minute effort, not a 48-year life sentence, and after weeks of flat, faltering starts, the Kings finally seemed excited, seemed happy to be here, seemed to be oozing confidence as they shot around during warmups, perhaps encouraged by their spirited, if unsuccessful comeback in Saturday night's opener.
Based on developments in Game 1, Adelman also made two significant adjustments: He reinserted Brad Miller into the starting lineup and directed Mobley to bring the ball upcourt, freeing Bibby to avoid the smothering 94-foot pressure applied by the cat-quick Luke Ridnour. And seriously, now. What were the odds of the Kings' clutch player enduring another nightmare?
Even excluding Bibby's history of quick recoveries, this is one of the most competitive creatures in Northern California. Were he a little more antisocial, he could swap snarls with Barry Bonds in the corner of a clubhouse/locker room. Postseason defeats pummel Bibby's psyche, trouble him far more than any tight hamstring or even the bruised left foot he placed in an oversized rubber boot while seated on the bench.
But if the Sonics were wary of a wounded Bibby, the Kings needed to be a little uneasy about one thing - about Bibby trying to score too much, shoot too often, assume too much of the offensive burden.
As a scoring point guard, his duties are two-tiered: He's relied upon for points but also for involving his teammates, and this becomes problematic on nights when Miller is ailing or unable to execute the high post offense.
Of perhaps even greater concern, however, was the absence of a physical, bruising, interior presence to counter the brute force of Reggie Evans, Danny Fortson and Jerome James, the 7-foot-1 center who's making a career out of these outings against his former team. When James wasn't blocking shots, he was intimidating under the basket, causing the Kings to blow layups, miss runners in the lane and hurry jumpers to avert aggressive rotations.
"We lost our composure," Adelman said. "They (Sonics) were the aggressors. They were pushing and shoving, and we looked at it. We know it, and we need to respond. I said to the team, 'You can't allow this thing to go in this direction.' ... I don't want to hear about changes. You gotta compete."
That was the worst of it, the very worst of it. In a first, the Kings caved.
http://www.sacbee.com/content/sports/basketball/kings/story/12795777p-13646434c.html
