SB Nation - Sacramento Kings

.500! Kings Beat Thunder 101-98

Ziller — Wed, 11 Nov 2009 06:36:31 -0000

It's been awhile since the Kings could be called anything other than awful. Over the past three years, it's been hard to ever call the Kings "plucky" or "feisty" or even "mediocre." The team has just been abjectly bad. Bad with vets, bad with kids. Bad, through and through.

Now, for today, this team is average. Average! Perfectly average! Never, I imagine, has a fan base been so perfectly pleased to be average for a day (or three).

This game in particular had loss written all over it, based on recent history. As in a few recent losses, the Kings failed to execute down the stretch, relying on defense (guh) and opportunistic plays to finish it off. And it worked! Other than the fouls, Sacramento played solid defense in the final few minutes (including the potentially game-tying inbounds play). And the opportunistic plays came -- namely, the Omri Casspi transition dunk and a key team offensive rebound late.

Overall, despite big numbers for Jason Thompson (23 and 14) and Tyreke Evans (20-8-8), the Kings won a slopfest, an ugly 48 minutes of miscues and failed execution. The teams combined for 22 steals; maybe five were earned. Most came from messy ballhandling, dumb passes or ridiculous shot attempts. But as a fan -- a Kings fan -- that definitely doesn't do a thing to dampen the excitement.

This may not last, but I plan on enjoying it in the meantime. Let's go Kings.

Preview: Thunder at Kings THE REVENGE GAME

Ziller — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 20:00:45 -0000

by Steve Yeater - AP

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Don't ask me questions about him. Ask me questions about someone who is going to be a factor in NBA Live 2012.

THE OPPONENT

The Thunder sit at an impressive 3-3 despite a really rough schedule. The Kings have been the only non-playoff team OKC has faced, with Detroit likely on the bubble. The Thunder's other four games have come against the Lakers, the Magic, the Rockets and the Blazers -- three title contenders and a surprisingly good squad leading its division.

OKC beat the Pistons in Detroit, but lost its other road game in Houston. The proverbial quality win came Sunday against the Magic, where OKC won 102-74. ! Clearly, Orlando isn't at full strength; J.J. Redick, Brandon Bass and Matt Barnes all started the game. Redick and Bass had awful shooting nights, Barnes had a load of turnovers (four in 30 minutes with no assists and only seven FGAs), Dwight Howard was (predictably) awful from the line. At the other end, basically every Thunder player had an efficient night ... which won't happen often, as clearly the OKC offense leaves something to be desired. With the admission it has faced some tough defenses, the OKC offense is ranked 23rd. None of the offensive four factors are pretty: 20th in shooting, 24th in turnover rate, 18th in offensive rebounding, 23rd in free throw rate.

But the defense has been handsome, statistically. The Thunder currently boast the No. 9 shooting defense playing against some deft offenses. The team is 4th in both opponent turnover rate and defensive rebounding, but just 26th in opponent free throw rate. Right now four Thunder players (Kevin Durant, Russell Westbrook, Thabo Sefolosha and Jeff Green) average at least one steal per game, and all five starters are doing solid work on the defensive glass (though no one of them wows you -- which makes me believe Jason Thompson can get in there for a few big offensive rebounds; Howard had three in 32 minutes Sunday, Carl Landry managed five off the bench last Friday and JT himself had five in the season opener).

