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http://www.sacbee.com/content/sports/basketball/kings/story/12216738p-13080800c.html
Kings go down to a defeat
Minus Chris Webber and Peja Stojakovic, they foul up their opportunities.
By Martin McNeal -- Bee Staff Writer
Published 2:15 am PST Wednesday, February 2, 2005
Seattle's Vladimir Radmanovic drives past Matt Barnes, left, and Cuttino Mobley, middle, for the go-ahead basket with 1:15 left.
If it's not the first thing an NBA player learns, it surely should be in the top five:
Don't mess with veteran official Joey Crawford.
The Kings did so Tuesday night, and a short-handed team became even more short-handed during a 106-101 loss to the Seattle SuperSonics at Arco Arena.
Sacramento was missing plenty of firepower. Chris Webber sat out his second straight game to rest his sore left knee, and Peja Stojakovic missed his fourth consecutive game because of back spasms.
Still, the Kings rallied from an 88-79 deficit in the fourth quarter and took a 97-94 lead on backup guard Eddie House's jumper with 3:49 left. But Seattle scored the next eight points as Sacramento lived and died with the jump shot against a team that wasn't playing a true center.
At the other end, the Kings were unable to corral long rebounds and twice made ill-advised steal attempts. The lunges for steals allowed Rashard Lewis and Vladamir Radmanovic to get to the basket.
It was difficult for Kings coach Rick Adelman to criticize his players because the effort undoubtedly was there.
"The guys played really hard," Adelman said. "They made some mistakes down the stretch, and it cost us the game."
The Kings (30-14) will not have time to dwell on the defeat because they'll fly to Oakland this morning for a 7:30 p.m. matchup against the struggling Golden State Warriors.
That quick turnaround might not be the best thing for guard Cuttino Mobley, who labored to turn around after the game. Mobley said he was hit in the ribs on the game's third play, and that made his body one big hurt since he already was playing with a strained groin and sore ankle.
The Sonics (31-13) shook off their difficulties. Top scorer Ray Allen missed his second straight game with a viral infection, and coach Nate McMillan was away from the team after his mother's death. Ronald "Flip" Murray stepped in with 23 points for Seattle, which was coached by assistant Dwane Casey.
While Webber and Stojakovic watched from the sideline, Brad Miller and Mike Bibby became more focused on how the game was officiated instead of how it needed to be played. In the third quarter, Miller spent almost eight minutes and Bibby nearly nine minutes on the bench with four fouls. Each picked up a technical during the second half, when Crawford took over.
The last thing Adelman wanted was Bibby (game-high 25 points) and Miller nearby him on the bench.
"You can't make the mistakes we were making," the coach said, "but again, we are playing a lot of different combinations that haven't played together. I give those guys a lot of credit.
"The only thing that was disappointing, again, was we lost our composure in that third quarter. You've got to stay in the game, and we can't have Brad and Mike on the sidelines in a game like this. It's not like I had an electrical cord I could shock (Brad) with and bring him back. Everybody knows Joey Crawford and that he's not going to let a game get out of control."
Crawford seemingly made every call to try to keep the action under control. Bibby and former Kings center Jerome James were the initial combatants. They were called for unneccessary fouls early in the third quarter, and eventually, both picked up technicals from Crawford for jawing at each other while free throws were being shot. Shortly thereafter, James received his second technical and was tossed. Miller fouled out with 4:41 left in the game.
Kings go down to a defeat
Minus Chris Webber and Peja Stojakovic, they foul up their opportunities.
By Martin McNeal -- Bee Staff Writer
Published 2:15 am PST Wednesday, February 2, 2005
Seattle's Vladimir Radmanovic drives past Matt Barnes, left, and Cuttino Mobley, middle, for the go-ahead basket with 1:15 left.
If it's not the first thing an NBA player learns, it surely should be in the top five:
Don't mess with veteran official Joey Crawford.
The Kings did so Tuesday night, and a short-handed team became even more short-handed during a 106-101 loss to the Seattle SuperSonics at Arco Arena.
Sacramento was missing plenty of firepower. Chris Webber sat out his second straight game to rest his sore left knee, and Peja Stojakovic missed his fourth consecutive game because of back spasms.
Still, the Kings rallied from an 88-79 deficit in the fourth quarter and took a 97-94 lead on backup guard Eddie House's jumper with 3:49 left. But Seattle scored the next eight points as Sacramento lived and died with the jump shot against a team that wasn't playing a true center.
At the other end, the Kings were unable to corral long rebounds and twice made ill-advised steal attempts. The lunges for steals allowed Rashard Lewis and Vladamir Radmanovic to get to the basket.
It was difficult for Kings coach Rick Adelman to criticize his players because the effort undoubtedly was there.
"The guys played really hard," Adelman said. "They made some mistakes down the stretch, and it cost us the game."
The Kings (30-14) will not have time to dwell on the defeat because they'll fly to Oakland this morning for a 7:30 p.m. matchup against the struggling Golden State Warriors.
That quick turnaround might not be the best thing for guard Cuttino Mobley, who labored to turn around after the game. Mobley said he was hit in the ribs on the game's third play, and that made his body one big hurt since he already was playing with a strained groin and sore ankle.
The Sonics (31-13) shook off their difficulties. Top scorer Ray Allen missed his second straight game with a viral infection, and coach Nate McMillan was away from the team after his mother's death. Ronald "Flip" Murray stepped in with 23 points for Seattle, which was coached by assistant Dwane Casey.
While Webber and Stojakovic watched from the sideline, Brad Miller and Mike Bibby became more focused on how the game was officiated instead of how it needed to be played. In the third quarter, Miller spent almost eight minutes and Bibby nearly nine minutes on the bench with four fouls. Each picked up a technical during the second half, when Crawford took over.
The last thing Adelman wanted was Bibby (game-high 25 points) and Miller nearby him on the bench.
"You can't make the mistakes we were making," the coach said, "but again, we are playing a lot of different combinations that haven't played together. I give those guys a lot of credit.
"The only thing that was disappointing, again, was we lost our composure in that third quarter. You've got to stay in the game, and we can't have Brad and Mike on the sidelines in a game like this. It's not like I had an electrical cord I could shock (Brad) with and bring him back. Everybody knows Joey Crawford and that he's not going to let a game get out of control."
Crawford seemingly made every call to try to keep the action under control. Bibby and former Kings center Jerome James were the initial combatants. They were called for unneccessary fouls early in the third quarter, and eventually, both picked up technicals from Crawford for jawing at each other while free throws were being shot. Shortly thereafter, James received his second technical and was tossed. Miller fouled out with 4:41 left in the game.
