[Grades] Grades v. Warriors 2/4/12

[Posta Boy X]

You really need to step away from the computer in the wee hours of the morning.

Your observation is totally out of context and without merit. As others have said, it seems as though you're trying very hard to find something to make a mountain out of.

Well, that's putting my message in the worst possible light! Drop your hatred for me please? I'm an angel with a 6-pack and a caring personality.

I simply asked if anyone else saw that and what your thoughts are. Why can't I ask that? This is a forum.

You and "The_Jamal" need to take your heads out of the box and realize that not everyone is out to diss you and your favorite team.

And it's funny to have The_Jamal playing the troll card on me, him being one himself. I've been on this forum for 12-13 years and can tell stupidity and Hypocrisy

Bleh

 

[lwc]

If 26/4/9/3/1 with only one TO is Reke playing stupid then I'm not quite sure the world is prepared to see him play smart.

Agreed! He played sensationally!

 

[Glenn]

You would get less $hit if you gave a balanced view of what happened on the floor last night. Your vision is all negative and you turn positives into negatives. My eyes see everything and are not focused simply on finding negatives. This is a team game and not a Tyreke game. Call me when you get unbiased. I need a break. Posting about your team is supposed to be fun and this forum is not fun anymore.

 

[IfAt1st]

It finally feels like we have hope for the 1st time in 5-6 years with this team

Interesting.
Maybe our expectations are just different.
I don't get that "up" from a couple of wins.
It'll take execution on the floor to make me think that the Kings are remotely ready to be a winning team.
I don't want the Kings to barely beat losing teams at home.
I want them to be able to win against winning teams on the road.
And they aren't remotely there yet.

 

[jpsls]

Interesting.
Maybe our expectations are just different.
I don't get that "up" from a couple of wins.
It'll take execution on the floor to make me think that the Kings are remotely ready to be a winning team.
I don't want the Kings to barely beat losing teams at home.
I want them to be able to win against winning teams on the road.
And they aren't remotely there yet.

You have to crawl before you can walk

 

[lwc]

In other news, our game against the Wolves got considerably easier since I'm pretty sure Love is going to be suspended for a couple of games.

I hope so.

 

[IfAt1st]

You would get less $hit if you gave a balanced view of what happened on the floor last night. Your vision is all negative and you turn positives into negatives. My eyes see everything and are not focused simply on finding negatives. This is a team game and not a Tyreke game. Call me when you get unbiased. I need a break. Posting about your team is supposed to be fun and this forum is not fun anymore.

Are you even READING?!
Jesus, man!

Do I need to go quote myself where I say positive stuff?

1st off - key, KEY victory for the Kings tonight.
They needed this one SO day-am bad.

2nd - yes, there were good statistical games by many starters, and I would echo what many good remarks people will and have said.
(Especially JT - man, I am really impressed by him all year - he's been the most consistent King, and he's vital for them.)

I mentioned at length how well JT is playing, going out of my way to point out how much he's changed in my estimation, going from a loser to a key part of the team.
I said that Tyreke helped out the team last night. I pointed out that his rebounds were vital and saw through how they didn't dominate his stat line.
I post at length about DMC's strengths and how he can be successful, even radically advocating that given a little help, he could be an All-Star THIS YEAR.

You really need to check yourself, because you are the one that is biased, only seeing the negatives you want to see.

Let's be honest here - there are many different approaches to being a fan.
Some get really high after any win, and some take the losses crushingly.
I'm the kind of fan that doesn't get too high after a win or too down after a loss (unless it's a playoff game).
I don't let my long-term expectations of the team's chances for success get clouded by one or two wins that were decided by one possession one way or the other.
I like when the Kings win.
I don't think they're good yet.
I think they're getting better.
I think they CAN get much better, IF they watch what they're doing wrong and learn from it.
They will not get better if they don't remember what didn't work in the game and instill the changes to make sure it doesn't happen again.
If you guys, who say you watch the game, can't realize that a 1-4 flat, and/or dribbling the ball for 20 seconds and then running a contested long jumper is not conducive to winning play i this league, then.... well, we'll have to agree to be different kinds of Kings fans then.
But don't you DARE call me biased, or all negative, or that you are seeing all.

