The New Cinderella Kings!

[QueensFan]

Actually, they way we are playing, it's not entirely out of the question that we could catch even the Clippers- if we win both our games against them next month, it's a 3 game gap, just one more than the distance between us and Memphis. I also think the Clips are more prone to meltdown than the Grizz- they don't really have anyone who has ever had to carry a team down the stretch before. Of course, that 5 seed means Dallas/SA (or SA/Dallas in rounds 1 and 2, so we probably don't want that, but still)

Ooh don't say that - with the luck my teams have been having lately I wouldn't be at all surprised though. 49ers anyone? Hate it when you win when you want to lose! Probably worse than losing when you want to win!

 

[venom_7]

we dont want to catch the clips. how is that different then being in the 8th spot?

 

[QueensFan]

Umm. Nevermind.

7th seed maybe? Let's hope.

 

[Circa_1985_Fan]

I dont care where we are, we just have to worry about MAKING the playoffs, no matter WHAT seed!

 

[QueensFan]

I dont care where we are, we just have to worry about MAKING the playoffs, no matter WHAT seed!

Yes and no. Of course you want to get to the playoffs. But really, it's not like the seed is totally irrelevant - it's EXTREMELY important. If we get the 8th seed, we're almost certainly out in the first round. A 6 seed or even a 7 seed gives us good hope for reaching the WCF, and once we get there, who knows what could happen?

To say that seed is irrelevant is ludicrous.

 

[Entity]

Yes and no. Of course you want to get to the playoffs. But really, it's not like the seed is totally irrelevant - it's EXTREMELY important. If we get the 8th seed, we're almost certainly out in the first round. A 6 seed or even a 7 seed gives us good hope for reaching the WCF, and once we get there, who knows what could happen?

To say that seed is irrelevant is ludicrous.

correct me if i am wrong but, you are talking about the 8th seed as if we would play Dallas, or San Antonio and you say we are certainly out in the first round.

Then you come right back and say if we get 6th or 7th we could get to the WCF and you say "who knows what could happen? Well uhm i may be wrong but wouldn't Dallas or San Antonio be the team we play in the WCF.

now my question is this. If we play them in the 1st round we are "certainly" going to lose BUT if we play them in the 3rd round (WCF) we all of a sudden have a legitimate shot.

Please explain the reasoning behind that because I can't seem to fathom that line of thinking

 

[QueensFan]

correct me if i am wrong but, you are talking about the 8th seed as if we would play Dallas, or San Antonio and you say we are certainly out in the first round.

Then you come right back and say if we get 6th or 7th we could get to the WCF and you say "who knows what could happen? Well uhm i may be wrong but wouldn't Dallas or San Antonio be the team we play in the WCF.

now my question is this. If we play them in the 1st round we are "certainly" going to lose BUT if we play them in the 3rd round (WCF) we all of a sudden have a legitimate shot.

Please explain the reasoning behind that because I can't seem to fathom that line of thinking

OK very simple.

1. Players get injured. Between the first round and the WCF lots of things can happen. Tim Duncan can have a season ending knee injury. Same for Dirk. This is much more likely to happen by the WCF than the first round since injuries are fairly typical in the playoffs due to more playing time, more intensity, whatever.

2. Putting off having to meet the big guns until later in the playoffs is to the Kings advantage since they are still meshing and recovering from injuries and probably STILL will be come playoff time. IF they get past Phoenix and Denver in the first two rounds, that will really give them momentum and a chance to mesh before having to play the big gun in the WCF. Without the opportunity to build some playoff momentum, it's one-and-done if the Kings have to face San Antonio in the first round. The Spurs are too experienced and this Kings team too inexperienced. Same can probably be said of Dallas. It's not much, but the first two rounds could give this Kings squad some playoff experience before having to face San Antonio and that can change a lot. This is all assuming that the Kings get past the first two rounds. I definitely see them beating Denver - Phoenix will be more difficult.

3. What if somehow along the way Dallas or San Antonio gets upset? Bling bling money right there! If you play San Anton in the first rounds, it's YOU who has to do the upsetting. That's not a good position to be in.

And the BIG factor:
4. From the 8 seed the Kings will have to get past San Antonio AND Dallas. From the 6 or 7 seed the road to the finals will only include one of those teams. So...DUH!

I don't see how this is that hard to understand... Seeding is IMPORTANT.

 

[NugzFan]

i cant really see any realistic scenerio where the kings dont make the finals.

 

[VF21]

OK very simple.

1. Players get injured. Between the first round and the WCF lots of things can happen. Tim Duncan can have a season ending knee injury. Same for Dirk. This is much more likely to happen by the WCF than the first round since injuries are fairly typical in the playoffs due to more playing time, more intensity, whatever.

Are you sure about that assumption?

3. What if somehow along the way Dallas or San Antonio gets upset? Bling bling money right there! If you play San Anton in the first rounds, it's YOU who has to do the upsetting. That's not a good position to be in.

What if it's YOUR team that does the upsetting? I would think the momentum might just carry you all the way through the rest of the conference championship.

