[Game] Kings vs. Cavaliers, 11/09/2022 7pm Pacific 10pm Eastern

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I really liked how the Kings responded to that blown call where the Cavs were first called for a shooting foul on Barnes and then the refs reversed it to a side out. Instead of sulking and playing the victim card and folding, the Kings said F' this, we are going to beat down this team now! No more Mr. Nice guy!

The Kings need to keep this "take no prisoners" attitude all the time!
 
The shooting/scoring wasn't a surprise to me at all; he's been trending upwards for 2 seasons now in this direction and was down-right elite last year playing off Bron/AD. But man, he's absolutely unlocked another level with his playmaking I had no idea he had; he has the highest AST rate on the team, which is downright bonkers on a squad with Fox/Sabonis on it. I thought that secondary playmaking was going to be a major drop-off going to Monk from DDV, but it's actually been a huge improvement with his handle/passing. That creation move where he was legit under the basket and still scooped an easy feed to Sabonis for the dunk was one of the best assists I've seen in a Kings uni in a long time.

Defensively I'm not entirely sure yet, but he's absolutely out there competing and he's had several stand-out hustle blocks that were real momentum-shifting type plays. Certainly hasn't been the defensive sieve I was expecting.
Yeah Monk and Huerter have switched defensively from what I thought they were going to be coming into the season. Monk has looked alright for the most part and Huerter has looked like a sieve.
 
I really liked how the Kings responded to that blown call where the Cavs were first called for a shooting foul on Barnes and then the refs reversed it to a side out. Instead of sulking and playing the victim card and folding, the Kings said F' this, we are going to beat down this team now! No more Mr. Nice guy!

The Kings need to keep this "take no prisoners" attitude all the time!
The refs, last night, favored the Kings. It was the NBA's make right game.

Here's the average FTAs per game for different teams in the league: https://www.nba.com/stats/teams/traditional?dir=A&sort=FTA
Here's the box score from last night's game: https://www.espn.com/nba/boxscore/_/gameId/401468326

Detroit leads the league with 27.8 FTAs per game. The Kings come in 5th at 25.3 per game. The Cavs come in 7th at 24.2 per game.
The Kings had 35 FTAs last night. The Cavs had 20. The Kings were 2+ SD from their average FTAs per game while the Cavs were a full deviation off.
 
The refs, last night, favored the Kings. It was the NBA's make right game.

Here's the average FTAs per game for different teams in the league: https://www.nba.com/stats/teams/traditional?dir=A&sort=FTA
Here's the box score from last night's game: https://www.espn.com/nba/boxscore/_/gameId/401468326

Detroit leads the league with 27.8 FTAs per game. The Kings come in 5th at 25.3 per game. The Cavs come in 7th at 24.2 per game.
The Kings had 35 FTAs last night. The Cavs had 20. The Kings were 2+ SD from their average FTAs per game while the Cavs were a full deviation off.
I wouldn't doubt it. NBA refs are pretty terrible. Kings caught enough bs calls for some discussion... 50/50 calls going our way last night
 
I really liked how the Kings responded to that blown call where the Cavs were first called for a shooting foul on Barnes and then the refs reversed it to a side out. Instead of sulking and playing the victim card and folding, the Kings said F' this, we are going to beat down this team now! No more Mr. Nice guy!

The Kings need to keep this "take no prisoners" attitude all the time!
To their credit they've been like this all season. When TD got that tech against Portland that appeared to swing all momentum on what should have been a momentum changing put back dunk, Mike Brown didn't even address it post game. It was only after the Miami and Golden State games where the calls were on the deciding plays of the game. Which I think is the right way to handle it. After years of watching us yap at the refs all game it's quite refreshing.

The flip side of course is watching Steph basically threaten a ref, being T'd up for it, and then having the rest of the game one-sided in their favor. But it's safe to say Kings are years away from getting that treatment.
 
Hadn't looked at the standings lately and just realized had we lost last night the Cavs would've been 9-2 with the second best record in the league. With Lebron out tomorrow we should hopefully smoke the Lakers. Another round vs the Warriors and I'm optimistic about that one since we've played them better each game and for *any* team it's hard to win 3 in a row versus the same team (and it's close enough in time to this to be a semi-series). Then the 5-7 Nets the 5-7 Spurs and the 3-9 Pistons. If we go on a streak we're right back in the hunt (knock knock knocking on wood)
 
Yeah Monk and Huerter have switched defensively from what I thought they were going to be coming into the season. Monk has looked alright for the most part and Huerter has looked like a sieve.
This team is a JJJ away (I know lol) from having top 4-5 in the conference potential. But I feel pretty good about the offensive structure/talent already here. Fox/Sabonis is a pretty great upper-tier duo and Huerter/Monk/Murray is looking to be an excellent supporting offensive cast overall around them.

