Geoff
Starter
'k, this article was written by someone whose popularity here is almost as low as A.V.'s. Take a wild guess as to who.
if copyright issues come up, i'll post his name ASAP. And don't tell if you already read the article on the host website
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For the past four years, the Sacramento Kings have been trapped in a cycle of reruns. Hailed as one of the NBA's elite teams, they routinely slicked their way to at least 55 wins (and as many as 61) during the regular season. But came the money games, and the Kings were just as routinely toppled without even sniffing a championship.
Critics contended that the Kings were too soft to succeed in the rough-and-tumble playoffs; that Chris Webber destroyed the team's rhythm with his penchant for massaging the ball before passing it; and that, except for Mike Bibby, the Kings were too frightened to attempt (much less make) any kind of shot in clutch situations.
Worse, in the wake of their every failure, the royal family made pronouncements that ranged from the absurd to the downright nasty: After losing in overtime to the Lakers in the seventh game of the 2002 Western Conference Finals, the Kings proclaimed that they, not the Lakers, were the NBA's true champions. And just over seven months ago, after the Kings were snuffed by Minnesota in seven games, Chris Webber publicly chastised unnamed teammates for choking. Webber's outcry was unquestionably directed against Peja Stojakovich , who had shot mostly blanks throughout the post-season tourney.
So here they are again — sitting pretty with a 18-9 record, shooting and passing as well as ever, and making confident noises. Are the Kings for real at long last? Or are they simply caught in the same heart-breaking losing loop as ever?
Chris Webber's physical play against Tim Duncan on Sunday night could be a good sign of things to come for Sacramento. (Steve Yeater / AP)
A look at Sunday's contest at home against the San Antonio Spurs will go a long way toward determining if the Kings are destined to be contenders or pretenders.
OFFENSE
Sacramento's playbook showcased lots of high post stuff with either Webber or Brad Miller holding the ball and waiting for the cuts, picks, and squeezes to play out — then delivering slick passes to whoever broke free. If Miller was played too closely, he busted his way to the hoop and hoped he didn't trip over his own feet before he was either fouled or able to flip the ball at the rim. Sometimes, though, the same formation turned into Peja's pet play — where Stojakovich sets a back pick for a guard at the foul line extended, then circles around Miller for a neat handoff and the shot.
What else do they run? Weakside staggered picks for Bibby; double high-picks for Bibby; screen-and-rolls for Bibby. (The Kings took control of the game in the second half by riding Bibby, who repeatedly overpowered Tony Parker to create scoring opportunities for himself and his teammates.). Webber had a total of three post-ups and there was one isolation for Christie. In the past, the Kings' bread-and-butter play involved Webber and Stojakovic playing two-on-two — looking for picks, fades, backdoor cuts — but the Spurs had this number totally locked up.
With super-sub Bobby Jackson injured, Sacramento also ran several plays for their prize rookie, Kevin Martin. His specialty is quick spins and speedy show-it-and-go moves.
The Kings were not able to run against the Spurs, and had to battle for every point. Trouble was, the Kings subjected themselves to several long stretches where they simply lost their collective concentration: quick shots by Bibby, Webber, and Christie; too much purposeless dribbling by Webber and Christie; and a plague of unforced turnovers (21 for the game).
But through it all, the Kings played hard. In fact, they finished the second and third quarters by stepping up their intensity. Here's how Sacramento's leading men performed in the endgame:
Bibby scored a backdoor layup off a pass from Webber, missed an open jumper, and had a lazy pass intercepted.
Webber shot a brick, made a bad pass, dug out a loose ball and found Peja wide-open for a critical 3-ball that split the twine. Then with the Kings up by three and the game clock approaching two minutes, Webber was all alone with the ball two steps beyond the foul line. The home crowd yelled for him to pass the ball, and as his jumper fell through the ring, he dismissed the fans lack of confidence in him with a scowl and a disdainful wave of his hand.
Stojakovic shot a brick, an airball, and then that all important bucket from downtown.
<LI>Miller hit a clutch jumper from the baseline just as the shot clock exploded.
DEFENSE
The middle was wide open for most of the first half, but the Kings regrouped during the intermission and were able to successfully wall off the paint. Otherwise, the Kings were consistently passive when faced with screen-and-roll situations — even Christie, their best defender, routinely went under the screen and let the Spurs' guards shoot 3-balls galore. (Actually, though, the tactic worked as San Antonio was only 4-20 from beyond the arc.) Both teams seemed to lack the energy to generate a running game, but the Kings were frequently tardy in their offense-to-defense transitions.
Tim Duncan was as flat as Friday night's champagne — he tallied only nine points in the first half, was scoreless in the initial sixteen minutes of the second half, and finished with 14 points on 6 of 16 shooting. Even so, Webber did a marvelous job of keeping TD under wraps. Webber managed to avoid being overpowered by staying away from Duncan's body — and his quick hands produced several strips, tips, and swats, which more than made up for the occasional slap.
While it's true that the Spurs couldn't find the basket (they started the game 3 for 14 and wound up shooting only 40 percent), they were nevertheless able to find plenty of open looks. And, strange as it may seem, the Kings second-half interior defense (both Miller and Webber had three blocked shots each) was the deciding factor.
From one end of the game to the other, the Kings 86-81 triumph was a concerted team effort — but most of the credit goes to Bibby's offense (16 points) and Webber's defense.
