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http://www.sacbee.com/content/sports/basketball/kings/story/11527372p-12429453c.html
Ugly win is still a win
Sure, the Kings shot poorly, but they will take the end result
By Martin McNeal -- Bee Staff Writer
Published 2:15 am PST Monday, November 22, 2004
If you were one of the 17,317 fans at Arco Arena wondering what you were watching as the Milwaukee Bucks and Kings put on one of the most awesome displays of ugly basketball Sunday night, don't worry, you weren't alone.
But since the Kings scored 39 fourth-quarter points - or five more than they did during the game's first two quarters combined - and left the stinkeroo with an 88-79 victory, they hardly cared.
"It was just as ugly playing it as it was watching it," said forward Chris Webber, who like most Kings players labored through a poor shooting night. "I was one of the reasons. We all were one of the reasons. But that's what good teams do. They win these kinds of games."
Kings coach Rick Adelman shared the feeling of his former player and assistant and now counterpart, Milwaukee's Terry Porter. Flurries of turnovers, bad shots, missed shots and dumb plays left both coaches shaking their heads so much that the local chiropractors should have been drooling.
Both teams are known for their offensive prowess, but the Kings had to make 10 of 18 field-goal attempts in the fourth quarter just to shoot 30 of 82 (36.6 percent) overall. The Bucks shot 40.9 percent (9 of 22) in the fourth, only because the Kings were determined not to foul during the game's final two minutes and allowed Milwaukee ballhandlers to go unchallenged for layups on their final two possessions.
"It was a strange game," Adelman said, "not what I expected. They are a very good offensive team, and they couldn't make a shot. We couldn't make a shot. It just got to be like it was pulling teeth. There was no energy at either end of the court."
There was none to be had in the stands, either, seeing as the fans were watching the basketball equivalent of cement hardening.
However, the victory was the Kings' fifth straight and their sixth in the last seven games.
It was a win the Kings got because just when they began to make a few shots and get into the open court, the Bucks went cold and missed 10 straight field-goal attempts.
Said Porter: "I don't think there was a lot of sloppiness but just a lot of missed shots. Early on, both teams missed quite a few easy opportunities, and (eventually) it came down to them making plays and making shots. Down the stretch, we couldn't make shots."
Porter watched his leading scorer and the NBA's fifth-highest, Michael Redd, miss and miss and miss en route to a 6-of-22 shooting performance and 16 points. Certainly, Doug Christie's nagging and the Kings' team-wide defensive focus figured into that.
"I thought early, Redd missed three or four or five shots that you just thought were going to go down," Adelman said. "But then as the game progressed, Doug did a great job of just getting to him every time he caught the ball."
Entering Sunday's game, the Kings had scored 32 or more points during a quarter four times this season, but they could only muster 34 first-half points against the Bucks. The Kings actually led 29-20 with 5:54 left in the second quarter but were outscored 17-5 to end the period.
The Kings managed just one basket during the final seven minutes of the first half, and that came from Webber, who missed his first six shots of the game.
But with small forward Peja Stojakovic making 4 of 8 three-pointers en route to a game-high 21 points, and Webber chipping in 18 points, a game-high 14 rebounds and five assists, it was enough for an ugly Kings victory. Christie almost looked like his old self, recording eight points, seven rebounds and six assists.
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Ugly win is still a win
Sure, the Kings shot poorly, but they will take the end result
By Martin McNeal -- Bee Staff Writer
Published 2:15 am PST Monday, November 22, 2004
If you were one of the 17,317 fans at Arco Arena wondering what you were watching as the Milwaukee Bucks and Kings put on one of the most awesome displays of ugly basketball Sunday night, don't worry, you weren't alone.
But since the Kings scored 39 fourth-quarter points - or five more than they did during the game's first two quarters combined - and left the stinkeroo with an 88-79 victory, they hardly cared.
"It was just as ugly playing it as it was watching it," said forward Chris Webber, who like most Kings players labored through a poor shooting night. "I was one of the reasons. We all were one of the reasons. But that's what good teams do. They win these kinds of games."
Kings coach Rick Adelman shared the feeling of his former player and assistant and now counterpart, Milwaukee's Terry Porter. Flurries of turnovers, bad shots, missed shots and dumb plays left both coaches shaking their heads so much that the local chiropractors should have been drooling.
Both teams are known for their offensive prowess, but the Kings had to make 10 of 18 field-goal attempts in the fourth quarter just to shoot 30 of 82 (36.6 percent) overall. The Bucks shot 40.9 percent (9 of 22) in the fourth, only because the Kings were determined not to foul during the game's final two minutes and allowed Milwaukee ballhandlers to go unchallenged for layups on their final two possessions.
"It was a strange game," Adelman said, "not what I expected. They are a very good offensive team, and they couldn't make a shot. We couldn't make a shot. It just got to be like it was pulling teeth. There was no energy at either end of the court."
There was none to be had in the stands, either, seeing as the fans were watching the basketball equivalent of cement hardening.
However, the victory was the Kings' fifth straight and their sixth in the last seven games.
It was a win the Kings got because just when they began to make a few shots and get into the open court, the Bucks went cold and missed 10 straight field-goal attempts.
Said Porter: "I don't think there was a lot of sloppiness but just a lot of missed shots. Early on, both teams missed quite a few easy opportunities, and (eventually) it came down to them making plays and making shots. Down the stretch, we couldn't make shots."
Porter watched his leading scorer and the NBA's fifth-highest, Michael Redd, miss and miss and miss en route to a 6-of-22 shooting performance and 16 points. Certainly, Doug Christie's nagging and the Kings' team-wide defensive focus figured into that.
"I thought early, Redd missed three or four or five shots that you just thought were going to go down," Adelman said. "But then as the game progressed, Doug did a great job of just getting to him every time he caught the ball."
Entering Sunday's game, the Kings had scored 32 or more points during a quarter four times this season, but they could only muster 34 first-half points against the Bucks. The Kings actually led 29-20 with 5:54 left in the second quarter but were outscored 17-5 to end the period.
The Kings managed just one basket during the final seven minutes of the first half, and that came from Webber, who missed his first six shots of the game.
But with small forward Peja Stojakovic making 4 of 8 three-pointers en route to a game-high 21 points, and Webber chipping in 18 points, a game-high 14 rebounds and five assists, it was enough for an ugly Kings victory. Christie almost looked like his old self, recording eight points, seven rebounds and six assists.
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