http://www.sacbee.com/100/story/102327.html
Artest clicks against Knicks
The New York City native's career-high 39 points lead the Kings to their fourth win in five games.
By Sam Amick - Bee Staff Writer
Published 12:00 am PST Wednesday, January 3, 2007
Story appeared in SPORTS section, Page C1
His mind was made up.
After all, the Knicks were in town, meaning there was no better time to turn it on because, well, you can't have the hometown folks wondering about your game.
So as Ron Artest sat on the Kings' bench at Arco Arena before facing New York on Tuesday, he deemed this the time for the old Ron-Ron to return.
"It's a regular game, but it's about time I have a breakout game," Artest said with a smile of absolute confidence. "So I'm pretty excited to play today."
It was, as teammate Francisco García would say afterward, "the old Ron," the one who made predictions that actually came true and played with an energy and style that made the Kings formidable, no matter the foe.
Artest scored a career-high 39 points in the Kings' 112-100 victory, hitting 15 of 22 shots and adding eight rebounds and five steals as a reminder that he still has two-way capability.
With the floor full of New York City products from both sides, the Queensbridge native was the best of the lot, dominating as if this were a summer day at Rucker Park. And if there was a sign of how the evening had gone, it was with 1:43 left in the fourth quarter.
Artest, whose woeful shooting percentage this season had prompted fans to become vocal when he shot too often for their taste, passed up a three-pointer and passed to Shareef Abdur-Rahim with the game well in hand. The fans booed, wanting more of an Artest show the likes of which he had never put on. With Artest trade rumors long since under way and only bound to increase, one fan chimed in on the matter by yelling, "Ron, you stay on this team as long as you want!"
And as if an Artest breakout wasn't news enough, there was a noticeable member among his supporting group. Kings point guard Mike Bibby was seen in the closing moments urging Artest to reach the 40-point mark.
"Yeah, Mike told me to go get it," said Artest, who was a mathematics major at St. John's. "I was like, How am I going to get 40? They don't have one-pointers, unless I go to the free-throw line. If they would've said 42, I would've made it, but they said 40. I'm a math major. That didn't make no sense."
Even in his wackiness, it was the Artest of old.
But even before Artest showed up in front of the home fans, his teammates and coaching staff said they had seen the same change. In recent weeks, he had been slowed by back and knee soreness but also lacked the fire he had become known for since arriving last season. That is, until two days ago, when everyone from coach Eric Musselman on down saw a difference in his demeanor.
"He's been really focused the last two days," Musselman said. "He's had great practices. He always goes hard, but he was ready to roll tonight."
García, who is perhaps Artest's closest comrade on the team and known to sneak into the team's practice facility for late-night hoops sessions, noticed a difference as well.
"Focus, man," he said when asked what he saw. "He was trying to get his shots, getting there early. You know, the old Ron. He'd get there early, get out of there at 5 o'clock (after a morning practice). He was working hard, and I'm happy for him."
The return to the old started at the outset, as Artest operated in the post as he did so often late last season. He scored 11 of his team's 14 points in a key fourth-quarter stretch as the Kings maintained a lead they held from the start while Artest scored on jumpers and a driving layup. Bibby capped the scoring in the stretch with a three-pointer, part of his own solid outing as he scored 19 points on 7-of-15 shooting and had nine assists.
The Kings' 56.2 shooting percentage was their second-highest this season. They have won four of their past five games, finally taking advantage of a home-heavy schedule and giving themselves a chance to reach .500 Thursday against the Los Angeles Lakers.
The Knicks were led by guard Jamal Crawford (28 points), but didn't help their own cause with 20 turnovers. Mostly, though, they simply couldn't stop Artest.
"He was good tonight," Knicks coach Isiah Thomas said. "He was awesome. And we had no answer for him."
About the writer: The Bee's Sam Amick can be reached at samick@ sacbee.com.
Artest clicks against Knicks
The New York City native's career-high 39 points lead the Kings to their fourth win in five games.
By Sam Amick - Bee Staff Writer
Published 12:00 am PST Wednesday, January 3, 2007
Story appeared in SPORTS section, Page C1
His mind was made up.
After all, the Knicks were in town, meaning there was no better time to turn it on because, well, you can't have the hometown folks wondering about your game.
So as Ron Artest sat on the Kings' bench at Arco Arena before facing New York on Tuesday, he deemed this the time for the old Ron-Ron to return.
"It's a regular game, but it's about time I have a breakout game," Artest said with a smile of absolute confidence. "So I'm pretty excited to play today."
It was, as teammate Francisco García would say afterward, "the old Ron," the one who made predictions that actually came true and played with an energy and style that made the Kings formidable, no matter the foe.
Artest scored a career-high 39 points in the Kings' 112-100 victory, hitting 15 of 22 shots and adding eight rebounds and five steals as a reminder that he still has two-way capability.
With the floor full of New York City products from both sides, the Queensbridge native was the best of the lot, dominating as if this were a summer day at Rucker Park. And if there was a sign of how the evening had gone, it was with 1:43 left in the fourth quarter.
Artest, whose woeful shooting percentage this season had prompted fans to become vocal when he shot too often for their taste, passed up a three-pointer and passed to Shareef Abdur-Rahim with the game well in hand. The fans booed, wanting more of an Artest show the likes of which he had never put on. With Artest trade rumors long since under way and only bound to increase, one fan chimed in on the matter by yelling, "Ron, you stay on this team as long as you want!"
And as if an Artest breakout wasn't news enough, there was a noticeable member among his supporting group. Kings point guard Mike Bibby was seen in the closing moments urging Artest to reach the 40-point mark.
"Yeah, Mike told me to go get it," said Artest, who was a mathematics major at St. John's. "I was like, How am I going to get 40? They don't have one-pointers, unless I go to the free-throw line. If they would've said 42, I would've made it, but they said 40. I'm a math major. That didn't make no sense."
Even in his wackiness, it was the Artest of old.
But even before Artest showed up in front of the home fans, his teammates and coaching staff said they had seen the same change. In recent weeks, he had been slowed by back and knee soreness but also lacked the fire he had become known for since arriving last season. That is, until two days ago, when everyone from coach Eric Musselman on down saw a difference in his demeanor.
"He's been really focused the last two days," Musselman said. "He's had great practices. He always goes hard, but he was ready to roll tonight."
García, who is perhaps Artest's closest comrade on the team and known to sneak into the team's practice facility for late-night hoops sessions, noticed a difference as well.
"Focus, man," he said when asked what he saw. "He was trying to get his shots, getting there early. You know, the old Ron. He'd get there early, get out of there at 5 o'clock (after a morning practice). He was working hard, and I'm happy for him."
The return to the old started at the outset, as Artest operated in the post as he did so often late last season. He scored 11 of his team's 14 points in a key fourth-quarter stretch as the Kings maintained a lead they held from the start while Artest scored on jumpers and a driving layup. Bibby capped the scoring in the stretch with a three-pointer, part of his own solid outing as he scored 19 points on 7-of-15 shooting and had nine assists.
The Kings' 56.2 shooting percentage was their second-highest this season. They have won four of their past five games, finally taking advantage of a home-heavy schedule and giving themselves a chance to reach .500 Thursday against the Los Angeles Lakers.
The Knicks were led by guard Jamal Crawford (28 points), but didn't help their own cause with 20 turnovers. Mostly, though, they simply couldn't stop Artest.
"He was good tonight," Knicks coach Isiah Thomas said. "He was awesome. And we had no answer for him."
About the writer: The Bee's Sam Amick can be reached at samick@ sacbee.com.
Artest was a Math major? :O