			FG			3PT			FT			Rebounds			Misc
	G	M	M	A	Pct	M	A	Pct	M	A	Pct	Off	Def	Tot	Ast	TO	Stl	Blk	PF	PPG
Kevin Durant	6	40.8	8.8	21.0	42.1	0.8	4.3	19.2	6.3	7.5	84.4	1.5	6.0	7.5	2.7	2.3	1.5	0.7	2.0	24.8
Russell Westbrook	6	35.2	6.8	14.0	48.8	0.7	2.3	28.6	3.8	4.8	79.3	1.8	3.5	5.3	8.2	5.2	1.0	0.5	3.3	18.2
Jeff Green	6	36.0	5.7	12.7	44.7	1.5	4.2	36.0	2.5	3.3	75.0	1.0	5.0	6.0	1.5	2.3	1.3	1.2	3.8	15.3
Nenad Krstic	6	21.8	3.8	8.5	45.1	0.0	0.2	0.0	1.8	2.5	73.3	1.2	3.2	4.3	0.3	1.0	0.7	0.5	2.7	9.5
Thabo Sefolosha	6	32.0	2.8	5.3	53.1	1.3	2.0	66.7	0.8	1.3	62.5	0.5	4.0	4.5	1.3	1.3	1.3	0.5	2.7	7.8
Etan Thomas	6	22.8	2.5	5.0	50.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.5	1.0	50.0	1.5	3.7	5.2	0.0	0.8	0.2	1.5	3.0	5.5
James Harden	6	15.5	2.0	5.7	35.3	0.7	1.3	50.0	0.5	0.7	75.0	0.5	1.7	2.2	3.2	0.3	0.7	0.2	2.3	5.2
Nick Collison	6	17.2	1.5	2.7	56.3	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.5	0.7	75.0	1.7	2.7	4.3	0.3	0.5	0.3	0.8	2.8	3.5
Kevin Ollie	6	15.5	1.3	2.7	50.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.3	0.3	100.0	0.2	0.7	0.8	1.2	0.3	0.3	0.0	0.5	3.0
Shaun Livingston	2	9.5	0.5	2.0	25.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	1.5	1.5	0.5	1.0	0.0	0.0	0.5	1.0
D.J. White	2	7.5	0.5	1.5	33.3	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	1.0	1.0	0.5	0.5	0.0	0.0	1.5	1.0
Serge Ibaka	1	2.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	1.0	1.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0

THE KEY BATTLE

Jason Thompson vs. Jeff Green. Uncle Jeff torched the Kings in the opener, scoring 24 points on 9-13 shooting, including 4-5 from three-point territory. Brutal. (Not brutale.) But that was, of course, when Sean May was Thompson's partner in crime. Thompson suffered from foul trouble, playing only 30 minutes and taking only four FGAs. He finished with a respectable 11/9, but when the opposing frontcourt (bringing Nenad Krstic into this) finishes with 44 points and 14 rebounds, that ain't going to cut it. Given that Durant has become otherworldly (in other words, pencil in 20 and hope he only overshoots that by 50 percent) and Westbrook is dangerous with the pass and the drive (and the drive-and-pass), letting Green explode is trouble.

At the other end, JT should have success on the offensive glass (as explained above) and needs to finish the bunnies. With Kevin Martin out, the Kings need every easy buckets they can get. Thompson, through hard word, tends to be in position for many of those easy buckets. Finish 'em.

THE KEY BATTLE PART 2

The Kings bench needs to obliterate the Thunder bench. It's a race against time for Donte Greene's other shoe (when's it gonna drop?), but some combination of Greene and Omri Casspi should be able to break through to double-digits. The Thunder have two legit perimeter stoppers in Westbrook and Sefolosha, so thinking that the starting five for Sacramento can whip the Thunder's first line is overly optimistic. It's likely the Bench Mob will have to lead a comeback, one which is hopefully small.

INTERESTING SIDESHOW

I mentioned this in the Sunday night recap, but it bears repeating: if the Kings win, they will be .500 for the first time since Dec. 4, 2006. Almost three years of nothing but losing records. No one expects the Kings to finish this year at .500 -- heck, those tossing out 30-win predictions have been called Pollyannas. But it's a minor measure of improvement we can all embrace. To .500! Huzzah!

KINGS TALK

These previews tend to caught up in talk of the opponent, so let's spare a minute for our protagonists. The Kings are, unbelievably, up to No. 7 in offense after Sunday's win. Playing bad defenses like Memphis, Golden State and Utah has something to do with that, sure. But the fact that Sacramento's offense has been so statistically good despite some rough shooting (19th in the league) is nothing short of inspiring. Be inspired by Jason Thompson's offensive rebounds! Tyreke Evans's lack of turnovers! Kevin Martin's foul-drawing! (Oh, wait ...) The Kings, right now, are 4th in turnover rate, 6th in offensive rebounding and 8th in free throw rate. I don't suspect the turnover rate will stay so low without Martin (and Thompson's turnover rate has been too low to be sustainable), and I'm suspicious of such a good offensive rebound rate with so many poor offensive rebounders in the rotation (Spencer Hawes, Andres Nocioni, Beno Udrih). But I guess, to all of that, we just need to believe in Evans and Thompson. And Udrih, Casspi and Brockman. And Martin's recovery.

