Kings Playoff Standings Watch!!!
- Thread starter Rain man
- Start date
We have a real shot at second seed in the West and this is what should be motivating our guys. Our schedule is relatively easy for the remainder of the season and we are two games off Memphis.
I'm just tickled that this is even a possibility. Going into this season if you told me we'd be in contention for the second seed in the west I would have punched you in the face.
I retract my hypothetial past punch to all readers, and I beseech you to join me in accepting the new reality we are living in. Wow!
I'm just tickled that this is even a possibility. Going into this season if you told me we'd be in contention for the second seed in the west I would have punched you in the face.
I retract my hypothetial past punch to all readers, and I beseech you to join me in accepting the new reality we are living in. Wow!
Pretty solid night for standings watch:
Kings W vs POR
MEM L to PHI
NOP L to TOR
UTA W to OKC, which is probably good. I think I'm more afraid of OKC as a play-in team than UTA.
GSW L LAL which I think overall a net positive. Stack as many GSW losses as possible before Steph gets back. While LAL is better than they've been, we won the season series and they're just probably too far back to bother us.
3.5 games up on the 7 seed.
Kings W vs POR
MEM L to PHI
NOP L to TOR
UTA W to OKC, which is probably good. I think I'm more afraid of OKC as a play-in team than UTA.
GSW L LAL which I think overall a net positive. Stack as many GSW losses as possible before Steph gets back. While LAL is better than they've been, we won the season series and they're just probably too far back to bother us.
3.5 games up on the 7 seed.
Figuring out who to root for in the Western Conference battles is tricky, given how jumbled the standings are. But it seems like 3 main camps are slowly starting to emerge below Denver, based on records, injuries and acquisitions.
Tier 1- Memphis, LAC, Phoenix, Dallas
Tier 2- New Orleans, Minnesota, Golden State
Tier 3- OKC, Utah, LAL, Portland
As I see it, the rooting interests depend on what you think is the appropriate objective for the Kings. If you think the Kings are good enough to hold a top 4 spot and home court advantage, then you are most interested in losses by the Tier 1 teams, and don't particularly worry about Tier 2 and 3. If you don't think top 4 is in the cards, and you are just shooting for top 6, then wins by Tier 1 are not the worst case scenario, and you are really focused on losses by Tier 2. If you can't shake 16 years of misery and think we are in a grim battle to even make the play-in, then you want Tier 3 teams to lose. Me, personally, I think the main priority should be top 6, guaranteed playoff spot. So to me, I think losses by Tier 2 are probably most important.
Really interestingly, is that is Memphis can maintain their separation for #2, you could be looking at a #3-6 that includes LAC, Dallas, Phoenix, and Sacramento in some order. Which means that our first round opponent would be one of those three teams, though who would have home court would be up in the air.
Tier 1- Memphis, LAC, Phoenix, Dallas
Tier 2- New Orleans, Minnesota, Golden State
Tier 3- OKC, Utah, LAL, Portland
As I see it, the rooting interests depend on what you think is the appropriate objective for the Kings. If you think the Kings are good enough to hold a top 4 spot and home court advantage, then you are most interested in losses by the Tier 1 teams, and don't particularly worry about Tier 2 and 3. If you don't think top 4 is in the cards, and you are just shooting for top 6, then wins by Tier 1 are not the worst case scenario, and you are really focused on losses by Tier 2. If you can't shake 16 years of misery and think we are in a grim battle to even make the play-in, then you want Tier 3 teams to lose. Me, personally, I think the main priority should be top 6, guaranteed playoff spot. So to me, I think losses by Tier 2 are probably most important.
Really interestingly, is that is Memphis can maintain their separation for #2, you could be looking at a #3-6 that includes LAC, Dallas, Phoenix, and Sacramento in some order. Which means that our first round opponent would be one of those three teams, though who would have home court would be up in the air.
To me, the question is whether we have the juice (especially when you look at remaining schedule and recent acquisitions) to catch #2/hold top 4. I am not sure that we do, but would be thrilled with a guaranteed playoff spot. So it is almost a "be careful what you wish for." You might really love, in the short term, if Minnesota beats Phoenix next week because it helps us hold off Phoenix for top 4, but might really regret that result 4 weeks from now if we are in the 6 spot and tied with Minnesota, and Phoenix is 2 games ahead of us.
I just don't think we have the juice to be top 4, so I am focused on results that ensure we stay in the top 6.
