Kings Fail To Compete In Oklahoma City, Get Blown Out By The Thunder
by Tom Ziller on Feb 16, 2011 7:02 AM PST
in Recaps
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PrintThere are only so many ways to slice a 30-point loss. The Kings failed to compete against the Thunder from the opening tip, really -- Russell Westbrook's opening salvo, a blow-by dunk on Luther Head in which neither Sacramento big rotated to help, set the tone, and Sacramento did nothing sustainable to reverse it. Look at the PopcornMachine gameflow. You see any fight in there?
The Kings were outscored by at least five points in every quarter, and never broke 26 in a period. The Thunder didn't score fewer than 26 in any quarter. DeMarcus Cousins ended up with a solid line -- 21 points on 7-14 shooting, 13 rebounds -- but his defense was as bad as that of any King. But at least he brought it on offense and hit the glass.
Beno Udrih shot 4-12 and was singed by Thabo Sefolosha, James Harden, Eric Maynor and Westbrook. Omri Casspi shot 4-12 (he hit three of his first four shots but lulled through the rest of the game); his man, the scoring champ Kevin Durant, had 13 in the first half. Carl Landry took two shots all game.
Head will be the fall guy -- I would be surprised if they didn't waive him after the deadline, actually -- but the entire team deserves this loss. Aykis' point about the Kings' defense in games Tyreke Evans misses is well-took; for what it's worth, the Kings are a better defensive team when Evans is on the court.
The Kings play Wednesday night in Dallas. If they play like they did in OKC, the Kings could lose by 50.
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So, yeah, that sucked.
Brilliant analysis, I know, but really, how do you analyze a train wreck of that magnitude?
Even though the voices aren't real, they have some pretty good ideas!
by LeaguePassAddict on Feb 16, 2011 7:07 AM PST reply actions
A disappointing loss for a young team with the 3rd worst record in the League, without all of their talent available, to a playoff bound OKC team
/shrugs. No excuse for poor effort but given the long string of close games over the last month (not SA Spurs game) this was bound to happen sooner or later.
Egg laid, come back tonight and show some grit.
If this game did anything positive – and this is a long stretch – perhaps DMC can see a Kings win without him and Kings blowout loss without Tyreke shows that he is not yet at the level of his RoY teammate (ego check). I’d rather the team mulligan’d the bad loss and prepared for tonight.
by betweentheeyes on Feb 16, 2011 7:13 AM PST reply actions 4 recs
As has been pointed out to me
Its not just Tyreke’s defense that is missed (which it is) but also how the serious lack of depth in the backcourt comes to light in his absence.
You go from Tyreke Evans, to a combination of Luther Head, Jermaine Taylor and Pooh Jeter. Its just bad, and its definitely one of the biggest areas the Kings need to address in the offseason or by the deadline.
Author of the Pick and Scroll. Follow me on Twitter here.
by Aykis16 on Feb 16, 2011 7:38 AM PST reply actions 2 recs
Definitely thin in the backcourt.
But I would assume a healthy Cisco would be in the mix much more than Head/Taylor.
by unfair weather on Feb 16, 2011 8:17 AM PST up reply actions
It says a lot that the only time the Kings ever got within reasonable striking distance (within 12 or so)...
…was when Pooh, Landry & Cuz were in the game. Even then, it slipped away quickly after that mini-run the team had.
EvilCowtownInc: Screwin Suckaz over since 1985...... On Twitter
No mistakes in the tango, Donna. Not like life. Simple. That's what makes the tango so great. If you make a mistake, and get all tangled up, you just tango on.....
If Omri has 12 games with 85+ TS% (20+ mins only) on the season, I will send RikSmits a slice of Cherry Pie with real Californian cheese pasteurized locally in Washington state.
Spurs game redux
Was only able to watch the first 5 minutes or so (which turned out to be a blessing) and thought I was watching the Spurs game again- yuck.
And I definitely agree we need backcourt help. My ideal guy (and I have no idea who this would be in the draft or via free agency/trade) would be a facilitator first and foremost who plays good d and can consistently knock down open shots. Basically a Rondo with a more consistent jumper. Not asking for much, right?
Kyrie Irving would seem to fit the bill.
Author of the Pick and Scroll. Follow me on Twitter here.
by Aykis16 on Feb 16, 2011 8:14 AM PST up reply actions 1 recs
Yes I would like to draft Irving
and possibly the next year Austin Rivers lol
Because you see how well our team does
with a more traditional pg when pooh enters the game, if we have someone who plays more like pooh on offense but can shot his man down or play good defense, our team might be more consistent
Oh, CP3 then
no problem :-)
"But screw your courage to the stiking place - and we'll not fail"
Macbeth Act I, Sc VII
by lietothegirls on Feb 16, 2011 8:39 AM PST up reply actions
No
Deron Williams!
