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Rivalry Week...
I know that Kings fans are probably loving the fact that the Lakers are going through a tough season, but to be honest, it’s not as fun to play Los Angeles when they are struggling.
These two teams have a natural rivalry because of their location in the state and the fact they play in the same division, but the games are so much better when they actually mean something to both squads. There is passion on the floor and in the stands, and a loss really physically hurts while a win puts you on cloud nine for days.
Kings versus Lakers wasn’t that exciting in the 80’s and 90’s because Sacramento wasn’t that good, and it’s not as exciting now because the Lakers are having the one down season that they seem to go through every 50 years or so.
It’s kind of a downer to hear players on both sides say things have changed—if you need examples, just check out the postgame quotes—because it was great theatre for what seems like too short of a stretch. "The rivalry is over," Kobe Bryant said afterwards. "We had our battles in the past and maybe in the future the rivalry will spark back up."
So, as blasphemous as this sounds to Kings fans, here’s hoping the Lakers rebound quickly so that the rivalry can continue to be one of the best in sports (And yes Lakers fans, it is a rivalry despite what some try to argue otherwise. There are no rules that define a rivalry—it is what it is).
Rebounding…
Sacramento is not really known as a great rebounding team, although they have improved since adding Kenny Thomas and Brian Skinner. They absolutely whipped the Lakers on the glass though on Sunday, outrebounding them 62-to-32, a number that looks like a misprint.
In all fairness, the Lakers are without their two best rebounders in Chris Mihm and Lamar Odom, but that still doesn’t mean the Kings should have outrebound them by twice as much. Los Angeles just didn’t have the size to keep Sacramento out of the paint.
Thomas summed it up best after the game. "They're so small," Thomas said. "We just went after it."
Random Thoughts...
Former King Lawrence Funderburke, along with his wife and daughter, attended Sunday’s game. Funderburke, who now lives in Florida and sported the tan look, has a new book coming out that gives a glimpse behind the scenes of professional sports. You can check it out at www.hookmeupplaya.com
The team now gets to sit back, rest, and get ready for their final four games—the team doesn’t have to play until Friday, and Head Coach Rick Adelman gave the players both Monday and Tuesday off.
Both Funderburke and Vlade were each asked by the media at one point to comment on the Kings and returning to Sacramento, but the fact of the matter is that there are only a couple of guys left on the team that they played with, so they couldn’t say much.
I think Kenny Thomas might have had still had some little birdies flying around his head from the shot he took on Friday, courtesy of Joel Przybilla's elbow. Thomas swore after the game that the 32 points he scored wasn’t a career high, that he had once scored 33 points. Let’s just say we researched several sources and couldn’t confirm Kenny’s assertion—we’ll claim temporary beaning.
A lot of media covering the game were shocked at how late Corliss Williamson’s suspension came down from the league. Corliss only found out that he wasn’t going to play about an hour after tipoff, as he was getting ready to play.
http://aol.nba.com/kings/news/The_Inside_Dishvs_LA_Lakers-138382-58.html
I know that Kings fans are probably loving the fact that the Lakers are going through a tough season, but to be honest, it’s not as fun to play Los Angeles when they are struggling.
These two teams have a natural rivalry because of their location in the state and the fact they play in the same division, but the games are so much better when they actually mean something to both squads. There is passion on the floor and in the stands, and a loss really physically hurts while a win puts you on cloud nine for days.
Kings versus Lakers wasn’t that exciting in the 80’s and 90’s because Sacramento wasn’t that good, and it’s not as exciting now because the Lakers are having the one down season that they seem to go through every 50 years or so.
It’s kind of a downer to hear players on both sides say things have changed—if you need examples, just check out the postgame quotes—because it was great theatre for what seems like too short of a stretch. "The rivalry is over," Kobe Bryant said afterwards. "We had our battles in the past and maybe in the future the rivalry will spark back up."
So, as blasphemous as this sounds to Kings fans, here’s hoping the Lakers rebound quickly so that the rivalry can continue to be one of the best in sports (And yes Lakers fans, it is a rivalry despite what some try to argue otherwise. There are no rules that define a rivalry—it is what it is).
Rebounding…
Sacramento is not really known as a great rebounding team, although they have improved since adding Kenny Thomas and Brian Skinner. They absolutely whipped the Lakers on the glass though on Sunday, outrebounding them 62-to-32, a number that looks like a misprint.
In all fairness, the Lakers are without their two best rebounders in Chris Mihm and Lamar Odom, but that still doesn’t mean the Kings should have outrebound them by twice as much. Los Angeles just didn’t have the size to keep Sacramento out of the paint.
Thomas summed it up best after the game. "They're so small," Thomas said. "We just went after it."
Random Thoughts...
Former King Lawrence Funderburke, along with his wife and daughter, attended Sunday’s game. Funderburke, who now lives in Florida and sported the tan look, has a new book coming out that gives a glimpse behind the scenes of professional sports. You can check it out at www.hookmeupplaya.com
The team now gets to sit back, rest, and get ready for their final four games—the team doesn’t have to play until Friday, and Head Coach Rick Adelman gave the players both Monday and Tuesday off.
Both Funderburke and Vlade were each asked by the media at one point to comment on the Kings and returning to Sacramento, but the fact of the matter is that there are only a couple of guys left on the team that they played with, so they couldn’t say much.
I think Kenny Thomas might have had still had some little birdies flying around his head from the shot he took on Friday, courtesy of Joel Przybilla's elbow. Thomas swore after the game that the 32 points he scored wasn’t a career high, that he had once scored 33 points. Let’s just say we researched several sources and couldn’t confirm Kenny’s assertion—we’ll claim temporary beaning.
A lot of media covering the game were shocked at how late Corliss Williamson’s suspension came down from the league. Corliss only found out that he wasn’t going to play about an hour after tipoff, as he was getting ready to play.
http://aol.nba.com/kings/news/The_Inside_Dishvs_LA_Lakers-138382-58.html
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