piksi
Hall of Famer
Hell yeah !
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One of our all time favorites took place on February 26th 2004. I have seen this games at least 5 times. It was the day when Kings left Webber, Miller and Jackson at home but went to LA fought hard and beat the Lakers 103-101 to improve to 42-14 for the season. It was a game in which Pedja got really hot and the he got even hotter as the game progressed. It was the game in which Mike Bibby did what he used to do best - close the game. All of it was orchestrated by Vlade's 10 assists. The crab dance was the icing on a cake of a great evening in the silicon valley. Pedja lead the Kings with 37/9/1, Bibby was huge with 31/8/7/1, DC had 13/7/2/2, Vlade had 5/5/10/2. Peeler had 8/3 off the bench.
A major difference between the top two teams in the Pacific Division is that the Sacramento Kings have shown they can win without key players in the lineup and the Los Angeles Lakers haven't. Mike Bibby hit a pair of clutch 3-pointers in the final 90 seconds as the Kings pulled out a 103-101 victory over the Lakers. In both meetings between the rivals, one team has been shorthanded. In Sacramento's blowout win on January 16, the Lakers were without Shaquille O'Neal, Kobe Bryant and Karl Malone and were in the midst of their worst stretch of the season.In this one, the Kings were without Chris Webbber, Brad Miller and Bobby Jackson. But Sacramento has not missed a beat without the injured players, winning four in a row and six of seven games since the All-Star break.
"It just means how we played good as a team, how we trust each other and how much confidence we have in the guys that didn't have the opportunity to play before," Kings forward Peja Stojakovic said.
"Obviously, it's just a great win," coach Rick Adelman added. "Every win we can get at this point, especially with Bobby, Brad and Webb out ... it's a huge step for us."
"It's a case of hot shooting," Los Angeles guard Kareem Rush said. "We missed a couple of open shots that we would have normally hit. Guys usually don't go 7-for-11 and 5-for-10 from the 3-point line."
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After disposing Pacers like a dirty diaper - Kings stopped a short losing streak and improved to 24-31 which still sucks despite only being 2.5 games off the 8th PO spot. After a rare road victory despite missing our arguably best player - Kings will be looking to finish February on a 3 games winning streak by winning in Philly and then beating the Bobcats at home before going to LA which will hopefully be a payback for that unfortunate but extremely painful loss which we suffered @ ARCO in the beginning of January. Since Mavs, Spurs, Suns, Jazz and Rockets will continue to win - the fight for the 7th and 8th PO spot will go to the wire by default since the rest of the teams will continue to lose, keeping the distance ultra close.
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Before focusing on the last nights game that was interesting for many aspects, let me just say that I wasn't aware of how bad Pacers really are despite 29-26 record. They basically have one great player and bunch of YMCA guys playing pickup games. I have yet to see 2 worse perimeter defenders paired up than Tinsley and Armstrong. I thought that Bibby and Marting are bottom of the league but then I saw pacers play. The fact that a below mediocre team from the west without their best player and on a losing streak wins easily a road game against one of the better teams from the east despite having the play 3rd road game in 4 nights - tells You all You need to know about where the talent in the NBA is placed.
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Last night I had a choice between watching Kings or watching the "Silicon, botox and liposuction" convention generally known as Oscars. I made the right choice for once. It was for once pure fun watching Kings play 48 minutes of passionate, energetic, attractive and successful basketball. Looked just like good old times. If You haven't seen that game - You missed out a lot. All I can say is - I want to see more of that and more often.
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When Kings play like this - there is just no way that I can root for them to lose - regardless of the "big picture." Last night - not once has that thought crossed my mind. Not for a single second. I just wanted them to win that game. I didn't care about standings, drafts, - nothing of that. I saw MY team playing with a great effort and I wanted it to win even if that win might do whatever to us later or in a big picture. I don't even need to try to rationalize it. It is very simple. When You go against Yourself - even if You win - You will lose. I just can't do that. Go Kings !
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Watching the game last night made me realize that as bad as we might be right now - we are only a "Jermaine O'Neil" away from being a contender again. JO type of player would make Bibby look decent defensively, Brad Miller wouldn't look so old and slow, Kevin would have more lanes and open shots and Ron wouldn't have to guard 5 players at once. While bench isn't great it is decent enough. Another coach is obviously a given. The "small" problem is that we can't get "JO" without giving a lot or paying luxury taxes. We are certainly in a vicious circle called mediocrity.