Keep Jason Thompson out of the damn fruit salad!
by prowseinthehouse on Feb 16, 2011 2:55 PM PST up reply actions
Did you guys watch PW's postgame comments about Reke?
I’m probably one of PW’s biggest supporters, but things like that really bug me. For those of you that didn’t see it, he was asked how much not having Evans hurts the team. He got that stupid little smug smile he used when he was saying that Hawes would learn his place and said something like, “You mean just standing around dribbling. That’s what everyone says he does.”
Yes, Paul, he does stand around and dribble. And you pretending that’s a bunch of crap doesn’t help. Does he play defense? Absolutely. Can he score? Of course. But if you want him to become the best player he can be, then you need to admit that standing around and dribbling the ball is a reality and work to fix that.
[THIS SPACE FOR RENT]
Helping the Maloofs save their casino (and the Kings) one post at a time.
by SavageBeast on Feb 16, 2011 8:37 AM PST reply actions 10 recs
You are right SB, rec'd
He doesn’t do Tyreke any favors if he isn’t pointing out how he can improve. The offense clearly needs more movement and less one on one iso plays with somebody pounding the ball then jacking up a bad shot at the last minute. That is a problem
And to be honest I don’t think it is positive to have a coach that displays such poor temperament. Especially when the team is working to get DMC to be more professional. Lead by example PW!
I didn't major in Common F-cking Sense, but ...
He has been testy lately
This group’s wearing on him a bit, I think.
I'd rather laugh with the sinners than cry with the saints...
I could definitely see that. Pretty sure the losing puts everybody on edge as well.
But what I see.. Is that he really has issues with some of the media people. I am not sure who in particular, but it seems like he is outright hostile to some of them.
I didn't major in Common F-cking Sense, but ...
Probably Voisin
"You can have the knowledge that a tomato is a fruit, but it takes wisdom not to put it in a fruit salad." Jerry Reynolds
She isn't the one asking the really dumb questions that I hear in the post-game interviews
Actually I rarely ever hear her ask any questions during those
Keep Jason Thompson out of the damn fruit salad!
by prowseinthehouse on Feb 16, 2011 2:57 PM PST up reply actions
well he's pretty much in a constant seige mentality at this point
Live every week like it's Shark Week.
by wallywagon11 on Feb 16, 2011 9:17 AM PST up reply actions
That would be a good question for jjham to answer
But I think you might be right. I’m not sure it’s Voisin necessarily, since he snapped at a male questioner on the first question after they lost the game where Casspi missed the three pointer right at the end.
I'd rather laugh with the sinners than cry with the saints...
It happened last game, or the game before (not sure) as well.
There was a question about where he expected to be at 50 games. His comment, “That is just a number you pulled out of the air” was pretty hostile. Hmm… Who covers the Kings really well and breaks news the coach might not want aired… Amick?
Would love some perspective from jjham…?
I didn't major in Common F-cking Sense, but ...
Oh, I wish I could rec this multiple times
You’re right, he came close to completely dismissing the criticism as valid.
We all want Tyreke to take the next step, but havng a coach who thinks last year was just fine – not going to work.
It’s a ridiculous and childish comment beacuse we all know that Tyreke can be great and is not the sum of his flaws, he’s not a bust or a Larry Hughes.
It’s his second year, he’s limped through much of it – and yes, he still dribbles waaaay too much, doesn’t move without the ball in a meaningful way that often (lots of Kings in that camp) and his decision making shows little sign of improvement, certainly less than we’d hoped for by now.
I would have thought that being injured and slower would have turned on the passing instincts more and we’d have seen mre development but . . . .
"But screw your courage to the stiking place - and we'll not fail"
Macbeth Act I, Sc VII
by lietothegirls on Feb 16, 2011 8:48 AM PST up reply actions
I didn't watch the postgame stuff but from what I heard I wouldn't really think much of it to be honest.
Live every week like it's Shark Week.
by wallywagon11 on Feb 16, 2011 9:16 AM PST up reply actions
I thought it was kinda funny personally
but I totally agree with SB that he needs to realize people are criticizing Tyreke so much because they see so much in him that isn’t being fulfilled because nobody wants to push him. Us criticizing Tyreke on his faults isn’t a diss on him, it’s tough love, that’s a distinction I think PW has a hard time recognizing.
