Remember gang: Click it or Ticket.
Like many other weeks this season, the Kings came up empty handed. Yet this week was different as the Kings have nothing to be ashamed of. They played the #1 and #2 teams in the league, chock full of future Hall of Famers, and they gave it their all.
The Good:
1. Tyreke Evans
See Player of the Week
2. Dish Network and Comcast Reach Agreement
3. Donté Greene's Big Quarter
In the 2nd quarter against Boston, Donté had 13 points on 5-8 shooting, including 1-2 from downtown. He was a +16 during that time as well as he hit shots from everywhere on the court. The problem with Donté, of course, is that he only does this once every blue moon. For example, he has scored just 2 points after that quarter on 1-7 shooting. This offseason will make or break Donté's career. He's got all the talent in the world, he just needs to harness it.
4. Pooh Jeter the Sparkplug
In both games this week there was one guy who came in and seemed to make a major difference, and that was Pooh. Against Boston he was a major part of the 2nd quarter run that turned a 7 point deficit into a 9 point lead. He also helped bring back some energy against San Antonio, something that I thought was lacking in the first half.
5. DeMarcus Keeping it Together Against Boston
I was impressed with how well DMC handled himself against the Celtics. Boston gets away with a lot of pushing and slapping, and Garnett was probably talking trash to him all game, but it didn't seem to throw DeMarcus off. Even the flap with Rondo ended up with Rondo getting the technical. Westphal sent DMC to the bench as a precaution, but he did nothing wrong. More impressive was his ability to get going in the 2nd half after a poor start.
6. D-Block's Injury Not Serious
When Darnell left the Celtics game due to shortness of breath, you had to hope that it was nothing serious. Fortunately it wasn't, and he was able to come back and play against San Antonio.
7. Carl Landry Against San Antonio
The Kings couldn't get much going consistently against the Spurs, but Carl was one of the few that could. 17 points on 8-13 shooting is impressive stuff, as is the way he got it, taking it into the teeth of the defense and utilizing his excellent headfakes. Now if only he could grab a rebound or two...
8. Getting to the Line
Its not just been Tyreke who has been more aggressive, its been the whole team. The Kings shot 24 Free throws against the Spurs and 27 against the Celtics, and more importantly they hit most of them. Getting to the line is an easy way to get points, as is attacking the basket, and the latter tends to lead to the former.
The Bad:
1. Omri Casspi From 5-23 feet
Unless he's dunking or spotting up for three, Omri is a pretty bad shooter. He's 65% at the rim, and 39% from three, both great, but in between the percentages are atrocious: 25% from > 10 feet, 16.7% from 10-15 feet, and 27% from 16-23 feet. So when Omri isn't hitting his threes, he's usually not providing much help offensively.
2. Hassan Whiteside's Patella Tear
This doesn't mean much to our team right now since Hassan still hasn't played since the home opener, but its going to limit his ability to practice, and if there is anyone who needs to practice time its Hassan.
3. Carl Landry Against Boston
This was less Carl's fault and more him being out of position. He was forced to guard Pierce most of the time due to the Sammy-DeMarcus-Carl lineup, and it led him to early foul trouble. This is just my opinion, but I don't think we should be using that frontcourt when the opposing SF is of the Paul Pierce's caliber.
4. Bad DeMarcus Rears his Head Against Spurs
We've seen less and less of "Bad" DeMarcus as of late, but against the Spurs it was quite evident. His shot selection wasn't the greatest, and we saw a return of the "I'm going to pretend to be a point guard and lose the ball because of it" routine. Five turnovers mars an otherwise decent statline (7 points, 10 rebounds, only 2 fouls). But his defensive rotations were exceedingly poor, and he couldn't get anything going consistently offensively. Hopefully this is but a minor setback.
The Ugly:
1. 1st Quarter Against the Spurs
The Kings came out lethargic at least to me, and while they picked it up later in the game, it was that early setback that doomed them from the beginning.
2. Kings Perimeter Defense / Preventing Penetration
In both games the Kings inability to prevent penetration from the perimeter doomed them. Rondo got to the rim at will, and so did Tony Parker, Manu Ginobili and George Hill. Tyreke does a good job when faced with his man in isolation, but he's terrible at fighting through screens, and good opponents like the Celtics and Spurs know that. One good screen up top on Tyreke allows Rondo/Parker/whoever to get right by, and too often help doesn't come in time.
3. Sloppiness Against Boston
20 turnovers against one of the top defenses in the league is not gonna get it done. Yakety Sax y'all.
Player of the Week:
Tyreke Evans
22.5 PPG, .454 FG%, 8.0 FTA, 4.5 APG, 4.0 RPG, 2.0 SPG, 1.0 BLK
What stood out to me about Tyreke this week is how much more aggressive he looked. I was exceptionally pleased with the 8 FTA he got in both games; There is no doubt in my mind that with his slashing ability he should be among the league's best at getting to the line. Reke is finally back to his relatively consistent self, and if anything slightly better, thanks to an improved (but still not great) jumper.
Image / GIF of the Week: (I don't know how I missed this the first time but its an instant classic)
That's a great question. How could they not like this guy:
by JediLeroy on Feb 1, 2011 5:43 AM PST up reply
Unrec? 7
Comment of the Week:
Delightfully High?
Sounds like the name of Brad Miller’s Fantasy Team.
by Muff209 on Feb 1, 2011 2:34 PM PST via mobile reply actions 5 recs
Highlight of the Week:
Caption Contest:
Last Week's Winner: andy sims
(quietly) "Newman!"
Last Week's Runner-Up: betweentheeyes
It’s giving me hemorrhoids but I am doing my best to squeeze another win out of my ass
The Vfettke Would (Almost) Always Win if Photoshop was Allowed Caption Winner: vfettke
This Week's Picture:
A reminder of the rules for the Caption Contest. Leave your caption in the comments below, and the most rec'd (to recommend a comment, hit action, then rec) caption wins.
This week's caption contest winner gets a low-five from Kevin Garnett. Wear a cup.
Question of the Week:
San Antonio and Boston are both elite teams. What did you take from watching them this past week that you think the Kings could learn from?
And Nostradumbass Prediction for Next Week:
v. Utah 2/7 W (Deron Williams might or might not be playing. This is still a formidable opponent, but the Kings could eke out a victory if they continue to play as hard as they have been)
v. Dallas 2/9 L (Dirk Nowitzki is a modern marvel and the team has been clicking lately. I simply hope for a competitive match)
v. Oklahoma City 2/12 W (Sactown Royalty Night IV. Buy your tickets here and help us end our two-game slide!)
Nostradumbass Record for the Season 18 - 29