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Watching Kevin in the 2nd half - I thought - we had Wade on our team. Kevin got all the calls and they only called him for traveling once even though he did it at least 5-6 times. Being aggressive is the key here. Kevin is beyond quick and if he is aggressive enough - it could be deadly. He shot 21 FTs and Pacers had 26 FTs total. We could care less really. What we need is Kevin to do this more often when we are at full strength. It would make us more dangerous and less predictable. Some defense occasionally would also be appreciated. We really need another coach and soon.
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It is obvious that Mike Bibby plays much better when he isn't being attacked on the defensive end. It probably allows him to be more relaxed on offense. He was Mike of old last night. A field general that we used to see. He did took some retarded shots and made some dumb decisions abut overall he did as well as we need him to do even when Ron is playing too. The question of consistency remains. Mike has disappointed too many times this season to just rely on another game like this - let's say - tonight. One can only hope.
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Ron's absence was the best that could have happened to the Kings last night. Just last night tough. Pacers were emotionally ready for him. He was "the edge" that was supposed to be on Pacers side. His absence took the crowd out of the game and it looked like Pacers were not taking us seriously either. In his absence everyone else under 6'6'' stepped up and it was a thing of beauty. We need Ron especially when he plays as well as he did lately. He still defends better than the rest of the roster combined. He has potential to command a double team also. The key is to get other players to stay aggressive and to get Ron to be smarter offensively. We have had this issue before not that long ago. Also Muss doesn't have any authority to do anything about it because no one really takes him seriously. Hell, Muss can't even get his kids to clean up their room. For all the parents around here - just imagine trying to get Your kids to do something using a power point presentation. Good luck with that.
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Coach's corner tonight's sponsors are K mart, Target and Piggly-Wiggly. I am still not giving him any credit. We didn't play well in the first half, we couldn't rebound, we kept going to KT in the high post. In the 2nd half he took Bibby out and forget to put him back in until the Pacers cut the lead to 11 or so. Then he too Kevin out but corrected himself 30 seconds later. And finally he put Hart in the game and there is just no excuse for that whatsoever.
My sources have come in the possession of some slides that Muss used in the presentation before the last night's game.
Slide #7 - If You are planning on winning - You can't be losing
Slide # 12 - the game is 40 something minutes long
Slide # 26 - we are 23-0 when outscoring the opponent
Slide #27 - we are 0-31 when being outscored by the opponent
Slide # 35 - we are undefeated on our days off
Slide # 39 - Go to Ron early in the game since he has the hot hand!
Slide #42 - Do not leave Reggie Miller open!
Slide #46 - Make Stephen Jackson take jump shots !
Slide # 55 - kool aid 's flavor tonight is kiwi.
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So we beat a team that was so bad that Larry Bird would be their 2nd best player right now. We played really well and earned this victory. Scored 40 in the 3rd quarter which should be a theme for a new "twilight zone" episode. Didn't miss Ron that much but we sure missed having a big man on the team because everyone taller than 6'6'' sucked. Pacers fell apart and JO couldn't do iit alone. For once - the refs helped us out a bit last night.
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AWARD TIME
TDM award was not earned last night and when that happens - Kings win
LW-VC award goes to Danny Granger. He looked off last night. He was afraid and I can't figure out why. We will take it.
JHA will from now on be officially called JH - KT award. While I usually don't give this out - last night I just had no choice. The award will be shared by KT for being horrible/ pathetic, by Corliss who was even worse and obviously by Hart who managed to have a foul and a amazing turnover in 56 seconds of garbage time.
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Sixers are next and that one is not given. It is our 4th game in 5 nights and we don't know Ron's status. With our unpredictability, Your guess is as good as mine. From the trade that we did some "20 years" ago - Sixers have no one left but we are still stuck with our flexible pieces. Sixers are young and dangerous and will be rested and ready. We will have to stay sharp and aggressive and we might win this one too.
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Mike - one more please
Kevin - way to bounce back
Ron - hope things aren't too serious at home
Brad - come on man - do something !
SAR - being better than KT isn't really an accomplishment
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Cisco - improving
Price - effort and energy
Salmons - solis
KT - nothing times nothing is NOTHING !
Corliss - Scorless
rest - mateen
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Muss - can he get lucky again ?
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Sixers roster looks like a disaster area and we are the perfect opponent to make them feel better about themselves. They lost 2 straight and 5 of their last 6. Dalambert will have a big game. Joe Smith will hurt us if he plays, Andre Miller and Iguodala are there too.
TDM will go to Ashton Kutcher. LW-VC award will be reserved for a Kings big man unless JH-KT award has to be applied. Overall - what the hell - Kings win again.
