Foxsports Praising the Kings again?

The same site that said Webber was the 2nd most over-rated player in the NBA praises the Kings again?

http://msn.foxsports.com/nba/story/3412500

In the five years after Michael Jordan left the Bulls for retirement and ill-fated Wizardry, the Eastern Conference won a total of six games in the NBA Finals.


The league became so tilted to the West that the championship series was a mere formality, a leisurely ride down the Champs-Elysees for the Spurs or Lakers.


Thankfully, that has changed. Though everyone assumed form would hold last June, the Pistons ended the West's reign by pounding the Lakers. The arrival of Shaquille O'Neal in Miami has further balanced the conferences. So picking a Western Conference champion is once again just that and not a presumptive title pick as well.

That said, six of the eight teams in the league playing over .600 ball reside in the West. If the Eastern Conference champ wins it all again, it may well be because the Western champ simply has nothing left after dispatching its conference foes.

As the season moves into its final third, let's separate the pretenders and contenders in the wild West.

First-round fodder



Memphis Grizzlies



Give Mike Fratello the Coach of the Year Award if the Grizz make the playoffs, but don't be surprised when they get swept in the first round.

Memphis has ridiculous depth and plays great D, but the Grizzlies lack those go-to types that are critical in the playoffs when so many possessions come down to the final five seconds on the shot clock.

Los Angeles Lakers


While the Lakers may have the best player in the NBA with the shot clock winding down in Kobe Bryant, they have little else that would indicate anything but a quick exit should they hang onto the No. 8 spot, which I doubt they will.

Pretenders

Minnesota Timberwolves


Expect the T-wolves to make a successful push to the playoffs under Kevin McHale and expect tongues to start wagging about how last year's conference runners-up could easily pull an upset in the first round. And then watch as Minnesota gets pounded by San Antonio and begins a new streak of getting bounced in the first round.

Kevin Garnett is still the best player in the game, but the members of his supporting cast have gotten old, hurt or downright ineffective in a hurry.

This whole lost season may be karmic payback for Latrell Sprewell's ridiculous comments about feeding his family.

Seattle SuperSonics

How can a team playing .700 ball at the All-Star break be a pretender, you ask? Easy. They have no post presence.

Jump-shooting teams like the Sonics have the greatest disparity between regular-season success and playoff failure. The reason is simple: open shots are just harder to come by in the postseason. And when Ray Allen, Rashard Lewis and Vladimir Radmanovic find everything contested on the perimeter, the down-low options of Danny Fortson, Jerome James, Reggie Evans and Nick Collison just won't be enough to avoid a first-round flameout.

If the season ended today, the Sonics would draw the Rockets in the opening round and probably be underdogs.

Phoenix Suns

Cheer up, Suns fans. Of the pretenders, your team is the best.

Though Amare Stoudemire gives Phoenix a more complete inside-outside attack than Seattle, the Suns are also overly reliant on long jump shots from Quentin Richardson, Steve Nash, Joe Johnson and corner sniper Shawn Marion to seriously challenge a team like San Antonio.

The Suns are also just a little too small. They've got a power forward playing center, a small forward playing power forward and a wee Canadian playing point guard. I know those three players — Stoudemire, Marion and Nash — are All-Stars, but size does matter in the NBA playoffs and Phoenix just doesn't have enough beef.

I'd love to be wrong about this and see the Suns playing in June because no team is more fun to watch.

Contenders

Houston Rockets


Yao Ming and Tracy McGrady are finally getting things figured out in Houston. And that make the Rockets extremely dangerous. (Pat Sullivan / AP)

If there's one team San Antonio would like to avoid in the Western Conference playoffs, it's Houston. After stumbling out of the gate to a 6-11 start, the Rockets have gone 26-10, including two wins over the Spurs, and are riding high on an eight-game winning streak.

While All-Stars Tracy McGrady and Yao Ming are now becoming the dominant inside-outside combo coach Jeff Van Gundy has been dreaming of, the key to the Rockets resurgence has been do-everything grinder Bob Sura.

