Tetsujin
The Game Thread Dude
Six of our last seven! Eleven and eleven! Cats marrying dogs! Frogs falling out of the sky!
Sure the Nuggets were missing like four of their top rotation guys and, sure, two of their remaining rotation dudes played like runny dog turds left out in the summer sun, but a win is a win and the last time the Kings were in this position, Willie Cauley-Stein was catching lobs all night and forgetting to play defense and Dave Joerger was our coach (how’d that work out for everyone?).
This time around, things feel slightly more substantial and less a product of our guys simply running down the court so fast that teams finally collapsed out of exhaustion. De’Aaron is like really really really really really good now and is apparently a better shooter from the perimeter than Luka, James Harden, Ja Morant, or Devin Booker. Harrison Barnes went from overpaid to underpaid over the course of twenty games. Richaun Holmes is one of the better role player bigs in the league. Buddy Hield is trying on defense and passing. And of course Tyrese Haliburton fell into our laps and has outperformed even the most optimistic expectations of him during the draft process (not that I expect him to fall back to Earth any), rapidly surpassing his old ceiling of great role player and headed towards his new ceiling of... tall Kyle Lowry/tall Chris Paul/MJ with hair(?)... Of course our coach is still Luke Walton but that’s a matter that’ll get sorted out one way or another as time goes on.
Things looked dark for a little but, heck yeah, the Young Superteam is back baby!!!
***
Ye Olde Awards Tyme
Tony Delk Memorial Award - RJ Hampton. With the Nuggets missing most of their guards due to injury, the rookie got a substantial chunk of playing time and didn’t look half bad doing it. Heck, he was the Nuggets best young player on the day with Michael Porter Jr. playing like an animated space invader had stolen his ability to play basketball. Nevertheless, it looks like the Nuggets have done it again and gotten another good young piece (Though one can question if they should still be in the “accumulating prospects” stage of their rebuilding process).
Cory Joseph Award - Cory Joseph. On the plus side, he had a couple of assists and didn’t get completely blown up on defense. On the minus side, he played so poorly in the fourth quarter than the potential blowout turned into another De’Aaron and Tyrese being awesomely clutch game.
Mikki Moore Award - JaMychal Green. Second game in a row someone named green has tried to have a poster dunk. Second game in a row one of our centers has absolutely humiliated them.
Luke Walton Vacuum Cleaner Award - Luke Walton. Play CoJo major minutes, get the stinky sad person award. Sorry but thems the rules.
Hassan Being Hassan Moment of the Game - Two for ya!
1- Hassan scores on gigantic mountain of a man Nikola Jokic, immediately does the “He’s too small” thing.
2- Hassan celebrates a Tyrese Three before it’s even left his hand.
Bonus Hassan:
***
The Kings are .500 and as a reward they get to play one of the best teams in the league at noon on Super Bowl Sunday! Yes folks, the basketball gods have seen fit to give us an early-ass game on a day wholly dominated by a completely different sporting event.
Ideally you’d be facing the Clippers with more than nineteen hours of rest but at least they’re missing Paul George and Patrick Beverly to at least keep things semi-interesting.
If we win this, I’m officially on the “Let’s go to the Playoffs!” Train. If we lose? Well, I’ll blame the schedule makers. Also it’d be the first time we’d ever have won four in a row with Luke as coach.
Final Prediction: Kings 108, Clippers 111
It’s Swipa-Rese time, baby!
Sure the Nuggets were missing like four of their top rotation guys and, sure, two of their remaining rotation dudes played like runny dog turds left out in the summer sun, but a win is a win and the last time the Kings were in this position, Willie Cauley-Stein was catching lobs all night and forgetting to play defense and Dave Joerger was our coach (how’d that work out for everyone?).
This time around, things feel slightly more substantial and less a product of our guys simply running down the court so fast that teams finally collapsed out of exhaustion. De’Aaron is like really really really really really good now and is apparently a better shooter from the perimeter than Luka, James Harden, Ja Morant, or Devin Booker. Harrison Barnes went from overpaid to underpaid over the course of twenty games. Richaun Holmes is one of the better role player bigs in the league. Buddy Hield is trying on defense and passing. And of course Tyrese Haliburton fell into our laps and has outperformed even the most optimistic expectations of him during the draft process (not that I expect him to fall back to Earth any), rapidly surpassing his old ceiling of great role player and headed towards his new ceiling of... tall Kyle Lowry/tall Chris Paul/MJ with hair(?)... Of course our coach is still Luke Walton but that’s a matter that’ll get sorted out one way or another as time goes on.
Things looked dark for a little but, heck yeah, the Young Superteam is back baby!!!
***
Ye Olde Awards Tyme
Tony Delk Memorial Award - RJ Hampton. With the Nuggets missing most of their guards due to injury, the rookie got a substantial chunk of playing time and didn’t look half bad doing it. Heck, he was the Nuggets best young player on the day with Michael Porter Jr. playing like an animated space invader had stolen his ability to play basketball. Nevertheless, it looks like the Nuggets have done it again and gotten another good young piece (Though one can question if they should still be in the “accumulating prospects” stage of their rebuilding process).
Cory Joseph Award - Cory Joseph. On the plus side, he had a couple of assists and didn’t get completely blown up on defense. On the minus side, he played so poorly in the fourth quarter than the potential blowout turned into another De’Aaron and Tyrese being awesomely clutch game.
Mikki Moore Award - JaMychal Green. Second game in a row someone named green has tried to have a poster dunk. Second game in a row one of our centers has absolutely humiliated them.
Luke Walton Vacuum Cleaner Award - Luke Walton. Play CoJo major minutes, get the stinky sad person award. Sorry but thems the rules.
Hassan Being Hassan Moment of the Game - Two for ya!
1- Hassan scores on gigantic mountain of a man Nikola Jokic, immediately does the “He’s too small” thing.
2- Hassan celebrates a Tyrese Three before it’s even left his hand.
Bonus Hassan:
***
The Kings are .500 and as a reward they get to play one of the best teams in the league at noon on Super Bowl Sunday! Yes folks, the basketball gods have seen fit to give us an early-ass game on a day wholly dominated by a completely different sporting event.
Ideally you’d be facing the Clippers with more than nineteen hours of rest but at least they’re missing Paul George and Patrick Beverly to at least keep things semi-interesting.
If we win this, I’m officially on the “Let’s go to the Playoffs!” Train. If we lose? Well, I’ll blame the schedule makers. Also it’d be the first time we’d ever have won four in a row with Luke as coach.
Final Prediction: Kings 108, Clippers 111
It’s Swipa-Rese time, baby!