Davion takes care of your guard stopper, which puts the core at 6. If you found an upper tier wing defender and some rim protection, that takes care of rotation spot 7 and 8 that you'd use in the playoffs.

Would pursuing Myles Turner this off-season be that crazy? I know everyone says he and Sabonis didn't work, but is that actually true? Or did they just choke away that core with bringing in Bjorksen that blew everything up? The thing with Turner is he solves all of our rim protection issues and he shoots just well enough where you have to respect his 3-ball. And you could obviously stagger them throughout the game where they get their run at C as well.

Only year McMillan started them together. Oladipo hurt most of the season: 45-28. 19th in ORtg, 6th in DRtg

Sabonis: 18-12-5 on 61% TS in 34 MPG
Turner: 12-6-1-2.1 BPG on 55% TS in 29.5 MPG


I guess my thinking is unless we decide to just fully punt rim protection, Turner pretty much one of the only guys in the league who's somewhat available that could work with another big like Sabonis. It was an awesome win last night, but the Cavs really showcased how bad things can get, especially vs upper-tier teams, if they just decide to attack the rim over and over. Sabonis gets in quick foul trouble and even then he's not slowing much dribble penetration down.
 
This team is a JJJ away (I know lol) from having top 4-5 in the conference potential. But I feel pretty good about the offensive structure/talent already here. Fox/Sabonis is a pretty great upper-tier duo and Huerter/Monk/Murray is looking to be an excellent supporting offensive cast overall around them.

Davion takes care of your guard stopper, which puts the core at 6. If you found an upper tier wing defender and some rim protection, that takes care of rotation spot 7 and 8 that you'd use in the playoffs.

Would pursuing Myles Turner this off-season be that crazy? I know everyone says he and Sabonis didn't work, but is that actually true? Or did they just choke away that core with bringing in Bjorksen that blew everything up? The thing with Turner is he solves all of our rim protection issues and he shoots just well enough where you have to respect his 3-ball. And you could obviously stagger them throughout the game where they get their run at C as well.

Only year McMillan started them together. Oladipo hurt most of the season: 45-28. 19th in ORtg, 6th in DRtg

Sabonis: 18-12-5 on 61% TS in 34 MPG
Turner: 12-6-1-2.1 BPG on 55% TS in 29.5 MPG


I guess my thinking is unless we decide to just fully punt rim protection, Turner pretty much one of the only guys in the league who's somewhat available that could work with another big like Sabonis. It was an awesome win last night, but the Cavs really showcased how bad things can get, especially vs upper-tier teams, if they just decide to attack the rim over and over. Sabonis gets in quick foul trouble and even then he's not slowing much dribble penetration down.
Mo Bamba would a cheap alternative. He brings similar quality as Turner and Orlando’s front court is a bit too crowded to keep him
 
This team is a JJJ away (I know lol) from having top 4-5 in the conference potential. But I feel pretty good about the offensive structure/talent already here. Fox/Sabonis is a pretty great upper-tier duo and Huerter/Monk/Murray is looking to be an excellent supporting offensive cast overall around them.

Davion takes care of your guard stopper, which puts the core at 6. If you found an upper tier wing defender and some rim protection, that takes care of rotation spot 7 and 8 that you'd use in the playoffs.

Would pursuing Myles Turner this off-season be that crazy? I know everyone says he and Sabonis didn't work, but is that actually true? Or did they just choke away that core with bringing in Bjorksen that blew everything up? The thing with Turner is he solves all of our rim protection issues and he shoots just well enough where you have to respect his 3-ball. And you could obviously stagger them throughout the game where they get their run at C as well.

Only year McMillan started them together. Oladipo hurt most of the season: 45-28. 19th in ORtg, 6th in DRtg

Sabonis: 18-12-5 on 61% TS in 34 MPG
Turner: 12-6-1-2.1 BPG on 55% TS in 29.5 MPG


I guess my thinking is unless we decide to just fully punt rim protection, Turner pretty much one of the only guys in the league who's somewhat available that could work with another big like Sabonis. It was an awesome win last night, but the Cavs really showcased how bad things can get, especially vs upper-tier teams, if they just decide to attack the rim over and over. Sabonis gets in quick foul trouble and even then he's not slowing much dribble penetration down.
I read in a Pacers forum that had broken down the stats. When Turner and Sabonis were on the floor together they were an elite defensive duo. They weren’t the problem with the Pacers.
 
Mo Bamba would a cheap alternative. He brings similar quality as Turner and Orlando’s front court is a bit too crowded to keep him
The issue with Mo Bamba has always been his motor, he gets really lazy at times, and doesn’t like to bang in the paint. But he could be a good fit since he is agile enough to play next to Sabonis and is a good three point shooter.
 
