KingsFans.com Official Gameday Thread
Game 36
Sacramento Kings at Indiana Pacers
By Stephen Tetsu, I Don't Wear Bolo TiesGame 36
Sacramento Kings at Indiana Pacers
I guess that counts as a win. Hooray.
After pummeling the Orlando Magic in a blowout victory, the Kings took the Cleveland Cavaliers, themselves fresh off of a major move for a new small forward, out behind the proverbial woodshed to the tune of a 44 point victory margin. Building upon the momentum of the last two games, the Kings outhustled, outdefended, and outworked the Cavs to victory. And all of this came despite another relatively quiet night from the Big Cuz.
Despite appearances, the game was still a close contest until the third quarter. And yet, despite this,the game really never seemed to be out of the Kings’ control. Part of this may just be down to how depressingly uninteresting a Mike Brown-coached team is. Seriously, if you ever wanted all the fun to be sapped out of basketball, just watch a couple of Mike Brown games in a row. On paper the Cavs should be fun. Tristan Thompson and Varejao are hustle guys who should be bringing max effort. Dion Waiters is a young gun who can score in bunches. Kyrie is Uncle Drew for Pete’s sake! Instead, they’re the Cavs, boring and not very good at much of anything.
If anyone can find me a team that has drafted worse than the Cavs in the last three years, let me know because no one has done less with more than the Cavs front office. I mean, we’ve wound up with IT/Jimmer/T-Rob/B-Mac/Ray Mac as our draft selections over the past couple of years but we’ve still managed to cycle that together into something meaningful (T-Rob became P-Pat who partially became Rudy, IT and Jimmer are out PG rotation, B-Mac and Ray Mac are still too raw to tell). For the Cavs, the pick of Kyrie Irving was a no-brainer, after that all of their selections make you wonder if they have no brain. Tristan Thompson has thus far been little more than a hustle guy at best, a bench big for any team that isn’t running a power forward rotation of Thompson/Earl Clark/Anthony Bennet. Instead, the talent starved Cavs could have selected, among others, Klay Thompson, Kawhi Leonard, or Nik Vucevic with the fourth pick.
The next year, the Cavs selected Dion Waiters with the 4th pick of the draft and trade all their other picks for the year for Tyler Zeller in their continued quest for a big man that didn’t suck. Rather than Waiters, who is still by no means a lost cause and has been among Cleveland’s better players, the Cavs could have selected Andre Drummond or John Henson to solve their big man problem in one fell swoop.
Obviously, the front office’s wonderful draft moves didn’t pay off because the Cavs wound up picking first in the NBA draft again in 2013, surprising everyone by selecting Anthony Bennett and promptly regretting the decision. Through 31 games this season, Bennett has averaged 2.4 points, 2.2 rebounds, and .2 assists in 10.4 minutes a game. In other words, the Cavs could have literally selected ANYONE else in the lottery discussion (except for Alex Len because he’s struggled as well) and have gotten better results. Of course, the most disconcerting thing about Bennett is his absolute lack of effort on the floor and his complete failure to prepare his body for an NBA season, probably having a good extra twenty or thirty pounds for a 6’8” guy who was pegged as their solution to the small forward slot after the draft. Now, a third into the season, Bennett has become an end-of-the-bencher for a team that has plenty of holes that he could fill.
The failures of the draft were on full display against the Kings, Jason Thompson having his best game of the year at the expense of Tristan Thompson and Tyler Zeller. Dion Waiters, relegated to the bench with the sudden emergence of CJ Miles as the hottest shooter in the league, was stymied by a surprisingly firm Sacramento defense. Meanwhile, IT and Jimmer outplayed Kyrie, who struggled against Ben McLemore’s defense (Yes, B-Mac actually played good defense last night). And the sole highlight of Bennett’s night was the pre game buffet in the media lounge.
And all the meanwhile, Mike Brown made basketball boring.
