http://www.sacbee.com/content/sports/basketball/kings/story/14241739p-15061144c.html
Artest fires up Kings' defense
Confidence rises as opposing teams see a drop in scoring.
By Sam Amick -- Bee Staff Writer
Published 2:15 am PDT Tuesday, April 11, 2006
The honeymoon is over.
Ron Artest has been wearing purple for nearly three months, and it appears the marriage between the Kings and the defensive mentality he brought with him may stick after all.
Long defensive droughts have been replaced by short disappearing acts that are typically followed by impressive performances. One has only to look at this past week as evidence: The Kings gave up a season-high 127 points to Dallas last Tuesday, only to allow an average of 85.7 points in victories over San Antonio, the Los Angeles Clippers and Houston.
Artest's name comes first because, as coach Rick Adelman has said for some time, it's the personnel that dictates defense more often than coaches ever can. Monday afternoon at Arco Arena, Adelman's argument was supported by a man who agrees wholeheartedly.
"It's funny how people say, 'Oh, Rick's teams don't play the defense,' " said Phoenix Suns coach Mike D'Antoni, whose team leads the league in scoring (108.3 points per game) and is 28th in defense (102.9). "Well, it's because (Adelman) doesn't have defensive players, same as us. But Ron Artest is a defensive player, (and) it's catchy. It only takes one or two guys to turn it around."
And turnarounds can go both ways. Before Feb. 25, the Suns had the services of defensive-minded center Kurt Thomas and were allowing 100.2 points per game. Since a foot injury sidelined Thomas, the Suns are giving up 109.3 points per game, having lost nine of their last 17 games as they stumble into a postseason that - as it stands - would have them facing the Kings in the first round.
"You're only talking about 10 (points) difference, maybe even less," D'Antoni said. "And so when (players such as Artest and Thomas) are a difference of five made baskets, that's 10 points, and instead of 105 (points per game) it's 95 and you're a great defensive team. ... It's like (having) better offensive guys - if we have bad shooters, we're not going to shoot as well."
But the Suns hardly suffer from that problem. Three of their starting five - point guard Steve Nash, forward Shawn Marion and center Boris Diaw - are in the top 17 of the league's shooting accuracy leaders, and all are capable from hitting from all over the floor. It should come as no surprise, then, that the Suns are one of only seven teams to score 100-plus points against the Kings since Artest arrived, winning 112-104 Feb. 10 in Phoenix.
Adelman said the improved defense has been a teamwide venture.
"Once we started playing a little bit better, everybody got in tune with it," he said. "You've got to give (Artest) credit, but you've got to give the other guys credit, too. I think they're realizing that if you're going to win games, then you've got to be consistent there."
Center Brad Miller, who wondered aloud why there was no praise for the defense after the Dallas disaster, said Artest - and everyone else - has helped.
"You start helping the helper a little bit more," he said. "We weren't executing the concepts early on. And since he's got here, he's taken care of a lot of one-on-one defense. We're helping him out, and he helps us. It's contagious."
As is confidence, which seems to be returning to the same meteoric level as when the Kings won 14 of 18 games from Feb. 5 through March 14. Artest, who had been reluctant to discuss a postseason that is not yet secured, didn't field a playoff question he didn't like.
Asked about the Suns and their playoff chances in light of recent struggles, he said: "Right now there are a couple teams that want to win championships. I know for a fact Detroit is one of them. I know for a fact that we're one of them. I see a couple teams that don't want to be champions, and we've got to knock those teams out. There are teams that are in the playoffs, and they're happy right now."
The Kings, meanwhile, are happy they no longer have to defend their own defense.
About the writer: The Bee's Sam Amick can be reached at (916) 326-5582 or samick@sacbee.com.
Artest fires up Kings' defense
Confidence rises as opposing teams see a drop in scoring.
By Sam Amick -- Bee Staff Writer
Published 2:15 am PDT Tuesday, April 11, 2006
The honeymoon is over.
Ron Artest has been wearing purple for nearly three months, and it appears the marriage between the Kings and the defensive mentality he brought with him may stick after all.
Long defensive droughts have been replaced by short disappearing acts that are typically followed by impressive performances. One has only to look at this past week as evidence: The Kings gave up a season-high 127 points to Dallas last Tuesday, only to allow an average of 85.7 points in victories over San Antonio, the Los Angeles Clippers and Houston.
Artest's name comes first because, as coach Rick Adelman has said for some time, it's the personnel that dictates defense more often than coaches ever can. Monday afternoon at Arco Arena, Adelman's argument was supported by a man who agrees wholeheartedly.
"It's funny how people say, 'Oh, Rick's teams don't play the defense,' " said Phoenix Suns coach Mike D'Antoni, whose team leads the league in scoring (108.3 points per game) and is 28th in defense (102.9). "Well, it's because (Adelman) doesn't have defensive players, same as us. But Ron Artest is a defensive player, (and) it's catchy. It only takes one or two guys to turn it around."
And turnarounds can go both ways. Before Feb. 25, the Suns had the services of defensive-minded center Kurt Thomas and were allowing 100.2 points per game. Since a foot injury sidelined Thomas, the Suns are giving up 109.3 points per game, having lost nine of their last 17 games as they stumble into a postseason that - as it stands - would have them facing the Kings in the first round.
"You're only talking about 10 (points) difference, maybe even less," D'Antoni said. "And so when (players such as Artest and Thomas) are a difference of five made baskets, that's 10 points, and instead of 105 (points per game) it's 95 and you're a great defensive team. ... It's like (having) better offensive guys - if we have bad shooters, we're not going to shoot as well."
But the Suns hardly suffer from that problem. Three of their starting five - point guard Steve Nash, forward Shawn Marion and center Boris Diaw - are in the top 17 of the league's shooting accuracy leaders, and all are capable from hitting from all over the floor. It should come as no surprise, then, that the Suns are one of only seven teams to score 100-plus points against the Kings since Artest arrived, winning 112-104 Feb. 10 in Phoenix.
Adelman said the improved defense has been a teamwide venture.
"Once we started playing a little bit better, everybody got in tune with it," he said. "You've got to give (Artest) credit, but you've got to give the other guys credit, too. I think they're realizing that if you're going to win games, then you've got to be consistent there."
Center Brad Miller, who wondered aloud why there was no praise for the defense after the Dallas disaster, said Artest - and everyone else - has helped.
"You start helping the helper a little bit more," he said. "We weren't executing the concepts early on. And since he's got here, he's taken care of a lot of one-on-one defense. We're helping him out, and he helps us. It's contagious."
As is confidence, which seems to be returning to the same meteoric level as when the Kings won 14 of 18 games from Feb. 5 through March 14. Artest, who had been reluctant to discuss a postseason that is not yet secured, didn't field a playoff question he didn't like.
Asked about the Suns and their playoff chances in light of recent struggles, he said: "Right now there are a couple teams that want to win championships. I know for a fact Detroit is one of them. I know for a fact that we're one of them. I see a couple teams that don't want to be champions, and we've got to knock those teams out. There are teams that are in the playoffs, and they're happy right now."
The Kings, meanwhile, are happy they no longer have to defend their own defense.
About the writer: The Bee's Sam Amick can be reached at (916) 326-5582 or samick@sacbee.com.
