coolhandluke
Starter
Bounce-back time for Kings
Sacramento must slow Spurs' perimeter shooters
By Sam Amick -- Bee Staff Writer
Published 2:15 am PDT Friday, April 28, 2006
No matter how many times they tried, the bounce wouldn't come back.
After the Kings were done scheming and scrimmaging in preparation for tonight's Game 3 against San Antonio, assistant coaches T.R. Dunn and Elston Turner stood beneath the rim with point guard Ronnie Price, repeatedly throwing the ball high off the rim and against the backboard.
They never were able to re-enact the bounce that led to Brent Barry's miraculous three-pointer in Game 2, that shocking shot that eventually put the Kings in an 0-2 hole in this first-round matchup.
For that, they should be thankful. It's time to move on.
If the Kings are to make a move back into this series - to avoid going down 0-3 when NBA history tells them that no team has recovered from such a deficit under the seven-game setup - they know they must finally put their agony behind them.
Lucky ricochets had nothing to do with the 22 three-pointers that came before Barry's in the first two games, so the Kings will focus on defending a Spurs perimeter that is stocked with long-range specialists.
The shot had nothing to do with Manu Ginobili's 32 points in Game 2, so they will welcome back Ron Artest after his one-game suspension in hopes that he can keep the Spurs guard in check.
Barry's heroics did nothing to dim the efforts of reserves Kevin Martin and Shareef Abdur-Rahim, who will again be utilized in an attempt to give the Kings the same versatile attack that nearly worked last time.
A must-win? Just about.
"A must-win game means that you're done (if you lose)," Kings coach Rick Adelman said. "We're not going to be done if we lose, but it definitely puts us on the brink. I don't want to be down 3-0 to the champs. It's a huge game for us."
And Martin and Abdur-Rahim, according to Adelman, need to be huge for his squad. In Game 2, the Kings jumped out to an early lead largely because they pushed the ball, scoring nine fast-break points in a first quarter in which their margin reached 10 points.
Spurs 10th-year coach Gregg Popovich called his team's first-half defense "the most pathetic play of a transition defense I've seen in a Spurs team."
The Kings called it good timing, setting a pace they would love to repeat.
While Bonzi Wells will continue to start at shooting guard, Adelman said inserting Martin early and often is a priority, partly because an early spark would help ignite the Arco Arena crowd.
"If we give (the crowd) something to get going about, they can certainly get us going," Adelman said. "You've got to get your people involved, get them standing up and excited. That's going to get your team excited and carry the energy level."
Martin had 26 points and eight rebounds while starting Game 2, attacking the rim often en route to going 10 for 10 from the free-throw line. Wells was equally as effective starting in Artest's spot, scoring 28 points and grabbing 12 rebounds.
Adelman said Martin might see some time at point guard.
"I think you'll see Kevin bringing the ball up," Adelman said. "With Ron back, it helps too because he can bring the ball up. We have more flexibility with Ron back. The only concern I have (with Martin) is that he's not used to getting into offenses, and (what happens) if they put pressure on him?"
Turner said Martin can be a game-changer.
"He brings about a different style, more along the lines of the way we played in the past," Turner said. "The quick cuts, the movement, the running out in transition, the active body. He's a different style than the post-ups.... We can bang people in the post and go with the finesse game."
The banging, the Kings hope, will continue. Abdur-Rahim was effective in the paint even when the Spurs knew the ball was coming his way, driving to the basket and dropping a series of jump hooks in scoring 27 points.
Should the Spurs double-team Abdur-Rahim as the Kings have so often against San Antonio forward Tim Duncan, it will only lead to the sort of perimeter options that the Spurs have utilized. And possibly, shots that become as memorable as the one they can't seem to forget.
Link
Sacramento must slow Spurs' perimeter shooters
By Sam Amick -- Bee Staff Writer
Published 2:15 am PDT Friday, April 28, 2006
No matter how many times they tried, the bounce wouldn't come back.
After the Kings were done scheming and scrimmaging in preparation for tonight's Game 3 against San Antonio, assistant coaches T.R. Dunn and Elston Turner stood beneath the rim with point guard Ronnie Price, repeatedly throwing the ball high off the rim and against the backboard.
They never were able to re-enact the bounce that led to Brent Barry's miraculous three-pointer in Game 2, that shocking shot that eventually put the Kings in an 0-2 hole in this first-round matchup.
For that, they should be thankful. It's time to move on.
If the Kings are to make a move back into this series - to avoid going down 0-3 when NBA history tells them that no team has recovered from such a deficit under the seven-game setup - they know they must finally put their agony behind them.
Lucky ricochets had nothing to do with the 22 three-pointers that came before Barry's in the first two games, so the Kings will focus on defending a Spurs perimeter that is stocked with long-range specialists.
The shot had nothing to do with Manu Ginobili's 32 points in Game 2, so they will welcome back Ron Artest after his one-game suspension in hopes that he can keep the Spurs guard in check.
Barry's heroics did nothing to dim the efforts of reserves Kevin Martin and Shareef Abdur-Rahim, who will again be utilized in an attempt to give the Kings the same versatile attack that nearly worked last time.
A must-win? Just about.
"A must-win game means that you're done (if you lose)," Kings coach Rick Adelman said. "We're not going to be done if we lose, but it definitely puts us on the brink. I don't want to be down 3-0 to the champs. It's a huge game for us."
And Martin and Abdur-Rahim, according to Adelman, need to be huge for his squad. In Game 2, the Kings jumped out to an early lead largely because they pushed the ball, scoring nine fast-break points in a first quarter in which their margin reached 10 points.
Spurs 10th-year coach Gregg Popovich called his team's first-half defense "the most pathetic play of a transition defense I've seen in a Spurs team."
The Kings called it good timing, setting a pace they would love to repeat.
While Bonzi Wells will continue to start at shooting guard, Adelman said inserting Martin early and often is a priority, partly because an early spark would help ignite the Arco Arena crowd.
"If we give (the crowd) something to get going about, they can certainly get us going," Adelman said. "You've got to get your people involved, get them standing up and excited. That's going to get your team excited and carry the energy level."
Martin had 26 points and eight rebounds while starting Game 2, attacking the rim often en route to going 10 for 10 from the free-throw line. Wells was equally as effective starting in Artest's spot, scoring 28 points and grabbing 12 rebounds.
Adelman said Martin might see some time at point guard.
"I think you'll see Kevin bringing the ball up," Adelman said. "With Ron back, it helps too because he can bring the ball up. We have more flexibility with Ron back. The only concern I have (with Martin) is that he's not used to getting into offenses, and (what happens) if they put pressure on him?"
Turner said Martin can be a game-changer.
"He brings about a different style, more along the lines of the way we played in the past," Turner said. "The quick cuts, the movement, the running out in transition, the active body. He's a different style than the post-ups.... We can bang people in the post and go with the finesse game."
The banging, the Kings hope, will continue. Abdur-Rahim was effective in the paint even when the Spurs knew the ball was coming his way, driving to the basket and dropping a series of jump hooks in scoring 27 points.
Should the Spurs double-team Abdur-Rahim as the Kings have so often against San Antonio forward Tim Duncan, it will only lead to the sort of perimeter options that the Spurs have utilized. And possibly, shots that become as memorable as the one they can't seem to forget.
Link