Observations
- Luol Deng looked a little bulkier than I remembered and, against the supernova of offensive efficiency that is Rudy Gay, looked slow.
- Dear Grant and Jerry, IT is not better than Kyrie Irving. You guys should know better than that. Sincerely, the entire universe.
- On that note, can someone please tell Grant and Jerry that there is an entire roster worth of players NOT named Isaiah Thomas? He's getting more airtime than Cuz and Rudy combined and those two are more responsible for our recent success than the "Hustling Husky."
- Ray Mac saw perhaps the most playing time of his NBA career at the end of the blowout and, in my opinion, looked alright. On offense, the rook may still need some work as he still needs to work on setting up his teammates and some of the more point guardy aspects of being a point guard. He hit a three with the shot clock expiring and his stroke did not look all that bad. I know he's excelled as a driving scorer in summer league but that won't ever be his role on this team. On the defensive end, he looked a little stiff in the hips but still displays the potential to be a good perimeter defender thanks to his length. Due to that stiffness, he played a little further back from his man than he probably should have, allowing Donnie Walhberg to make a couple of garbage time plays at the end of the game. To be fair, I'm not too sure how much of the stiffness has physical and how much of it was mental since the dude's barely played this season. Overall, I saw enough out of Ray to want to see more. Let's see if some more time in Reno will do him good.
- Marcus Thornton may not be able to score on a whim like he was able to a couple seasons ago but he's actually started to settle into his role as a role player better than I thought he would. No longer entering heroball mode whenever his hands touch the ball, he actually seems to be willing to pass the ball to someone who doesn't suck now. While his defense will never be confused with Doug Christie's, he at least has been trying to body up on his man and providing some sort of effort on that end.
- We're starting to see some real chemistry on the Kings team. As the game became a laugher with all the stars on the bench, you saw the staters constantly up and rooting for their teammates and Cuz joking and laughing with the ballboys.
- The photobombing thing has taken off among our players. As long as things don't get too crazy, I don't mind it.
- Rudy Gay is on a mission to prove every single pundit who said he was an inefficient scorer wrong. The pairing of him and Cuz just keeps getting better and better. The rest of the league better take note.
The View from the Other Side: Cleveland Cavs Edition
All comments taken from fearthesword.com. You know the deal by now, I find stuff fans of the other team said.
2:23 Evening gentlemen, Kyrie to score 35 tonight
2:27 Just finished the Sopranos series. People like to hate on it, but that enDeng was amazing.2:34 Oh **** this story Allie. **** the mayor. Move this team to Seattle.
2:36 Sac is a great basketball town. They’ve just been abused for a long time
2:40 The Kings in their heyday pulled in sellouts constantly. Same thing with the Tribe. Have a touch of empathy. It should be easy since we’re in a similar situation.
2:50 Is Deng enough to get us to pickup the pace on D and force some turnovers from the Kings?2:40 The Kings in their heyday pulled in sellouts constantly. Same thing with the Tribe. Have a touch of empathy. It should be easy since we’re in a similar situation.
Are we just too lazy to make Sacto be more careful ball handlers?
Are the Kings ‘real’ or was that win vs the Trailblazers a fluke?
Is Rudy Gay demanding a no-stat policy in Sacramento?
If I eat pizza and it wasn’t delivery, what are the chances it was DiGiorno?
2:57 I’ll just jump right in with an unpopular opinion…I wish we had drafted McLemore.Are the Kings ‘real’ or was that win vs the Trailblazers a fluke?
Is Rudy Gay demanding a no-stat policy in Sacramento?
If I eat pizza and it wasn’t delivery, what are the chances it was DiGiorno?
3:01 I see him as a younger, higher upside Miles, who potentially (VERY potentially) is more consistent. If we’re set on using three guards in a rotation, he makes more sense than either Miles or Jack. As a bench player, nobody from this draft is a better fit (I’m firmly anti-Dipo) except Giannis.
In Sacto he’s a horrible fit. Next to Kyrie…I kinda like it.