Sura is averaging 10.8 points per game, 6.2 rebounds and 5.3 assists. In the last five wins of the Rockets' current streak, Sura has pulled down 50 rebounds. In the first win of the streak, he dished out 10 assists in a win over the Celtics, two off his season high. In mid-January, he poured in 35 points in a 94-85 victory over the Nets. Sura is in his 10th NBA season, and he has appeared in just six postseason games. He deserves another shot at the playoffs.
 
Dallas Mavericks



For the first couple months of the Erick Dampier era in Dallas, the big fella did all he could to confirm suspicions that he would only play in a contract year. He was either on the bench in foul trouble or flexing his powers of invisibility on the court. I should know, I made the mistake of drafting him as the starting center on my roto team.



But shortly after I released him — natch — Dampier became the man in the middle the Mavs have been missing. In one recent 11-game stretch, he averaged 13.5 rebounds a game. He also scored in double figures in eight straight before hurting his foot in a win at Golden State last week. If Dampier can contribute in the pivot, the Mavericks could be very tough in the playoffs.



Dirk Nowitzki remains a matchup nightmare at the four, stretching defenses with his unblockable jumper and killing smaller guys on the block. The rotation of Josh Howard, Michael Finley and Jerry Stackhouse at the 2-3 spots has been outstanding, and Jason Terry has stabilized the point since taking over for rookie Devin Harris.

Dallas looked for real last week when it went into Phoenix and beat the Suns, 119-113, behind 33 from Finley and 30 from Howard.



Sacramento Kings







Yep, you heard it here first. The Kings, losers of six of seven, will make some noise in the Western Conference playoffs.



The consensus seems to be that the Kings blew their chance at a title when Peja Stojakovic missed a wide-open 3-pointer and Sacramento lost Game 7 of the 2002 Western Conference finals to the Lakers in overtime. But don't heap the dirt on them just yet.



I know health is an ongoing issue, but on paper this team would appear to be even better than the near-miss editions of recent seasons. Brad Miller is a better player than Vlade Divac, and Cuttino Mobley is much more explosive than Doug Christie. Mike Bibby is still cold-blooded. And had Stojakovic participated, do you really think Quentin Richardson would have won the 3-point shooting contest on Saturday?



The biggest question mark, of course, is Chris Webber. And yet all he's been doing is hanging triple-doubles on teams night after night. Even if he is playing on one leg, the guy is a monster.



They may not have the most depth in the conference, but their starting five may be the best in the NBA. If they are even reasonably healthy come playoff time, look out.



The Lock







San Antonio Spurs







All of this conjecture — can Webber's knee last, will Dampier disappear again — is irrelevant, of course, if the Spurs are healthy. No one in either conference will beat them.



They are just too experienced, too deep and too good to be beaten four times in seven games.



If not for Derek Fisher's miracle catch-and-shoot with four-tenths of a second left in Game 5 of last year's Western Conference semifinals, the Spurs might be gunning for their third straight title this spring.



This is probably coach Gregg Popovich's best team yet and a strong argument for the melting pot. San Antonio is a 41-12 Benetton ad with players from France, Argentina, New Zealand, the Central African Republic (Romain Sato is on the injured list) and two from Slovenia.



Tim Duncan has been struggling with ankle, knee and hip injuries and still the Spurs roll on, thanks largely to their incredible backcourt.



The spectacular Manu Ginobli has become a star. Tony Parker is the most battle-tested 22-year-old point guard in league history. And neither figures to wear down in the playoffs because A.) they are both crazily fit and B.) the Spurs have the deepest backcourt in the NBA. Brent Barry, Devin Brown and Beno Udrih are all snipers who will punish teams for doubling Duncan.



Joining that five-headed backcourt on the perimeter is small forward Bruce Bowen, the NBA's premier lockdown defender who has rediscovered his 3-point stroke.