 

[kingsfan101]

and I have to say, I think JT is fantastic. He does his job every single night. Funnily enough I think he's usually a pretty smart player, which used to be a knock on hmi when he first got into the league. Thing about JT is, and always has been, is that he's an extremely hard worker. Every off-season, during the season etc., he is always tweeting about working out and hitting the gym. Well, that work ethic is paying dividends. He's developed a nifty little hook which he can use with either hand, and he's a pretty solid man defender. Doesn't turn it over and works his a** off. He deserves huge props for what he's doing this season, thankfully people are recognising his steady contributions. Very comfortable when he's on the floor.

I voted for JT as player of the game. Never thought I would say this, but I felt he was a steadying presence for us on the floor. He played within himself, played smart (like when he picked the ball at the 3 point area with the clock winding down, recognized it, and launched a 3 that almost went in), and made several big plays (most critical being when he tipped the missed free throw to earn us two additional FTs). He's developed a nice mid range jumper too, and hit a few last night, though most of the time, he played closer to the basket, as he should.

Finally, I like that he passes out of the post. This is something DC needs to develop. Once DC receives the ball in the post, he always wants to go in. While this aggression is welcome, it shall be good for him and the team, if he passes it out once a while, and re-posts (particularly, when he is double teamed). Having more consistent 3 point threats shall help, but the reverse is also true. Feeding open shooters from the post shall also help improve our overall 3 point shooting.

 

[VF21]

Are you even READING?!
Jesus, man!

Do I need to go quote myself where I say positive stuff?

I mentioned at length how well JT is playing, going out of my way to point out how much he's changed in my estimation, going from a loser to a key part of the team.
I said that Tyreke helped out the team last night. I pointed out that his rebounds were vital and saw through how they didn't dominate his stat line.
I post at length about DMC's strengths and how he can be successful, even radically advocating that given a little help, he could be an All-Star THIS YEAR.

You really need to check yourself, because you are the one that is biased, only seeing the negatives you want to see.

Let's be honest here - there are many different approaches to being a fan.
Some get really high after any win, and some take the losses crushingly.
I'm the kind of fan that doesn't get too high after a win or too down after a loss (unless it's a playoff game).
I don't let my long-term expectations of the team's chances for success get clouded by one or two wins that were decided by one possession one way or the other.
I like when the Kings win.
I don't think they're good yet.
I think they're getting better.
I think they CAN get much better, IF they watch what they're doing wrong and learn from it.
They will not get better if they don't remember what didn't work in the game and instill the changes to make sure it doesn't happen again.
If you guys, who say you watch the game, can't realize that a 1-4 flat, and/or dribbling the ball for 20 seconds and then running a contested long jumper is not conducive to winning play i this league, then.... well, we'll have to agree to be different kinds of Kings fans then.
But don't you DARE call me biased, or all negative, or that you are seeing all.

So does your type of fan feel it necessary to pop the happy balloons of other types of fans?

Face it. You and a couple of other posters simply do not see eye to eye. There are boards around where constant bickering, attacking, etc. is the rule of the day. This isn't one of them.

To all concerned: PLEASE keep it civil. The puffing and chest pounding is not doing anyone or the board any good at all.

 

[IfAt1st]

Great post, kingsfan101 -
It's nice to see someone posting detailed about what happens with the players on the floor.

I also voted JT, which should shock anyone (especially those who think I'm biased).
He is playing smart - and you know the most amazing thing? He actually hit the rim on the desperation 3 ptr, something that MANY times the guards can't do (I mean, come on - did anyone see Thornton hit the SHOTCLOCK with his 3? NO excuse for that bad of shot from professionals, ever).

