Who do you want to play in the 1st round ?

who do you want to play in the 1st round

  • spurs

    Votes: 26 21.1%

  • suns

    Votes: 36 29.3%

  • nuggets

    Votes: 53 43.1%

  • mavs

    Votes: 8 6.5%
  • Total voters
    123
Tim Duncan is playing through injury. I think the Kings will have a better chance playing against the Spurs than the Mavs.
 
Sirius said:
I say Suns, they play no defense (except for maybe Marion) and they've been running out of gas lately. They're a lot like we were earlier this year...if they can't get a decent field goal percentage they're helpless.

I know we beat the pee out of the Spurs last night, but a playoff series against a championship team with a bench full of players who have historically killed us scares me to death.
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Marion isn't that good man-to-man though, off-the-ball? A stud. Forgot about Raja Bell, as he's the Suns best man defender. Diaw, I think is a good post-defender from what I've seen/read, but is 6'7"/6'8" at center. James Jones is also solid defensively, but doesn't get enough time to have a consistent impact like the others. Plus ultimately his role is to use his athleticism and of course hit jumpers. Regardless, the Suns play very little to no defense, especially since Kurt Thomas has been out. Giving up at least 107+PPG and 48+ FG perecent, when he was with them? 100 PPG and 44 FG %. Also are in the bottom of the league in rebounding. Kurt won't be back unless they go deep in the POs.
 
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PHOENIX (AP) -- With no Amare Stoudemire coming to the rescue, the slumping Phoenix Suns know that their speed and scoring are the keys to survival in the postseason. That might not be enough to succeed when the going gets rough, as it always does, in the playoffs. Across the NBA, the Suns are being written off as a title contender.

"And rightly so," Phoenix coach Mike D'Antoni said after the team's workout on Thursday. "If you're making an educated guess, I'd write us off. I'd even be trying to get into seventh place (in the Western Conference) to play us right now.

"But I think people are going to be surprised, and you'd probably better be careful what you wish for."
After all, the Suns built a solid lead in the Pacific Division without Stoudemire through 66 games while awaiting the big forward's return. He tried to come back, but lasted just three contests.
Stoudemire underwent arthroscopic surgery on his right knee Wednesday, putting to rest any thoughts the All-Star forward would be back for a run at the title this season.
That was no huge surprise, because the team had always known he might not return due to the seriousness of the surgery he had undergone on his left knee before the season began.
His other knee developed problems during rehabilitation, and that led to the second surgery.
Without Stoudemire, the Suns still had a strong presence inside on defense with the acquisition of Kurt Thomas. But Thomas went down in late February with a stress fracture in his right foot, and won't return until the second round of the playoffs at the earliest.
That has led to a breakdown in interior defense, a weakness never more apparent than in the team's listless 119-105 home loss to the Los Angeles Clippers on Wednesday night.
"We know the problem," D'Antoni said. "We've pinpointed it. Everybody knows it. Now we'll see how much heart and fortitude we can put into it. If we do that, we'll be fine."
The Suns have lost four of six and are 7-8 since their season-best 11-game winning streak.
D'Antoni called the performance against the Clippers the team's worst of the season, and All-Star forward Shawn Marion agreed.
"Like coach said, that was rock bottom last night," Marion said. "I think everybody was a little winded last night, whether they're saying it or not. I'm going to say it: I was tired."
No team relies more on energy and constant motion than the Suns.
"We're undersized," forward James Jones said. "Regardless of what schemes we have and what things we do, we're still going to be undersized. I mean, you can't get away from that. So if teams really hammer down and try to exploit that, we have to give a little bit more energy and get up and down the floor to neutralize their size."
Good shooting would help, too. The team was awful from the floor on Wednesday.
The Suns have eight games left in the regular season, beginning at home Friday against the Los Angeles Lakers, a team Phoenix could well face in the first round.
Phoenix still leads the second-place Clippers by five games in the Pacific Division, and will lock up the No. 2 seed in the West if it can hold on for the division title. That would mean the Suns would not face either San Antonio or Dallas through the first two rounds.
But that amounts to nothing if the team can't regroup and recharge the run-and-shoot style that has led to 49 victories. "It's good that we got slapped around a little bit to understand what we have to do to win in the playoffs," D'Antoni said. "It hasn't gotten home yet, but hopefully with last night, it will."
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http://sports.yahoo.com/nba/news;_ylt=Avzi2k6G7BOImibbl2alhjq8vLYF?slug=ap-suns-noamare&prov=ap&type=lgns

As an aside, rock-bottom wasn't that loss to the Jazz or Nets? :p
 
suns play little defense but they spread the floor well. therefore it's harder to guard them.
spurs are more like a half court team, which is the same as the kings right now. so i go for the spurs
 
I think the Suns are the only chance we have at advancing. Spurs and Dallas will finish us in 4-5 games.

