http://www.sacbee.com/351/story/140062.html
Kings Notes: Martin doesn't mind receiving the charity
The guard scores 17 of his 20 points from the free-throw line.
By Sam Amick - Bee Staff Writer
Last Updated 12:20 am PDT Sunday, March 18, 2007
The tone was set early, when even the Orlando public address announcer couldn't quite determine the origin of Kevin Martin's hoops prowess.
When the Kings shooting guard was announced at Amway Arena, the booming voice deemed him the product of "Western California" college, not to be confused with his alma mater of Western Carolina. Funny thing? Martin had trouble locating his game, too, as he went just 1 of 8 from the field.
But with the shots not falling and the Magic clogging the lanes with no intention of letting Martin through, he still finished with 20 points and put himself in rare company in the process. Martin hit 17 of 20 free throws, becoming just the second player in NBA history to score at least 20 points while hitting just one field goal. Hall of Famer Nate Archibald did it Jan. 16, 1980, scoring 22 points after going 1 of 9 from the field and hitting 20 of 22 free throws.
"That's definitely shocking," said Martin, who was born in 1983. "I've never seen it before."
Martin, who leads the Kings in free-throw attempts, did it by way of the pump fake and so many dribble drives that ended with him hitting the deck. His 20 free throws were just five fewer than Orlando's total, and no other King had more than Mike Bibby and Ron Artest's six each.
Martin, who is shooting 21 for 59 in his last five games, said he has been dealing with even more defensive attention than the norm recently.
"I'm just learning the defenses," he said. "I get past my first man, and there's another line of defense right there. I'm starting to see what teams are doing now. It seems like something different every couple weeks. I just have to keep on fighting through it and being aggressive."
Turnover turn -- It had become an almost-nightly affair, the Kings handing balls over in generous fashion and negating so many other positives. But after giving up at least 17 turnovers in nine of their last 13 games, the Kings had just nine against Orlando. Magic center Dwight Howard had nearly as many as the Kings, finishing with five while being frustrated by the Kings' defense.
"They tried to front Dwight all night," Magic guard J.J. Redick said. "(They got) down on him when he put it on the floor and really did a good job."
Winning ugly - The Kings won despite shooting just 33.8 percent from the field (24 of 71). The last time they shot under 34 percent and won was Nov. 16, 1999, when they downed the then-Vancouver Grizzlies 81-77 and shot just 32.3 percent (31 of 96).
About the writer: The Bee's Sam Amick can be reached at samick@ sacbee.com.
Kings Notes: Martin doesn't mind receiving the charity
The guard scores 17 of his 20 points from the free-throw line.
By Sam Amick - Bee Staff Writer
Last Updated 12:20 am PDT Sunday, March 18, 2007
The tone was set early, when even the Orlando public address announcer couldn't quite determine the origin of Kevin Martin's hoops prowess.
When the Kings shooting guard was announced at Amway Arena, the booming voice deemed him the product of "Western California" college, not to be confused with his alma mater of Western Carolina. Funny thing? Martin had trouble locating his game, too, as he went just 1 of 8 from the field.
But with the shots not falling and the Magic clogging the lanes with no intention of letting Martin through, he still finished with 20 points and put himself in rare company in the process. Martin hit 17 of 20 free throws, becoming just the second player in NBA history to score at least 20 points while hitting just one field goal. Hall of Famer Nate Archibald did it Jan. 16, 1980, scoring 22 points after going 1 of 9 from the field and hitting 20 of 22 free throws.
"That's definitely shocking," said Martin, who was born in 1983. "I've never seen it before."
Martin, who leads the Kings in free-throw attempts, did it by way of the pump fake and so many dribble drives that ended with him hitting the deck. His 20 free throws were just five fewer than Orlando's total, and no other King had more than Mike Bibby and Ron Artest's six each.
Martin, who is shooting 21 for 59 in his last five games, said he has been dealing with even more defensive attention than the norm recently.
"I'm just learning the defenses," he said. "I get past my first man, and there's another line of defense right there. I'm starting to see what teams are doing now. It seems like something different every couple weeks. I just have to keep on fighting through it and being aggressive."
Turnover turn -- It had become an almost-nightly affair, the Kings handing balls over in generous fashion and negating so many other positives. But after giving up at least 17 turnovers in nine of their last 13 games, the Kings had just nine against Orlando. Magic center Dwight Howard had nearly as many as the Kings, finishing with five while being frustrated by the Kings' defense.
"They tried to front Dwight all night," Magic guard J.J. Redick said. "(They got) down on him when he put it on the floor and really did a good job."
Winning ugly - The Kings won despite shooting just 33.8 percent from the field (24 of 71). The last time they shot under 34 percent and won was Nov. 16, 1999, when they downed the then-Vancouver Grizzlies 81-77 and shot just 32.3 percent (31 of 96).
About the writer: The Bee's Sam Amick can be reached at samick@ sacbee.com.