3:00 God damit… I live in Vegas and have to watch the kings broadcast…In Sacto he’s a horrible fit. Next to Kyrie…I kinda like it.
3:02 Cutting between this and the Golden Globe red carpet with my girlfriend… wish me luck in the battle of the remote.
3:03 I’m very afraid Cousins goes for 30 vs us tonight.
3:04 My prediction: Slow first half, adjustments are made, we roll the kings. 103 > 97
3:09 “a lot of excitement!” 3 people walking into the arena.
3:13 These Kings announcers are already making me want to drink bleach…
3:13 IF YOU DON’T LIKE BLEACH, YOU DON’T LIKE KINGS BASKETBALL.
3:12 I don’t think we have anyone on the roster that can slow down Cousins3:19 It feels nice to have optimism again. Deng, I can remember when we still had Bynum.
3:25 Remember when the first pick for Cousins was a thing? I liked that thing.
3:26 They hve a crap bench, just hang with the starters
3:34 ZELLERPOSTEROMGOMGOMGOGMOGMOGMOGMOG
3:35 Bummer we dont have a backup 4
3:36 Zeller is well on his way to being ilgauskas on steroids….and thats not a bad thing.
3:39 I think CJ might have sold his soul to the devil.
3:40 Is it me or are we starting to become a legitimate basketball team?
3:44 Kings can’t even do the Kevin Garnett rejection thing right.
3:46 I haven’t seen the Kings have even 1 ‘tough’ possession. Everything coming easy :/
3:47 I shouldn’t have made fun of Gay.
3:52 I feel like this is one of those games, where if we lose, we’ll be talking about how a Mike Brown coached team could give up 120 points.
3:55 Oh god these announcers are terrible. The one guy just said he’s more surprised by Jimmer missing a free throw than Wade missing six straight. He should be fired immediately.
4:03 Cavs comin’ back. Deng is gonna inject some fire into the team
4:19 On the subject of the game, the kings’ defense is so bad we can come back if we play any sort of defense.
4:27 We can make our own defensive anchor big man. Take Zeller, pump him full of steroids, brainwash him with Captain America comics. Show him how the shield is an analogue for defense, send him off to defense camp, give him tattoo sleeves and a mohawk.
4:31 we’re gonna be down 20 soon if we dont get it together
4:33 i looove all that coverage Isiah had. just let thomas waltz in, eat some cookies, grab something from the fridge maybe tweet his location and then make a basket. UGH.
4:41 Game ay be out of hand
4:42 Don’t even care about this game anymore. The Old Spice mom commercial just came on during the football game.
4:47 That pass just showed how talented Cuz is
4:47 He’s the best center in the NBA
4:48 I can probably get on board with this
4:48 I’m starting to feel like I should root for the Kings the rest of the way. It’ll be better for my mental health and a beat down from the Kings might give this team a little wake up call.4:48 I can probably get on board with this
4:48 I hate how everytime this team looks like its gonna turn a corner it plays like this. About the 15th time ive said this so far this season, but its flat out unacceptable and disgraceful to not give effort
4:52 If Cuz can channel all his “attitude” into his already strong killer instinct, he’d be a top 5 player…Meaning instead of always being sour when things aren’t called his way, he’d just be like, “no problem, i’m about to destroy you”…
4:55 I’m so legitimately sad right now.
4:56 Oh god. I’m laughing and crying at the same time.
4:58 Patrick, what Pokemon would you most compare the Cavs effort to tonight? I’m thinking Metapod.
5:03 The Kings just went NBA Jam on us
5:09 quick, somebody untie isiah thomas’ shoes
5:30 our moral victory streak is snapped. thanks kings.
5:32 but seriously, dude SLAPPED the ball out of bennetts hands.
5:33 a 7 year old girl scout could slap the ball from his hands. My 80 year old granny could too!
