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http://www.sacbee.com/content/sports/basketball/kings/story/12813333p-13663609c.html
Kings notes: Arco Arena is Bibby's house
By Joe Davidson -- Bee Staff Writer
Published 2:15 am PDT Saturday, April 30, 2005
Eddie House said there was no room or reason to complain. His team won.
He didn't play a minute - coach's decision - but House was all smiles and wisecracks and high-fives in a jubilant Kings dressing room Friday night. The Kings' reserve guard was a key cog to the unit that came off the bench in Game 2 to save a little face in Seattle, using a 15-0 run to make a complete wipeout a little less embarrassing. He didn't play in Game 3 because Mike Bibby and company were too good to sit, Bibby especially, with the Kings' leader producing 31 points, and there you have it.
"It's not about me or who plays, it's about winning and getting back in this series, and that's what we did," House said. "I can't control who plays. But coach knows he can use me. I'll always be ready. If not, I'll be on the sideline rooting on the guys."
And on his brother-in-law Bibby: "I was telling someone yesterday that he's back to his old shenanigans."
They know the language
They don't have a wealth of NBA playoff experience between the two of them, Maurice Evans and Darius Songaila, but they have bounced a bit on the big stage. Theirs was a global one.
Evans last season was the Eurobasket Player of the Year for Benetton Treviso, which won the 2004 Italian National Cup as a crowd favorite because of his aerial antics at the rim.
Songaila led his CSKA Moscow club to the Russian A Superleague European Final Four in 2003 as a bruising presence.
And though they covet more playoff triumphs with the Kings, they cherish their postseason pasts.
Songaila, fluent in English, Lithuanian, Polish and Russian, was able to chat it up with fans who packed small arenas.
Evans, fluent in English with a lot of rough edges on anything otherwise, still knew the universal language of victory.
"Anytime you win anything at a professional level, that's great," Songaila said. "I had a great time that year."
Kings-Sonics 1996
The last time the Sonics came to Arco Arena for a Game 3 setting was nine years ago, when they sported the league's best record at 64-18 and had Gary Payton, Shawn Kemp and Nate McMillan, now the Sonics' coach. After the No. 8-seed Kings earned a split in Seattle, the Arco atmosphere for Game 3 was electric, with longtime observers saying to this day that it's still the most rabid and intense the building has ever been.
The Sonics won Game 3 96-89, and the Kings were sunk early in Game 4 when Mitch Richmond went down with a turned ankle while the game was tied.
He did not return, the Sonics closed out the best-of-five series, and they went on to the NBA Finals.
One of the lasting images of that series was then-Kings center Olden Polynice taunting the Seattle crowd after Game 2, "We ain't comin' back!"
"Yeah, he was right, we didn't come back," said Kings reserve Corliss Williamson, the only Kings holdover from that outfit.
Different day
Kings coach Rick Adelman has said it countless times: It's not the same team of the past, even if Bibby remains a constant. "You can't overlook the fact that this is Mike's first experience being the man, the main guy," Adelman said. "When we went to the playoffs before, teams concentrated on (Chris) Webber and Vlade (Divac) and Peja (Stojakovic), and Mike, too. Well, right now they're concentrating on Mike."
King for the day
Kenny Thomas Thomas went 8 for 10 from the field, scoring 22 points. He also held his own on the boards, grabbing seven rebounds and holding Reggie Evans and Danny Fortson to a combined six. The Seattle tandem had averaged 14 through the first two games.
The big number
23 The number of minutes it took the Kings starters to equal their scoring output from Game 1 (63 points). Kings starters finished Friday with 100 points.
Question posed
Can the cowbells carry the Kings to an even series? Energy has been the X-factor in all three games. The Kings admitted they were outworked in losing the first two, as the Sonics fed off a frenzied KeyArena crowd and led for all but 51 seconds of play. The Kings had noticeably more pep in their step in Game 3, trailing only early and thriving off the frenzy of their own crowd as the Sonics' ears rattled from the cowbells behind them. But the Sonics knew this could happen, with center Jerome James even saying that the Arco effect is always lessened in the second experience. We'll see Sunday.