I'll add to your post-passing observations.
I see DMC passing a lot of there (at least a good % of times he gets it down low). See, he really doesnt get the ball that often in the post, or anywhere near the post. He usually gets the ball out 18 ft from the basket. He's been moving a bit closer every game since Smart took over, which is a good thing.
He's been recently passing it back out and IIRC I saw 2 re-posts.
He passes cross-court pretty often (more than anyone else on the team).
Many times when he passes it, the guard turns down the open 3 ptr and drives, so DMC doesn't get assists. Many times this has been Tyreke turning down the 3 pt shot, sometimes Salmons or the-guy-playing-SF on the weak side.

They should switch the player's positions, so that Thornton is playing on DMC's side when he posts so that he can receive DMC's pass for the 3 pt shot.

Also - I'm OK with DMC getting the ball 10 times a game where he can shoot the mid-range jumper. I think he'd be 50% with that shot, given a steady diet of it. He only shoots it twice a game currently, and almost always makes 1 or both of them.

DMC could learn from JT about post moves. I don't even know how JT does it, but he crosses the lane and there's never anyone in his way, and he finishes a good % of the time with either hand.
Maybe it's just that DMC always has 2 or more defender to go through when he makes a post move that helps explain it?

 

[pshn80]

I'm positive that many KF's don't watch the game, and rely almost solely on the box score to fuel their opinions.

If anyone didn't notice Tyreke's repeated blown plays in crunchtime (4th quarter, and the end of quarters) then I really don't know how to make it clear other than get a video of the plays and do a commentary.
Time after time after time last night, Tyreke walked the ball up-court, dribbled away the clock to less than 6 seconds, then made a easy-to-stop move then pulled up and shot a contested jumper that missed. The other times, he did the same thing but threw it to Marcus who hoisted the last-second contested 3 ptr, and another time JT hoisted a contested jumpshot.

That is not the recipe for team success in this league. And very importantly, all of those plays the Kings have all game long and can take anytime they want them. The opposing teams WANT the Kings to run those plays.
Hell, I'm pretty sure I saw a 1-4 flat run after that timeout late in the 4th, and if failed just as spectacularly as when Westphal ran it in crunchtime.

Let me repeat, to be clear - these weren't small little unimportant plays. These were the prepared, called-for and conscious plays that failed spectacularly. These were the potentially game-losing plays, all on Tyreke's (and Smart's) responsibility. If the Kings hadn't have gotten 2 balls to bounce their way at the end of the 4th, they probably would have lost this game because of them (Warriors would have had the ball with 7 seconds left, tie game IIRC).

Let me also be clear - I'm not dismissing Tyreke's statistical contributions or saying he didn't help the team a lot last night. I thought he made a few KEY rebounds, and I don't see anyone trumpeting his RBD statline so far. There'sa reason - the numbers aren't big, but their IMPACT on the game was bigger.
But if anyone is suggesting that he didn't make a lot of mistakes simply isn't watching the game closely.

BTW - here's a statistical observation: if Tyreke simply shoots his career 3 PT % and doesn't make that long contested jumper over Curry (which was not a good shot, but it went in) than he wouldnt've been able to steal the ball for the And-1 - then he would have been 4 for 17 with 15 points.
That's not a good game.
So he got 3 longshots to go in.
That doesn't make me feel warm and fuzzy, since we all know his %'s on long shots.

And if I get $hit for simply pointing out what happened on the floor last night, than I don't know what the point of having eyes is.
I'm not bashing Tyreke, or saying anything against the man, or even expressing an opinion.

Here's a prediction, though - the Kings will not win many games if Tyreke keeps initiating the offense as badly as he did last night. There aren't many games that the Kings can afford to score about 20% of the time in crunchtime possessions and win against most NBA teams.
That 1-4 flat play has to be eradicated from the Kings playbook until Tyreke gets better shots out of it, IMO.

