http://www.sacbee.com/content/sports/basketball/kings/story/14242188p-15061421c.html
Way up, then meltdown
Kings blow 17-point lead against team they may see in postseason
By Sam Amick -- Bee Staff Writer
Published 2:15 am PDT Wednesday, April 12, 2006
There is an Arco Arena ritual that goes largely unnoticed.
Losses are followed by the playing of the song "Roxanne" by the Police as the despondent masses of Kings fans depart.
For most of Tuesday night, it looked as if the song would go unplayed, that the Kings would - as the song says - put the red light on the Phoenix Suns in a game that was billed as a possible playoff preview.
But after the Kings led by 17 points in the third quarter, the song came back just like the Suns themselves, the Kings blowing their largest lead of the season in a 123-110 loss. The stunner delayed their clinching of a playoff berth as they fell into eighth place in the Western Conference.
The Suns - contained to 45 percent shooting in a first half in which they trailed 68-51 and let the Kings shoot 64.7 percent - pulled off a 30-point swing to blow by the Kings in green-light style. Phoenix hit 27 of 38 shots (71 percent) in its 72-point second half.
Having lost nine of their previous 17 games, the Suns said the victory was as much a message to themselves as to the Kings.
"(The Kings are) an intense team, and if you don't match it, you're going to get blown out like we were getting blown out," said Suns guard Raja Bell, who scored 16 of his 25 points in the second half and hit 9 of 13 shots.
"We were getting outplayed, outhustled, out-toughed. At the end of the day, you want to be able to say I did what I could to try to win. And that's all we did in the second half."
Having demanded respect in the final 24 minutes, the Suns kept asking for it afterward. Forward Shawn Marion was none too thrilled about comments by Kings small forward Ron Artest on Monday. Asked if the Suns were vulnerable given their recent play, Artest gave a lengthy response regarding teams that are "in the playoffs and they're happy right now" and teams such as, he said, Detroit and the Kings who "want to win championships." The Suns have been the No. 2 seed since Sunday.
"I don't give a (expletive) who they take seriously," said Marion, who had 23 points and eight rebounds. "We won our division. They didn't. OK? I don't give a (expletive) what they say ... . They're the ones fighting for playoff position. We're doing what we've got to do."
They did it with Steve Nash limited by foul trouble and a right hip that had him limping in the third quarter, the point guard playing just six minutes as the Suns entered the fourth on a 14-2 run. A Marion drive and hook shot tied it 84-84 with one second left in the third, as Bell had 10 points in the quarter and the Kings missed their last five shots. Ahead 94-93 with 8:10 remaining in regulation, the Suns scored 20 points in the next 4:40 to take a 10-point lead.
It erased what was one of the Kings' most impressive first halves in some time, as they took the Suns out of their game by starting with Nash. Just eight minutes in, Nash - who finished with 13 points and 13 assists -already had three fouls. Only the MVP treatment kept him from earning a technical foul when he yelled a blatant profanity at official Dan Crawford twice but received no call.
All the while, the Kings were technically sound, hitting 64.7 percent (22 of 34) from the field in the first half to lead by 17.
"We knew what kind of team they are, that no lead in the first half was safe," said Kings forward Shareef Abdur-Rahim, who had 16 points off the bench. "It was almost like fool's gold with a team like that."
Artest, Brad Miller and Mike Bibby had 23 points each for the Kings, but they missed a season-high 14 free throws and lost for the first time at Arco Arena when shooting 50-plus percent (53.6 percent). The more pressing issue was the momentum lost after losing for just the second time in eight games.
"We blew it," said Kings guard Kevin Martin, who hit just 1 of 6 shots in 24 minutes. "We were up so much, and we're home, and it's close to the playoffs. We don't want to play like that. It's definitely disappointing."
About the writer: The Bee's Sam Amick can be reached at (916) 326-5582 or samick@sacbee.com.
Way up, then meltdown
Kings blow 17-point lead against team they may see in postseason
By Sam Amick -- Bee Staff Writer
Published 2:15 am PDT Wednesday, April 12, 2006
There is an Arco Arena ritual that goes largely unnoticed.
Losses are followed by the playing of the song "Roxanne" by the Police as the despondent masses of Kings fans depart.
For most of Tuesday night, it looked as if the song would go unplayed, that the Kings would - as the song says - put the red light on the Phoenix Suns in a game that was billed as a possible playoff preview.
But after the Kings led by 17 points in the third quarter, the song came back just like the Suns themselves, the Kings blowing their largest lead of the season in a 123-110 loss. The stunner delayed their clinching of a playoff berth as they fell into eighth place in the Western Conference.
The Suns - contained to 45 percent shooting in a first half in which they trailed 68-51 and let the Kings shoot 64.7 percent - pulled off a 30-point swing to blow by the Kings in green-light style. Phoenix hit 27 of 38 shots (71 percent) in its 72-point second half.
Having lost nine of their previous 17 games, the Suns said the victory was as much a message to themselves as to the Kings.
"(The Kings are) an intense team, and if you don't match it, you're going to get blown out like we were getting blown out," said Suns guard Raja Bell, who scored 16 of his 25 points in the second half and hit 9 of 13 shots.
"We were getting outplayed, outhustled, out-toughed. At the end of the day, you want to be able to say I did what I could to try to win. And that's all we did in the second half."
Having demanded respect in the final 24 minutes, the Suns kept asking for it afterward. Forward Shawn Marion was none too thrilled about comments by Kings small forward Ron Artest on Monday. Asked if the Suns were vulnerable given their recent play, Artest gave a lengthy response regarding teams that are "in the playoffs and they're happy right now" and teams such as, he said, Detroit and the Kings who "want to win championships." The Suns have been the No. 2 seed since Sunday.
"I don't give a (expletive) who they take seriously," said Marion, who had 23 points and eight rebounds. "We won our division. They didn't. OK? I don't give a (expletive) what they say ... . They're the ones fighting for playoff position. We're doing what we've got to do."
They did it with Steve Nash limited by foul trouble and a right hip that had him limping in the third quarter, the point guard playing just six minutes as the Suns entered the fourth on a 14-2 run. A Marion drive and hook shot tied it 84-84 with one second left in the third, as Bell had 10 points in the quarter and the Kings missed their last five shots. Ahead 94-93 with 8:10 remaining in regulation, the Suns scored 20 points in the next 4:40 to take a 10-point lead.
It erased what was one of the Kings' most impressive first halves in some time, as they took the Suns out of their game by starting with Nash. Just eight minutes in, Nash - who finished with 13 points and 13 assists -already had three fouls. Only the MVP treatment kept him from earning a technical foul when he yelled a blatant profanity at official Dan Crawford twice but received no call.
All the while, the Kings were technically sound, hitting 64.7 percent (22 of 34) from the field in the first half to lead by 17.
"We knew what kind of team they are, that no lead in the first half was safe," said Kings forward Shareef Abdur-Rahim, who had 16 points off the bench. "It was almost like fool's gold with a team like that."
Artest, Brad Miller and Mike Bibby had 23 points each for the Kings, but they missed a season-high 14 free throws and lost for the first time at Arco Arena when shooting 50-plus percent (53.6 percent). The more pressing issue was the momentum lost after losing for just the second time in eight games.
"We blew it," said Kings guard Kevin Martin, who hit just 1 of 6 shots in 24 minutes. "We were up so much, and we're home, and it's close to the playoffs. We don't want to play like that. It's definitely disappointing."
About the writer: The Bee's Sam Amick can be reached at (916) 326-5582 or samick@sacbee.com.