And the BIG factor:
4. From the 8 seed the Kings will have to get past San Antonio AND Dallas. From the 6 or 7 seed the road to the finals will only include one of those teams. So...DUH!

Not necessarily. What if San Antonio gets upset in the first round?

I don't see how this is that hard to understand... Seeding is IMPORTANT.

Seeding is important but it's not the only thing. We have a lot of deficiencies in this team. It's gonna take more than fortuitous seeding, IMHO, to get us past the first round.

 

[BMiller52]

i cant really see any realistic scenerio where the kings dont make the finals.

Do you mean you can't see any realistic scenario where the kings make the finals? Because the way you have that worded(someone correct me if I'm wrong) is that you see them as a lock for the NBA finals...

 

[ikon_zero]

I think he was joking

 

[ikon_zero]

or she

 

[QueensFan]

Do you mean you can't see any realistic scenario where the kings make the finals? Because the way you have that worded(someone correct me if I'm wrong) is that you see them as a lock for the NBA finals...

haha
sarcasm my friend

 

[QueensFan]

Are you sure about that assumption?

Yes, quite sure. I really do think that injuries become increasingly likely as games get more and more intenseand teams play better and better opponents. At the end of the season, if seeds are locked up, teams will be resting their starters, and even if they aren't locked up, there's a bit of a break so guys like Duncan and Nowitzski will probably be fresh for the first round. By the 3rd round, who knows?

I understand playing the Devil's Advocate, but I'm curious, do you really not think that there's a greater chance of a premier player getting injured by the WCF than the first round? Just curious.

What if it's YOUR team that does the upsetting? I would think the momentum might just carry you all the way through the rest of the conference championship.

Well, yes, but it's easier to let someone else do the dirty work. Give the Spurs two rounds in which to screw up, and if they don't then you're no worse off than you would be if you had to play them in the first round. If they DO screw up, then you are much better off IMO.

Not necessarily. What if San Antonio gets upset in the first round?

Sure but why chance it? Being the 6 or 7 seed guarantees that you will only have to face AT MOST one of the two, maybe neither if they are both upset. Being an 8 seed guarantees that you will face AT LEAST one of the two.

Seeding is important but it's not the only thing. We have a lot of deficiencies in this team. It's gonna take more than fortuitous seeding, IMHO, to get us past the first round.

Meh...Yes and no. We can beat Denver in a 7 game series right now. We can't beat San Antonio in a 7 game series right now. But from the perspective of winning the championship or getting to the finals, you're right, it will take more than fortuitous seeding.

Still, I don't see why people get so offended by talk of seeding. Every time anyone brings up a seed, you've got half a dozen people saying "one step at a time, let's just get IN to the playoffs first." This isn't about just getting in to the playoffs. Yes, that's one goal. But it's also about winning in the playoffs. I certainly HOPE the Kings aren't just trying to get IN to the playoffs - I hope they aren't just putting in the minimum effort required to hold on the 8 seed. I hope that they are going for the highest seed they can get. Sometimes it takes a little luck to win in the playoffs (see: Lakers beating Portland and Kings), but luck finds a way of coming to those who are best prepared. The Kings can best prepare themselves by getting a better seed.

 

[VF21]

I was wondering if it was just your opinion/assumption or if there were actual statistics you were looking at. Curious, I guess, because I don't ever recall seeing anything about injuries being more prevalent the deeper you go in the playoffs.

I'm not looking at seeding because we're not in the playoffs yet. I personally think it's putting the cart before the horse. I'm not wearing a Kings uniform, however, so I don't think my philosophy will have a negative effect on them.



I think the one thing that will kill us more than seeding is the lack of a strong presence inside. Brad is the best we have, and while I really like Brad, he's not exactly the strongest PF/C player in the league. When he goes to the bench, we're pretty much doomed... I'm beginning to see a lot of resemblance between how Tag was used and what Vitaly's future may be and it's not encouraging.

And for the record? I would love to see us somehow dodge the Mavs AND the Spurs and have them both taken out by somebody/anybody else.

 

[BMiller52]

haha
sarcasm my friend

It's harder to detect sarcasm on the net.

 

[QueensFan]

I was wondering if it was just your opinion/assumption or if there were actual statistics you were looking at. Curious, I guess, because I don't ever recall seeing anything about injuries being more prevalent the deeper you go in the playoffs.

I'm not looking at seeding because we're not in the playoffs yet. I personally think it's putting the cart before the horse. I'm not wearing a Kings uniform, however, so I don't think my philosophy will have a negative effect on them.



I think the one thing that will kill us more than seeding is the lack of a strong presence inside. Brad is the best we have, and while I really like Brad, he's not exactly the strongest PF/C player in the league. When he goes to the bench, we're pretty much doomed... I'm beginning to see a lot of resemblance between how Tag was used and what Vitaly's future may be and it's not encouraging.

And for the record? I would love to see us somehow dodge the Mavs AND the Spurs and have them both taken out by somebody/anybody else.

Sounds fair to me. I wish I had numerical evidence to support my claims but they are really just anecdotal. They seem to make sense but I guess I understand the skepticism. Whatever the case, I'm STILL enjoying this resurgence. I still think we have a lot to look forward to this season!