Tetsujin
The Game Thread Dude
KingsFans.com Gameday 2013-2014 Edition
Game 11
Sacramento Kings v. Phoenix Suns
By Stephen Tetsu, Resident ResidentGame 11
Sacramento Kings v. Phoenix Suns
(Editor’s Note: Really been swamped by my move. Let’s try to at least make this worth you while.)
Two games in a row. I’m not really sure about this winning thing but I think I like it. Sure both the wins came in relatively ugly fashion against an overachieving team missing its best player but they’re wins and that’s gotta count for something.
Wednesday’s game had the makings of a low-scoring barnburner until things went crazy in the fourth quarter and the Suns said screw it and just started playing Smartball to catch up to us to the tune of 44 points in a single quarter of action. To their credit, it almost worked. Unfortunately (for both them and us), we've perfected the art of playing crap defense to maximize possessions, meaning we were keep relative pace with the high scoring power duo of Goran Dragic and PJ Tucker. Hooray Keith Smart!
Stat Watch 2013
0- Minutes played by Marcus Thornton during Wednesday’s game..
Observations
- I wouldn’t mind if Hamady Ndiaye played all of Chuck Hayes’s minutes from now on. Sure the dude isn’t particularly good at anything but he’s seven feet tall and, at the very least, attempts to be active on the court.
- Travis Outlaw continues his career revival. I don’t know if he once was on their roster with the Suns but he sure played like he was over the past two games.
- Despite the pain of a separated shoulder, DFC had another solid game in limited minutes. Even as his minutes per game have dipped below 30, the man's per game stats keep rising.
- Ben McLemore made a couple of plays that only an out-of-control super-athletic rookie could make such as his strip-and-steal in the 3rd quarter that seemed at the time to be the final straw that broke the Suns back.
Pervis Ellison Draft Pick of the Game: Alex Len
While he looked better than he did in his first game of the back-to-back series, he still looked raw and ultimately too weak (both physically and mentally) to be too much of an impact player in the NBA. He’s a rookie.
John Salmons Award (formerly the Jason Hart Award): John Salmons
Self explanatory
Tony Delk Memorial Award: Gerald Green
Copied and pasted from Tuesday’s game because he pretty much had a repeat performance until the Prince pretty much made him a non-factor in the second half. Known more for his highflying dunks than solid NBA play, Green of course looked the part of an NBA superstar on Tuesday night, scoring 23 points against just about anyone the Kings stuck on him. Starting off against the rookie Ben McLemore, Green demonstrated good patience in positioning himself in the right place for wide-open three-point attempts and drove to the rim whenever presented with an opportunity, leading to several monster dunks on the night. In crunch time, however, Jeff Hornacek withdrew the swingman from the game in favor of Ish Smith and Archie Goodwin.
Playoff Race Watch 2013-2014
As we like to say in the Kingsfans.com Newsroom, it’s never to early to talk about the playoffs. With most teams now well past the 10 game mark of the season, it’s time to take our first good hard look at where all the teams now sit in the greater rat race.
Eastern Conference
1. Indiana Pacers (11-1)
2. Miami Heat (9-2)
3. Atlanta Hawks (8-5)
4. Chicago Bulls (6-5)
5. Toronto Raptors (6-7)
6. Charlotte Bobcats (6-7)
7. Philadelphia 76ers (6-8)
8. Orlando Magic (4-7)
In the hunt: Detroit Pistons (4-8), Washington Wizards (4-8), Cleveland Cavaliers (4-9)
Better luck next year: Boston Celtics (4-10), New York Knicks (3-8), Brooklyn Nets (3-9)
Nope: Milwaukee Bucks (2-9)
As you can pretty much tell, the Eastern conference is pretty much now divided into two subdivisions: The Pacers and the Heat in one group and every other team in another. Those discussions about the Eastern Conference finally catching the West in terms of talent have been vastly overblown. While the Bulls and Hawks should both be locks to make the playoffs alongside the Pacers and Heat, the bottom four slots contain a slew of teams vying for playoff glory (or, in this case, the more likely outcome, becoming cannon fodder for the Pacers or Heat). The fact that the 4-7 Magic are currently slotted in at the final seed in the conference is a perfect example of the sheer lunacy that is the lower ⅔ of the Eastern conference. When you’re barely skirting the .333 win percentage line and in playoff talks, you can expect your playoff stay to be a short one and while I love some of the young pieces being assembled on that roster, there’s a good chance the Magic would be sitting at the kiddy table with the Jazz were they somehow inserted into the Western Conference. I wouldn’t start lining up for Orlando playoff tickets just yet though as there are no less than four teams that have matched the Magic’s mighty win total for the year and two veteran teams that keep swearing that they’ll be ready for the playoffs. Let’s just put it this way: Barring a major turn of events, the winner of eighth seed’s name should be placed with an asterisk to denote how cruddy all of the teams are/ have been performing.
