http://www.sacbee.com/content/sports/story/14249811p-15066695c.html
After huge victory, it's back to business
As they attempt to tie the series tonight, the Kings want to put aside the emotions from Game 3.
By Sam Amick -- Bee Staff Writer
Published 2:15 am PDT Sunday, April 30, 2006
In early November, the Kings were humbled before they even got to Houston.
The night before facing the Rockets in Game No. 2 of the regular season, they had kicked off a campaign full of high hopes with a 26-point drubbing in Oklahoma City.
Forward Corliss Williamson, he of 11 seasons' experience and a postseason pedigree like no other on the roster, implored his teammates to take a forward-thinking mentality.
"You can celebrate or sulk until midnight, then you've got to move on," he said then.
While so much has changed about the Kings since then, they enter tonight's Game 4 against San Antonio with the same approach they began. They celebrated plenty after Game 3, from the near-tackling of Kevin Martin after his game-winning layup to the team owners who pranced endlessly about afterward. But after a film session at the team's practice facility Saturday, Martin remembered Williamson's words.
"A veteran told me that when midnight comes around, it's a new day, good or bad game," he said. "I'll just take that advice."
And see if it takes the Kings all the way back to evening the series.
"You know they're going to come and try to counter everything we did," Kings point guard Mike Bibby said. "But we need this game going in. We don't want to go down 3-1 and have to go back to San Antonio."
What they do want is a repeat of Game 3, in which Ron Artest and Bonzi Wells made the Spurs pay in the paint whenever they weren't double-teamed. The small forward and shooting guard combined for 41 points on 17-for-36 shooting.
In effect, it was the Kings utilizing an inside-out element San Antonio already had in its favor with the combination of forward Tim Duncan and its cadre of long-range gunners. It's been a series-long quandary for Kings coach Rick Adelman - whether to double-team Duncan or pay closer attention to the perimeter. Not until Game 3 did the focus come off Duncan, whose 29 points and 12 rebounds weren't quite enough.
"We took a chance last night, staying on the shooters, and ... Tim got it going," Adelman said. "We just felt like, Let's see if we can't do a little better job on their outside shooting and make him work to get shots. We won the game, so it worked out."
Adelman's counter, he explained, is the outside game of Bibby and center Brad Miller that must be clicking for the threat of Artest and Wells to be effective.
"I really feel like they have a problem with Bonzi and Ron, and you see that because they double so quickly," Adelman said. "But if we don't have a balance of Brad scoring and Mike scoring, that puts too much pressure on (Artest and Wells), and (the Spurs) can be free to do what they want to do. ... I've got two guys that are very, very unselfish. If you want to come at them, they're willing to give it up. That's the key."
It worked to perfection late in Game 3, when Wells scored on two layups, then grabbed an offensive rebound and dunked with 3:04 left to pull the Kings within two points. Artest blew by Michael Finley in single coverage late as well, making two layups that put the Kings up 92-90.
"We have to come back strong," Spurs guard Manu Ginobili said. "We let Bonzi Wells and Ron Artest do too much inside, and we let Mike Bibby get free too much of the night."
There will be no freebies tonight.
"(The Game 3 victory) is only huge if we back it up (tonight)," Adelman said. "I have too much respect for (the Spurs). They know what they have to do. That's what I told our team: Whatever we did right last night, we've got to do it better (tonight). That's the only way we're going to win this game."
About the writer: The Bee's Sam Amick can be reached at (916) 326-5582 or samick@sacbee.com.
After huge victory, it's back to business
As they attempt to tie the series tonight, the Kings want to put aside the emotions from Game 3.
By Sam Amick -- Bee Staff Writer
Published 2:15 am PDT Sunday, April 30, 2006
In early November, the Kings were humbled before they even got to Houston.
The night before facing the Rockets in Game No. 2 of the regular season, they had kicked off a campaign full of high hopes with a 26-point drubbing in Oklahoma City.
Forward Corliss Williamson, he of 11 seasons' experience and a postseason pedigree like no other on the roster, implored his teammates to take a forward-thinking mentality.
"You can celebrate or sulk until midnight, then you've got to move on," he said then.
While so much has changed about the Kings since then, they enter tonight's Game 4 against San Antonio with the same approach they began. They celebrated plenty after Game 3, from the near-tackling of Kevin Martin after his game-winning layup to the team owners who pranced endlessly about afterward. But after a film session at the team's practice facility Saturday, Martin remembered Williamson's words.
"A veteran told me that when midnight comes around, it's a new day, good or bad game," he said. "I'll just take that advice."
And see if it takes the Kings all the way back to evening the series.
"You know they're going to come and try to counter everything we did," Kings point guard Mike Bibby said. "But we need this game going in. We don't want to go down 3-1 and have to go back to San Antonio."
What they do want is a repeat of Game 3, in which Ron Artest and Bonzi Wells made the Spurs pay in the paint whenever they weren't double-teamed. The small forward and shooting guard combined for 41 points on 17-for-36 shooting.
In effect, it was the Kings utilizing an inside-out element San Antonio already had in its favor with the combination of forward Tim Duncan and its cadre of long-range gunners. It's been a series-long quandary for Kings coach Rick Adelman - whether to double-team Duncan or pay closer attention to the perimeter. Not until Game 3 did the focus come off Duncan, whose 29 points and 12 rebounds weren't quite enough.
"We took a chance last night, staying on the shooters, and ... Tim got it going," Adelman said. "We just felt like, Let's see if we can't do a little better job on their outside shooting and make him work to get shots. We won the game, so it worked out."
Adelman's counter, he explained, is the outside game of Bibby and center Brad Miller that must be clicking for the threat of Artest and Wells to be effective.
"I really feel like they have a problem with Bonzi and Ron, and you see that because they double so quickly," Adelman said. "But if we don't have a balance of Brad scoring and Mike scoring, that puts too much pressure on (Artest and Wells), and (the Spurs) can be free to do what they want to do. ... I've got two guys that are very, very unselfish. If you want to come at them, they're willing to give it up. That's the key."
It worked to perfection late in Game 3, when Wells scored on two layups, then grabbed an offensive rebound and dunked with 3:04 left to pull the Kings within two points. Artest blew by Michael Finley in single coverage late as well, making two layups that put the Kings up 92-90.
"We have to come back strong," Spurs guard Manu Ginobili said. "We let Bonzi Wells and Ron Artest do too much inside, and we let Mike Bibby get free too much of the night."
There will be no freebies tonight.
"(The Game 3 victory) is only huge if we back it up (tonight)," Adelman said. "I have too much respect for (the Spurs). They know what they have to do. That's what I told our team: Whatever we did right last night, we've got to do it better (tonight). That's the only way we're going to win this game."
About the writer: The Bee's Sam Amick can be reached at (916) 326-5582 or samick@sacbee.com.