Kings notes: Arco Arena is Bibby's house
By Joe Davidson -- Bee Staff Writer
Published 2:15 am PDT Saturday, April 30, 2005
Eddie House said there was no room or reason to complain. His team won.
He didn't play a minute - coach's decision - but House was all smiles and wisecracks and high-fives in a jubilant Kings dressing room Friday night. The Kings' reserve guard was a key cog to the unit that came off the bench in Game 2 to save a little face in Seattle, using a 15-0 run to make a complete wipeout a little less embarrassing. He didn't play in Game 3 because Mike Bibby and company were too good to sit, Bibby especially, with the Kings' leader producing 31 points, and there you have it.
"It's not about me or who plays, it's about winning and getting back in this series, and that's what we did," House said. "I can't control who plays. But coach knows he can use me. I'll always be ready. If not, I'll be on the sideline rooting on the guys."
And on his brother-in-law Bibby: "I was telling someone yesterday that he's back to his old shenanigans."
They know the language
They don't have a wealth of NBA playoff experience between the two of them, Maurice Evans and Darius Songaila, but they have bounced a bit on the big stage. Theirs was a global one.
Evans last season was the Eurobasket Player of the Year for Benetton Treviso, which won the 2004 Italian National Cup as a crowd favorite because of his aerial antics at the rim.
Songaila led his CSKA Moscow club to the Russian A Superleague European Final Four in 2003 as a bruising presence.
And though they covet more playoff triumphs with the Kings, they cherish their postseason pasts.
Songaila, fluent in English, Lithuanian, Polish and Russian, was able to chat it up with fans who packed small arenas.
Evans, fluent in English with a lot of rough edges on anything otherwise, still knew the universal language of victory.
"Anytime you win anything at a professional level, that's great," Songaila said. "I had a great time that year."
Kings-Sonics 1996
The last time the Sonics came to Arco Arena for a Game 3 setting was nine years ago, when they sported the league's best record at 64-18 and had Gary Payton, Shawn Kemp and Nate McMillan, now the Sonics' coach. After the No. 8-seed Kings earned a split in Seattle, the Arco atmosphere for Game 3 was electric, with longtime observers saying to this day that it's still the most rabid and intense the building has ever been.
The Sonics won Game 3 96-89, and the Kings were sunk early in Game 4 when Mitch Richmond went down with a turned ankle while the game was tied.
He did not return, the Sonics closed out the best-of-five series, and they went on to the NBA Finals.
One of the lasting images of that series was then-Kings center Olden Polynice taunting the Seattle crowd after Game 2, "We ain't comin' back!"
"Yeah, he was right, we didn't come back," said Kings reserve Corliss Williamson, the only Kings holdover from that outfit.
Different day
Kings coach Rick Adelman has said it countless times: It's not the same team of the past, even if Bibby remains a constant. "You can't overlook the fact that this is Mike's first experience being the man, the main guy," Adelman said. "When we went to the playoffs before, teams concentrated on (Chris) Webber and Vlade (Divac) and Peja (Stojakovic), and Mike, too. Well, right now they're concentrating on Mike."
King for the day
Kenny Thomas Thomas went 8 for 10 from the field, scoring 22 points. He also held his own on the boards, grabbing seven rebounds and holding Reggie Evans and Danny Fortson to a combined six. The Seattle tandem had averaged 14 through the first two games.
The big number
23 The number of minutes it took the Kings starters to equal their scoring output from Game 1 (63 points). Kings starters finished Friday with 100 points.
Question posed
Can the cowbells carry the Kings to an even series? Energy has been the X-factor in all three games. The Kings admitted they were outworked in losing the first two, as the Sonics fed off a frenzied KeyArena crowd and led for all but 51 seconds of play. The Kings had noticeably more pep in their step in Game 3, trailing only early and thriving off the frenzy of their own crowd as the Sonics' ears rattled from the cowbells behind them. But the Sonics knew this could happen, with center Jerome James even saying that the Arco effect is always lessened in the second experience. We'll see Sunday.
- Sam Amick
