SB Nation User Blog: Ziller

.500! Kings Beat Thunder 101-98

Ziller — Wed, 11 Nov 2009 06:06:56 -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.

Post-game Thread: Thunder at Kings

Ziller — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 17:56:03 -0000

Next Game

Oklahoma City Thunder
@ Sacramento Kings

Tuesday, Nov 10, 2009, 7:00 PM PST
ARCO Arena

Complete Coverage >

Kings 101, Thunder 98. Discuss.

Open Game Thread: Thunder at Kings

Ziller — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 17:57:51 -0000

Go Kings.

Preview: Thunder at Kings THE REVENGE GAME

Ziller — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 17:37:22 -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.

Three Kings Make NBA All-Star Game Ballot

Ziller — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 18:10:19 -0000

Three Kings Make NBA All-Star Game Ballot

None of the three -- Kevin Martin, Spencer Hawes and Jason Thompson -- will make the actual game, though Martin had a shot as a reserve before the injury. No Tyreke Evans on the ballot. The NBA fears the Martin Indonesia effect.

The front office would have rated at or near the top several years ago, but the Kings seem to have...

Ziller — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 13:52:27 -0000

The front office would have rated at or near the top several years ago, but the Kings seem to have lost their touch since then. Horrific contracts for the likes of Beno Udrih and Francisco Garcia unnecessarily prolonged a salary-cap hangover from the glory days, one that would have been far worse if Bonzi Wells hadn't foolishly turned down a ridiculous five-year, $36 million offer three years ago.

Chad Ford and John Hollinger rate the Kings 28th in their Future Power Rankings, which predicts success in the '10-11, '11-12 and '12-13 seasons.

Martin's surgery successful

Ziller — Mon, 09 Nov 2009 23:32:15 -0000

Martin's surgery successful

Out a minimum of eight weeks, according to the team.

Don’t ask me no questions about him. Ask me questions about somebody who’s going to be a factor in t...

Ziller — Mon, 09 Nov 2009 23:03:04 -0000

Don’t ask me no questions about him. Ask me questions about somebody who’s going to be a factor in this league.

Stephen Jackson reacts to a question about Omri Casspi, as quoted by Marcus Thompson of the Contra Costa Times

Introducing ... Wabeno Udrih

Ziller — Mon, 09 Nov 2009 20:50:53 -0000

(Reference for the non-nerds.)

Kings Bring the Hammers, Beat Warriors 120-107

Ziller — Mon, 09 Nov 2009 04:39:08 -0000

More photos » by Steve Yeater - AP

Browse more photos »

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.