Suns are like the old Dallas and Sacramento. They play absolutely no D and run up and down the floor the entire game. I would expect RA to dust off some old playoff notes and run a similar game plan as he has in the past. Try and slow the game down and go inside the entire game.

I think we stand no chance against the Spurs D and the Mavs are going all the way in the west this year. (DID I JUST SAY THAT?)
 
Mavs to the finals? I'm still not sure on that. Especially with the Mavs injuries hurting their key bench big-time, and starter, Adrian Griffin. Along with Dirk vs. Bruce Bowen, yeah Dirk won last night, but not the previous two times at all. Plus, it'll be the playoffs. The Spurs weren't in a tired/tough stretch then, and those were definitely playoff-like games
 
If 1 plays 8, thats Spurs/Lakers in first round
Then 2 plays 7, thats Suns/KINGS
3 plays 6 is Nuggets/Grizzlies
4 plays 5 is Mavs/Clips

Then winner of 1/8 plays winner of 2/7 (??) I think
So, if we beat the Suns in first round we likely get the Spurs in second round

Kings can do that IF and a huge IF, they play consistently, like in last 2 games. Otherwise the're out in 6 in first round.
 
CruzDude said:
If 1 plays 8, thats Spurs/Lakers in first round
Then 2 plays 7, thats Suns/KINGS
3 plays 6 is Nuggets/Grizzlies
4 plays 5 is Mavs/Clips

Then winner of 1/8 plays winner of 2/7 (??) I think
So, if we beat the Suns in first round we likely get the Spurs in second round

Kings can do that IF and a huge IF, they play consistently, like in last 2 games. Otherwise the're out in 6 in first round.
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Thats incorrect...the 2/7 plays the 3/6 in the second round...a first round matchup with the suns would mean a second round matchup with either denver or memphis. Denver is only 2.5 games ahead of us, so in these last 5 if for some reason we can win out, there is a chance we can have homecourt in the second round.

I choose the suns, simply because it is the easiest path to the WCF...if we beat the suns our second round matchup is much much easier, and we wouldnt have to see the spurs/mavs until WCF, and by then we would hopefully have momentum. In all honesty, if we get the 7th spot, and can hold off the suns, i see us as a sleeper to going all the way to the finals. The 7th spot is the key though, otherwise we see dallas/SA right off the bat in the second round.
 
I voted to match up against the Spurs.

They seem to be viewed as the best in the West by most neutrals so 'bring 'em on' I say.

Go Kings !!
 
Dont let Duncan's injury fool you. I remember last season when team's wanted to play the Spurs because Duncan was ineffective but when the playoffs came the Spurs showed no mercy and beat the hell out of good team.
 
Rome said:
Dont let Duncan's injury fool you. I remember last season when team's wanted to play the Spurs because Duncan was ineffective but when the playoffs came the Spurs showed no mercy and beat the hell out of good team.
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agreed
 
I'm not that sure about the first round, but I think I'd like us to meet the Clippers in the second round.

;)
 
And follwed it up saying Houston are a horrific defensive team, which is just ridiculous. Boring and ugly to watch most the time? Indeed. ;)
 
I accidentally voted for the Nuggies in the first round. But as of today we might be facing the Suns (without Amare, yes!!!!) and probably the Griz or the Nugs in the 2nd round if all goes the way it is.
 
You guys should check out RealGM.com and go to the Phoenix Suns board. They were given a choice of 3 teams, the Kings, Grizzlies and the Lakers to choose who would they want to face in the 1st Round. None of them wants to play the Kings and the Grizzlies.
 
I can understand on the Grizzlies/Kings, both have played them well last season. Grizz got swept in the POs, but still gave them a scrappy fight, and are better now with Pau's development/Eddie J/B-Jax/Full season under Fratello. And this season have the style that can effect and beat them.
 
If you want to make yourself feel good, go read some of the recent posts over at one of the Phoenix Suns' fan boards. Their comments mirror the results of a recent NBA poll on who Suns' fans want, or don't want, to face in the first round of the playoffs. Phoenix fans want no part of the Kings this year. In fact, the NBA poll indicated that Phoenix fans prefered playing the Lakers to the Kings by a ratio of six-to-one. A lot of us are gun-shy and not readily willing to be optimistic about our chances in the playoffs. That said, it looks as though the Kings really need to hang on to the seventh seed. Phoenix fans are apparently impressed with the Kings.

