http://www.sacbee.com/content/sports/basketball/kings/story/14217721p-15043666c.html
A running restart
The Kings begin their post-All-Star postseason push with a blowout victory and move into 10th place in the West.
By Sam Amick
The orange that runs along the side of the Golden State Warriors jerseys used to symbolize fire.
Or at least that would have made sense.
After a preseason in which so many publications deemed them a team on the rise, destined to break their 11-year postseason-less streak and compete for a Pacific Division crown, they won 12 of their first 18 games to keep the story line afloat.
But after Tuesday night, the shade should have stood only for rust. The Kings were the only team ready to run in their first game after the All-Star break, winning 102-77 to kick-start their second half.
Thus, their own journey toward a season extension began anew. Games like this are what have the Kings in the playoff discussion, showing the question is more about time - and if there's enough of it - than talent.
They won their ninth consecutive home game by holding the Warriors to a season-low point total, while the mark also was a low for a Kings opponent. Against a team missing point guard Baron Davis, the Kings' lead reached 28 points in the third quarter, when the mood was light enough that center Brad Miller took part in throwing souvenirs to fans during a timeout.
The outcome kept the Northern California rivals heading in opposite directions. The Warriors, who have lost 10 of their past 15 games, were passed by the Kings for 10th place in the Western Conference. The Kings have won six of their past eight games, creeping up on the eighth-place Lakers just in time for their faceoff Thursday night in Los Angeles.
"We just beat the Clippers the last game we played with the same lineup, and we just beat Cleveland at Cleveland with the same lineup, so it can't all be blamed on the fact that we didn't have Baron," Warriors coach Mike Montgomery said. "We just weren't really focused."
The mass of missed shots certainly began to blur together.
The win was a Kings building block made purely from orange and blue brick and rock-solid defense. Golden State, which has been involved in trade rumors all season sprouting from its need for a big man, exposed its worst weakness early when the Warriors jump-shot their way out of the action. The Warriors made just 3 of their first 21 attempts, missing 12 straight at one point as the Kings turned a three-point lead into a 21-9 edge late in the first quarter.
The Warriors shot 29 of 91 (31.9 percent), as Ike Diogu, Mike Dunleavy, Monta Ellis and Zarko Cabarkapa were a combined 4 of 29. More significant was the rare slowing of Jason Richardson, whose 33-point effort Nov. 30 was only the latest in a long line of huge games against the Kings. He needed 20 shots to score 15 points this time. In the six home games since Ron Artest was acquired, the Kings have allowed an average of 84.3 points.
"(Defense) makes the game easier," said Miller, who had a team-high 17 points on 6-of-7 shooting. "If we could hold everybody to 32 percent, I think we'd be doing pretty well going into the playoffs. They don't lie - defense wins championships."
Imagine the possibilities if they actually worked on defense in practice.
Kings coach Rick Adelman noted his squad has spent no time working on defense since Artest's first game as a King on Jan. 27.
"We haven't even talked about defense in practice because we've been trying to get an offense in and we've only had two or three practices," Adelman said. "But we've gotten better at the defensive end just because of the people we're playing, with Ron, and Kevin (Martin) and Francisco (García) being more active."
A running restart
The Kings begin their post-All-Star postseason push with a blowout victory and move into 10th place in the West.
By Sam Amick
The orange that runs along the side of the Golden State Warriors jerseys used to symbolize fire.
Or at least that would have made sense.
After a preseason in which so many publications deemed them a team on the rise, destined to break their 11-year postseason-less streak and compete for a Pacific Division crown, they won 12 of their first 18 games to keep the story line afloat.
But after Tuesday night, the shade should have stood only for rust. The Kings were the only team ready to run in their first game after the All-Star break, winning 102-77 to kick-start their second half.
Thus, their own journey toward a season extension began anew. Games like this are what have the Kings in the playoff discussion, showing the question is more about time - and if there's enough of it - than talent.
They won their ninth consecutive home game by holding the Warriors to a season-low point total, while the mark also was a low for a Kings opponent. Against a team missing point guard Baron Davis, the Kings' lead reached 28 points in the third quarter, when the mood was light enough that center Brad Miller took part in throwing souvenirs to fans during a timeout.
The outcome kept the Northern California rivals heading in opposite directions. The Warriors, who have lost 10 of their past 15 games, were passed by the Kings for 10th place in the Western Conference. The Kings have won six of their past eight games, creeping up on the eighth-place Lakers just in time for their faceoff Thursday night in Los Angeles.
"We just beat the Clippers the last game we played with the same lineup, and we just beat Cleveland at Cleveland with the same lineup, so it can't all be blamed on the fact that we didn't have Baron," Warriors coach Mike Montgomery said. "We just weren't really focused."
The mass of missed shots certainly began to blur together.
The win was a Kings building block made purely from orange and blue brick and rock-solid defense. Golden State, which has been involved in trade rumors all season sprouting from its need for a big man, exposed its worst weakness early when the Warriors jump-shot their way out of the action. The Warriors made just 3 of their first 21 attempts, missing 12 straight at one point as the Kings turned a three-point lead into a 21-9 edge late in the first quarter.
The Warriors shot 29 of 91 (31.9 percent), as Ike Diogu, Mike Dunleavy, Monta Ellis and Zarko Cabarkapa were a combined 4 of 29. More significant was the rare slowing of Jason Richardson, whose 33-point effort Nov. 30 was only the latest in a long line of huge games against the Kings. He needed 20 shots to score 15 points this time. In the six home games since Ron Artest was acquired, the Kings have allowed an average of 84.3 points.
"(Defense) makes the game easier," said Miller, who had a team-high 17 points on 6-of-7 shooting. "If we could hold everybody to 32 percent, I think we'd be doing pretty well going into the playoffs. They don't lie - defense wins championships."
Imagine the possibilities if they actually worked on defense in practice.
Kings coach Rick Adelman noted his squad has spent no time working on defense since Artest's first game as a King on Jan. 27.
"We haven't even talked about defense in practice because we've been trying to get an offense in and we've only had two or three practices," Adelman said. "But we've gotten better at the defensive end just because of the people we're playing, with Ron, and Kevin (Martin) and Francisco (García) being more active."
