Elise10
Starter
It's extra painful, again
For the second game in a row, the Kings give up a last-second tying shot and lose in overtime.
By Sam Amick - Bee Staff Writer
http://www.sacbee.com/351/story/104304.html
Last Updated 12:33 am PST Sunday, January 7, 2007
Story appeared in SPORTS section, Page C3
The compliments and words of encouragement came from every corner of the locker room.
Corliss Williamson talked about how his turnover and foul with 1:40 left in regulation hurt the Kings as much as anything. John Salmons lauded Kevin Martin for wanting the ball in a clutch sequence, even if the guard did miss two of his final four free-throw attempts in the Kings' 110-105 overtime loss to Portland. Mike Bibby made a point to say he wasn't upset with Martin, who couldn't say the same about himself.
Martin was the last player to leave the locker room Saturday night, sitting alone with his thoughts as coaches and players filed out. The only thing longer than his outstretched legs was the look on his face, one of confusion after he missed two of his four free throws in the final 16 seconds of regulation that would have given the Kings their fifth win in their last seven games.
It was déjà vu of the worst kind for Martin, as he and Mike Bibby had each missed crucial free throws late in the fourth quarter of Thursday's overtime loss to the Lakers that would have secured that win.
"I guess it's my time to be on the other side of the non-hero shtick," Martin said. "It doesn't feel good. You ride on that high for so long ... "
But Martin's struggles were not exclusive, as the Kings lost despite leading 91-84 with 6:54 remaining against a team that could have served as the perfect opponent for a team with defensive issues. Portland entered ranked 29th in the league in offense, averaging 92.3 points. The Blazers had averaged just 82.6 points in the last three games. Yet through three quarters against the Kings, they had 79 points, having hit 7 of 11 three-pointers.
Portland forced overtime even while hitting just 4 of 18 fourth-quarter shots and missing 11 in a row at one point. But no basket was bigger than Brandon Roy's fadeaway at the buzzer with Salmons defending. Portland had four seconds to score after Martin had missed his free throw with five seconds remaining.
"I was in front of him, and he stepped back and created a little space," said Salmons, who was 1 for 5 shooting in 31 minutes. "With good players, that's all you need to get a good shot off. He hit a tough shot."
Roy, a rookie guard out of Washington, scored a career-high 23 points on 8-for-15 shooting, his production coming mostly against Kings stopper Ron Artest.
"What I told our team before the game was that Portland's record isn't indicative of what they are because they have had Brandon Roy out for a lot of games (due to injury)," Kings coach Eric Musselman said. "(He) is an unbelievable rookie who plays with great poise."
Shareef Abdur-Rahim and Kenny Thomas could do little to stop Portland forward Zach Randolph, either, as he did well for his own All-Star campaign with 32 points and 15 rebounds. Little-used center Maurice Taylor had more success than anyone in defending Randolph, and his six rebounds was second on the team despite playing just 13 minutes.
"We're letting teams push us around a little too much, just letting them push us and not pushing back," Bibby said. "We've got to get tough. Everybody rebound. It's all about effort on the defensive end, and I think, as a team, we're giving enough effort.
"It's getting frustrating, getting embarrassing. I hate to lose. And until the effort's there from everybody on the team, we're going to keep losing."
It was a rare night when Martin, Bibby and Artest were effective, yet the Kings needed more. Williamson provided just that in the second half, scoring eight points during a 15-0 run that spanned the third and fourth quarters and gave the Kings an 88-79 lead.
For the second game in a row, the Kings give up a last-second tying shot and lose in overtime.
By Sam Amick - Bee Staff Writer
http://www.sacbee.com/351/story/104304.html
Last Updated 12:33 am PST Sunday, January 7, 2007
Story appeared in SPORTS section, Page C3
The compliments and words of encouragement came from every corner of the locker room.
Corliss Williamson talked about how his turnover and foul with 1:40 left in regulation hurt the Kings as much as anything. John Salmons lauded Kevin Martin for wanting the ball in a clutch sequence, even if the guard did miss two of his final four free-throw attempts in the Kings' 110-105 overtime loss to Portland. Mike Bibby made a point to say he wasn't upset with Martin, who couldn't say the same about himself.
Martin was the last player to leave the locker room Saturday night, sitting alone with his thoughts as coaches and players filed out. The only thing longer than his outstretched legs was the look on his face, one of confusion after he missed two of his four free throws in the final 16 seconds of regulation that would have given the Kings their fifth win in their last seven games.
It was déjà vu of the worst kind for Martin, as he and Mike Bibby had each missed crucial free throws late in the fourth quarter of Thursday's overtime loss to the Lakers that would have secured that win.
"I guess it's my time to be on the other side of the non-hero shtick," Martin said. "It doesn't feel good. You ride on that high for so long ... "
But Martin's struggles were not exclusive, as the Kings lost despite leading 91-84 with 6:54 remaining against a team that could have served as the perfect opponent for a team with defensive issues. Portland entered ranked 29th in the league in offense, averaging 92.3 points. The Blazers had averaged just 82.6 points in the last three games. Yet through three quarters against the Kings, they had 79 points, having hit 7 of 11 three-pointers.
Portland forced overtime even while hitting just 4 of 18 fourth-quarter shots and missing 11 in a row at one point. But no basket was bigger than Brandon Roy's fadeaway at the buzzer with Salmons defending. Portland had four seconds to score after Martin had missed his free throw with five seconds remaining.
"I was in front of him, and he stepped back and created a little space," said Salmons, who was 1 for 5 shooting in 31 minutes. "With good players, that's all you need to get a good shot off. He hit a tough shot."
Roy, a rookie guard out of Washington, scored a career-high 23 points on 8-for-15 shooting, his production coming mostly against Kings stopper Ron Artest.
"What I told our team before the game was that Portland's record isn't indicative of what they are because they have had Brandon Roy out for a lot of games (due to injury)," Kings coach Eric Musselman said. "(He) is an unbelievable rookie who plays with great poise."
Shareef Abdur-Rahim and Kenny Thomas could do little to stop Portland forward Zach Randolph, either, as he did well for his own All-Star campaign with 32 points and 15 rebounds. Little-used center Maurice Taylor had more success than anyone in defending Randolph, and his six rebounds was second on the team despite playing just 13 minutes.
"We're letting teams push us around a little too much, just letting them push us and not pushing back," Bibby said. "We've got to get tough. Everybody rebound. It's all about effort on the defensive end, and I think, as a team, we're giving enough effort.
"It's getting frustrating, getting embarrassing. I hate to lose. And until the effort's there from everybody on the team, we're going to keep losing."
It was a rare night when Martin, Bibby and Artest were effective, yet the Kings needed more. Williamson provided just that in the second half, scoring eight points during a 15-0 run that spanned the third and fourth quarters and gave the Kings an 88-79 lead.