DETAILS

This will be a 7PM start. We didn't make it to NBA TV, but there will be other opportunities. Have faith. CSN and KHTK will have the game. Game thread at 7, post-game thread at 9:45, recap on the 11th day of Christmas.

Introducing ... Wabeno Udrih

Ziller — Mon, 09 Nov 2009 20:53:59 -0000

(Reference for the non-nerds.)

The Ghost of Bobcats Future Trades

David Arnott — Mon, 09 Nov 2009 11:00:24 -0000

More photos » by Noah Graham - NBAE/Getty Images

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At this early stage of the season, there are only a couple teams that are completely and totally out of the playoff picture: the New Jersey Nets and Sacramento Kings. Every other team's fans can entertain wild-eyed dreams of playoff basketball. Can we benefit from their situations?

First, the Nets. The only player we have that makes sense for them is Raja Bell. He's got an expiring contract that fits in with their plan to clear cap space for this offseason and sign free agents to complement their interesting young players, like Courtney Lee, Yi Jianlian, and Brook Lopez. Unfortunately for the Bobcats, the Nets have done too good a job of clearing cap space. The only players with guaranteed contracts for next season are guys they'll almost certainly want to keep, and it doesn't make any sense for them to swap out an expiring contract for an expiring contract. We probably won't be able to even start a conversation with them unless, improbably, they grow weary of Yi and figure they'd rather cut bait.

The Kings are a different story, though. They've got some messy contracts and fiscal pressure that we might be in position to massage with a calculated gamble. No one they'd be able to offer us is a game-changer who would guarantee us the playoffs, but if they want to get out from under a horrific contract, they can give us that contract and a very good player to fill out our rotation. I'd be most interested in Spencer Hawes or Jason Thompson to come off the bench and be a backup to both Diaw and Chandler. Unfortunately, it looks like we'd have to take back Beno Udrih in any deal, which makes no sense for the Cats, because Andres Nocioni's deal is only one year longer than Radmanovic's and Mohammed's (not worth it for Sacto), and Francisco Garcia's long deal is still subject to Base Year Compensation provisions, so we can't make that work.

Here's where I'm going with this: I don't see any trades that make sense for the Bobcats, even after other teams start dropping out of the playoff hunt. No, wait. I take that back. There's one. When the Warriors give up on this season, they might consider trying to clear out some space and trade Raja straight up for Ronny Turiaf. The big guy has an unwieldy contract, extending through 2012, but he would make the team better by being a defensive presence (and about the same scorer as Chandler, i.e. way better than Diop) off the bench at both the PF and C positions. Bell, as professional as he is, is primarily a contract figure at this point, and if we put Flip in at the two, we'd get better offense, probably making up for any drop in defense, and if we put Augustin or Henderson in at that spot, we'd be giving much needed playing time to a young player. I'd also argue that we probably wouldn't see much drop in production.

The biggest problem for the Cats is that every other team is either set for the 2010 offseason, set for the 2011 offseason, or will be looking for a player to help them this season, which Bell is not. Boris Diaw might be attractive to a contender, but his contract is extremely daunting. Gerald Wallace will be attractive to a contender, but I'm not sure it's such a good idea to trade away a guy who outproduces his pay scale. And Raymond Felton, of course, might be a bench upgrade for someone with the bonus that he's an expiring contract, but the contender that needs a point guard upgrade, either starter or bench, and sees Felton as said upgrade probably isn't a contender.

It's Rosterbation Monday! Are we stuck dreaming about John Wall? Or is there someone our there for the taking that we can steal? (See? I made it this far without mentioning Joe Alexander!)

AV Pre-RECAP: Golden State Warriors 107, Sacramento Kings 120- Just don't get blown out?

Atma Brother ONE — Mon, 09 Nov 2009 07:17:55 -0000

More photos » by Steve Yeater - AP

These guys don't look too happy. (AP Photo/Steve Yeater)

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Preview/ Game Thread (1250+ comments)

Final Box Score

Kings Bring the Hammers, Beat Warriors 120-107 [Sactown Royalty]

My main man Hash will have a full recap of this game for the ages for you fine folks soon enough, but here's a few video clips about tonight's amazing win to get this party started off right. Well amazing win for the Sacramento Kings that is. Seriously I didn't think the Kings would win 2 in a row all season! Props to Sactown.