Is anyone arguing about the facts you mention? I don't think so. What's your point? We have had the same team since the beginning of the season. There aren't many mysteies. Do you realize we almost won the game in regulation. We won. Let the food times flow. We'll just have to live with our players and all their flaws. Including Petrie. Hang in there.

 

[IfAt1st]

So does your type of fan feel it necessary to pop the happy balloons of other types of fans?

Face it. You and a couple of other posters simply do not see eye to eye. There are boards around where constant bickering, attacking, etc. is the rule of the day. This isn't one of them.

To all concerned: PLEASE keep it civil. The puffing and chest pounding is not doing anyone or the board any good at all.

I agree - please keep it civil and about the game and what you see on the floor.

Me (and others) pointing out what we see as not-positives in no way is stopping anyone else from being happy.
It's called an alternative viewpoint - I'm very comfortable with the "happy thoughts" KF's - I've been reading and abiding them here for years.

Do you really, as a moderator, believe that the "not-positive" posters STOP the happy posters from posting?
Ca you not see that it's the "not-positive" posters who are being threatened and attacked for their views, not the other way around?
I'd be very content with just being able to say my peace and not be attacked for my viewpoints that are invariably based on what plays I see the Kings running on the court. I can't, though, since whenever I say any observation other than "great game", I'm challenged and commented about me personally.

I am not RookieofhteDay - I have had my share of internet bickering, and just want a reasoned sharing of views about my favorite team, the Kings. Hell, I'll send RotD a PM to ask him to please stop the bickering, if you'll actually moderate the people who are making personal comments instead of keeping it about the Kings.

 

[rainmaker]

Well, that's putting my message in the worst possible light! Drop your hatred for me please? I'm an angel with a 6-pack and a caring personality.

I simply asked if anyone else saw that and what your thoughts are. Why can't I ask that? This is a forum.

You and "The_Jamal" need to take your heads out of the box and realize that not everyone is out to diss you and your favorite team.

And it's funny to have The_Jamal playing the troll card on me, him being one himself. I've been on this forum for 12-13 years and can tell stupidity and Hypocrisy

Bleh

How is it you've been on the forum for 12-13 years with a join date of Jan, 2012?

 

[IfAt1st]

Is anyone arguing about the facts you mention? I don't think so. What's your point? We have had the same team since the beginning of the season. There aren't many mysteies. Do you realize we almost won the game in regulation. We won. Let the food times flow. We'll just have to live with our players and all their flaws. Including Petrie. Hang in there.

Yes, they are arguing the facts I mentioned.
In fact, they're insinuating I'm nuts (or whatever they said - it's hard to keep track with the # of personal attacks they've levied against me) or expecting perfection from Tyreke if I even point out how many times he blows the plays in crunchtime.

What's my point?
I made my points.
Did you read them?
If you think that the general thought about this Warrior game was that "Tyreke made a lot of mistakes in crunchtime and we were lucky to win" is the take-away thought from this game, than you're mistaken.

Do you realize this team SHOULD have won the game in regulation? Thornton absolutely BLEW the coverage and left a deadly 3pt shooter wide-open with seconds remaining and it easily could have lost the game. This is despite Coach Smart in post-game interview saying that's the ONLY thing he told the team NOT to do - don't leave the 3pt shooters, don't get sucked in on the drive.
I haven't seen that brought up by anyone else yet, and it happens to not be a positive. Should it not be brought up, even though if he does that again, the Kings may lose the next time?

What do you mean, "Let the (g)ood times flow"?
Are you suggesting that I shouldn't share my thoughts about what I saw as the mistakes in the game that easily could have led to the loss? If so, that's mandating my participation and denying me expressing my viewpoint.
If not, you are suggesting that I simply enjoy the win despite the flaws I saw in the team. If so, than I'll remind you that there are many different approaches fans take, and you take your way, I'll take mine.

