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Ailene Voisin: This night, Yao is the fire that makes Rockets burn
By Ailene Voisin -- Bee Columnist
Published 2:15 am PST Sunday, November 7, 2004
HOUSTON - Until Saturday night's intense, if unsuccessful effort against the Houston Rockets, the Kings could have been accused of false advertising. The same group of players who purchased a newspaper ad last week proclaiming their unity of spirit, in the previous two games had performed with all the togetherness of five solo artists auditioning for individual record deals.
They can play together.
They demonstrated that against the Rockets.
But can they play together for 48 minutes? Can they win together?
The suspense persists, the questions lingering. While there is much to be said for incremental progress, the Kings return home 0-3, having surrendered easily to the Dallas Mavericks and San Antonio Spurs before extending the Rockets into overtime and failing to capitalize on one of those precious and few NBA opportunities: Fatigue can be a foe and an ally. Of these two travel-weary teams - both having been to China and back within the past several weeks - the Rockets, who spent the previous evening squeezing out a victory in Memphis, figured to be gasping for air, desperate for rest, ready to be plucked by an invigorated, inspired opponent.
"This was a big loss," Mike Bibby said later. "We played a lot better. We had a lot more energy out there, were a lot better defensively, so that was good. But we should have come out of here with a win."
Were it not for the elongated arms of Yao Ming, the 7-foot-6 center who emerged from his own three-game slump with a dominating performance, including a defensive sequence that twice obstructed Chris Webber's view of the basket in overtime, the Kings might have prevailed, might have swatted away some of that early-season concern. Initially, the Kings seemed poised to do so, appeared to be the superior club, with better offensive balance and a significant advantage at point guard.
Bibby absolutely dominated Charlie Ward, hitting long jumpers in his face, running him into screens, deceiving him with those hesitation dribble-drives and ensuing layups. Brad Miller dropped in several of those velvet jump shots from the foul line and aggressively pursued rebounds. Webber was a creative, willing passer from the high post for the first three periods. Peja Stojakovic continued to shoot the ball poorly in stretches, but compensated by cutting underneath, converting in transition and creating scoring opportunities with steals. Bobby Jackson, similarly off-target from the perimeter, managed one acrobatic three from the corner to go with four rebounds. Darius Songaila grabbed four boards in brief minutes.
Yet as coach Rick Adelman would say later, "We have to get some consistency in the way we play. I see improvement, but we need to get a win."
While Adelman went on to fret about the lack of bench production, the Kings didn't exactly lose because, as has become increasingly apparent, the roster lacks the depth of previous seasons. They weren't overcome because the Rockets' subs were that much better. In truth, neither of these teams has a bench that rivals, say, the Mavericks, Spurs or Grizzles. But in the deciding minutes, the Kings were overtaken because of Yao's exceptional talent, but mostly because they played hard, but not necessarily smart. And not all that together, either.
They committed mental mistakes, the most costly affording Ward two open jumpers. They stopped moving the ball, stopped moving without the ball, stopped stroking jumpers, stopped involving all five players. The offense became a two-man game, then a one-man game, with Webber, no longer able to elevate and dominate, assuming too much of the scoring burden.
In what remains perhaps the Kings' ultimate dilemma - whether the starting forwards can form a comfortable marriage - Webber and Stojakovic have yet to display anything resembling the offensive cohesiveness that Webber enjoys with Bibby, and Stojakovic with Doug Christie and the departed Vlade Divac.
While Webber shoots too often, Stojakovic forces too many shots. While Webber too often looks only to one side of the floor, Stojakovic still fails to make himself enough of a target, either by cutting and moving with the assertiveness of the past, or utilizing his sturdy 6-10 frame to separate from his defender. "I think it is getting better, though," Stojakovic said. "It will come. We have many games to go." True, but the Kings have to find a better way to play, a new way to win. They can improve defensively, can occasionally bust loose for flurries of transition baskets, but they lack the liftoff to run opponents of the gym. These aren't those Kings. Offensively, who are they? At the moment, who can say?