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One of our all time favorites took place on February 26th 2004. I have seen this games at least 5 times. It was the day when Kings left Webber, Miller and Jackson at home but went to LA fought hard and beat the Lakers 103-101 to improve to 42-14 for the season. It was a game in which Pedja got really hot and the he got even hotter as the game progressed. It was the game in which Mike Bibby did what he used to do best - close the game. All of it was orchestrated by Vlade's 10 assists. The crab dance was the icing on a cake of a great evening in the silicon valley. Pedja lead the Kings with 37/9/1, Bibby was huge with 31/8/7/1, DC had 13/7/2/2, Vlade had 5/5/10/2. Peeler had 8/3 off the bench.
A major difference between the top two teams in the Pacific Division is that the Sacramento Kings have shown they can win without key players in the lineup and the Los Angeles Lakers haven't. Mike Bibby hit a pair of clutch 3-pointers in the final 90 seconds as the Kings pulled out a 103-101 victory over the Lakers. In both meetings between the rivals, one team has been shorthanded. In Sacramento's blowout win on January 16, the Lakers were without Shaquille O'Neal, Kobe Bryant and Karl Malone and were in the midst of their worst stretch of the season.In this one, the Kings were without Chris Webbber, Brad Miller and Bobby Jackson. But Sacramento has not missed a beat without the injured players, winning four in a row and six of seven games since the All-Star break.
"It just means how we played good as a team, how we trust each other and how much confidence we have in the guys that didn't have the opportunity to play before," Kings forward Peja Stojakovic said.
"Obviously, it's just a great win," coach Rick Adelman added. "Every win we can get at this point, especially with Bobby, Brad and Webb out ... it's a huge step for us."
"It's a case of hot shooting," Los Angeles guard Kareem Rush said. "We missed a couple of open shots that we would have normally hit. Guys usually don't go 7-for-11 and 5-for-10 from the 3-point line."
-----------------------------------------------------------------
After disposing Pacers like a dirty diaper - Kings stopped a short losing streak and improved to 24-31 which still sucks despite only being 2.5 games off the 8th PO spot. After a rare road victory despite missing our arguably best player - Kings will be looking to finish February on a 3 games winning streak by winning in Philly and then beating the Bobcats at home before going to LA which will hopefully be a payback for that unfortunate but extremely painful loss which we suffered @ ARCO in the beginning of January. Since Mavs, Spurs, Suns, Jazz and Rockets will continue to win - the fight for the 7th and 8th PO spot will go to the wire by default since the rest of the teams will continue to lose, keeping the distance ultra close.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
Before focusing on the last nights game that was interesting for many aspects, let me just say that I wasn't aware of how bad Pacers really are despite 29-26 record. They basically have one great player and bunch of YMCA guys playing pickup games. I have yet to see 2 worse perimeter defenders paired up than Tinsley and Armstrong. I thought that Bibby and Marting are bottom of the league but then I saw pacers play. The fact that a below mediocre team from the west without their best player and on a losing streak wins easily a road game against one of the better teams from the east despite having the play 3rd road game in 4 nights - tells You all You need to know about where the talent in the NBA is placed.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
Last night I had a choice between watching Kings or watching the "Silicon, botox and liposuction" convention generally known as Oscars. I made the right choice for once. It was for once pure fun watching Kings play 48 minutes of passionate, energetic, attractive and successful basketball. Looked just like good old times. If You haven't seen that game - You missed out a lot. All I can say is - I want to see more of that and more often.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
When Kings play like this - there is just no way that I can root for them to lose - regardless of the "big picture." Last night - not once has that thought crossed my mind. Not for a single second. I just wanted them to win that game. I didn't care about standings, drafts, - nothing of that. I saw MY team playing with a great effort and I wanted it to win even if that win might do whatever to us later or in a big picture. I don't even need to try to rationalize it. It is very simple. When You go against Yourself - even if You win - You will lose. I just can't do that. Go Kings !
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
Watching the game last night made me realize that as bad as we might be right now - we are only a "Jermaine O'Neil" away from being a contender again. JO type of player would make Bibby look decent defensively, Brad Miller wouldn't look so old and slow, Kevin would have more lanes and open shots and Ron wouldn't have to guard 5 players at once. While bench isn't great it is decent enough. Another coach is obviously a given. The "small" problem is that we can't get "JO" without giving a lot or paying luxury taxes. We are certainly in a vicious circle called mediocrity.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Watching Kevin in the 2nd half - I thought - we had Wade on our team. Kevin got all the calls and they only called him for traveling once even though he did it at least 5-6 times. Being aggressive is the key here. Kevin is beyond quick and if he is aggressive enough - it could be deadly. He shot 21 FTs and Pacers had 26 FTs total. We could care less really. What we need is Kevin to do this more often when we are at full strength. It would make us more dangerous and less predictable. Some defense occasionally would also be appreciated. We really need another coach and soon.
