http://www.sacbee.com/351/story/143489.html
Kings, Martin slump together
By Sam Amick - Bee Staff Writer
Last Updated 12:06 am PDT Saturday, March 24, 2007
The motivation, at the time, was simple.
Kevin Martin wanted to elevate his play and thereby lift his team, with the private goal of winning his first Western Conference Player of the Week award and adding another achievement to an already impressive campaign.
Yet after the Kings shooting guard realized his goals earlier this month, he is faced with what is easily his worst stretch this season. Martin, who on March 5 was named the Player of the Week, suddenly can't find his shot just as the Kings can't find wins, their slides coinciding in what has become a long-shot playoff race. In the past eight games, Martin has hit just 34 of 98 shots (34.7 percent) and 9 of 35 three-pointers (25.7 percent). The Kings have lost eight of their last nine.
"This is the most I've struggled all year," Martin said. "But it's only happened a couple times all year, and I think that says something. ... I've just got to work through it."
The goal now, Martin said, is ensuring he doesn't slip into the offseason with anything less than a positive finish.
"Now I can't let this little stretch kill my season," he said.
For the season, Martin is shooting 48 percent overall, 38.4 percent from three-point range and 84.8 percent from the free-throw line. With a 20.6-point average, he no longer is the only player in the league to average 20-plus points on fewer than 14 shots. Phoenix center Amare Stoudemire is averaging 20.6 points on 12.7 shots. And Martin no longer is in the running for another statistical oddity that could have placed him in rare company.
Hall of Famer Larry Bird is the only player to shoot 50-plus percent from the field, 40-plus percent from three-point range and 90-plus percent from the free-throw line. Suns point guard Steve Nash was in the running for the distinction, too, but he is coming up just short in the free-throw department (88.3 percent).
The Kings know the feeling all too well.
"It's not easy," Martin said of the season that's slipping away. "A week and a half ago, we felt like we were playing our best ball of the season. It seems like it just came down all at once."
About the writer: The Bee's Sam Amick can be reached at samick@sacbee.com.
Kings, Martin slump together
By Sam Amick - Bee Staff Writer
Last Updated 12:06 am PDT Saturday, March 24, 2007
The motivation, at the time, was simple.
Kevin Martin wanted to elevate his play and thereby lift his team, with the private goal of winning his first Western Conference Player of the Week award and adding another achievement to an already impressive campaign.
Yet after the Kings shooting guard realized his goals earlier this month, he is faced with what is easily his worst stretch this season. Martin, who on March 5 was named the Player of the Week, suddenly can't find his shot just as the Kings can't find wins, their slides coinciding in what has become a long-shot playoff race. In the past eight games, Martin has hit just 34 of 98 shots (34.7 percent) and 9 of 35 three-pointers (25.7 percent). The Kings have lost eight of their last nine.
"This is the most I've struggled all year," Martin said. "But it's only happened a couple times all year, and I think that says something. ... I've just got to work through it."
The goal now, Martin said, is ensuring he doesn't slip into the offseason with anything less than a positive finish.
"Now I can't let this little stretch kill my season," he said.
For the season, Martin is shooting 48 percent overall, 38.4 percent from three-point range and 84.8 percent from the free-throw line. With a 20.6-point average, he no longer is the only player in the league to average 20-plus points on fewer than 14 shots. Phoenix center Amare Stoudemire is averaging 20.6 points on 12.7 shots. And Martin no longer is in the running for another statistical oddity that could have placed him in rare company.
Hall of Famer Larry Bird is the only player to shoot 50-plus percent from the field, 40-plus percent from three-point range and 90-plus percent from the free-throw line. Suns point guard Steve Nash was in the running for the distinction, too, but he is coming up just short in the free-throw department (88.3 percent).
The Kings know the feeling all too well.
"It's not easy," Martin said of the season that's slipping away. "A week and a half ago, we felt like we were playing our best ball of the season. It seems like it just came down all at once."
About the writer: The Bee's Sam Amick can be reached at samick@sacbee.com.
