The Sacramento Kings are on the verge of their first six game winning streak since 2005 and to get there, they’ll have to go through the team they just beat on Monday, the 8th seeded San Antonio Spurs. What dark magic does Popovic the Grey have to cast up De’Aaron Fox and the Kings? Will he command the creature known as Jakob Poeltl to rise from the depths and strike with maximum efficiency yet again? Did Will call Popovic “the Grey” because they already had Derrick “the White”? When will this Lord of the Rings motif stop??? Let’s talk Kings basketball!
When: Wednesday, March 31th, 5:30 PM PST
Where: AT&T Center, San Antonio, TX
TV: NBCSCA – Mark Jones on the call
Radio: KHTK Sports 1140 AM
For Your Consideration
Two Things At Once: Gonna get this one out quick and move on to the Spurs game. I try to be a fairly inclusive guy. I was raised in a multi-ethnic family by loving parents who demanded equality for their children wherever it was found to be lagging behind. I have friends and family that have done dumb stuff that required redemption and love despite their issues, and hell, I’m even friends with a couple of Lakers fans. It’s difficult, but I understand that at a fundamental level, humans are often contradictory and that’s absolutely fine. I started a rather large discussion yesterday from the comfort of my kitchen yesterday for implying that people who still have concerns over the longevity of this particular team and were “pro-tank” didn’t have to be shamed because the team has suddenly won five in a row. I agree they also shouldn’t be raining on other, more celebratory fans’ parades but there’s enough room on the fan wagon for literally both groups.
Doubting the worst run team in professional sports for the last 14 years means people get leeway. Those people can also both be happy to see Fox and Hali and the group get it together and play well, even with those doubts in the long term. I can guarantee that the twitter equivalent of bed lice screaming from both sides of my mentions have friends and family that think they’re doing well right now but also worry about their long-term well being too. Anyways, quick note to the holier than thou – this team makes everyone dumb and everyone crazy and regardless of the strategies you think are more conducive to long term success, you’re right. You’re also wrong. I’ll fist bump you at the parade one way or another.
On to the Spurs – Is there ever going to be a time where the Kings just, don’t allow a random player an explosive offensive output? I’m sure every team feels this way and yes, it will be more common with one of the worst defenses in NBA History but, man. Monday night it was Poeltl, who averages less than 8 points a game, but busted out for 17 points, 11 rebounds on 8-11 shooting. 15 of his 17 points came in a first half that made him look far, far better than he is. If the Kings moved on to the rest of a road trip or some other team, I wouldn’t care that much, but this is the stuff that I feel like Popovic and the rest of his staff will use as an exploit to kill the Kings tonight. He found some extra soft weak spot in the Kings cardboard armor last game and now he’s going to punish the Kings for getting cocky. It obviously could just be an outlier from Poeltl, but I’m always wary of the Spurs.
To make sure we know the stakes of tonight’s game: The Kings are currently one game back from the 10th seed, a game and a half back of the 9th, two and a half back of the 8th and three games back of the 7th seed with twenty five games to go. They are still thin as hell and an injury to Fox, Haliburton, Barnes or Holmes would render this run immediately in doubt. The value buyer moves of the off-season helped make the bench less terrible and despite my eyes seeing a good game from them on Monday, I still have some doubts over their long term effectiveness and whether or not they’re actually, well, good. Which again for all the professional reply guys haunting the hallways of TKH Offices, is normal and entirely fine.
This was a quick one today! I have lives to ruin elsewhere!
Prediction
I demand that fifty piece from Fox, because I know it’s in there and what better time than in the home state of Texas? Tyrese spends tonight putting defenders on skates, Buddy Hield continues to make himself comfortable in his super-small forward role by dropping another five treys.
Kings: 126, Spurs: 114
This really does feel like the game that leads to the prolonged losing streak based on previous “turned a corner” moments in the past. The Kings are starting to get the national media to pay attention. The more homer-ish corner of the fanbase is fighting with the more jaded portion about buying in versus taking a more wait and see approach. We are at the precipice folks!
Where is this Homer v Jaded fight happening? And where can I go to laugh at it?
I think you can go to Will’s twitter feed to get the gist of it. He referenced it in the preview.
How about Homer vs Jaden Smith?
Dibs on Homer.
So let’s dive right in!
A Jman vs Rordog fight? Definitely gotta pick Jman. Most definitely. Boop!!! 13 minutes to Wapner!
Jman vs Rman!
(Cruise, to agent): “Make sure my next co-star isn’t taller than me.”
Temecula Weather: 76°F (24°C), Wind E at 9 mph (14 km/h), 8% Humidity
Oh yeah??
Well, this is for downvoting everyone’s comments, Jman!
Take that!
If ya search my history, I prefer to be positive and…upvote. 😛
No retreat. No surrender!
Chill!
Eunuchlehead.
Golondrinas Cave in Mexico. Been there. Cave of the Swallows- a deep pit 1600 ? feet straight down. Takes 2 long ropes tied in middle to get to bottom. A 2-3 hour rappel and a 6 hour climb back up even with a mechanical ascending device.