------------------------------------------------------------------------
It is obvious that Mike Bibby plays much better when he isn't being attacked on the defensive end. It probably allows him to be more relaxed on offense. He was Mike of old last night. A field general that we used to see. He did took some retarded shots and made some dumb decisions abut overall he did as well as we need him to do even when Ron is playing too. The question of consistency remains. Mike has disappointed too many times this season to just rely on another game like this - let's say - tonight. One can only hope.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Ron's absence was the best that could have happened to the Kings last night. Just last night tough. Pacers were emotionally ready for him. He was "the edge" that was supposed to be on Pacers side. His absence took the crowd out of the game and it looked like Pacers were not taking us seriously either. In his absence everyone else under 6'6'' stepped up and it was a thing of beauty. We need Ron especially when he plays as well as he did lately. He still defends better than the rest of the roster combined. He has potential to command a double team also. The key is to get other players to stay aggressive and to get Ron to be smarter offensively. We have had this issue before not that long ago. Also Muss doesn't have any authority to do anything about it because no one really takes him seriously. Hell, Muss can't even get his kids to clean up their room. For all the parents around here - just imagine trying to get Your kids to do something using a power point presentation. Good luck with that.
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Coach's corner tonight's sponsors are K mart, Target and Piggly-Wiggly. I am still not giving him any credit. We didn't play well in the first half, we couldn't rebound, we kept going to KT in the high post. In the 2nd half he took Bibby out and forget to put him back in until the Pacers cut the lead to 11 or so. Then he too Kevin out but corrected himself 30 seconds later. And finally he put Hart in the game and there is just no excuse for that whatsoever.
My sources have come in the possession of some slides that Muss used in the presentation before the last night's game.
Slide #7 - If You are planning on winning - You can't be losing
Slide # 12 - the game is 40 something minutes long
Slide # 26 - we are 23-0 when outscoring the opponent
Slide #27 - we are 0-31 when being outscored by the opponent
Slide # 35 - we are undefeated on our days off
Slide # 39 - Go to Ron early in the game since he has the hot hand!
Slide #42 - Do not leave Reggie Miller open!
Slide #46 - Make Stephen Jackson take jump shots !
Slide # 55 - kool aid 's flavor tonight is kiwi.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
So we beat a team that was so bad that Larry Bird would be their 2nd best player right now. We played really well and earned this victory. Scored 40 in the 3rd quarter which should be a theme for a new "twilight zone" episode. Didn't miss Ron that much but we sure missed having a big man on the team because everyone taller than 6'6'' sucked. Pacers fell apart and JO couldn't do iit alone. For once - the refs helped us out a bit last night.
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AWARD TIME
TDM award was not earned last night and when that happens - Kings win
LW-VC award goes to Danny Granger. He looked off last night. He was afraid and I can't figure out why. We will take it.
JHA will from now on be officially called JH - KT award. While I usually don't give this out - last night I just had no choice. The award will be shared by KT for being horrible/ pathetic, by Corliss who was even worse and obviously by Hart who managed to have a foul and a amazing turnover in 56 seconds of garbage time.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
Sixers are next and that one is not given. It is our 4th game in 5 nights and we don't know Ron's status. With our unpredictability, Your guess is as good as mine. From the trade that we did some "20 years" ago - Sixers have no one left but we are still stuck with our flexible pieces. Sixers are young and dangerous and will be rested and ready. We will have to stay sharp and aggressive and we might win this one too.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
Mike - one more please
Kevin - way to bounce back
Ron - hope things aren't too serious at home
Brad - come on man - do something !
SAR - being better than KT isn't really an accomplishment
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Cisco - improving
Price - effort and energy
Salmons - solis
KT - nothing times nothing is NOTHING !
Corliss - Scorless
rest - mateen
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Muss - can he get lucky again ?
--------------------------------------------------------------------
Sixers roster looks like a disaster area and we are the perfect opponent to make them feel better about themselves. They lost 2 straight and 5 of their last 6. Dalambert will have a big game. Joe Smith will hurt us if he plays, Andre Miller and Iguodala are there too.
TDM will go to Ashton Kutcher. LW-VC award will be reserved for a Kings big man unless JH-KT award has to be applied. Overall - what the hell - Kings win again.
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Last edited:
This is horrible. 