 

[VF21]

I agree - please keep it civil and about the game and what you see on the floor.

Me (and others) pointing out what we see as not-positives in no way is stopping anyone else from being happy.
It's called an alternative viewpoint - I'm very comfortable with the "happy thoughts" KF's - I've been reading and abiding them here for years.

Do you really, as a moderator, believe that the "not-positive" posters STOP the happy posters from posting?
Ca you not see that it's the "not-positive" posters who are being threatened and attacked for their views, not the other way around?
I'd be very content with just being able to say my peace and not be attacked for my viewpoints that are invariably based on what plays I see the Kings running on the court. I can't, though, since whenever I say any observation other than "great game", I'm challenged and commented about me personally.

I am not RookieofhteDay - I have had my share of internet bickering, and just want a reasoned sharing of views about my favorite team, the Kings. Hell, I'll send RotD a PM to ask him to please stop the bickering, if you'll actually moderate the people who are making personal comments instead of keeping it about the Kings.

Sounds fair enough to me. People need to use the "refer a post" - it's the little exclamation point inside the triangle - instead of going toe to toe once things get personal. That way, things can be stopped before they snowball.

I do agree with your assessment of DMC, by the way.

 

[VF21]

Yes, they are arguing the facts I mentioned.
In fact, they're insinuating I'm nuts (or whatever they said) or expecting perfection from Tyreke if I even point out how many times he blows the plays in crunchtime.

What's my point?
I made my points.
Did you read them?
If you think that the general thought about this Warrior game was that "Tyreke made a lot of mistakes in crunchtime and we were lucky to win" is the take-away thought from this game, than you're mistaken.

Do you realize this team SHOULD have won the game in regulation? Thornton absolutely BLEW the coverage and left a deadly 3pt shooter wide-open with seconds remaining and it easily could have lost the game. This is despite Coach Smart in post-game interview saying that's the ONLY thing he told the team NOT to do - don't leave the 3pt shooters, don't get sucked in on the drive.
I haven't seen that brought up by anyone else yet, and it happens to not be a positive. Should it not be brought up, even though if he does that again, the Kings may lose the next time?

What do you mean, "Let the (g)ood times flow"?
Are you suggesting that I shouldn't share my thoughts about what I saw as the mistakes in the game that easily could have led to the loss? If so, that's mandating my participation and denying me expressing my viewpoint.
If not, you are suggesting that I simply enjoy the win despite the flaws I saw in the team. If so, than I'll remind you that there are many different approaches fans take, and you take your way, I'll take mine.

There's part of the problem IMHO. Just let it go, and the conversation about the team can continue without it sidetracking - once again - into philosophies of forum posting.

 

[IfAt1st]

There's part of the problem IMHO. Just let it go, and the conversation about the team can continue without it sidetracking - once again - into philosophies of forum posting.

Fair enough.

Can I reply to it when I'm ridiculed for posting "not-positive" observations again?
I just started using the "Report a Post" feature based on you and Glenn suggesting it - should I continue to do this when I see people replying personally instead of keeping it about the team?

BTW - I hope it's becoming clear that there's a need for a "Site Suggestions" Forum, even/especially for non-Contributors.

 

[The_Jamal]

Well, that's putting my message in the worst possible light! Drop your hatred for me please? I'm an angel with a 6-pack and a caring personality.

I simply asked if anyone else saw that and what your thoughts are. Why can't I ask that? This is a forum.

You and "The_Jamal" need to take your heads out of the box and realize that not everyone is out to diss you and your favorite team.

And it's funny to have The_Jamal playing the troll card on me, him being one himself. I've been on this forum for 12-13 years and can tell stupidity and Hypocrisy

Bleh

I'm a troll?

 

[rainmaker]

Fair enough.

