http://www.sacbee.com/351/story/140774.html
Kings are easy prey
They fold in third quarter against lowly Hawks, end trip 1-4
By Sam Amick - Bee Staff Writer
Last Updated 6:17 am PDT Tuesday, March 20, 2007
ATLANTA -- It was one of those nights when anyone with an ounce of curiosity wanted to be a fly on the wall of the Kings' locker room.
Anyone who had seen a team supposedly fighting for a playoff spot take a knockout punch from the 14-games-under-.500 Atlanta Hawks midway through the third quarter in a 99-76 debacle at Philips Arena on Monday night.
Anyone who saw Ron Artest glaring at coach Eric Musselman with one minute left in a third quarter in which the Kings set a season low with eight points, when the small forward was the only Kings starter still playing as the Hawks led by as many as 30 points.
Anyone who wondered why reporters were asked to wait nearly five minutes after Musselman's postgame interview session ended before entering the locker room, or had seen a Kings media relations representative desperately trying to monitor every word Artest uttered to reporters and working hard for strategic positioning.
And when no one would say what was said behind closed doors afterward, it was only fitting. They had no answers in the game, either.
"It's not upsetting," Artest insisted. "We just lost the game. We've still got a chance to do what we've got to do and get in the playoffs. We're not really worried about it."
He was alone in that deduction.
Shareef Abdur-Rahim called it a "good old-fashioned butt kicking." Musselman described it simply as "a disappointing loss."
"There ain't really nothing you can say," Abdur-Rahim said. "There ain't really a reason, nothing that's a realistic excuse that you can really feel good about -- like it's the end of the road trip or whatever.
"There's a lot of excuses, but I don't know."
Said Kevin Martin, who spent most of the second half with a towel over his head on the bench next to Artest and played less than three minutes in a fourth quarter that offered a rare chance for the Kings' youngsters and even Vitaly Potapenko to play: "We just washed away that five out of six we won. It's back to square one now ... .
"It's amazing how things change in a week and a half."
The beginning was the end for the Kings, as the list of relative nobodies who make their All-Star bids against them grew even longer. Hawks center Zaza Pachulia joined Denver's Linas Kleiza, Cleveland's Sasha Pavlovic and Charlotte's Matt Carroll, all capable players who played at or near career-high levels to contribute to the Kings' recent slide.
Pachulia hit his first seven shots and finished 11 of 12 for 23 points while playing just nine minutes in the second half.
An athletic Hawks team led 53-42 at halftime after Musselman's order of "no lob dunks!" that he screamed midway through the second quarter wasn't followed.
There were dunks all around, including a Josh Smith alley-oop that put Atlanta ahead 45-37 and came from a potent Josh Childress. The Hawks guard had 25 points, but the larger factor was the Kings shooting just 37.8 percent overall and hitting just 3 of 20 three-pointers.
Corliss Williamson's 14 points off the bench led the Kings, who are falling fast and have a home game Wednesday against Minnesota followed by two games against Phoenix.
There was, however, a real sense from numerous players that -- despite going 1-4 on this road trip and losing six of their last seven games -- the 2 1/2- game deficit from the final playoff spot in the Western Conference was not too much to overcome.
"I still believe in the talent we've got," swingman John Salmons said. "I still believe we can actually do it."
About the writer: The Bee's Sam Amick can be reached at samick@ sacbee.com.
Kings are easy prey
They fold in third quarter against lowly Hawks, end trip 1-4
By Sam Amick - Bee Staff Writer
Last Updated 6:17 am PDT Tuesday, March 20, 2007
ATLANTA -- It was one of those nights when anyone with an ounce of curiosity wanted to be a fly on the wall of the Kings' locker room.
Anyone who had seen a team supposedly fighting for a playoff spot take a knockout punch from the 14-games-under-.500 Atlanta Hawks midway through the third quarter in a 99-76 debacle at Philips Arena on Monday night.
Anyone who saw Ron Artest glaring at coach Eric Musselman with one minute left in a third quarter in which the Kings set a season low with eight points, when the small forward was the only Kings starter still playing as the Hawks led by as many as 30 points.
Anyone who wondered why reporters were asked to wait nearly five minutes after Musselman's postgame interview session ended before entering the locker room, or had seen a Kings media relations representative desperately trying to monitor every word Artest uttered to reporters and working hard for strategic positioning.
And when no one would say what was said behind closed doors afterward, it was only fitting. They had no answers in the game, either.
"It's not upsetting," Artest insisted. "We just lost the game. We've still got a chance to do what we've got to do and get in the playoffs. We're not really worried about it."
He was alone in that deduction.
Shareef Abdur-Rahim called it a "good old-fashioned butt kicking." Musselman described it simply as "a disappointing loss."
"There ain't really nothing you can say," Abdur-Rahim said. "There ain't really a reason, nothing that's a realistic excuse that you can really feel good about -- like it's the end of the road trip or whatever.
"There's a lot of excuses, but I don't know."
Said Kevin Martin, who spent most of the second half with a towel over his head on the bench next to Artest and played less than three minutes in a fourth quarter that offered a rare chance for the Kings' youngsters and even Vitaly Potapenko to play: "We just washed away that five out of six we won. It's back to square one now ... .
"It's amazing how things change in a week and a half."
The beginning was the end for the Kings, as the list of relative nobodies who make their All-Star bids against them grew even longer. Hawks center Zaza Pachulia joined Denver's Linas Kleiza, Cleveland's Sasha Pavlovic and Charlotte's Matt Carroll, all capable players who played at or near career-high levels to contribute to the Kings' recent slide.
Pachulia hit his first seven shots and finished 11 of 12 for 23 points while playing just nine minutes in the second half.
An athletic Hawks team led 53-42 at halftime after Musselman's order of "no lob dunks!" that he screamed midway through the second quarter wasn't followed.
There were dunks all around, including a Josh Smith alley-oop that put Atlanta ahead 45-37 and came from a potent Josh Childress. The Hawks guard had 25 points, but the larger factor was the Kings shooting just 37.8 percent overall and hitting just 3 of 20 three-pointers.
Corliss Williamson's 14 points off the bench led the Kings, who are falling fast and have a home game Wednesday against Minnesota followed by two games against Phoenix.
There was, however, a real sense from numerous players that -- despite going 1-4 on this road trip and losing six of their last seven games -- the 2 1/2- game deficit from the final playoff spot in the Western Conference was not too much to overcome.
"I still believe in the talent we've got," swingman John Salmons said. "I still believe we can actually do it."
About the writer: The Bee's Sam Amick can be reached at samick@ sacbee.com.