Final - 11.8.2009	1	2	3	4	Total
Golden State Warriors	29	25	23	30	107
Sacramento Kings	30	35	31	24	120

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Poll

Will the Warriors win another game this season?

Kings Bring the Hammers, Beat Warriors 120-107

Ziller — Mon, 09 Nov 2009 05:20:53 -0000

More photos » by Steve Yeater - AP

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What a complete game for the Kings. You knew Sacramento had the advantage on the glass and in the paint, and that Tyreke Evans had a huge size advantage on the perimeter. But the Warriors are deep with talent (Anthony Morrow and C.J. Watson are legit, and Anthony Randolph shouldn't be third-string anywhere) and the roster is filled with good scorers (Corey Maggette, Monta Ellis, Stephen Jackson, Stephen Curry). Let's be honest: without Kevin Martin and Francisco Garcia, no win is decreed.

But by the half, this one felt nailed shut. The Kings took an 11-point lead into the break, but it felt like 20+. And it really came from the bench all night long -- from Omri Casspi's threes (he hit three straight in the first quarter, 4-6 overall ... and he added 10 rebounds, five assists and three steals) and Donte Greene's best pro game (17 points, five rebounds, one turnover, one unbelievable sideline alley-oop to Jason Thompson at the buzzer).

Tyreke Evans was again brilliant (23 points on 18 shot attempts, eight rebounds, two assists, zero turnovers, two steals -- sat the entire fourth quarter). At some point, it's going to feel pedestrian, watching Evans destroy opponents on both ends. I think the last few years have been rough enough that we won't take 'Reke for granted in the near future, but damn. With the performances by Greene, Casspi and Wabeno Udrih, it's easy to overlook how dominant Evans was in the first half (especially the second quarter).

Jason Thompson had his third straight double-double with 19/11 -- and this happened to be his most efficient shooting night. The key to me over the weekend has been that J.T. has dominated the defensive glass. We know he can clean the offensive glass, but the team needs him to step up his game at the other end. Against Utah and Golden State, he did just that.

If you want to find a minus in this game, it'd have to be one of two things: Evans was limited in the third by the bigger Jackson, and Andres Nocioni had a bad shooting night. But with regard to 'Reke in the third: the Kings won the quarter by eight points, with the offense humming in Udrih's hands. And Nocioni can be expected to have bad nights -- he's not a shy shooter, and that's probably a good thing in his role as a primary scorer in the starting five. You don't want Chapu to stop shooting (or driving, which he did often) -- that puts pressure on the other scorers. Missing Martin already adds enough pressure.

That Nocioni was so inefficient but the Kings still won big is a testament to how well everyone else played.

One more lowlight: Spencer Hawes wasn't fantastic, with 10 points, six rebounds and four turnovers. But while Thompson is built to expose an undersized, without-resolve opponent, Hawes is different. What use is a stretch big against a team with no defensive post presence? On the other end, I thought Hawes played fine. On the whole, his lack of superlative production since retaking the starting job has been disappointing. But with the team 2-1, and owning the glass for two of those games, it's been fine. The Oklahoma City game on Tuesday will be a bigger deal for Hawes, I think.

By the way: the Kings haven't won two in a row since last November 7 and 9, and haven't swept a back-to-back since April 2008, roughly 100 games ago. Unbelievable. The Kings can move to .500 for the first time since Dec. 4, 2006 (!) with a win on Tuesday.

We Salute You

Exhibit G — Sun, 08 Nov 2009 22:00:31 -0000

Sorry I'm a day late weighing in on the Amick/Martin/Jackson/Peaches issue.

To the tune of AC/DC's "For Those About to Rock"

Stand up and be ready
For the flak you are about to receive
They are the dealers
They'll give you every opinion you need
Hail hail to the good ones
'Cause Amick has got the right of way
You ain't no legend, ain't no cause
You're just playin' for today

For those who've been called soft, we salute you
For those who've been called soft, we salute you

Shoot the rock at dawn on the front line
Like a bolt right out of the blue
Arco's alight with the bright lights
Heads will roll and rock tonight

For those who've been called soft, we salute you
For those who've been called soft, we salute you
For those who've been called soft, we salute you
Yes we do
For those who've been called soft, we salute you
Oooh, salute!
Oooh, ooooh yeah

They're just a battery for hire with a opinion fire
Ready and aimed at you
Pick up your balls and load up your cannon
For a twenty-one point salute

For those who've been called soft - fire
We salute you
For those who've been called soft, we salute you
For those who've been called soft - fire
We salute you
Fire
We salute you
We salute you

Come on, whooa
For those who've been called soft, we salute you
Shoot, shoot (x2)
For those who give
For those who take
For those left high
And those on the make
We salute you
Yeah
Ain't gonna get tired, won't take a break, we salute you.
We salute you
Fire (Peaches)

Preview: Warriors at Kings, Game 7

Ziller — Sun, 08 Nov 2009 20:00:35 -0000

by Ben Margot - AP

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THE OPPONENT

Question: What is the only team to lose by 28 points at home to the Los Angeles Clippers this season?

