http://www.sacbee.com/content/sports/basketball/kings/story/14246939p-15064700c.html
Busted in the chops
Kings flop against champions in playoff opener
By Sam Amick -- Bee Staff Writer
Published 2:15 am PDT Sunday, April 23, 2006
SAN ANTONIO - His was just one in a mass of mocking voices, coming from behind a Kings bench that had shock and disbelief sitting all over it midway through the second quarter.
The man stood, then yelled: "Is this the matchup you wanted, Artest?"
More like a mismatch.
The Kings were chumped by the champs Saturday afternoon, dominated by a dynasty that was on display as they fell to San Antonio 122-88 in the opener of the first-round Western Conference playoff series.
The confident talk of Ron Artest - who had said that, conventional NBA wisdom aside, he actually wanted to play the Spurs - was silenced by a San Antonio squad that showed how Grand Canyon-deep its bench is. Double-digit outings by Michael Finley, Nick Van Exel and Rasho Nesterovic led San Antonio's 52 bench points.
Artest himself even was silenced. Just 18 seconds into the game, he received an inadvertent Manu Ginobili elbow to the mouth that floored him for some 30 seconds. There was blood and a fat upper lip and a doctor and gauze, wounds of the literal kind before the sporting sacrifice followed. Artest, who shot a woeful 7 for 21 for 16 points, waved off reporters afterward while pointing to his mouth, which required three stitches.
Unlike the Kings' regular-season victory over the Spurs just weeks before, point guard Tony Parker showed why he may have deserved more MVP respect, scoring 25 points. And despite an assistant coach writing "Box and rebound!" in large red letters on their locker-room eraser board, the Kings were outrebounded 51-32. Center Brad Miller had just one rebound and four points in 26 minutes, and the Kings were just 33 for 84 (39.3 percent) from the floor.
The Spurs handed the Kings their worst playoff loss in franchise history, trumping the 30-point Game 1 defeat to Utah in 1999. It wasn't the sort of start that leads to upsets, as the Kings must now combat a history book that says the team that has won Game 1 in a seven-game series has gone on to win 79 percent (263 of 333) of the time.
"I hate losing, so I'm (ticked)," said Kings point guard Mike Bibby, who had 17 points. "I don't know anyone who likes to lose, but to be embarrassed like that on national television hurts even more."
The reminder of the big-time stage was tough to miss. An ESPN camera swung to and fro on a high wire above the floor. But there was no back-and-forth action on the floor.
From the start, the Spurs shot as if the ball had a line attached to the basket, with Parker hitting 6 of 8 first-quarter shots on his patented drives through the lane and occasional pull-up jumpers. The unusual suspects joined the playoff party in the second quarter, when Van Exel sank three three-pointers and Robert Horry and Brent Barry hit one each.
The defending champions had secured a 1-0 series lead before the halftime show was in progress, overwhelming the Kings with a 41-point second quarter and setting a myriad of team playoff records while shooting 68.4 percent (26 for 38) from the field to lead 73-39.
"It started from horn to horn," said Spurs forward Tim Duncan, who was hardly needed, yet had 11 points and seven rebounds. "We shot the ball well. We moved the ball well. Our defense was solid."
It continued in the second half, when the third quarter was capped in familiar fashion. The ball swung around the perimeter to Finley, who hit a three-pointer despite Bonzi Wells' hand being flush in his face to put San Antonio up 94-67.
"I just thought in the first quarter (that) we made a lot of mental mistakes defensively that we can't make against this team," Kings coach Rick Adelman said. "And in the second quarter, they shot it so well that it just snowballed. We got very impatient offensively, and that just played right into their hands."
It made for the worst kind of playoff debut for Kings forward Shareef Abdur-Rahim, who played in the first playoff game of his 10-year career.
"It's not funny, but ... after the first couple minutes of the game, I don't know how much we were really in the game after, say, the first quarter," Abdur-Rahim said. "They jumped on us. Everybody was making shots. They were really clicking on all cylinders. We've got a team full of guys that like to compete and will compete. We'll come back fighting."
As will the Spurs.
"You have to understand that all we did is what we were supposed to do tonight," Spurs forward Bruce Bowen said. "They are going to be a better team when they come out the next time, and we have to be ready for that."
Game 1 woes
The Kings' loss to the Spurs in Game 1 was a bad omen. Since moving to Sacramento, the Kings have won only one playoff series after losing Game 1:
* Playoff series: 14.
* Series won: 5.
* Series lost: 9.
* Series record after losing Game 1: 1-7*
* Series record after winning Game 1: 4-2.
* -Won 2001 first-round series vs. Phoenix 3-1.
About the writer: The Bee's Sam Amick can be reached at (916) 326-5582 or samick@sacbee.com.
