hanchiho
Bench
http://www.sacbee.com/content/sports/story/14245076p-15063369c.html
more details about rahim-thomas argument last night
(they say it's nothing serious)
Triumphant tuneup
Thomas rules inside; Kings now wait to learn playoff opponent
By Sam Amick -- Bee Staff Writer
Published 2:15 am PDT Wednesday, April 19, 2006
When Kenny Thomas scored 18 points in a Kings win at Denver on Saturday night, he jogged into the locker room on a Mile High of a different sort.
Before entering the door, he turned to a security guard for some quick commentary.
"See what happens when I get the ball."
A disappointed Nuggets crowd saw then what elated Kings fans saw in their team's regular-season finale Tuesday night at Arco Arena, where the home squad beat Seattle 111-105.
Thomas found his way through so many cracks in the defense via front doors and back, hitting layups and dunks and the occasional jumper en route to 17 points. His dunk with 1:59 remaining put the Kings up 108-102, staving off a Sonics rally from a 14-point second-quarter deficit and rounding out a near triple double that included a season-high 18 rebounds, seven assists and three steals.
With this win, the Kings still could face Phoenix rather than San Antonio in the first round of the playoffs. It comes down to the Lakers' game against New Orleans tonight. A Lakers loss would make the Kings the No. 7 seed and pit them against the No. 2 Suns.
The chances of a Lakers loss appear slim. The Hornets - who looked destined to earn the eighth spot before a late-season collapse - have lost five of their last six games.
For Thomas, it was his second double-digit scoring game after he had combined for only 20 points in the previous six games. While it's officially time to look ahead, he was looking further ahead than most.
"I saw my teammates open early, and I'm a very unselfish player," Thomas said. "They had a better shot, and I'm just trying to play team ball. The biggest thing is we got the win.
"People need to understand that we are a young team. I don't know if we're going to stay together. You never know what's going to happen. But if we get a training camp and get to know each other a lot better, there's a tremendous upside for the whole team."
Before Thomas' dunk, another emphatic moment caught the attention of many away from the court. After the Kings called timeout with 2:54 remaining and a 105-102 lead, Thomas and forward Shareef Abdur-Rahim began a yelling match as they walked toward the bench. Thomas said only, "It was a good game," when asked about it, while Abdur-Rahim downplayed the happening.
"It's just basketball, nothing serious," Abdur-Rahim said. "It's just competing and pushing each other. It's just basketball. Never personal ... . That could be me and my brother."
Ron Artest opted for the family analogy, too, with his own touch of comedic flair.
"That happens," he said. "Guys argue. It doesn't matter. We always argue with each other. We're family, so family's got to argue sometimes. At the end of the day, brother still loves brother, sister still loves sister, only there are no girls on the team."
Six Kings scored in double figures, with Bonzi Wells finishing with 23 points, Mike Bibby scoring 21, and Kevin Martin pitching in 17 points and Abdur-Rahim 13 off the bench. Artest had a season-low three points on 1-for-11 shooting.
The Kings looked ready to make it an easy night early, leading 26-18 after a Martin 12-footer. But Seattle cut the lead to six at halftime, as Ray Allen had 15 of his 26 points in the first half.
With the Kings down 97-92 with 8:05 left, Martin and Abdur-Rahim did all the scoring in a 9-0 run that put them up for good. "It was a good way to finish it off," Kings coach Rick Adelman said. "Now we are going to the playoffs on a positive note, and we'll see what happens tomorrow night and prepare for whoever we play."
more details about rahim-thomas argument last night
(they say it's nothing serious)
Triumphant tuneup
Thomas rules inside; Kings now wait to learn playoff opponent
By Sam Amick -- Bee Staff Writer
Published 2:15 am PDT Wednesday, April 19, 2006
When Kenny Thomas scored 18 points in a Kings win at Denver on Saturday night, he jogged into the locker room on a Mile High of a different sort.
Before entering the door, he turned to a security guard for some quick commentary.
"See what happens when I get the ball."
A disappointed Nuggets crowd saw then what elated Kings fans saw in their team's regular-season finale Tuesday night at Arco Arena, where the home squad beat Seattle 111-105.
Thomas found his way through so many cracks in the defense via front doors and back, hitting layups and dunks and the occasional jumper en route to 17 points. His dunk with 1:59 remaining put the Kings up 108-102, staving off a Sonics rally from a 14-point second-quarter deficit and rounding out a near triple double that included a season-high 18 rebounds, seven assists and three steals.
With this win, the Kings still could face Phoenix rather than San Antonio in the first round of the playoffs. It comes down to the Lakers' game against New Orleans tonight. A Lakers loss would make the Kings the No. 7 seed and pit them against the No. 2 Suns.
The chances of a Lakers loss appear slim. The Hornets - who looked destined to earn the eighth spot before a late-season collapse - have lost five of their last six games.
For Thomas, it was his second double-digit scoring game after he had combined for only 20 points in the previous six games. While it's officially time to look ahead, he was looking further ahead than most.
"I saw my teammates open early, and I'm a very unselfish player," Thomas said. "They had a better shot, and I'm just trying to play team ball. The biggest thing is we got the win.
"People need to understand that we are a young team. I don't know if we're going to stay together. You never know what's going to happen. But if we get a training camp and get to know each other a lot better, there's a tremendous upside for the whole team."
Before Thomas' dunk, another emphatic moment caught the attention of many away from the court. After the Kings called timeout with 2:54 remaining and a 105-102 lead, Thomas and forward Shareef Abdur-Rahim began a yelling match as they walked toward the bench. Thomas said only, "It was a good game," when asked about it, while Abdur-Rahim downplayed the happening.
"It's just basketball, nothing serious," Abdur-Rahim said. "It's just competing and pushing each other. It's just basketball. Never personal ... . That could be me and my brother."
Ron Artest opted for the family analogy, too, with his own touch of comedic flair.
"That happens," he said. "Guys argue. It doesn't matter. We always argue with each other. We're family, so family's got to argue sometimes. At the end of the day, brother still loves brother, sister still loves sister, only there are no girls on the team."
Six Kings scored in double figures, with Bonzi Wells finishing with 23 points, Mike Bibby scoring 21, and Kevin Martin pitching in 17 points and Abdur-Rahim 13 off the bench. Artest had a season-low three points on 1-for-11 shooting.
The Kings looked ready to make it an easy night early, leading 26-18 after a Martin 12-footer. But Seattle cut the lead to six at halftime, as Ray Allen had 15 of his 26 points in the first half.
With the Kings down 97-92 with 8:05 left, Martin and Abdur-Rahim did all the scoring in a 9-0 run that put them up for good. "It was a good way to finish it off," Kings coach Rick Adelman said. "Now we are going to the playoffs on a positive note, and we'll see what happens tomorrow night and prepare for whoever we play."
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