Answer: Your Golden State Warriors!

Basketball-Reference's Simple Rating System regards Golden State as the worst team in the league. Worse than Memphis (the only team G.S. has beaten), worse than the Knicks, worse than ... the 0-7 Nets. That's likely due to point differential, which would be due to that Clippers loss, but still. WORSE. THAN. THE. NETS.

The Warriors have played once on the road, a 22-point beatdown in Phoenix. The team is 22nd in offense and 26th in defense, with the 30th ranked shooting defense. Here is what the players are doing.

			FG			3PT			FT			Rebounds			Misc
	G	M	M	A	Pct	M	A	Pct	M	A	Pct	Off	Def	Tot	Ast	TO	Stl	Blk	PF	PPG
Monta Ellis	4	37.3	8.0	18.5	43.2	0.5	0.5	100.0	4.3	5.8	73.9	1.0	3.3	4.3	6.5	3.8	2.3	0.0	2.3	20.8
Stephen Jackson	4	32.5	6.5	14.8	44.1	1.5	3.8	40.0	2.3	3.5	64.3	0.3	2.8	3.0	3.5	3.3	0.8	0.3	2.0	16.8
Anthony Morrow	4	29.5	5.0	9.5	52.6	2.0	3.8	53.3	2.0	2.3	88.9	1.0	1.0	2.0	0.5	1.3	0.3	0.5	2.5	14.0
Kelenna Azubuike	4	22.5	4.8	9.3	51.4	1.0	2.3	44.4	1.8	2.5	70.0	2.0	2.5	4.5	0.5	0.8	0.3	1.0	2.0	12.3
Corey Maggette	4	22.8	4.0	11.3	35.6	0.0	1.3	0.0	3.3	4.3	76.5	0.8	3.8	4.5	1.3	2.0	0.8	0.0	4.0	11.3
Stephen Curry	4	31.0	4.0	8.0	50.0	0.8	1.8	42.9	0.8	1.0	75.0	0.3	2.3	2.5	5.8	1.5	1.8	0.0	4.3	9.5
Anthony Randolph	4	17.8	2.5	7.3	34.5	0.3	0.5	50.0	4.0	4.5	88.9	2.3	4.8	7.0	0.5	1.8	0.5	0.8	2.8	9.3
Andris Biedrins	3	23.3	3.7	4.0	91.7	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.7	0.0	1.7	6.0	7.7	2.0	1.3	0.7	0.7	4.7	7.3
Ronny Turiaf	2	20.5	1.5	3.0	50.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	1.0	0.0	2.0	3.0	5.0	0.5	2.0	0.0	2.0	3.5	3.0
Acie Law	1	8.0	0.0	2.0	0.0	0.0	1.0	0.0	2.0	2.0	100.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	2.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	2.0
Mikki Moore	3	16.0	0.7	2.0	33.3	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	1.3	2.0	3.3	1.0	1.3	0.3	0.3	2.0	1.3
C.J. Watson	2	7.0	0.5	2.5	20.0	0.0	1.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.5	0.0	0.5	1.0	0.5	1.0	0.0	0.5	1.0

Monta Ellis is shooting 100% on threes! Oh no!

THE KEY BATTLE

Honestly, keeping up with Don Nelson's rotation is a full-time job. Friday against the Clippers, the starting five included Mikki Moore, Stephen Jackson, Kelenna Azuibuike, Stephen Curry and Monta Ellis. Which is more undersized, the backcourt or frontcourt? Trick question! The correct answer is "all of the above." Needless to say, there is no one to a) defend the paint, or b) close out defensive rebounds in that five. It will be imperative for Tyreke Evans to attack, no doubt, but I'll give Key Battle status to Jason Thompson vs. Jackson or Azubuike, whichever one matches up with him. Heck, if Moore matches up with J.T., that will be a key battle. Basically, the key for the Kings to exploit the Warriors' SHORTcomings. Heheh. Heh. H.

