The Official We're Talking Playoffs Thread

[Kings Faithful]

Denver playing against the Cavs tomorrow on a back to back and the Warriors on monday... They have a brutal schedule over the next 10 or so games including us twice. If we can beat them both times I think we will be in position to knock them out of contention for that 8th spot. The Blazers schedule isn't as brutal, but still tough over the next 10. I'm definitely worried about the Mavericks though. They are catching fire at the right part of the year and have a good string of relatively winnable games for them.

 

[Gilles]

Exciting crawl to the 8th goes on!

Blazers are still the threat numero uno! As for Mavs Kings host them on April, 4th. Would be nice to seal season series at 2-1.

Second east team in a row comes to Sacramento to depart for Portland right after. Hopefully Hawks follow in Celtics footsteps.

 

[Sac.1989]

Mavs and kings are surging - the Mavs have a more solid roster and in all reality shouldn't be in the position they are.

We absolutely need to take care of nuggets however I fear Malone and how they match up against us.

 

[jcwkings]

Jokic is the real deal if Embiid is Cousins main challenger, Jokic is right behind. The guy can handle the ball, best passing big man already, great touch, can shoot threes. Total package. I rate him higher than KAT or Porzingis.

 

[Bricklayer]

Jokic is the real deal if Embiid is Cousins main challenger, Jokic is right behind. The guy can handle the ball, best passing big man already, great touch, can shoot threes. Total package. I rate him higher than KAT or Porzingis.

The real question with Jokic is defensively. Actually, I still doubt he's going to be a truly dominant scorer, but he's shown on that end that he's got the potential to be better than a Marc Gasol at least. But defensively he's physically and athletically capped, and that will be the question going forward since he's a center. Of course since KAT still hasn't figured out how to make a defensive impact, right now that area doesn't highly favor him anyway. But more apparent potential.

 

[gunks]

Maybe when we play the Nuggets, Jokic will still be all tuckered out from dropping 40 on the Knicks.

 

[Section 101]

Jokic is the real deal if Embiid is Cousins main challenger, Jokic is right behind. The guy can handle the ball, best passing big man already, great touch, can shoot threes. Total package. I rate him higher than KAT or Porzingis.

http://www.espn.com/nba/story/_/id/18668746/philadelphia-76ers-joel-embiid-dances-onstage-bum-knee
http://www.espn.com/nba/story/_/id/18668746/philadelphia-76ers-joel-embiid-dances-onstage-bum-knee
Looks like Embiid has some knee issues. Could be a short career.

 

[NewArena]

Mavericks are definitely the team that concerns me

 

[Bricklayer]

Mavericks are definitely the team that concerns me

Indeed, although they are always a blown tire or flat knee from retirement.

 

[Bricklayer]

So, assuming Dallas "hangs on" to their 30pt lead (and hey Orlando, if your team has quit on you we really will take a look at Ibaka, and maybe Fournier or Payton for you), here is where we are today:

After 2/11:
Denver 24-30
Portland 23-31 -1.0
Sacramento 22-32 -2.0
Dallas 22-32 -2.0
New Orleans 21-33 -3.0
Minnesota 20-34 -4.0



Goes completely without saying that more nonsense slow starts and unnecessary flirting with disaster vs. NOH could be devastating. Just come to play, win the game, and it counts double. Pushing a direct competitor down while closing on DEN.

 

[Bosnian Diehard]

So, assuming Dallas "hangs on" to their 30pt lead (and hey Orlando, if your team has quit on you we really will take a look at Ibaka, and maybe Fournier or Payton for you), here is where we are today:

After 2/11:
Denver 24-30
Portland 23-31 -1.0
Sacramento 22-32 -2.0
Dallas 22-32 -2.0
New Orleans 21-33 -3.0
Minnesota 20-34 -4.0



Goes completely without saying that more nonsense slow starts and unnecessary flirting with disaster vs. NOH could be devastating. Just come to play, win the game, and it counts double. Pushing a direct competitor down while closing on DEN.

Asking to get a win the standard way is asking too much from this team.

 

[Sac.Kings]

We really can't afford to lose this game today. Every game is important from here on out, but the games against the teams competing for the 8th spot are worth double. If there was ever a must win game this season, this is it. The next 10 games or so will determine the outcome for the playoffs for us.

It's sink or swim time.

 

[steelevt]

We really can't afford to lose this game today. Every game is important from here on out, but the games against the teams competing for the 8th spot are worth double. If there was ever a must win game this season, this is it. The next 10 games or so will determine the outcome for the playoffs for us.

It's sink or swim time.

Which means we will probably lose. Inferior team, must win...all we need is for them to sit Davis and it'll complete the trifecta.

 

[Bricklayer]

Asking to get a win the standard way is asking too much from this team.

But see...at this point it would be the single most unexpected thing we could do. Therefore we should just do it.

 

[CyKings]

Portland sends Mason Plumlee a 2018 second round pick for Nurkic and a 2017 first-rounder (via Memphis), league sources tell @TheVertical

The two main challengers to the 8th seed just made this trade.

 

[lwc]

Portland sends Mason Plumlee a 2018 second round pick for Nurkic and a 2017 first-rounder (via Memphis), league sources tell @TheVertical

The two main challengers to the 8th seed just made this trade. Think Denver won this trade. Plumlee and Jokic could be a good duo.

If we lose the 8th spot to Denver with coach Malone of all teams I may legitimately cry while listening to "What Might Have Been"

 

[Bosnian Diehard]

Portland sends Mason Plumlee a 2018 second round pick for Nurkic and a 2017 first-rounder (via Memphis), league sources tell @TheVertical

The two main challengers to the 8th seed just made this trade.

I know Nurkić hasn't been great this season but that's a great deal for Portland.

