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Mark Kreidler: One Bibby, then lots of maybes
By Mark Kreidler -- Bee Sports Columnist
Published 2:15 am PDT Thursday, April 21, 2005
Sure, they'll go to Mike Bibby. They'll go to Bibby because it's the logical thing to do, and, incidentally, Plan B does not precisely thrill the senses.
They will go to Bibby because he's a playoff guy, or so the local legend has it. He's the guy who almost took down the Lakers himself a couple of years ago.
He is absolutely the guy whose shooting touch can make or break a playoff series, and the numbers show it.
And they'll go to Bibby this time, the Kings will, because he's the man still standing. That's not necessarily an honor. It is what it is.
"Somebody always has something to say," Bibby noted Wednesday. "I like to be the one to prove them wrong."
They'll go to Mike Bibby, beginning Saturday in Seattle, for the proving.
These underdog Kings as a playoff entry? Grab any bit of the argument you like -- it's all valid. This, after all, is the team that no longer has Vlade Divac and Chris Webber and Doug Christie, players who, if nothing else, surely knew how to close out a tough opening round.
Peja Stojakovic, nursing a groin strain, ought to wear uniform number "?". He's just an unknown at this point. Ditto Brad Miller. You see Bobby Jackson back on the floor now, but what are the chances, really, that with no run-up whatsoever he can be the B-Jax who once changed the tenor of playoff games just by a few minutes' presence on the court? Certainly nothing strong enough to be a given.
No, you look around that locker room, and there is a very realistic possibility that Sacramento's chances of crashing into the NBA's second round this year will rest with others -- Cuttino Mobley, say, or Kenny Thomas. Maybe Darius Songaila comes up huge. Maybe Corliss Williamson has a star turn in him.
Maybe, maybe and, in other news, maybe.
And then there is Mike Bibby, who doesn't have the luxury of being a wait-and-see quantity.
"All this just makes me go harder," he said.
Harder, sure. But better?
It's interesting about Bibby: On some levels, the renown outstrips the actual playoff performance. He was undeniably brilliant in 2002, especially in the Western Conference finals against the Lakers, when coach Rick Adelman called Bibby's number again and again. He averaged 20 points per playoff game that year (22.7 against the Lakers alone) after scoring just 13.7 during the season, and the legend was born.
But this is the same Bibby who underperformed against the Dallas Mavericks in the semifinals the following year, a dramatic falloff that left him frustrated and angry at himself. It's also the same Bibby who torched the Mavs in the first round last year, practically carrying the team -- and then lost his stroke completely in the dismal, seven-game semifinal loss to the Minnesota Timberwolves.
Truth is, he really has been up and down in the playoffs, like a lot of Kings.
But Bibby won't be remembered for the valleys.
Why? Exactly this: He wants the ball.
Over four years with the Kings, Bibby has repeatedly presented himself as the guy who will come forward and take the shot. When Webber didn't seem to want to risk a crucial miss, Bibby willingly took the chance. When Stojakovic shied away, no matter how much the Kings tried to pretzel-twist him into a different playoff entity, Bibby was there.
He's the guy who turns up his game in April and May. It's no wonder: From high school on through, and excepting that lamentable period with the Grizzlies in Vancouver, Bibby has always had the post-season on his performance radar.
"All the games are on TV, so everybody gets to see you," he said with a chuckle. "Family gets to see me back home, family and friends. It's a lot more exciting, more of a rush -- in the playoffs, nothing's guaranteed."
That goes double for individual performance, and never more so for the Kings in this weird, trade-disrupted, injury-fractured little campaign. Maybe Bobby Jackson comes back with a fury. Maybe Brad Miller jumps on board. Maybe Peja's down time is all he needs to get healthy, clear his head and charge into the postseason with a fury.
Maybe, maybe and, in other news, maybe. So the Kings will turn to Mike Bibby in the playoffs, just like they always do.
"I'm just going to keep doing what I've been doing," Bibby said.
