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http://www.sacbee.com/content/sports/basketball/kings/story/11966604p-12847449c.html
Kings barely escape loss to lowly Hawks
If not for Mike Bibby's fourth-quarter efforts might have pulled off a stunning upset.
By Martin McNeal -- Bee Staff Writer
Published 2:15 am PST Saturday, January 8, 2005
ATLANTA - Rick Adelman knew the Atlanta Hawks entered Friday night's game with a 5-25 record but was aware three of those victories had come over Detroit, Dallas and Houston.
So when the coach saw his Kings unable to pull away from the Hawks, who had lost five straight games, it wasn't difficult to know what he was thinking.
"I was thinking, This is not good," Adelman said following the Kings' 100-97 victory over the Hawks, who somehow - at least based on how they played in this game - managed to lose 10 of their previous 11 games. "I didn't think we were playing very well. We'd had a couple of chances to open it up and didn't. But Mike (Bibby) made some plays for us down the stretch."
Bibby was average at best during the first half and rather stupendous during the second. The point guard scored 14 of his game-high 31 points in the fourth quarter.
Bibby added six rebounds, six assists and a season-high six steals to help counteract his season-high tying six turnovers. He also had five fourth-quarter rebounds.
Bibby acknowledged he started slowly when Atlanta guard Tyronn Lue was running by him to the basket and had received very little defensive help.
"It took me a while," Bibby said. "But I finally woke up."
Bibby also made the biggest shot of the game with 11.7 seconds left. Up 97-95, the Kings had just watched Lue's wide-open three-point attempt from the left wing spin halfway around the rim and then come out. Hawks forward Al Harrington fouled to stop the clock with 33.5 seconds left, but Atlanta wasn't over the foul limit.
Adelman called a timeout and set up a play. Doug Christie dribbled the clock down to 10 seconds on the shot clock, then fed Brad Miller at the high post. Miller handed off to Bibby as Atlanta forward Antoine Walker switched onto the Kings point guard.
Bibby faced him with the dribble, then launched a 21-footer before Walker could react. The shot touched nothing but net, giving the Kings a 99-95 lead and prevented what would have been a humiliating defeat.
"Mike was terrific," Adelman said. "Brad helped free him up on that one play. But I was concerned about (Bibby) because Lue had made him work all night."
Miller said he didn't have doubts about Bibby's game-clinching play.
"When he has a shot like that," said Miller, who scored just two points in 38 minutes, "he'll make it. It's that easy."
It wasn't that easy much of the game against the Hawks, who stayed aggressive and never allowed the Kings to grab more than a nine-point lead.
The Hawks outrebounded the Kings 48-37, outscored them in the paint 66-34 and led them in fast-break points 20-9.
Harrington led the Hawks with 22 points. Walker contributed 21 points and a game-high 11 rebounds.
Rookie Josh Smith scored 16 points and shot 8 of 11 from the field. Well, it wasn't exactly shooting - five of those made baskets were barely contested dunks and another was a tip-in at the buzzer.
Now, Bibby's performance was a shooting exhibition. But Hawks coach Mike Woodson pointed to his team's 63.6 percent free-throw shooting (14 if 22) as the game's difference. The Kings shot 89.5 percent from the line (17 of 19, including Bibby's 9 of 10). "If we make our free throws," the former original Sacramento King said, "maybe I'm not feeling like I'm feeling right now."
Kings barely escape loss to lowly Hawks
If not for Mike Bibby's fourth-quarter efforts might have pulled off a stunning upset.
By Martin McNeal -- Bee Staff Writer
Published 2:15 am PST Saturday, January 8, 2005
ATLANTA - Rick Adelman knew the Atlanta Hawks entered Friday night's game with a 5-25 record but was aware three of those victories had come over Detroit, Dallas and Houston.
So when the coach saw his Kings unable to pull away from the Hawks, who had lost five straight games, it wasn't difficult to know what he was thinking.
"I was thinking, This is not good," Adelman said following the Kings' 100-97 victory over the Hawks, who somehow - at least based on how they played in this game - managed to lose 10 of their previous 11 games. "I didn't think we were playing very well. We'd had a couple of chances to open it up and didn't. But Mike (Bibby) made some plays for us down the stretch."
Bibby was average at best during the first half and rather stupendous during the second. The point guard scored 14 of his game-high 31 points in the fourth quarter.
Bibby added six rebounds, six assists and a season-high six steals to help counteract his season-high tying six turnovers. He also had five fourth-quarter rebounds.
Bibby acknowledged he started slowly when Atlanta guard Tyronn Lue was running by him to the basket and had received very little defensive help.
"It took me a while," Bibby said. "But I finally woke up."
Bibby also made the biggest shot of the game with 11.7 seconds left. Up 97-95, the Kings had just watched Lue's wide-open three-point attempt from the left wing spin halfway around the rim and then come out. Hawks forward Al Harrington fouled to stop the clock with 33.5 seconds left, but Atlanta wasn't over the foul limit.
Adelman called a timeout and set up a play. Doug Christie dribbled the clock down to 10 seconds on the shot clock, then fed Brad Miller at the high post. Miller handed off to Bibby as Atlanta forward Antoine Walker switched onto the Kings point guard.
Bibby faced him with the dribble, then launched a 21-footer before Walker could react. The shot touched nothing but net, giving the Kings a 99-95 lead and prevented what would have been a humiliating defeat.
"Mike was terrific," Adelman said. "Brad helped free him up on that one play. But I was concerned about (Bibby) because Lue had made him work all night."
Miller said he didn't have doubts about Bibby's game-clinching play.
"When he has a shot like that," said Miller, who scored just two points in 38 minutes, "he'll make it. It's that easy."
It wasn't that easy much of the game against the Hawks, who stayed aggressive and never allowed the Kings to grab more than a nine-point lead.
The Hawks outrebounded the Kings 48-37, outscored them in the paint 66-34 and led them in fast-break points 20-9.
Harrington led the Hawks with 22 points. Walker contributed 21 points and a game-high 11 rebounds.
Rookie Josh Smith scored 16 points and shot 8 of 11 from the field. Well, it wasn't exactly shooting - five of those made baskets were barely contested dunks and another was a tip-in at the buzzer.
Now, Bibby's performance was a shooting exhibition. But Hawks coach Mike Woodson pointed to his team's 63.6 percent free-throw shooting (14 if 22) as the game's difference. The Kings shot 89.5 percent from the line (17 of 19, including Bibby's 9 of 10). "If we make our free throws," the former original Sacramento King said, "maybe I'm not feeling like I'm feeling right now."
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