Complementing Duncan up front are 7-footer Rasho Nesterovic, big-game Bob Horry and the relentless Malik Rose. All of this will add up to a Western Conference championship and NBA title No. 3 for San Antonio.
 
This nugget from Sports Center: Since 1997, the team with the best record going into the All-Star break has fallen short in the playoffs.

Not saying anything, just throwing that out there.
 
ReinadelosReys said:
This nugget from Sports Center: Since 1997, the team with the best record going into the All-Star break has fallen short in the playoffs.

Not saying anything, just throwing that out there.
^Interesting..
 
funny thing is, i actually agree with almost everything in this article. i dont know if i'd go so far as to say that seattle and phoenix are "pretenders," but they both have something to prove as they havent participated deep in the playoffs (or at all???) these past 5 or so seasons, while the kings have been there, and have experience (despite popular belief that we choke come playoff time). if we're relatively healthy, and we wake up down the stretch here after the all star break, then i think we still have a chance. maybe i'm being overly optimistic, cuz there's a lotta factors that need to fall into place for the kings to have a clear shot at the title, but i'm still holdin on. its what ya gotta do as a kings fan.
 
Padrino said:
funny thing is, i actually agree with almost everything in this article. i dont know if i'd go so far as to say that seattle and phoenix are "pretenders," but they both have something to prove as they havent participated deep in the playoffs (or at all???) these past 5 or so seasons, while the kings have been there, and have experience (despite popular belief that we choke come playoff time). if we're relatively healthy, and we wake up down the stretch here after the all star break, then i think we still have a chance. maybe i'm being overly optimistic, cuz there's a lotta factors that need to fall into place for the kings to have a clear shot at the title, but i'm still holdin on. its what ya gotta do as a kings fan.

If the Kings win tonight and go at least 4-2 on this 6 game trip then watch out. After this trip they have a pretty good schedule with alot of practice time in between games and they can get real healthy real quick.
 
bigbadred00 said:
And had Stojakovic participated, do you really think Quentin Richardson would have won the 3-point shooting contest on Saturday?

which is relevant how ?

All this article is waste of time
 
We can beat anybody in the West but San Antonio. Newbie teams like Seattle and Phoenix rarely go far their first time out. We could also lose to anyone in the West with our gaping deficiencies. We've got the experience of an elite team, but not the build of a champion. And so here we are in the later days of the Kings empire, still hoping things will break right for us. There are worse fates as a basketball fan, but our odds are no better this year than they were last year or even in '01.
 
Who thought Detroit was going to win the East last year? Who thought the Lakers were going to get to the finals during the Malone-Less Collapse and after they were down 2-0 to the Spurs? I can say it wasn't me, weirder things have happened.
 
bigbadred00 said:
Wow do you like being ultra-negative? It's the first positive spin on the team in the last 2 weeks.


does not matter what they write. In the last 3-4 years same people wrote that we are #1 favorite, that we would win it all etc. We are still here with nothing but disappointments. Can they just leave us the hell alone. Just because some "expert" says that we are good - I am not going to lose sleap over it.
 
Bricklayer said:
We can beat anybody in the West but San Antonio.
Unfortunately, we are also capable of losing agains everybody, especially the Spurs. That was not the case in recent Years.
 
piksi said:
Unfortunately, we are also capable of losing agains everybody, especially the Spurs. That was not the case in recent Years.

Oh, come on piksi. Allow some of us to feel just a litlte good about something NOT NEGATIVE for a bit.

This can be a nice thread. You have so many others to be negative in; give this one a pass. Pretty please????
 
Ryle said:
If the Kings win tonight and go at least 4-2 on this 6 game trip then watch out. After this trip they have a pretty good schedule with alot of practice time in between games and they can get real healthy real quick.

Which 4 games can the Kings win on this road trip? I see this as a 3-3, 2-4 trip.

Dallas - LOST
Philadelphia - WIN
Washington - WIN
Charlotte - WIN
Orlando - LOST
Miami - LOST
 
I have to admit to being somewhat pleasantly surprised. Skipping over the Kings part for a bit, I think the rest of the analysis is pretty good, too. In fact, it's pretty close to what I think a majority of us around here would be saying.