Mo Bamba would a cheap alternative. He brings similar quality as Turner and Orlando’s front court is a bit too crowded to keep him
I do like Bamba, but he's just "bad" Turner at this point. Kind of surprisingly, only 2 years younger than Turner too. He'd be a good upside swing, but I'd rather just try and get the good version if we wanted to go a 2 big route.
 
Wild to me that the Hornets gave up on the guy and let the Lakers have him on a vet minimum.
Well, go back and watch his antics there. He was a lovable bonehead... He on multiple occasions tried to check into a game, only to take off his warm up top and forget he never put his jersey on. He showed flashes of the player he is but the position just wasn't ideal for his intellectual or personal growth and development. He was a bonehead and he never grew out of it. I think having played next to an all time great, watching and learning how to prep for a game and carry yourself, was such a big part of his development. Im not sure if he would ever have become the player he is had he not played next to lebron.
 
I think my favorite realization during the game was the someone was always howling loudly enough the the mic was picking it up over the crowd noise. I was thinking, who the F is howling so loud and why... But when i realized, it was Mike "AHHHHHH" Brown constantly yelling "MOVE" like half the offensive possessions. LOVE this dudes energy.
https://www.reddit.com/r/nba/comments/xovj4s
Im almost sorry i was against his hiring at the beginning of the process (supported him only after the finalists were announced) though my original guy seems to be getting the absolute most out of his team now too (Will Hardy).

There are a few things i want to point out here though.

1. The most elite front court defensive duo just could NOT handle Sabonis. He was a big big problem for them. We need to recognize that so that when things feel like they are getting out of sorts, we need to use Sabonis as a home base and reset. Get his big butt on the block, get him the ball and let him punish people old school. He gets us back in rhythm

2. With respect to the tale of 2 Keegans... Are we sure the smiling Murray that played poorly (but smiled as fox his a game winner) wasnt actually Kris? Like, are we getting Bushwacker switches?

3. Malik Monk gives me Bobby Jackson vibes. Tough little dude who can give you the offensive business and is a sneakily better defender than you realized. Can be an offensive juggernaut for short stretch.

4. Holmes needs to watch wtf metu is doing...(wtf did i just say???). More aggressive PNR if he gets back intl the rotation.

5. Dont get down on Barnes' bad start. Yes offense hasnt been there but defensively he gas been fairly solid. I think Brown said he had the biggest jump in his defensive metrics from last year on the team.

6. Even league media is talking about how much the kings are getting screwed by refs.
 
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Hadn't looked at the standings lately and just realized had we lost last night the Cavs would've been 9-2 with the second best record in the league. With Lebron out tomorrow we should hopefully smoke the Lakers. Another round vs the Warriors and I'm optimistic about that one since we've played them better each game and for *any* team it's hard to win 3 in a row versus the same team (and it's close enough in time to this to be a semi-series). Then the 5-7 Nets the 5-7 Spurs and the 3-9 Pistons. If we go on a streak we're right back in the hunt (knock knock knocking on wood)
Really hope I'm wrong, but I think we have better chances of smoking the Lakers with LeBron playing. His absence might unlock less-featured players NBA potential or cause Westbrook to come to life (or both). Either way I pray the organization and arena disappears into a sinkhole.
 
Really hope I'm wrong, but I think we have better chances of smoking the Lakers with LeBron playing. His absence might unlock less-featured players NBA potential or cause Westbrook to come to life (or both). Either way I pray the organization and arena disappears into a sinkhole.
that could easily happen but this squad has shown a little more competitiveness than years past. Maybe Brown saying “we are going to compete” ad nauseam got through
 
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that could easily happen but this squad has shown a little more competitiveness than years past. Maybe Brown say “we are going to compete” ad nauseam got through
Yeah, we've had amazing 4-5 game stretches in the past that's followed up by a 1-9 stretch and puts us back down in kangz land. This Laker game without LeBron would be a classic Kings let-down after a huge win vs one of the best teams in the league. Pretty close to a must-win in terms of us not taking opponents for granted and bucking historical trends.

Confident Brown has these guys playing hard though and I do think there's a "chip on the shoulder" type mentality from the guys with these ref calls at the end of games.
 
I would bet Brown would somehow get these guys psyched by saying "LeBron thinks he can take the night off against you" tbh I was insulted when I read he was prioritizing a different game.

Or maybe he knew we'd beat them either way and thinks the other game will be the easy one.
 
Really hope I'm wrong, but I think we have better chances of smoking the Lakers with LeBron playing. His absence might unlock less-featured players NBA potential or cause Westbrook to come to life (or both). Either way I pray the organization and arena disappears into a sinkhole.
Was thinking same thing. I feel a vintage Westbrook if lebron isn't playing
 
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