 

[LPKingsFan]

I know Nurkić hasn't been great this season but that's a great deal for Portland.

Indeed. Don't understand Denver giving up Nurkic AND a pick for Plumlee, who will be a free agent this summer, even if restricted. Wonder what Koufos' market is... since he's under team control for longer, on a reasonable deal...

 

[Bricklayer]

Denver trying to solidify itself for the closing run. But Portland potentially got the much better player/future. Have to see where Nurkic's head is.

Vlade has dropped hints that he thinks we're a player away, but he also yet to in his two year run make any midseason moves at all. have to see what he does here, but we may need one strategic pickup, and restored health, to make a run. We're going to have to play better than we have just to get up into the 37-38 win range.

 

[VF21]

We really can't afford to lose this game today. Every game is important from here on out, but the games against the teams competing for the 8th spot are worth double. If there was ever a must win game this season, this is it. The next 10 games or so will determine the outcome for the playoffs for us.

It's sink or swim time.

At some point, you're going to realize the folly in that kind of thinking. #KANGZ

 

[EIM86]

Gotta go 18-9 from here to hit .500. Lofty goal but crazier stuff has happened before

 

[Ron]

Let's look at some things in perspective:

Ben & Willie were all but chased out of here by an angry mob.
Barnes, Afflalo and Tolliver were pitch-forked around as well.
Heck, even Collison got his share...

Yet all of these are at least reasonable contributors now
(I won't go knee-jerkingly further with that statement yet. I too fear the mob...)

We lost or have been missing what would arguably be considered our 2nd-, 3rd- and 4th-best (!!) players prior to this stretch: Gay, Temple and Lawson...
(We also missed another veteran and potential glue-guy, who would normally be the first backup for some of these guys: Casspi)

Yet we have beaten every contender on the league not named SAS...

We got our superstar franchise player suspended and now perhaps somewhat crippled going forward, because of the T-ejection threat...

Yet we are on a grind-it-out home winning streak, with and without him.

Can't you see how SOLID this team is?

I say:
#LetsBeatWarriorsIn1stRound

 

[Ron]

Talking about a SOLID team, here's some nice clutch stat data I found:

Out of 55 games overall this season, the Kings have reached the last ONE minute of the game within a 5-point margin
(a super-clutch definition, not the more-widely defined 5-minute mark)
in...
...
wait for it...
...
...
...
33 games! (60% of our games)

I'm quite certain that number is the highest in the NBA!

This means, simply put, that we fight to the end, and manage to stay in there in almost every game!

But that's not all!
Though our season's overall point differential so far has been negative (-2.4),
in those 33 super-clutch minutes our differential was +0.1!

And though our season's W/L split is 23-32 so far, we were 16-17 in those 33 games!
(Which should have actually been a positive ratio, if not for some scandalous officiating and other stuff costing us 2-3 games)


This official clutch data is from here:
http://stats.nba.com/team/#!/1610612758/traditional/?Season=2016-17&SeasonType=Regular Season&Split=clutch

 

[VF21]

Let's look at some things in perspective:

Ben & Willie were all but chased out of here by an angry mob.
Barnes, Afflalo and Tolliver were pitch-forked around as well.
Heck, even Collison got his share...

You haven't been here long enough to understand the emotional fragility of Kings fans. With what a lot of us have gone through the past decade+, it's amazing we all aren't just sitting in a corner talking to imaginary friends.

 

[Ron]

...
With what a lot of us have gone through the past decade+, it's amazing we all aren't just sitting in a corner talking to imaginary friends.

You may not be, but I am.

Y'all are my imaginary friends, as I see it...
and my wife claims you are the only ones I spend time talking to, in the corner, with my smart-phone/laptop...

 

[Ron]

...the Kings have reached the last ONE minute of the game within a 5-point margin in ... 33 games! (60% of our games)

I'm quite certain that number is the highest in the NBA!

This means, simply put, that we fight to the end, and manage to stay in there in almost every game!

But that's not all!
Though our season's overall point differential so far has been negative (-2.4),
in those 33 super-clutch minutes our differential was +0.1!

And though our season's W/L split is 23-32 so far, we were 16-17 in those 33 games!
(Which should have actually been a positive ratio, if not for some scandalous officiating and other stuff causing us 2-3 games)


This official clutch data is from here:
http://stats.nba.com/team/#!/1610612758/traditional/?Season=2016-17&SeasonType=Regular Season&Split=clutch

I was right.
We DO lead the league by a mile in such extra-clutch situations:

http://stats.nba.com/teams/clutch-t...nType=Regular Season&ClutchTime=Last 1 Minute

 

[Ron]

Hi...
I promised to update this every once in a while:

(Note that now is exactly the phase of the season where we got stuck and plateaued last year.
After a strong push that got us to 24-31 in game 55, the next 13 games brought us only 2 Ws)


If we beat LAL before the All-Stars break, and win more than 1 of the should-win home games
against DEN, CHA, MIN and BKN after the AS break, we're already doing better than last year.

(I said IF)

 

[Gilles]

I was right.
We DO lead the league by a mile in such extra-clutch situations:

http://stats.nba.com/teams/clutch-traditional/#!?sort=GP&dir=-1&Season=2016-17&SeasonType=Regular Season&ClutchTime=Last 1 Minute

Now let's reach Memphis level of success in those!

 

[Sac.Kings]

Big night tonight. All of our main competitors are playing tonight and 3/4 face winning teams. I hope they all lose but Denver and Dallas especially.

 

[glassman]

You haven't been here long enough to understand the emotional fragility of Kings fans. With what a lot of us have gone through the past decade+, it's amazing we all aren't just sitting in a corner talking to imaginary friends.

I'm definitely one of those in the corner... this couldn't be more true... looking forward to less intense happier times.

we agree on this!