I just don't think we have the juice to be top 4, so I am focused on results that ensure we stay in the top 6.
I understand as a fan dissecting and analyzing the standings and strength of schedule. But as an athlete and coach, if you doubt you have the juice, then you have no shot. What I'm ultimately saying is that I hope the Kings organization stays away from this mindset at all costs.
There is a reason that "playing not to lose" inevitably leads to a loss when you're playing against a team trying to win.
There is a reason that "playing not to lose" inevitably leads to a loss when you're playing against a team trying to win.
While I understand, and respect, @Rain man's point of view/approach, I have to agree and side with @Livinthedream on this one. Don't focus/think about how far you can fall, but rather think about how far you can rise. Make it your goal to improve your current playoff seeding and, if at the end of the day, you drop a couple, then so be it. And, if you aim for improvement, you may be able to avoid the disappointment of dropping below that top 6 spot. But, if you start thinking about how far you are from dropping out of the top 6, you're ultimately setting yourself up for potential failure and heartbreak should that actually happen.
IMHO, I just want the Kings to stay in the top 4 or 5.
Even getting to #2 might not be that great, because there is a high likelihood that the #7 seed may be a healthy GSW or a Lakers team (with the refs in their back pocket). The #3 seed would be ideal, but keep us in the #3-5 spots and I'm a happy Kings fan.
Even getting to #2 might not be that great, because there is a high likelihood that the #7 seed may be a healthy GSW or a Lakers team (with the refs in their back pocket). The #3 seed would be ideal, but keep us in the #3-5 spots and I'm a happy Kings fan.
I'm a little more concerned with the Lakers as they feel like an Unknown at this point. If they do enough to get into the actual playoffs, then they will have been playing real well. GSW is dangerous because of experience. But it's been all Steph Curry for the last few years and he would have to deliver heroics game after game for them to succeed.
Well I certainly hope that the team is not adopting that mindset either. I hope they are focused on winning every game and tracking down Memphis for the #2 seed. I would never want the team figuring out how they can do just enough to get into the playoff, or playing not to lose. But I'm not the team and I doubt anyone from the team is reading this board and feeling like I am giving them permission to play not to lose.
For me, a fan, the reality is staying in the top 4 is an uphill battle. And you have a series of games upcoming between two Western Conference teams where someone will have to win and someone will have to lose. And the question is who is the better team to win. To me, we want results that ensure we stay in the top 6, not results that ensure we stay in the top 4.
If we only go 12-12 or 11-13 over the final 24, which is certainly possible given the rather daunting schedule, we may find ourselves wishing at the end of the season that teams like LAC, Phoenix, and Dallas took care of business against teams like New Orleans, Minnesota, and Golden State, so that a clear top 6 emerges, and we are safely in it. To me, the worst thing that happens is we struggle against a really tough schedule and get passed by Dallas, Phoenix and LAC, but also by a team like Minnesota who gets back KAT and gets hot down the stretch.
For me, a fan, the reality is staying in the top 4 is an uphill battle. And you have a series of games upcoming between two Western Conference teams where someone will have to win and someone will have to lose. And the question is who is the better team to win. To me, we want results that ensure we stay in the top 6, not results that ensure we stay in the top 4.
If we only go 12-12 or 11-13 over the final 24, which is certainly possible given the rather daunting schedule, we may find ourselves wishing at the end of the season that teams like LAC, Phoenix, and Dallas took care of business against teams like New Orleans, Minnesota, and Golden State, so that a clear top 6 emerges, and we are safely in it. To me, the worst thing that happens is we struggle against a really tough schedule and get passed by Dallas, Phoenix and LAC, but also by a team like Minnesota who gets back KAT and gets hot down the stretch.
I would like to hold 3. Ideally that means we win at least half our games and Phoenix loses one or two more than we do.
But otherwise, they're gonna do what they do, and I want to hang onto 4 so I can finally book a ticket to see a game at G1C and it not only will be my first game at the new arena but a playoff one to boot.
But otherwise, they're gonna do what they do, and I want to hang onto 4 so I can finally book a ticket to see a game at G1C and it not only will be my first game at the new arena but a playoff one to boot.
We're the best road team in the conference but a terrible home team for where we are in the standings. I do not care where we are (1-6). We don't lose two road games in a row, and we don't ever seem to win two home games in a row. So if it's a must win game I would frankly rather play it on the road.