Can I reply to it when I'm ridiculed for posting "not-positive" observations again?
I just started using the "Report a Post" feature based on you and Glenn suggesting it - should I continue to do this when I see people replying personally instead of keeping it about the team?

BTW - I hope it's becoming clear that there's a need for a "Site Suggestions" Forum, even/especially for non-Contributors.

I do find it a bit ironic that it's the non-contributors who are complaining the most on here, while it's the contributors who help provide a venue for said complaints.

 

[The_Jamal]

I'm positive that many KF's don't watch the game, and rely almost solely on the box score to fuel their opinions.

If anyone didn't notice Tyreke's repeated blown plays in crunchtime (4th quarter, and the end of quarters) then I really don't know how to make it clear other than get a video of the plays and do a commentary.
Time after time after time last night, Tyreke walked the ball up-court, dribbled away the clock to less than 6 seconds, then made a easy-to-stop move then pulled up and shot a contested jumper that missed. The other times, he did the same thing but threw it to Marcus who hoisted the last-second contested 3 ptr, and another time JT hoisted a contested jumpshot.

That is not the recipe for team success in this league. And very importantly, all of those plays the Kings have all game long and can take anytime they want them. The opposing teams WANT the Kings to run those plays.
Hell, I'm pretty sure I saw a 1-4 flat run after that timeout late in the 4th, and if failed just as spectacularly as when Westphal ran it in crunchtime.

Let me repeat, to be clear - these weren't small little unimportant plays. These were the prepared, called-for and conscious plays that failed spectacularly. These were the potentially game-losing plays, all on Tyreke's (and Smart's) responsibility. If the Kings hadn't have gotten 2 balls to bounce their way at the end of the 4th, they probably would have lost this game because of them (Warriors would have had the ball with 7 seconds left, tie game IIRC).

Let me also be clear - I'm not dismissing Tyreke's statistical contributions or saying he didn't help the team a lot last night. I thought he made a few KEY rebounds, and I don't see anyone trumpeting his RBD statline so far. There'sa reason - the numbers aren't big, but their IMPACT on the game was bigger.
But if anyone is suggesting that he didn't make a lot of mistakes simply isn't watching the game closely.

BTW - here's a statistical observation: if Tyreke simply shoots his career 3 PT % and doesn't make that long contested jumper over Curry (which was not a good shot, but it went in) than he wouldnt've been able to steal the ball for the And-1 - then he would have been 4 for 17 with 15 points.
That's not a good game.
So he got 3 longshots to go in.
That doesn't make me feel warm and fuzzy, since we all know his %'s on long shots.

And if I get $hit for simply pointing out what happened on the floor last night, than I don't know what the point of having eyes is.
I'm not bashing Tyreke, or saying anything against the man, or even expressing an opinion.

Here's a prediction, though - the Kings will not win many games if Tyreke keeps initiating the offense as badly as he did last night. There aren't many games that the Kings can afford to score about 20% of the time in crunchtime possessions and win against most NBA teams.
That 1-4 flat play has to be eradicated from the Kings playbook until Tyreke gets better shots out of it, IMO.

I doubt there is a person on this forum who would disagree with you. Tyreke still has a ways to go with his decision making and shot selection. But you also have to keep in mind that he is 22 years old being asked to carry an NBA franchise. The guy is 4-5 years away from his prime still! He has plenty of time to correct those mistakes and become the player we want him to be. What you CAN'T deny is that Tyreke has been a totally different player under Smart and he's done a pretty damn good job running the offense since that point. Yes, he's had bad games, but he's also had monster games like the one he had last night. It's all apart of his learning curve and I think we can all agree he's a much better player now than the beginning of the season. That's all we can ask as fans from our star player

 

[Tetsujin]

How is it you've been on the forum for 12-13 years with a join date of Jan, 2012?