Did anyone notice that Kobe has accumulated at least 13 technical fouls this season. He is just behind Rasheed Wallace who has 15. Kobe recently shoved the ball into the chest of a referee, who then issued Kobe a technical foul. Believe it or not, the League later recinded the foul. If Kobe gets two more tech fouls this season, he will be suspended a game. I don't think they hold these penalties over into the post-season, but I don't really know. What a huge jerk. Too bad the Kings won't get to play the Lakers in the post-season.
 
quick dog said:
If you want to make yourself feel good, go read some of the recent posts over at one of the Phoenix Suns' fan boards. Their comments mirror the results of a recent NBA poll on who Suns' fans want, or don't want, to face in the first round of the playoffs. Phoenix fans want no part of the Kings this year. In fact, the NBA poll indicated that Phoenix fans prefered playing the Lakers to the Kings by a ratio of six-to-one. A lot of us are gun-shy and not readily willing to be optimistic about our chances in the playoffs. That said, it looks as though the Kings really need to hang on to the seventh seed. Phoenix fans are apparently impressed with the Kings.

Did anyone notice that Kobe has accumulated at least 13 technical fouls this season. He is just behind Rasheed Wallace who has 15. Kobe recently shoved the ball into the chest of a referee, who then issued Kobe a technical foul. Believe it or not, the League later recinded the foul. If Kobe gets two more tech fouls this season, he will be suspended a game. I don't think they hold these penalties over into the post-season, but I don't really know. What a huge jerk. Too bad the Kings won't get to play the Lakers in the post-season.
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QD - Check out the NBA forum. There are a couple of threads about officiating and Kobe's rescinded technical.
 
In Mark Stein's chat, he says the Suns want the Lakers. Says despite Kobe the Suns would win that in 5. On the other hand, he said the Kings are the ultimate wild card team, with the ultimate wild card - Artest. :D

In other words - the Kings are scarier.
 
Last night in Houston kind of scared me.

Houston was running all up down the floor, and the King's were playing up tempo too.

The King's never controlled the tempo at all.

I've seen us controll the tempo against the Suns, so we are capable of doing it.
 
I would have loved for the Kings to play the Nuggets in the 1st round, but that doesn't look possible at this point. The Suns would be okay followed by the Spurs and then the Mavs. At this point, I don't think any teams really looks forward to playing us. We are making quite a stir here late in the season and are creating lots of mismatches. I just hope KMart and Cisco return to their pre-injury form and then we can really make some noise. You never know what can happen in the playoffs, just take 1 game at a time no matter who you play. I know we still need a good/big PF/C (although Brad played a heck of game last night again Yao) to really make some noise, but who knows....anytime you get in the playoffs you should feel it's your year...hopefully you take most/all of the 50/50 games and do good on your home court. Home court is only a 1 game advantage and if you steal 1 from your opponent on their court and do good on yours...you erase the advantage.

GO KINGS!!!
 
I think if Rick played Sampson some regular minutes we'd have some rebounding, shot-blocking, and athleticism off the bench. At least Potapenko is strong, big, and a good post-defender, not too bad on the boards.
 
If all the the Suns' fans want no part of the Sacramento Kings, what are the Suns' players thinking? Would the Suns throw their Sunday game with the Los Angeles Lakers in a bid to avoid playing the Kings in the first round?

The Kings had better run the table in April.
 
I can think of some specific reasons of why the Suns could be the best pick. One of the main ones is that we can dominate them in the post with Artest, Bonzi, and more importantly Shareef. Shareef could have a monster series if we face them in the 1st round.

But lets see how tuesdays game goes to see how we match up. We will either get slammed or destroy them. If we get a terminal case of the turnovers we are screwed they'll just run it right back down our throats. Pound the post and play smart, at OUR pace, and maybe even a little of theirs we can win. The next game is going to be very very interesting.
 
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SacTownKid said:
I can think of some specific reasons of why the Suns could be the best pick. One of the main ones is that we can dominate them in the post with Artest, Bonzi, and more importantly Shareef. Shareef could have a monster series if we face them in the 1st round.

But lets see how tuesdays game goes to see how we match up. We will either get slammed or destroy them. If we get a terminal case of the turnovers we are screwed they'll just run it right back down our throats. Pound the post and play smart, at OUR pace, and maybe even a little of theirs we can win. The next game is going to be very very interesting.
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Phoenix is not playing particularly well right now, and injuries have really ruined their year. Think the only real question is how much they admit that to themselves. If they do, I cannot see them wantintg to play us. If they don't, then the arrogance/confidence of being the superior team may give them confidence regardless. Thing is, they have lost 3/5 of the lineup that remembers being great last year, so who knows how much institutional memory of greatness they have.

Far FAR prefereable matchup for us than ending up in the #8 Dallas/San Antonio bracket of doom. Against Phoenix, we are the better post team, better rebounding team, better defensive team. In short WE are the team built better for the playoffs (not the same thing as saying we will win, but nonethless encouraging). Against Dallas or San Antonio we are the team coming out on the short end in those categories. And then of course maybe even an easier 2nd round matchup. Its the perfect bracket setup for a "darkhorse" to sneak all the way to the WCF. My only worry then that we become like a Denver last year or Knicks back in '99, where you get a little lucky, sneak through the big boys, and convince yourself that you are better than you are and stop making moves for the next season.
 
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