I made a mention of this same comment after the last game and it sure got poo poo’d. I wish I had the same optimism as other posters, but I have just seen this same thing play out countless times until we return to square one. I truly want this team to succeed, but I am also realistic. I think, on the whole, there is not enough talent to hardly make the play-in. Beyond that, this team is one unfortunate injury away from Kayte and Doug explaining away how we were so close in 2021 to being contenders if it weren’t for an injury bug. It’s the rinse, wash, repeat that I am wary of amongst the false sense of hope this run may give Vivek and other fans, which changes their decision making in the short term.
Your analysis seems to have devolved into feelings, as if feelings in this context are indicative or predictive of anything? And “past repeats ad infinitum into the future because, uh,….” well, uh you will have to explain that to me, that is, how anything new or transformative is possible if nothing new is possible through a predestined paradigm.
Maybe when someone is wrong so often they resort to tea leaves tarot cards and “how it feels” to know whether a win streak is pending or not. I prefer the objective facts and the pertient variables which I identify and sort with expertise and ease.
I do not know how any fan can expect to be taken seriously when you cite honest debate among fans, the optimist vs the pessimist, as if that is atypical, as sign of pending doom, that we are “on the ledge”.
Unless you are just being sarcastic?
Tonight will be a tough game to win. Why? First remove emotion and citing an irrelevant moment in the past when the makeup and dynamics and the colletive confidence were different.
It will be a hard game to win because it is hard to beat a team 2X in a row within 72 hours.
It is not the mood of the fanbase, normal and spirited debate, that has anything to do with it. The losing team has increased motivation to avenge a defeat and the winning team comes in with a bout of over-confidence, usually, thinking they can show up and do it all over again with a bit of a casual approach that can come back to bite them.
There are other pertinent variables too. We have the best player and all involved parties know it. Our mood is soaring after the HB buzzer beater and camaradarie that formed through that win and getting to know and play with the new guys. That is an energy that can off-set a tendency to be over-confident and casual going into tonight.
The media attention has nothing to do with it because players don’t give two hoots about “press clippings”. It is not on their radar. It may on yours but it does not affect their pre-game approach.
This is my quick analysis not rooted in feelings but objectivity to the best I can muster. Even though I am emotional fan, I can always separate out my emotion when analysing the team. More fans should aspire to do the same, maybe there would not be so many doomsdayers when the reason for their sense of pending doom has nothing to do with the current state of the team.
Also the number of 3s we made last game is probably not replicable. But Ty and Fox getting into the lane all night and creating good looks is replicable. And the defensive energy we can bring off the bench is replicable, a new wrinkle to our team that makes us formiddable when we go through inevitable execution lulls.
I like our chances tonight but then again I do not have access to your feelings that portends the start of a “prolonged losing streak”. Guess we’ll wait “on the ledge” and see!
Im not going to tell you to stop replying to me. But I will say this is the last time I’ll reply to you. Your comments provide no value to the conversation unless we’re rating them based on comedic value.
I thought that most 2 game series resulted in a 1-1 tie but actually most are 2-0. Pop will adjust. Fluke will as well. Have to stop Murray and Poetl. DeMar will have a better game.
This will not be the same game or an extension of the last one- new dynamics. Have to adjust, Fluke. I doubt Harkless gets 13 again.
The usual- defense, rebounding. Too many second chances for SAS last time.
Very good point about Poetl, I was just thinking the same. I hope the coaching staff has figured how to handle him. I don’t mind losing because of a great night from DeRozan or Murray, but not from Poetl. I know that our lineup is undersized, but the dude is just an avarege center.
Hoping for a quieter game today from that ninja Poetl.
One more chance to beat the Spurs team
Talk of play-in has been gaining steam.
Our new acquisitions
Shored up their positions
Though they still haven’t learned our full scheme!
Probably a case of peja-vu. I definitely feel like I’ve seen this movie before, Will…
lol the kermit comparisons will never end!
Blazzing Fraggles (Rock).
The interview CD did with McNair was interesting. He kinda reminds me of when Mark Zuckerberg gets interviewed. It’s amazing (and a bit robotic TBH) how good he is at basically memorizing talking points at sticking to them. One thing that stuck out to me is that it’s basically impossible to know what McNair’s plan is moving forward. It just seems like they’re going with the flow to a certain extent. That doesn’t mean they don’t have a plan necessarily. It just means everything is on the table.
It’s funny, when I reflect back on the small handful of my teams that actually won it all, I don’t recall any transparent general managers.
Wow, you just made me hate McNair.
It’s true! I think it’s that Ivy League education
What league does Cal Poly SLO belong to?
I think this team is good. Probably 50/50 odds against the Spurs tonight.
We will either win or lose!
I think both teams will play well. Worth watching.
Oh definitely. I’m super stoked to watch the game.
I did predict a Spurs loss in the Nostradumbass contest, but I’m rooting for a Kings win.
Except that Luke has had a chance to watch the film. Pop is in trouble.
I honestly laugh out loud when I see in every article someone comes in and just downvotes every comment, lol.
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