Western Conference
1. San Antonio Spurs (11-1)
2. Portland Trailblazers (11-2)
3. Oklahoma City Thunder (8-3)
4. Dallas Mavericks (9-4)
5. Los Angeles Clippers (8-5)
6. Golden State Warriors (8-5)
7. Houston Rockets (8-5)
8. Minnesota Timberwolves (8-6)
In the hunt: Memphis Grizzlies (7-6), New Orleans Pelicans (6-6), Los Angeles Lakers (6-7)
Better luck next year: Phoenix Suns (6-6), Denver Nuggets (5-6), Sacramento Kings (4-7)
Oh boy: Utah Jazz (1-13)
The Western Conference playoff chase is already shaping up to be a good one, helmed by the San Antonio Spurs and the upstart Portland Trailblazers, who I no longer feel bad about losing to back-to-back. The Dallas Maverick yearly veteran player recycling project is working much better this year than it has in years past, with Monta Ellis having an absolutely bonkers start to his basketball year as the number two guy to a rejuvenated Dirk Nowitzki. The race for the four through eight slots is going to go down to the wire, with a grand total of six teams currently in a near even tussle for playoff seeding. The early return of Kobe to the surprisingly scrappy Lakers is probably going to throw another wrench in the works. The wild card of the whole playoff chase is New Orleans, a team that probably began the year playing its worst basketball. Boasting the Unibrow, the world’s most terrifying mascot, Jrue Holiday, and a very potent bench attack starting with Ryan Anderson and controversy-magnet Tyreke Evans, the Pelicans look to have the makings of a scary team down the stretch. Throw in the recent wave of injuries and the situation could get even more stifling as it goes along. The Warriors with Steph Curry and their roster healthy are a team to be reckoned with. The Warriors with all of the point guards on their roster injured and the only other guy at least kind of capable of running their offense (Iguodala) out with a hamstring injury are not. Meanwhile, if Marc Gasol’s knee injury is serious in any way, the Grizzlies could find their season coming to an abrupt end.
On the next level, the Suns have had a surprising start to the season but, as Kings fans have recently seen, they just don’t have the collection of talent required to beat out the teams ahead of them. The Nuggets have recovered from an abysmal start to sit right at the edge of the playoff picture but, as with them every year since the Carmelo trade, still lack that presence needed to push forward into the deep season. While prospects for the season initially looked bleak, two wins in a row have probably helped cool angers about the Sacramento basketball year. Demarcus is an absolute beast and we finally seem to have a coach who doesn’t eat his own boogers. That said, with all the recent reports of us shopping vets for prospects and picks, any sort of playoff push is most likely out of the question for the year, which is good. There are lots of players in next year’s lottery range that can set this franchise forward years in the rebuilding project, mark 3.0.
Meanwhile, the Jazz sport the worst record in the league. While I really like their frontcourt trio of Favors, Kanter, and Gobert, Utah has been dealing with perhaps the worst guard situation in the NBA. When you’re kicking the tires on Jamaal Tinsley, your point guard rotation is probably in big trouble. With the recent return of Trey Burke, it will be interesting to see how the Jazz proceed with the rest of the season. They may be high on Gordon Hayward but will it matter if and when one of the two stud small forwards in this year’s draft is available when they’re on the clock
Today’s Game
The Clippers again.
Sure, we’ve traditionally played the Clippers pretty well ever since they got good but they’re still the Clippers and this time they’re playing at home in the house that Kobe built. Led by Chris Paul and a coach that isn’t Vinny del Negro, the Clippers have gotten off to a respectable 8-5 start to their season.
Although the Little Flopper gets a lot of the attention in LA, Blake Griffin has been putting together his best campaign since his rookie year, putting up 23 points, 10.8 rebounds, and 3.2 assists in 37.3 minutes per game. He’s going to start the All-Star Game but this season, it may just turn out that he deserves to, though the Clippers’ offense in crunch time still largely consists of throwing the ball at Chris Paul and hoping to God that he’ll do something with it.
Everyone knows all about Paul, Griffin, and Deandre Jordan, often completely overlooking the favorite to win Sixth Man of the Year in Jamal Crawford. One of the most explosive scorers I have ever personally seen play the game, the man is capable of single-handedly deciding the outcome of games if he is hot. I don’t know what’s in the water up there in Seattle but it apparently is good for high-scoring small bench guards. Between Jamaal Crawford, Jason Terry, Nate Robinson, and Isaiah Thomas, you have enough Napoleon syndrome going on there to cause a second battle at Waterloo.
Also having a good year is the outside bomber J.J. Reddick, who has flourished playing off the ball on kick outs from Chris Paul and Blake Griffin. If you want to talk about streaky college shooters who have succeeded in the NBA, look no further than him.
While the Clippers team may be better coached and more experienced than last year, their depth still leaves something to be desired, especially with Matt Barnes out with injury. As I’ve said time and time again, the only time Ryan Hollins shout be out on an NBA court is when he’s handing a cup of Gatorade and a towel to the guys coming back to the huddle. But maybe that’s just my irrational dislike of Hollins speaking.
Matches
Demarcus versus Deandre Jordan: A bit of a step-up over Plumlee and the Sunshine Crew
Slamson versus the Clippers Mascot: Do the Clippers even have a mascot? If they do, I guarantee that its probably a stupid one.
Greivis versus Chris Paul: This could get ugly.
Marcus Thornton versus Splinters: Self explanatory.
Predictions and Closure
On the road against a very good playoff? This could go very badly. Clippers 106- Kings 89
Go Kings.
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