Ailene Voisin: This night, Yao is the fire that makes Rockets burn
By Ailene Voisin -- Bee Columnist
Published 2:15 am PST Sunday, November 7, 2004
HOUSTON - Until Saturday night's intense, if unsuccessful effort against the Houston Rockets, the Kings could have been accused of false advertising. The same group of players who purchased a newspaper ad last week proclaiming their unity of spirit, in the previous two games had performed with all the togetherness of five solo artists auditioning for individual record deals.
They can play together.
They demonstrated that against the Rockets.
But can they play together for 48 minutes? Can they win together?
The suspense persists, the questions lingering. While there is much to be said for incremental progress, the Kings return home 0-3, having surrendered easily to the Dallas Mavericks and San Antonio Spurs before extending the Rockets into overtime and failing to capitalize on one of those precious and few NBA opportunities: Fatigue can be a foe and an ally. Of these two travel-weary teams - both having been to China and back within the past several weeks - the Rockets, who spent the previous evening squeezing out a victory in Memphis, figured to be gasping for air, desperate for rest, ready to be plucked by an invigorated, inspired opponent.
"This was a big loss," Mike Bibby said later. "We played a lot better. We had a lot more energy out there, were a lot better defensively, so that was good. But we should have come out of here with a win."
Were it not for the elongated arms of Yao Ming, the 7-foot-6 center who emerged from his own three-game slump with a dominating performance, including a defensive sequence that twice obstructed Chris Webber's view of the basket in overtime, the Kings might have prevailed, might have swatted away some of that early-season concern. Initially, the Kings seemed poised to do so, appeared to be the superior club, with better offensive balance and a significant advantage at point guard.
Bibby absolutely dominated Charlie Ward, hitting long jumpers in his face, running him into screens, deceiving him with those hesitation dribble-drives and ensuing layups. Brad Miller dropped in several of those velvet jump shots from the foul line and aggressively pursued rebounds. Webber was a creative, willing passer from the high post for the first three periods. Peja Stojakovic continued to shoot the ball poorly in stretches, but compensated by cutting underneath, converting in transition and creating scoring opportunities with steals. Bobby Jackson, similarly off-target from the perimeter, managed one acrobatic three from the corner to go with four rebounds. Darius Songaila grabbed four boards in brief minutes.
Yet as coach Rick Adelman would say later, "We have to get some consistency in the way we play. I see improvement, but we need to get a win."
While Adelman went on to fret about the lack of bench production, the Kings didn't exactly lose because, as has become increasingly apparent, the roster lacks the depth of previous seasons. They weren't overcome because the Rockets' subs were that much better. In truth, neither of these teams has a bench that rivals, say, the Mavericks, Spurs or Grizzles. But in the deciding minutes, the Kings were overtaken because of Yao's exceptional talent, but mostly because they played hard, but not necessarily smart. And not all that together, either.
They committed mental mistakes, the most costly affording Ward two open jumpers. They stopped moving the ball, stopped moving without the ball, stopped stroking jumpers, stopped involving all five players. The offense became a two-man game, then a one-man game, with Webber, no longer able to elevate and dominate, assuming too much of the scoring burden.
In what remains perhaps the Kings' ultimate dilemma - whether the starting forwards can form a comfortable marriage - Webber and Stojakovic have yet to display anything resembling the offensive cohesiveness that Webber enjoys with Bibby, and Stojakovic with Doug Christie and the departed Vlade Divac.
While Webber shoots too often, Stojakovic forces too many shots. While Webber too often looks only to one side of the floor, Stojakovic still fails to make himself enough of a target, either by cutting and moving with the assertiveness of the past, or utilizing his sturdy 6-10 frame to separate from his defender. "I think it is getting better, though," Stojakovic said. "It will come. We have many games to go." True, but the Kings have to find a better way to play, a new way to win. They can improve defensively, can occasionally bust loose for flurries of transition baskets, but they lack the liftoff to run opponents of the gym. These aren't those Kings. Offensively, who are they? At the moment, who can say?