Cerwindel
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Article Orignnally posted on ESPN.COM
Link to article here : http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/dailydime?page=dailydime-070320
Kings deposed once again
By John Hollinger
ESPN Insider
ATLANTA -- I asked Sacramento Kings coach Eric Musselman before his team took the court whether this was a must-win game, and he gave the usual answer about taking them one at a time. So I'll answer it for him -- this was a must win.
• With the Kings already reeling and trailing Golden State (among others) by two games for the West's final playoff spot, they needed this one in any event. But it was doubly important because of their upcoming schedule. Sacramento plays two of its next four games against the Suns; after that comes a five-game stretch at the start of April that goes Lakers-Mavs-Nuggets-Jazz-Rockets. The Hawks were the worst team Sacramento will play the rest of the season, so getting blown out of the building by them, 99-76, wasn't a real good omen.
• If the Kings miss the playoffs, they can blame it on their dilapidated frontcourt. It was sad watching Shareef Abdur-Rahim -- an All-Star in this building five years ago -- struggle to score on his post moves. Same goes for aging center Brad Miller, who checked out after 12 desultory minutes due to plantar fasciitis.
• Sacramento's most effective big man was veteran retread Corliss Williamson, and that's not the first time that's been the case. The Hawks took advantage by repeatedly scoring in the paint, with center Zaza Pachulia leading the way -- he had 14 points on 7-for-7 shooting in the first quarter. Sacramento's starting frontcourt combined to shoot 2-for-9 with five points and four rebounds. Ouch.
• With Miller presumably out for a while and Kenny Thomas already on the shelf, look for lots of small-ball from Sacramento down the stretch. Musselman sounded reluctant to use it heavily in his pregame comments, but at this point he might have no choice. It's certainly better than playing his regular lineup and watching his team get its brains blown out.
• Side note on Sacramento's frontcourt: I completely forgot Vitaly Potapenko was still in the league until he took off his warm-ups in garbage time. I can't be the only one. Side note No. 2: The league's only postgame conversation of the season in Ukrainian took place in a Philips Arena hallway after the game between Potapenko and the Hawks' Slava Medvedenko. I thought you should know these things.
• Atlanta's Josh Smith would have had his first career triple-double if he'd made one of two foul shots in the fourth quarter. Instead he missed both, leaving him a point short of the milestone. Hawks coach Mike Woodson left him in for several minutes of the fourth quarter -- by this point, the other nine players on the court were scrubs -- before finally hooking him with just 3:41 left.
• So the big question after all this is what's Musselman's job status? It hardly seems to matter by this point with just 15 games left, but the Kings' recent slump and tonight's no-show, along with comments by Kings owner Joe Maloof a few weeks ago that were something south of fully supportive, make you wonder.
Link to article here : http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/dailydime?page=dailydime-070320
Kings deposed once again
By John Hollinger
ESPN Insider
ATLANTA -- I asked Sacramento Kings coach Eric Musselman before his team took the court whether this was a must-win game, and he gave the usual answer about taking them one at a time. So I'll answer it for him -- this was a must win.
• With the Kings already reeling and trailing Golden State (among others) by two games for the West's final playoff spot, they needed this one in any event. But it was doubly important because of their upcoming schedule. Sacramento plays two of its next four games against the Suns; after that comes a five-game stretch at the start of April that goes Lakers-Mavs-Nuggets-Jazz-Rockets. The Hawks were the worst team Sacramento will play the rest of the season, so getting blown out of the building by them, 99-76, wasn't a real good omen.
• If the Kings miss the playoffs, they can blame it on their dilapidated frontcourt. It was sad watching Shareef Abdur-Rahim -- an All-Star in this building five years ago -- struggle to score on his post moves. Same goes for aging center Brad Miller, who checked out after 12 desultory minutes due to plantar fasciitis.
• Sacramento's most effective big man was veteran retread Corliss Williamson, and that's not the first time that's been the case. The Hawks took advantage by repeatedly scoring in the paint, with center Zaza Pachulia leading the way -- he had 14 points on 7-for-7 shooting in the first quarter. Sacramento's starting frontcourt combined to shoot 2-for-9 with five points and four rebounds. Ouch.
• With Miller presumably out for a while and Kenny Thomas already on the shelf, look for lots of small-ball from Sacramento down the stretch. Musselman sounded reluctant to use it heavily in his pregame comments, but at this point he might have no choice. It's certainly better than playing his regular lineup and watching his team get its brains blown out.
• Side note on Sacramento's frontcourt: I completely forgot Vitaly Potapenko was still in the league until he took off his warm-ups in garbage time. I can't be the only one. Side note No. 2: The league's only postgame conversation of the season in Ukrainian took place in a Philips Arena hallway after the game between Potapenko and the Hawks' Slava Medvedenko. I thought you should know these things.
• Atlanta's Josh Smith would have had his first career triple-double if he'd made one of two foul shots in the fourth quarter. Instead he missed both, leaving him a point short of the milestone. Hawks coach Mike Woodson left him in for several minutes of the fourth quarter -- by this point, the other nine players on the court were scrubs -- before finally hooking him with just 3:41 left.
• So the big question after all this is what's Musselman's job status? It hardly seems to matter by this point with just 15 games left, but the Kings' recent slump and tonight's no-show, along with comments by Kings owner Joe Maloof a few weeks ago that were something south of fully supportive, make you wonder.
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Hollinger does "Write" for Insider, but this one is a free article.. What happened to the rest??