It begins Saturday with the ball in his hands. In that respect, at least, the Kings got the right guy.
http://www.sacbee.com/content/sports/basketball/kings/story/12761902p-13613171c.html
By Mark Kreidler -- Bee Sports Columnist
Published 2:15 am PDT Thursday, April 21, 2005
Sure, they'll go to Mike Bibby. They'll go to Bibby because it's the logical thing to do, and, incidentally, Plan B does not precisely thrill the senses.
They will go to Bibby because he's a playoff guy, or so the local legend has it. He's the guy who almost took down the Lakers himself a couple of years ago.
He is absolutely the guy whose shooting touch can make or break a playoff series, and the numbers show it.
And they'll go to Bibby this time, the Kings will, because he's the man still standing. That's not necessarily an honor. It is what it is.
"Somebody always has something to say," Bibby noted Wednesday. "I like to be the one to prove them wrong."
They'll go to Mike Bibby, beginning Saturday in Seattle, for the proving.
These underdog Kings as a playoff entry? Grab any bit of the argument you like -- it's all valid. This, after all, is the team that no longer has Vlade Divac and Chris Webber and Doug Christie, players who, if nothing else, surely knew how to close out a tough opening round.
Peja Stojakovic, nursing a groin strain, ought to wear uniform number "?". He's just an unknown at this point. Ditto Brad Miller. You see Bobby Jackson back on the floor now, but what are the chances, really, that with no run-up whatsoever he can be the B-Jax who once changed the tenor of playoff games just by a few minutes' presence on the court? Certainly nothing strong enough to be a given.
No, you look around that locker room, and there is a very realistic possibility that Sacramento's chances of crashing into the NBA's second round this year will rest with others -- Cuttino Mobley, say, or Kenny Thomas. Maybe Darius Songaila comes up huge. Maybe Corliss Williamson has a star turn in him.
Maybe, maybe and, in other news, maybe.
And then there is Mike Bibby, who doesn't have the luxury of being a wait-and-see quantity.
"All this just makes me go harder," he said.
Harder, sure. But better?
It's interesting about Bibby: On some levels, the renown outstrips the actual playoff performance. He was undeniably brilliant in 2002, especially in the Western Conference finals against the Lakers, when coach Rick Adelman called Bibby's number again and again. He averaged 20 points per playoff game that year (22.7 against the Lakers alone) after scoring just 13.7 during the season, and the legend was born.
But this is the same Bibby who underperformed against the Dallas Mavericks in the semifinals the following year, a dramatic falloff that left him frustrated and angry at himself. It's also the same Bibby who torched the Mavs in the first round last year, practically carrying the team -- and then lost his stroke completely in the dismal, seven-game semifinal loss to the Minnesota Timberwolves.
Truth is, he really has been up and down in the playoffs, like a lot of Kings.
But Bibby won't be remembered for the valleys.
Why? Exactly this: He wants the ball.
Over four years with the Kings, Bibby has repeatedly presented himself as the guy who will come forward and take the shot. When Webber didn't seem to want to risk a crucial miss, Bibby willingly took the chance. When Stojakovic shied away, no matter how much the Kings tried to pretzel-twist him into a different playoff entity, Bibby was there.
He's the guy who turns up his game in April and May. It's no wonder: From high school on through, and excepting that lamentable period with the Grizzlies in Vancouver, Bibby has always had the post-season on his performance radar.
"All the games are on TV, so everybody gets to see you," he said with a chuckle. "Family gets to see me back home, family and friends. It's a lot more exciting, more of a rush -- in the playoffs, nothing's guaranteed."
That goes double for individual performance, and never more so for the Kings in this weird, trade-disrupted, injury-fractured little campaign. Maybe Bobby Jackson comes back with a fury. Maybe Brad Miller jumps on board. Maybe Peja's down time is all he needs to get healthy, clear his head and charge into the postseason with a fury.
Maybe, maybe and, in other news, maybe. So the Kings will turn to Mike Bibby in the playoffs, just like they always do.
"I'm just going to keep doing what I've been doing," Bibby said.
It begins Saturday with the ball in his hands. In that respect, at least, the Kings got the right guy.
http://www.sacbee.com/content/sports/basketball/kings/story/12761902p-13613171c.html
