[Game] Kings @ Thunder Game Thread 2/15/11

[Kingster]

Sure it is. Unless you think that somehow the Thunder are that much better than not just themselves a few days back, but also the Lakers, Hornets, Jazz, Mavs, etc. etc. Not the same degree of fluke as it was with those old teams -- the old teams expected to win and would occasionally get blown out on the fluke, while this team probably loses, but just makes a tight game of it -- but its still an aberrant result from what we have been seeing.

Any athletic team can overwhelm you with their athleticism when you play into their hands, and that was realy all that happened here. The difference between this game and last one? Well Tyreke is a major cog, but not just because of Tyreke's talent, but precisely because of that pace he plays wiht that maddens so many people. Slow it down, slug it out, and all of a sudden we are a team fully capable of beating this Thunder team because we are playing OUR game, a power game, a game where we use OUR advantage of overwhelming size/strength rather than play into their hands with their runners and jumpers. The Thunder are better than us, but they are not world beaters. They are two great players and a bunch of guys who are only as good as you make them by playing the style of ball they need to be effective. When you run aroudn without a plan, take quick shots, turn it over, don't get back, yeah of course that's a runner and jumpers paradise. Now you slow it down, play slamball, muscle them around inside, take the air out of the ball and turn it into a halfcourt war, and all of a sudden being skinny or undersized isn't cute anymore. All of a sudden they have probelm matchups trying to stop your star guard and your power people.

Wrong. Only a team that is relatively unathletic is going to get overwhelmed by an athletic team. If the two teams are close in athleticism, skill can win the day. If not, athleticism is going to kick butt, especially with a 24-second clock and a 48 minute game. Play slow down you say? Try doing that against OKC when you don't have the quickness to match up. It's a false premise to begin with. The Kings need a MAJOR dose of quickness in their lineup to take the next step and be able to compete with this OKC team down in future years.

 

[Spike]

Wrong. Only a team that is relatively unathletic is going to get overwhelmed by an athletic team. If the two teams are close in athleticism, skill can win the day. If not, athleticism is going to kick butt, especially with a 24-second clock and a 48 minute game. Play slow down you say? Try doing that against OKC when you don't have the quickness to match up. It's a false premise to begin with. The Kings need a MAJOR dose of quickness in their lineup to take the next step and be able to compete with this OKC team down in future years.

Experience ≥ Skill > Athleticism. Athletes don't need a 24 second clock - they just run down and put it up, hoping to run the other team out of the gym. Why didn't we lose by 20 last time we met? Oh yeah, we had a guy who could slow down the pace and bowl people over. Our team is built for the half-court. However, without our biggest bull, there's no one to dictate the pace like Evans. You get into a shootout with a team of shooters vs. a team that can't shoot its way out of a paper sack.

You can always slow the pace of the game with the right players. You can't always speed it up. We have the advantage in the long term.

 

[Glenn]

Wrong. Only a team that is relatively unathletic is going to get overwhelmed by an athletic team. If the two teams are close in athleticism, skill can win the day. If not, athleticism is going to kick butt, especially with a 24-second clock and a 48 minute game. Play slow down you say? Try doing that against OKC when you don't have the quickness to match up. It's a false premise to begin with. The Kings need a MAJOR dose of quickness in their lineup to take the next step and be able to compete with this OKC team down in future years.

I'm not sure I understand. I don't think a team benefits by playing the other team's style especially when you don't have the skill to do it. The Kings DO need a major dose of quickness but that's not available for last night. Otherwise, they need to dictate the style of play to suit themselves and not fall into the trap of racing up and down the court with a team that is better at it.

 

[bajaden]

They got trounced because shots weren't falling and legs were dead. Not because they got overwhelmed by the sheer athleticism of the other team. This butt-kicking is no fluke.

I don't think I went into reasons as to why they got trounced, any more that I would have gone into reasons why Vlade, Webb and company got beat by the Suns by 28 points one night. I'd hardly use either game as a measuring stick, anymore than I would judge any player by one game. I love the way you easily discard the game in which they were competitive as a mere nothing, but use the game they got trounced in as the true indicator of the Kings talent level and ability.

When a person does that, I lose all respect for that persons objectivity, and see nothing but agenda on the part of that person. You simple can't pick and choose the games you want to prove you point. Well, you can, but then no one will respect your point.

Now, I'm not arguing that the current Kings are as good a team as the Thunder, and I doubt anyone with basketball knowledge would. But the Kings aren't as bad as the score indicates in this last game. Which is what you seem to be implying. They simply ran into a team that was loaded for bear and by the time they reacted, it was way too late. Maybe its just me, but I find this kind of loss much easier to digest than our last loss to the Thunder.

 

[Jalee209]

We lost because of our defense. We gave them uncontested dunk and alley oops all damn day long! They had 28 points on fast breaks alone...and how much did we lose by?