Busted in the chops
Kings flop against champions in playoff opener
By Sam Amick -- Bee Staff Writer
Published 2:15 am PDT Sunday, April 23, 2006
SAN ANTONIO - His was just one in a mass of mocking voices, coming from behind a Kings bench that had shock and disbelief sitting all over it midway through the second quarter.
The man stood, then yelled: "Is this the matchup you wanted, Artest?"
More like a mismatch.
The Kings were chumped by the champs Saturday afternoon, dominated by a dynasty that was on display as they fell to San Antonio 122-88 in the opener of the first-round Western Conference playoff series.
The confident talk of Ron Artest - who had said that, conventional NBA wisdom aside, he actually wanted to play the Spurs - was silenced by a San Antonio squad that showed how Grand Canyon-deep its bench is. Double-digit outings by Michael Finley, Nick Van Exel and Rasho Nesterovic led San Antonio's 52 bench points.
Artest himself even was silenced. Just 18 seconds into the game, he received an inadvertent Manu Ginobili elbow to the mouth that floored him for some 30 seconds. There was blood and a fat upper lip and a doctor and gauze, wounds of the literal kind before the sporting sacrifice followed. Artest, who shot a woeful 7 for 21 for 16 points, waved off reporters afterward while pointing to his mouth, which required three stitches.
Unlike the Kings' regular-season victory over the Spurs just weeks before, point guard Tony Parker showed why he may have deserved more MVP respect, scoring 25 points. And despite an assistant coach writing "Box and rebound!" in large red letters on their locker-room eraser board, the Kings were outrebounded 51-32. Center Brad Miller had just one rebound and four points in 26 minutes, and the Kings were just 33 for 84 (39.3 percent) from the floor.
The Spurs handed the Kings their worst playoff loss in franchise history, trumping the 30-point Game 1 defeat to Utah in 1999. It wasn't the sort of start that leads to upsets, as the Kings must now combat a history book that says the team that has won Game 1 in a seven-game series has gone on to win 79 percent (263 of 333) of the time.
"I hate losing, so I'm (ticked)," said Kings point guard Mike Bibby, who had 17 points. "I don't know anyone who likes to lose, but to be embarrassed like that on national television hurts even more."
The reminder of the big-time stage was tough to miss. An ESPN camera swung to and fro on a high wire above the floor. But there was no back-and-forth action on the floor.
From the start, the Spurs shot as if the ball had a line attached to the basket, with Parker hitting 6 of 8 first-quarter shots on his patented drives through the lane and occasional pull-up jumpers. The unusual suspects joined the playoff party in the second quarter, when Van Exel sank three three-pointers and Robert Horry and Brent Barry hit one each.
The defending champions had secured a 1-0 series lead before the halftime show was in progress, overwhelming the Kings with a 41-point second quarter and setting a myriad of team playoff records while shooting 68.4 percent (26 for 38) from the field to lead 73-39.
"It started from horn to horn," said Spurs forward Tim Duncan, who was hardly needed, yet had 11 points and seven rebounds. "We shot the ball well. We moved the ball well. Our defense was solid."
It continued in the second half, when the third quarter was capped in familiar fashion. The ball swung around the perimeter to Finley, who hit a three-pointer despite Bonzi Wells' hand being flush in his face to put San Antonio up 94-67.
"I just thought in the first quarter (that) we made a lot of mental mistakes defensively that we can't make against this team," Kings coach Rick Adelman said. "And in the second quarter, they shot it so well that it just snowballed. We got very impatient offensively, and that just played right into their hands."
It made for the worst kind of playoff debut for Kings forward Shareef Abdur-Rahim, who played in the first playoff game of his 10-year career.
"It's not funny, but ... after the first couple minutes of the game, I don't know how much we were really in the game after, say, the first quarter," Abdur-Rahim said. "They jumped on us. Everybody was making shots. They were really clicking on all cylinders. We've got a team full of guys that like to compete and will compete. We'll come back fighting."
As will the Spurs.
"You have to understand that all we did is what we were supposed to do tonight," Spurs forward Bruce Bowen said. "They are going to be a better team when they come out the next time, and we have to be ready for that."
Game 1 woes
The Kings' loss to the Spurs in Game 1 was a bad omen. Since moving to Sacramento, the Kings have won only one playoff series after losing Game 1:
* Playoff series: 14.
* Series won: 5.
* Series lost: 9.
* Series record after losing Game 1: 1-7*
* Series record after winning Game 1: 4-2.
* -Won 2001 first-round series vs. Phoenix 3-1.
About the writer: The Bee's Sam Amick can be reached at (916) 326-5582 or samick@sacbee.com.
, and i don't have access to ESPN Asia 
Whether it's intentional elbow or not, it's a matter of perspective and affiliation i guess 
, but lets say that the duel beetween Manu and Ron will get heated in the next few games i believe.