Keep Jason Thompson out of the damn fruit salad!
by prowseinthehouse on Feb 16, 2011 3:02 PM PST up reply actions
True but
the interview in question was after the Kings got destroyed and could have used Tyreke but he was hurt so if we are ever going to hear some snarky defense of Tyreke from Westphal this is the night we are going to get it.
Live every week like it's Shark Week.
by wallywagon11 on Feb 16, 2011 3:15 PM PST up reply actions
But what he doesn't understand
it seems, unless it’s just frustration talking, which it very well could be; is that just because we criticize Tyreke, does not mean at all that we think the team is fine without him
Keep Jason Thompson out of the damn fruit salad!
by prowseinthehouse on Feb 16, 2011 6:14 PM PST up reply actions
That freaking Cook kid wrecked us.
WHO IS HE?
"We're not talking about me and Darko in the same sentence." - Chris Webber vs KAHN!
by caseycheesecake on Feb 16, 2011 9:21 AM PST reply actions
Reggie Miller got bored
Sorry to break it to ya’ :/
"Contraction, I didn't say anything about contraction. I'm talking about shrinking the league." - Lebron James
"We're talking about Kwame Brown, who cares?" - Stephen A. Smith
Yeah, if he can do that even somewhat consistently...
He would look great in purple and black…
I didn't major in Common F-cking Sense, but ...
His name is Daequan Cook. He lives to haunt your dreams Casey.
EvilCowtownInc: Screwin Suckaz over since 1985...... On Twitter
No mistakes in the tango, Donna. Not like life. Simple. That's what makes the tango so great. If you make a mistake, and get all tangled up, you just tango on.....
If Omri has 12 games with 85+ TS% (20+ mins only) on the season, I will send RikSmits a slice of Cherry Pie with real Californian cheese pasteurized locally in Washington state.
Yeah he probably caused Greg Oden's knees to cease functioning...
…and probably planted the idea in Michael Heisley’s brain that Mike Conley was worth 40 million dollars. This Daequan Cook, I tell you. Next thing you know, we’re going here he’s a top spinning at the apex of Mt Everest or something.
EvilCowtownInc: Screwin Suckaz over since 1985...... On Twitter
No mistakes in the tango, Donna. Not like life. Simple. That's what makes the tango so great. If you make a mistake, and get all tangled up, you just tango on.....
If Omri has 12 games with 85+ TS% (20+ mins only) on the season, I will send RikSmits a slice of Cherry Pie with real Californian cheese pasteurized locally in Washington state.
I thought all that stuff was Earl Watson's fault
Live every week like it's Shark Week.
by wallywagon11 on Feb 16, 2011 10:17 AM PST up reply actions
Earl Watson is Daequan Cook's assistant.
EvilCowtownInc: Screwin Suckaz over since 1985...... On Twitter
No mistakes in the tango, Donna. Not like life. Simple. That's what makes the tango so great. If you make a mistake, and get all tangled up, you just tango on.....
If Omri has 12 games with 85+ TS% (20+ mins only) on the season, I will send RikSmits a slice of Cherry Pie with real Californian cheese pasteurized locally in Washington state.
we're going to hear^
`
EvilCowtownInc: Screwin Suckaz over since 1985...... On Twitter
No mistakes in the tango, Donna. Not like life. Simple. That's what makes the tango so great. If you make a mistake, and get all tangled up, you just tango on.....
If Omri has 12 games with 85+ TS% (20+ mins only) on the season, I will send RikSmits a slice of Cherry Pie with real Californian cheese pasteurized locally in Washington state.
I thought Dequan was older...
Or is Dequan the kid that used to be on the Heat?
"We're not talking about me and Darko in the same sentence." - Chris Webber vs KAHN!
by caseycheesecake on Feb 16, 2011 10:19 AM PST up reply actions
That's Daequan.
EvilCowtownInc: Screwin Suckaz over since 1985...... On Twitter
No mistakes in the tango, Donna. Not like life. Simple. That's what makes the tango so great. If you make a mistake, and get all tangled up, you just tango on.....
If Omri has 12 games with 85+ TS% (20+ mins only) on the season, I will send RikSmits a slice of Cherry Pie with real Californian cheese pasteurized locally in Washington state.
Career best game for him
soooo, nothin’
"But screw your courage to the stiking place - and we'll not fail"
Macbeth Act I, Sc VII
by lietothegirls on Feb 16, 2011 12:20 PM PST up reply actions
He won the 3 point contest a while back.
Landry for Jeff Green and Cook, we’ll send them Donte too!
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