GAME 51 at Houston, Game Thread

We all remember Chris Webber right? How he used to play on offense? He used to play pick-n-pop with Bibby all the time. He would set a screen for Bibby around the 18-20 foot mark and either Bibby would come off it and shoot or he would pass it back to C-Webb for a wide open jumper. I realise that was Adelman'd offense but why can't they do that now with either Miller or Artest? Both can shoot that 18 footer well and it's not a hard play to run. When Beno and Moore is in, they run the top of the arc pick and roll but that's not the same play. Why no pick-n-pop do ya think? Could even run that with Martin instead of Bibby.

play better tonight. Probably hang around through the first half, start falling behind in the 3rd and lose by double digits.

I hope we leave Artest in Texas and take Scola, Brooks and maybe a pick back to Sac.

Go Kings!

I love the fact by the time I get to watch the Kings game it will be almost halftime by the time I even get to watch. Thanks League Pass! (You fucking sumbitches!)

Valero's commercial talking about "All American" has a song featuring a Canadian's greatest hit song. God i love commercials.

Please deliver a triple double tonight. Reak (good) havoc on the court. And accept any invitation that involves you spending extended time in the lone star state (no state taxes there Ron - you'd love it!).

The Rockets (offensively) look a lot more like an RA club than the last time we saw them.

But I am not excited to watch tonight.  Last nights loss really got to me.  I was AT the Clippers game and watched the entire Sonics game the other night, but last nights game may have been the straw.
TZ was right, the younger guys were way more fun to watch.  I yearn (oh yes, YEARN) for a Beno-Martin-Salmons-<non-artest>-Miller line-up.  Garcia, Douby, Shaw and 3-Wil coming off the bench, yes please.  Even if they dont win as many games, they'll be so much more fun to watch.  Plus, it gives everyone a chance to improve, and see who can really help us out in the future.  Wouldnt it be nice to know how Beno holds up as a starter before deciding him to sign him in the off season?
I expect a loss, and a bad one at that.  I'll say down 20 some time in the third.  I hope I'm wrong.

Rockets started with McGrady covering Miller.

Alston doing his usual "torch Bibby" thing.

Scola out with 2 early fouls.

Don't let the FoxSports box score fool you - 'Reef did not start.

with Douby covering him. M-I-S-M-A-T-C-H.

Houston's up 35-20.

The Kings AS A TEAM only have 3 rebounds all quarter.  You can figure the rest out.

NBA League Pass is using the Rockets telecast, and their announcers want NOTHING to do with Ron.  I guess everyone in Texas isnt dumb.

One interesting part, on defense the Kings are leaving Mikki one-on-one with Yao.  Its not working.

for the team for the 1st quarter. 2.

Mrs. section214 is calling me to dinner...Thank you, God.

And he immediately gets a rebound (and steps out of bounds)

The Kidd to the Mav's trade is off (good call section214).  Devon George (of all people) exercised the no-trade clause in his contract.

Ok, back to the game.

do I have to watch balls bounce of Moore's hands?
Terrible....

And he gets an immediate offensive rebound (then turns it over in the paint)

I sense a theme here.  The man can board, but he aint too basketball bright yet either.

The only player on our team who can rebound is Williams tonight, and the Houston announcers were gloating about the fact that the Kings are worst in the league in TOs. 7 RBs in 7 minutes for Williams. No more than 3 for any other Kings players if my stats are right.

time to tune in. 7 point game. Go Kings!

we've lulled them to sleep with our poor play. Now we can make our run!

now has 9 boards in 8 minutes.

If this is how we're going to head into the all star break I hope we see a different roster on the other side.

3-Will just hit 2 FTs.

2 and counting!!!

with 4 steals, a block and the only King with a + +/- at +2

Keeping passing to Mikki Ron-Ron!

and of course the Kings only down 3 now.

by Ron that sends him to the line? Good lord that boy can sky!

Ron misses 2 FT's but makes a near 3? Ron I swear to.......

I think this is nutso. Give Artest credit though.

on another 3-Will steal

Ron 15 pts 4th qtr Rockets 7. I wonder if this would make the Dubs re-consider trading for Ron? (I hope anyway.)

They have got to me the most up and won team in the league. Go Kings!

i'll hate to see him go. amazing when he's dr. jekyll.

McGrady should have taken that shot.

Steve Novak just bailed out McGrady big time. Big big time shot. Do the Kings go into Artest one more time?

of course. the nba, where heartbreaker shots against the kings happens.

You lose to a rockets team that scored 10 pts in the 4th qtr, outscored by Artest alone by 5, and all that and this ends up being another loss. I can't say that I care. I'm totally in-different at this point. I hope Artest has given Petrie a chance to deal him away for "reasonable" value.

happy we didn't totally quit, 3-Will got some burn and Artest made a case to the rest of the league that he's worth another look.

Good game to end your Sactown career Ron. Good luck where ever you end up. Fingers crossed

Chapoopas!

"Ron Artest played against a great basketball player (McGrady) and did an excellent defensive job on him," Kings coach Reggie Theus said. "That's one of the reasons that he is one of the 10 best players in this league, because he effects both the offensive and defensive ends."

That's probably pushing it, but Ron is clearly a unique talent.

Actually on that last play, it looked like McGrady had gotten by Artest and gotten help from Miller. Then McGrady kicked it out to Novak. I don't know who was supposed to be covering Novak, but it must have been a guard who sagged. Miller flew out to contest the shot, but to no avail.

On that final Houston posession, when they said the Kings had a foul to give? Lord knows they've gotten it wrong before.

If they are right, it was a huge mistake not to use that foul. They had chances probably down to about 6 seconds to do so.  It would have made life considerably tougher on Houston.

And that last offensive set for the Kings...thpppt.

It was nice to see Justin get some burn though.

I didn't know about the foul to give.  However, having watched the game of basketball, say, maybe once or twice it was obvious to even the casual observer that McGrady was going to drive and kick.  C'mon, Reggie and company, Artest had just bitched slapped McGrady.  When McGrady got into the the lane he was like a receiver hearing footsteps - there was no doubt he was getting rid of that ball because he did not want to get used again. That was a planned play coming out the of TO and the Kings and its coaching staff should have seen it coming from a mile away.  There was nobody within 5 feet of Novak. I was literally yelling at my TV when McGrady started his drive because you could see everbody converage the Novak start to slip over.  Gee, wonder what the sharp shooting white guy who just entered the f*cking game standing at the 3pt line is for....hmmmmm???????

wound up in the hands of a guy just called up from the NBDL who had yet to score in the game. Such is life. If the choices had been Yao, T-Mac, or Novak taking the shot we all would have chosen Novak.

A better question is why 3-Wil was in the game with 2.5 seconds left and us down by two.

I agree with that, Section. My point, however, was that T-Mac wasn't going to shoot that shot. Artest was in his head and had just swatted the shit out of him. He didn't want to take the shot. Turns out after reading the paper, I found out the T-Mac actually ask Rick to place Novak in the game so he could kick out.  

Still, your point is correct.