And the Kings part is pretty fair, too.

All in all, not a bad article at all. And, as I said, a pleasant surprise...

Now I'm getting scared...







;)
 
Purple Reign said:
Which 4 games can the Kings win on this road trip? I see this as a 3-3, 2-4 trip.

Dallas - LOST
Philadelphia - WIN
Washington - WIN
Charlotte - WIN
Orlando - LOST
Miami - LOST

every single one of these games is winnable for the kings. given their recent slump, tho....it is unlikely. 4-2 is very reasonable, imo. 3-3 wouldn't be terrible, but i dont think the kings will go 2-4 on this trip. that would be disastrous to this team's confidence. they need to come out ready, guns a blazin, and i think they will.
 
Purple Reign said:
Which 4 games can the Kings win on this road trip? I see this as a 3-3, 2-4 trip.

Dallas - LOST
Philadelphia - WIN
Washington - WIN
Charlotte - WIN
Orlando - LOST
Miami - LOST

Interesting. Of all the games, the only one I think will really give us problems is Miami. All the others are doable, IMHO.

There goes the Homer in me again...

GO KINGS!!!!!
 
Purple Reign said:
Which 4 games can the Kings win on this road trip? I see this as a 3-3, 2-4 trip.

Dallas - LOST
Philadelphia - WIN
Washington - WIN
Charlotte - WIN
Orlando - LOST
Miami - LOST

Goodness, you scared me. I thought the sleep through the trade deadline trick worked a little TOO well and I missed the road trip. We haven't already lost:)

I see 4-2 or 5-1
 
Padrino said:
funny thing is, i actually agree with almost everything in this article. i dont know if i'd go so far as to say that seattle and phoenix are "pretenders," but they both have something to prove as they havent participated deep in the playoffs (or at all???) these past 5 or so seasons, while the kings have been there, and have experience (despite popular belief that we choke come playoff time). if we're relatively healthy, and we wake up down the stretch here after the all star break, then i think we still have a chance. maybe i'm being overly optimistic, cuz there's a lotta factors that need to fall into place for the kings to have a clear shot at the title, but i'm still holdin on. its what ya gotta do as a kings fan.

yep me too..i agree

i enjoyed reading it...thx for posting bbr00

the one thing that really stood out to me out of EVERYTHING i read is this

In the last five wins of the Rockets' current streak, Sura has pulled down 50 rebounds.

i had to read it at least 3 times to make sure i was reading it correctly....thats amazing to me...i mean if your guard is pulling down that many rebounds you must be on a hot streak

but i thought everything that was said was pretty right on...

i loved the "you heard it here first" line at the beginning of the Sacramento schpeel

as for up coming road trip...we can go 4-2 or 5-1 in my opinion...BUT im gonna go out on a limb and say we're gonna beat Miami...they'll prolly give us the most trouble...but we're gonna get the win in South Florida
 
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^I also see Heats being the only trouble on the roadtrip. Mavs have been on a hot streak but I still believe Kings could beat them. So I don't really see a big trouble there. Wizard is a bit concerning to me since the Zards play well at home. But as long as Kings play Kings basketball, they should so well in the roadtrip.

Go Kings!
 
hmm i didn't really give the wizards to much thought..i think they are the Sacramento Kings of the eastern conference...that should be a good game
 
iheartBrad said:
i think they are the Sacramento Kings of the eastern conference...that should be a good game

heh....the acquisition of two former kings' players will do that to ya.
 
Purple Reign said:
Which 4 games can the Kings win on this road trip? I see this as a 3-3, 2-4 trip.

Dallas - LOST
Philadelphia - WIN
Washington - WIN
Charlotte - WIN
Orlando - LOST
Miami - LOST

You see Orlando as a loss? I'd be more worried about Washington that Orlando. And all of these teams are beatable.
 
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