SO …
When was the last time that Sacramento defeated a top-of-the-line team on the strength of its defense? Perhaps the Kings first game of the New Year is a genuine sign that the perpetual reruns are about to be cancelled forevermore.
if copyright issues come up, i'll post his name ASAP. And don't tell if you already read the article on the host website
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
For the past four years, the Sacramento Kings have been trapped in a cycle of reruns. Hailed as one of the NBA's elite teams, they routinely slicked their way to at least 55 wins (and as many as 61) during the regular season. But came the money games, and the Kings were just as routinely toppled without even sniffing a championship.
Critics contended that the Kings were too soft to succeed in the rough-and-tumble playoffs; that Chris Webber destroyed the team's rhythm with his penchant for massaging the ball before passing it; and that, except for Mike Bibby, the Kings were too frightened to attempt (much less make) any kind of shot in clutch situations.
Worse, in the wake of their every failure, the royal family made pronouncements that ranged from the absurd to the downright nasty: After losing in overtime to the Lakers in the seventh game of the 2002 Western Conference Finals, the Kings proclaimed that they, not the Lakers, were the NBA's true champions. And just over seven months ago, after the Kings were snuffed by Minnesota in seven games, Chris Webber publicly chastised unnamed teammates for choking. Webber's outcry was unquestionably directed against Peja Stojakovich , who had shot mostly blanks throughout the post-season tourney.
So here they are again — sitting pretty with a 18-9 record, shooting and passing as well as ever, and making confident noises. Are the Kings for real at long last? Or are they simply caught in the same heart-breaking losing loop as ever?
A look at Sunday's contest at home against the San Antonio Spurs will go a long way toward determining if the Kings are destined to be contenders or pretenders.
OFFENSE
Sacramento's playbook showcased lots of high post stuff with either Webber or Brad Miller holding the ball and waiting for the cuts, picks, and squeezes to play out — then delivering slick passes to whoever broke free. If Miller was played too closely, he busted his way to the hoop and hoped he didn't trip over his own feet before he was either fouled or able to flip the ball at the rim. Sometimes, though, the same formation turned into Peja's pet play — where Stojakovich sets a back pick for a guard at the foul line extended, then circles around Miller for a neat handoff and the shot.
What else do they run? Weakside staggered picks for Bibby; double high-picks for Bibby; screen-and-rolls for Bibby. (The Kings took control of the game in the second half by riding Bibby, who repeatedly overpowered Tony Parker to create scoring opportunities for himself and his teammates.). Webber had a total of three post-ups and there was one isolation for Christie. In the past, the Kings' bread-and-butter play involved Webber and Stojakovic playing two-on-two — looking for picks, fades, backdoor cuts — but the Spurs had this number totally locked up.
With super-sub Bobby Jackson injured, Sacramento also ran several plays for their prize rookie, Kevin Martin. His specialty is quick spins and speedy show-it-and-go moves.
The Kings were not able to run against the Spurs, and had to battle for every point. Trouble was, the Kings subjected themselves to several long stretches where they simply lost their collective concentration: quick shots by Bibby, Webber, and Christie; too much purposeless dribbling by Webber and Christie; and a plague of unforced turnovers (21 for the game).
But through it all, the Kings played hard. In fact, they finished the second and third quarters by stepping up their intensity. Here's how Sacramento's leading men performed in the endgame:
Bibby scored a backdoor layup off a pass from Webber, missed an open jumper, and had a lazy pass intercepted.
Webber shot a brick, made a bad pass, dug out a loose ball and found Peja wide-open for a critical 3-ball that split the twine. Then with the Kings up by three and the game clock approaching two minutes, Webber was all alone with the ball two steps beyond the foul line. The home crowd yelled for him to pass the ball, and as his jumper fell through the ring, he dismissed the fans lack of confidence in him with a scowl and a disdainful wave of his hand.
Stojakovic shot a brick, an airball, and then that all important bucket from downtown.
<LI>Miller hit a clutch jumper from the baseline just as the shot clock exploded.
DEFENSE
The middle was wide open for most of the first half, but the Kings regrouped during the intermission and were able to successfully wall off the paint. Otherwise, the Kings were consistently passive when faced with screen-and-roll situations — even Christie, their best defender, routinely went under the screen and let the Spurs' guards shoot 3-balls galore. (Actually, though, the tactic worked as San Antonio was only 4-20 from beyond the arc.) Both teams seemed to lack the energy to generate a running game, but the Kings were frequently tardy in their offense-to-defense transitions.
Tim Duncan was as flat as Friday night's champagne — he tallied only nine points in the first half, was scoreless in the initial sixteen minutes of the second half, and finished with 14 points on 6 of 16 shooting. Even so, Webber did a marvelous job of keeping TD under wraps. Webber managed to avoid being overpowered by staying away from Duncan's body — and his quick hands produced several strips, tips, and swats, which more than made up for the occasional slap.
While it's true that the Spurs couldn't find the basket (they started the game 3 for 14 and wound up shooting only 40 percent), they were nevertheless able to find plenty of open looks. And, strange as it may seem, the Kings second-half interior defense (both Miller and Webber had three blocked shots each) was the deciding factor.
From one end of the game to the other, the Kings 86-81 triumph was a concerted team effort — but most of the credit goes to Bibby's offense (16 points) and Webber's defense.
SO …
When was the last time that Sacramento defeated a top-of-the-line team on the strength of its defense? Perhaps the Kings first game of the New Year is a genuine sign that the perpetual reruns are about to be cancelled forevermore.
rolleyes: ), but after the weak flogging he gave the King's here AND the fact that he can't spell "canceled" properly, there's no way I can ever believe what he says.
