Any way you slice it, the Quincy Douby substitution (he came with 4 minutes left after having played zero minutes to that point) was bizarre. Whatever justification you offer can be dismissed fairly easily by the phrase, "But Quincy Douby?" Strangely, Bobby Jackson seemed to be the person most offended by the decision to insert Q over a "tired" BoJax.

"I was fine, man," he said. "I wasn't gassing. You aren't going to shoot the ball the way you want every night, but defensively those are moments I play for. I like challenges like that."

To be sure, Jackson played awful. But he's been here before. He's done it ... this season. Douby has had two chances to claim victory, and neither chance came close to success. Maybe we're all simpletons for assuming his end before the first month concluded. But I think the case for his end has been made pretty well. He's in a crisis of confidence, and I daresay the Kings stood a better chance with anyone but Q this time.

In the last four minutes of this game, the Kings were not put in a position to win. Kevin Martin made the right plays, Beno Udrih made the right plays (if a little slow on one pass that could've have gotten Martin wide open), Spencer Hawes made the right plays. Brad Miller had a really awful attempt, but whatever -- he had a great game.

Hell, Quincy Douby made the right plays. If he's in a crisis of confidence, it isn't stopping him from firing away. Good on him. That's what he has to do.

But again, this team was not placed in a position to win.