5:37 Holy crap.5:43 probably the only positive is that the beatdown was so hard it almost guarantees a response against LA, so I’m expecting a win there
6:08 Ironic how we trade the Kings’ pick for Deng to get better this season, then go lose to the Kings in embarassing fashion, simultaneously hurting our playoff chances and improving the Bulls’ chances of seeing that pick.
Tonight's Game
And things don't start off easy at all. Rather, we face one of the two best teams in the east, the Indiana Pacers, a defensive juggernaut led by the duo of Paul George and Roy Hibbert. Directly matching up with our two big stars in Cuz and Gay, how the Kings work against the big two of Indiana will tell us a lot about our team going forward.
Roy Hibbert leads the leagues in blocks per game and affects shots at a blistering rate. A surprisingly weak rebounder, Hibbert is still considered an early favorite for defensive player of the year. That said, he still has some ways to be exploited on defense. For instance, Roy Hibbert doesn’t like to show on pick and rolls, leading to his man often having a chance to exploit the defense before it quickly snaps back into place. The quality defender that he is, Roy Hibbert still doesn’t like to move out of the paint on defense unless absolutely necessary, leading to perimeter stretch bigs having the space to shoot. In the Hawks game, Pero Antic going crazy in the first quarter from behind the three point line. Demarcus is going to have to get his outside game going early to open up the paint a bit for the team to have a chance. Inside the paint, Hibbert is the best defender in the league, his length and size an absolute disruptive force against even the best offense. That said, he's never encountered the Demarcus of this year.
The defensive intensity decreases a bit between the power forward duo of David West and Luis Scola, both crafty scorers but neither the most athletic guy in the world. That said, they both try hard even if neither is the best defender. Rounding out the big men we will most likely see is Ian Mahinmi, a tall guy who will hustle on the offensive end and is sound enough on the defensive end to give Hibbert a breather.
Paul George is one of the top five young players in the league. At 6'9", long, and athletic, the small forward is a great defender with a rapidly improving offensive game, perhaps the best small forward in the league not named Lebron James or Kevin Durant. Behind him and now relegated to the bench is Danny Granger, the former high scoring small forward who served as the face of the franchise in the post-Reggie Miller years. Coming off of injuries that have sapped much of his athletic ability, Granger is still a wily vet who knows how to score in droves.
The Pacers feature a set of long athletic guards who can absolutely wreak havoc on our generally undersized backcourt. Lance Stephenson is a walking triple-double, a two guard who can play with the ball in his hands and function as a second point guard. Built a little like Tyreke Evans, Lance is going to give our collection of rookies and burnt out heroballer fits. Also in the backcourt is former Spur George Hill, a guy who doesn't get gaudy numbers but, as with almost any guy who's come through Greg Popovich's system, knows how to hit the open shot and play defense. While not exactly poised to set crazy career highs against Isaiah, Hill can cause problems if the Huskey forgets to pack his defense on the plane.
The Pacers play fantastic team defense and keep the pace of the game slow in the same manner as an affront to everything Keith Smart knows about basketball. For us to win, we'll have to push the pace a bit without forgetting to play defense of our own. If we fall into the trap of trying to Smartball our way to victory, the Pacers will shut it down and things will get ugly. To win, we're going to need a hundred-percent effort a hundred percent of the game.
Matchups
Gay versus George: Two of the better small forwards in the league face off. This is just a guess but I'm pretty sure Gay's stats aren't going to look as good as they have in other games.
JT versus West/Scola: Most of the Pacers inside scoring comes from these two guys so it'll be up to Jason to keep the paint under control.
Our team versus the road: We're starting to get this winning at home thing down, now we just need to start getting the road warrior mentality going.
Word fatigue versus me: So much typing.
Conclusion and Prediction
Hmmm. Top three team in the league versus a team nine games under .500? My money's on the top team. BUT we always play good teams pretty well and if the trend holds, I wouldn't be shocked if the game at least comes down to the wire, especially as the pace of the Pacers isn't really conducive to big blowouts anyways. Pacers win 89-82. I could be wrong.
GO KINGS!
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