He got banned and came back

 

[Rookie]

Do you really, as a moderator, believe that the "not-positive" posters STOP the happy posters from posting?
Ca you not see that it's the "not-positive" posters who are being threatened and attacked for their views, not the other way around?
I'd be very content with just being able to say my peace and not be attacked for my viewpoints that are invariably based on what plays I see the Kings running on the court. I can't, though, since whenever I say any observation other than "great game", I'm challenged and commented about me personally.

I'm positive that many KF's don't watch the game, and rely almost solely on the box score to fuel their opinions.
[/I].

Don't go around making high almighty comment such as that IMO.

After a few competitive games it is good to reflect on what is positive about this team. It is not that there isn't any negative but after the majority of the season had been negative for us, it is kind of refreshing to see life on this team. I think that is how the majority of us are feeling right now because we finally see some kind of light at the end of the tunnel. Yeah, we're still in the tunnel (DUH) but we can find some hope for this team.

It's like this:
The parents of a boy told him to clean his room but he never cleaned to expectation. After a few improvements, the room look decently nice and one of the parent praised the boy. The other find a few things wrong and told the other parent are you blind, it's still not clean. The other parent respond "It's not that I don't see it, it is that I'm happy to see sign of improvement and therefor proud of my boy".

 

[Dime Dropper]

IfAt1st, the problem with your post is at the end. You cannot on one hand discount the shots made by Tyreke and say "well what if he missed," etc. in order to make out his performance wasn't as good as one would think. If he'd missed many open lay-ups, you wouldn't be saying he played much better than he did just because he usually makes them. We WANT Tyreke to make shots and show improvement, so we cannot discount them when it actually happens.

Now, for the most part, I actually agreed with your post. There is still a LOT to work on, and I don't at all believe that Tyreke was perfect, or that he didn't make mistakes. But overall, he still had a very good game. And that three over Curry was a good shot - the shot clock was down and he had a good look. He made it, there is nothing to complain about on that one. I don't necessarily have an issue with your post apart from the above. I don't think it's smart to change the outcomes of particular events and say what if - it simply makes it look like you have an agenda.

 

[Kingster]

I think Tyreke is told to dominate the ball at certain points especially at the end of games. This mimics the Kobe, etc. strategy. The thing is, the team seems to play more poorly when this happens. Maybe a few more days or weeks of this is necessary. In my book, if we are going to give the ball to one guy, I'd give it to Thornton. Isn't that what worked last year? Anyway, I hope that game ending strategy is rethought.

I don't think this at all. If Tyreke is dominating the ball it's not because of Smart. In fact, Smart has made it a point that there are no superstars on this team. They win or lose at a team. That goes for Tyreke or Cousins. Tyreke is getting a little better in his game because he's not dominating the ball quite as much, and I attribute that to Smart limiting his game and not giving him special treatment.

 

[Kingster]

The Kings won this game because of outstanding defense, especially on the perimeter. And, they made fewer TOs down the stretch, although still 2 TO in the last 3 minutes isn't ideally what you want to see. It's a process..........

 

[Bricklayer]

I don't think this at all. If Tyreke is dominating the ball it's not because of Smart. In fact, Smart has made it a point that there are no superstars on this team. They win or lose at a team. That goes for Tyreke or Cousins. Tyreke is getting a little better in his game because he's not dominating the ball quite as much, and I attribute that to Smart limiting his game and not giving him special treatment.

That's largely rhetoric. Anybody who has ever played a sport at a remotely decent level recognizes it. Especially in basketball. We have a very clear class sytem on this team, and that's a GOOD thing. Any team worth its salt does. It means you have stars, and roleplayers, and everybody knows where they fit. But with star status comes responsbility to get or create good shots. That's the thing all young star level guys have to learn, an unfortunately nobody has yet found a way for it to happen besides trial and error and taking your lumps. Once upon the time the NBA had the lumps taking place on the NCAA's dime. In the modern era you come along and our two best players should still be in college learning. Instead they are out in the pros matching up with grown men and figuring it out on the fly.