New Orleans Kicks the Kings in the Nuts
There is only one word for the New Orleans Hornets vs. the Sacramento Kings basketball game last night if you are a Kings fan. HORRIBLE. Okay, here's a few more: awful, terrible, frightening. Yes, it was that bad. Gerry Gerald called it the Kings worst season opener ever. The final score? Hornets 93, Sacramento 67. Ouch.
Let's talk about what went right first, because the answer is very little. Shareef was the only bright spot on the roster (7-13 shooting, 8 rebs), and the Kings defense looked as good as I can ever remember seeing it in the first quarter. Brian Skinner was fairly effective on the defensive end for the backup unit. But that's about it.
Let's talk about what went wrong. It starts before the game, when the Kings plane was delayed for 4 hours and they sat on the runway. Instead of flying in to Oklahoma City last night, they came in the next morning, and consequently missed their usual shootaround. And it showed. In the first quarter, the Kings shot awfully, missing easy open baskets. The crowd was loud, and New Orleans was obviously pumped up -- and they played with fire and intensity all night. On the other hand, the Kings looked unsure of themselves and lethargic. The Kings made lots of unforced turnovers, they blew their first 4 fast break opportunities in a row, and they got out-rebounded 36-52.
The Kings shot only a 31% field goal percentage, led by Bonzi Wells (2-11 shooting), Mike Bibby (3-11), and Peja (5-14). Brad Miller attempted an uncharacteristicly low 5 shots before he was yanked due to fowl trouble. Despite the horrible shooting of the first unit, the defense was good and the Kings were only down by 1 point after the first quarter. But what really killed the Kings was the play of their second unit, which looked ridiculously bad. Kevin Martin (1-5) and Francisco Garcia (hmmm, I just wrote Francisco Garlic) (1-6) were totally ineffective, and Kenny Thomas (2-6) didn't bring needed energy.
In short, the Kings deserved to lose this bad. They earned it. That said, is this indicitive of a bad season to come? I think the answer is no. This game was probably an aberration. I think tonight's game against Houston is going to be a better read on the Kings over the first couple of months. If the Kings can bounce back from their lackluster play and put up a good game, I think they'll be okay. If they sleepwalk through another one, it could be a long couple of months.
Let's talk about what went right first, because the answer is very little. Shareef was the only bright spot on the roster (7-13 shooting, 8 rebs), and the Kings defense looked as good as I can ever remember seeing it in the first quarter. Brian Skinner was fairly effective on the defensive end for the backup unit. But that's about it.
Let's talk about what went wrong. It starts before the game, when the Kings plane was delayed for 4 hours and they sat on the runway. Instead of flying in to Oklahoma City last night, they came in the next morning, and consequently missed their usual shootaround. And it showed. In the first quarter, the Kings shot awfully, missing easy open baskets. The crowd was loud, and New Orleans was obviously pumped up -- and they played with fire and intensity all night. On the other hand, the Kings looked unsure of themselves and lethargic. The Kings made lots of unforced turnovers, they blew their first 4 fast break opportunities in a row, and they got out-rebounded 36-52.
The Kings shot only a 31% field goal percentage, led by Bonzi Wells (2-11 shooting), Mike Bibby (3-11), and Peja (5-14). Brad Miller attempted an uncharacteristicly low 5 shots before he was yanked due to fowl trouble. Despite the horrible shooting of the first unit, the defense was good and the Kings were only down by 1 point after the first quarter. But what really killed the Kings was the play of their second unit, which looked ridiculously bad. Kevin Martin (1-5) and Francisco Garcia (hmmm, I just wrote Francisco Garlic) (1-6) were totally ineffective, and Kenny Thomas (2-6) didn't bring needed energy.
In short, the Kings deserved to lose this bad. They earned it. That said, is this indicitive of a bad season to come? I think the answer is no. This game was probably an aberration. I think tonight's game against Houston is going to be a better read on the Kings over the first couple of months. If the Kings can bounce back from their lackluster play and put up a good game, I think they'll be okay. If they sleepwalk through another one, it could be a long couple of months.
posted by Tarindel @ 8:04 AM
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