Anthony Randolph did play 30 minutes off the bench Friday, and I have no doubt he could change the equation when it comes to the Kings attack. But we'll see.

INTERESTING SIDESHOW

Usually, Kings management could count on Warriors fans traveling well (or already living in the area) to sell extra tickets. But the Warriors are one of the few franchises more depressing than the Kings right now. So I'm going to go with "no" as an answer as to whether ARCO will be filled with either side. It's too bad, because a full crowd split between Warriors and Kings fan is dynamic. It's like heat mixed with precipitation -- a thunderstorm. Small crowds on each side is more like morning fog.

BOLD PROCLAMATION

Spencer Hawes, Thompson and one other King will all register at least eight rebounds. That other King could be:

* Tyreke Evans.

WAGER

Which has lower odds: Francisco Garcia will wear a knit sweater vest, or Kevin Martin will wear an oversized untucked oxford. (Note: it would be really fricking crazy if Martin sweater-vested it up with Cisco slipped into the button-down. Blow my mind!)

DETAILS

We have a 6PM tip at ARCO, with CSN and KHTK pulling local broadcast duty. The game will also be available on NBA TV! Game thread at 6, post-game thread at 9, recap by Passover.

Daily Links 11/8

FLCeltsFan — Sun, 08 Nov 2009 18:10:36 -0000

Herald Celtics drag it out in NJ
Rajon Rondo pointed right way
Cavaliers, LeBron James need an assist
Tyreke Evans ascends to lead with Kings
Globe Celtics postgame analysis Celtics postgame analysis
Celtics wait out Nets, 86-76 Celtics wait out Nets, 86-76
Bird-Johnson book reveals binding friendship
Hawks rebound against Nuggets N.J. youth movement impresses Celtics’ Rivers
Weary Celtics hold off Nets
Market for ticket resales booming

CelticsBlog   Avert Your Eyes
Marquis Daniels: Good Vibrations
Finally, Some Rest for the Weary
Loy's Place     Comments from the Other Side - Nets 11/7
Celtics.com    Keys to the Game: Celtics 86, Nets 76
NBA.com    Lakers big men Gasol, Bynum sit out game vs. Grizzlies
Celtics back on winning track after bouncing winless Nets
ESPN     Allen Iverson leaves Grizzlies for personal reasons
Three-point percentage tells story of tired team
Weary Celtics pull away in fourth
Moral victory for winless Nets in loss to Celtics?
For Boston Celtics' Glen Davis, injury doesn't dampen wit
Bright Side of the Sun   Boston, MA: Where the Suns Bench Happened (to kick the C's in the teeth)
Red's Army    Video evidence of a defensive lapse, starring Rajon Rondo \
Well THAT was horrible to watch
Your Morning Dump... featuring some love for Scal
Wicked Local    Friday night pregame Celtics update: Scalabrine out; Walker says he’ll be back Monday
Comcast SportsNet   Survival test: Celtics defeat Nets Survival test: Celtics defeat Nets
Celtics Hub     Delete from DVR Immediately: C’s 86, Nyets 76
A Note on Iverson and a Sunday Notebook
North Station Sports    NSS Live Game Chat: Celtics vs Nets
Celtics End Tough Stretch with Squeaker in New Jersey
CT News     Worn Out Celtics Wear Out Depleted Nets: 86-76
Celtics Town   Running Diary: Celtics struggle past Nets in ugly game
Lex Nihil Novi    Celtics Subdue Pacers (83-84)
Remember Steve Stipanovich? (83-84)
Unspoken Lethargy
Celtics Life    What the Hell Happened to...Chris Carr?
Today's Video: Paul Pierce-The Turning Point
Gino's Jungle    Amare, Beasts Aren't Suppose To Have Fun
Celtics Fans, This Season Is For You
Celtics Grind One Out - Stand at 7-1
Boston Sports Pulse    Kendrick Perkins: Physical, aggressive, & mean?
Celtics Pull Away In Fourth To Beat Winless Nets
Nets Daily    Hassell, Scalabrine Prove Meaning of "Professional"
North Jersey.com   Nets still winless; forward has H1N1
WEEI     The Three-Pointer: Celtics Win Ugly
Star Tribune     Garnett says, 'I've never looked back'
Slam Online    A Third Dose of the Dime
The Ledger   Rondo, Pierce Help Celtics Bounce Back as Nets Remain Winless
Telegram    Phoenix proving to be better off without Shaq
Dimemag    No Answer
Cleveland.com    Wally Szczerbiak rehabbing knee, doesn't know if he will play in NBA again
NESN   Celtics Keep Producing Wins Despite Difficult Schedule
Live Blog: Celtics at Nets
Live Blog: Celtics at Nets
Celtics Rebound From Loss, Take Down Nets 86-76
NJ.com     Banged-up NJ Nets give Boston Celtics a fight but lose, 86-76
Green Street    Fast break: Celtics-Nets Fast break: Celtics-Nets
LA Times     Referee Tim Donaghy lacks not just integrity, but credibility too
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Kings Whip Out 104-99 Win Over Jazz in SLC

