Kings vs. Knicks Preview: The House of Mirth

Well, the Sacramento Kings are in New York today to take on a New York Knicks squad that’s lost six of their last seven games and in desperate need for a get-right game. Not to be out done, the Kings are losers of six in a row and eleven of their last thirteen, finishing out the month of January with at best a 4-15 record on the month! Can Julius Randle find a way to make Knicks fans love him once more? Will Tom Thibodeau bust a clipboard or a blood vessel after the first Kings run? Can we sneak Obi Toppin out of New York for one fresh and shiny Buddy Hield if he promises to work very, very hard?

Let’s talk Kings basketball!

When: Monday, January 31st, 4:30 PM PT

Where: Madison Square Garden, New York, New York

TV: NBCSCA – Mark Jones (play-by-play)

Radio: KHTK Sports 1140 AM

For Your Consideration

The Beautiful and the Damned:  So, things aren’t so great in New York right now. One and a half games out of the tenth spot and two and a half games from the eighth seed, the Knicks are fading with alarming speed and with a little over a week for their GM to attempt to fix it or punt on the season. Julius Randle’s contract year play and MVP chatter has devolved to the point where a good deal of Knicks fans seem ready to ship him out completely. Last season’s Coach of the Year Tom Thibodeau has struggled to maintain the team’s personality from last season’s surprise #4 seed in East and while their defense is still 11th in defensive rating and holding teams to the fifth lowest scoring in the league, there’s something that’s just… off. Knicks fans feel it, opponents feel it and their record reflects it.

In walks the lethargic, bleary-eyed Kings to the city that never sleeps. For all their talk pre-season about how much their defense has improved and stacking days and how they think they can jump to the middle of the pack of NBA defenses, the Kings come into tonight giving up the second most points in the NBA and have the third worst rated defense in the league. Sure, Saturday’s team-wide tryout for the Philadelphia 76er’s was nice to see in the same way it’s nice to finally see the subtle rise-and-fall of a sixteen year old dog’s chest taking a nap… but right now, Sacramento is collectively on hold with the vet’s office awaiting one final appointment and this team is limping around from nap spot to nap spot, on 10 days worth of borrowed time.

Knicks fans are living a personal nightmare of mine, but I’m not ready to make them a cautionary tale. Everything went right for New York last season, a coach who has burnt out everywhere he’s gone lit a fire under a decent team’s ass and they stormed to a fourth seed aaaand a first round exit. Year 2 has seen regression, lots of charring around the edges and some desperation to find a way to keep last year’s good times rolling. The Knicks are stuck in a no man’s land where they aren’t contenders, aren’t rebuilding, flying by the seat of their pants and one wrong move from plunging the Knicks into another 5 years of waiting. Wild thing is, I don’t know what move that is. They’re not trading for a star, certainly not going to tank but not good enough that a fringe move will bump them back up into the standings. Knicks fans finally get a taste of success and the wax from their wings immediate starts to melt. I feel for them, big time.

A Thing To Read, Watch, or Do

Drink some water, take a vitamin: So I know for a lot of you, the best part of your sports year ended with the Niners getting eliminated in the NFC Conference Championship. They had a fun run there and for someone who used to loath Niner fans back when I watched football, watching this season play out on Twitter, DLo & KC and all the other areas in my life’s periphery, I have to say that – I was rooting for you all and thinking the brightest lays ahead. Now, regardless of whether or not your team won, you should probably drink a little extra water today and find a multivitamin to put down as a general booster to your morning after, Monday mood.  The Mayo Clinic recommends about 15.5 cups (3.7 liters) of fluids a day for men and 11.5 cups (2.7 liters) of fluids a day for women, so if you’re hitting that goal – congrats. If not, have a glass or two extra on me today.

Operation: M.C.N.A.I.R. Update:

So if you haven’t heard yet, Game #2 of this thing broke the donation button for the CAP Center. Absolutely wonderful news. Overall we’ve donated over $900 already to various local charities, and that’s only counting everyone who has put their exact amount down.

(I’m totally fine with those of you who don’t want to say publicly what you donated, I just can’t count them towards the total. DM me on Twitter if you want to do it privately, I promise 50 cents and 50 bucks are celebrated the same).

This little project has been a big surprise so far and I thank you all for your support and donations. We’re really out here helping people and I love that for this fanbase.

Prediction

Immanuel Quickley and Tyrese Haliburton have an assist off with IQ dropping 12 dimes to Hali’s 14. Julius Randle begs to leave with the vistors at the end of the game but Thibs tentacles snag his ankle and pull him into the depths of the Garden just as he steps onto the Kings bus.

Kings: 106, Knicks: 99