Ziller — Sun, 08 Nov 2009 15:28:32 -0000

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Early last year, the Kings had what I believed to be a signature win -- at home over the Lakers. Before a raucous crowd, the Kings flew around the court, nailed tough shots, worked the ball around, and did just enough to vanquish the hated Lakers. Though Reggie Theus's second season had begun poorly overall, it was a glimmer of hope for the rest of the schedule.

I really hope this game -- a pretty danged shocking 104-99 win at Utah, without Kevin Martin and Omri Casspi -- doesn't fortell the same letdown. Awful teams (like the 2008-09 Kings) win these games a few times a season. Bad teams win them once or twice a month. Not-altogether-horrible teams mix them in every couple weeks. I think "not-altogether-horrible" is about the most optimism I can squeeze out right now, so one of these wins every couple weeks will have to do.

Whether this is imminently repeatable has so much to do with Tyreke Evans, and how he attacked the Jazz defense.

There's really nothing like a 32-point, 7-assist game to buoy your numbers, especially early in the season. Evans (16-19 from the line) pushed his season free throw shooting near 70 percent, pushed his per-game scoring up above 14, and finally took over the per-game assists lead from Jason Thompson. (Evans is now at 4.2 -- behind only Stephen Curry [5.8] and Brandon Jennings [4.4] among rookies.) But all the numbers ... all those numbers are products of the style Evans played Saturday. Those will come if this continues.

Four of Evans's FGAs were long two-pointers (he hit one), three were three-point attempts (he hit two), and the other eight shots came in the paint (he hit four). He drew nine fouls for 19 FTAs, all of those also coming in the paint. So basically: 17 shots in the paint, three behind the arc, four in no man's land. All for 32 points.

I can take that.

The assists weren't always beautiful. In fact, I don't remember any of them being beautiful. But people forget this about Chris Paul: he doesn't average 11 assists on 11 alley-oops. Most of the assists in today's NBA come on perimeter shots. Drive-and-kick, passing to a teammate who is coming off a screen ... we think of point guards earning their numbers with wrap-arounds and no-look bounce passes, but that's not how it works. Getting the ball to your best shooters in positions where they can score -- that's the name of the game.

That's why the second half of the fourth quarter was so troubling -- the team couldn't get anything it wanted, save for a few plays. The sphincters tightened up and the entire squad began playing conservatively. 'Reke stopped attacking, shooters started hesitating when receiving the pass, forcing a drive and dish, and another hesitation, and ... blah. It was one of those moments when you'd actually pray for a rushed Francisco Garcia three, or a frantic creation by Donte Greene.

Ahem.

DONTE. GREENE.

The Show played almost the entire second quarter, in which the Kings were a +11 (+9 when DG was in). Perfect shooting (4-4 with two threes), decent defense in the 2-3 zone (Orangemen!), and a beautiful spirit (pause). Evans owned the game, and Jason Thompson and Beno Udrih played Pips. But Greene was the spark, and he lit that thing on fire. A thousand claps of applause for DG.

One more player deserves commendation: Ime Udoka. His defense was loads better than I'd seen from Desmond Mason, and he was often seen communicating with Paul Westphal and his point guard (usually 'Reke, but also Udrih and a less-than-receptive Sergio Rodriguez). Udoka's help defense made Sean May look like a capable defender! It was a brilliant debut, and I hope he continues to prove him wrong by becoming a vital cog in the Kings machine.

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