Sacramento has upped their intensity on the defensive end of the floor

The Sacramento Kings came into their first postseason series in seventeen years with a clear experience disadvantage in their matchup against the defending champion Golden State Warriors. Sacramento’s entire roster had logged 4,283 minutes of playoff basketball. Stephen Curry (4,977 postseason minutes), Klay Thompson (5,361), Draymond Green (5,078), and Andre Iguodala (5,268) had all eclipsed that tally throughout their careers as individuals.

Yet, the Kings are the team that have seemed more prepared for the jump in physicality that comes with the playoffs. Coach Brown readied the troops and showed them what to expect. Harrison Barnes, Matthew Dellavedova, and Assistant Coach Leandro Barbosa all shared their insight at a team dinner in the days leading up to their playoff debut. It’s clearly helped. Their readiness and attention to detail have led to them winning their first two games against Golden State.

Physicality has been something that Coach Brown has been asking for his group to bring on the defensive end all season long. Being physical without fouling is one of their five defensive staples, but their commitment to that early in this postseason has been evident.

“I felt like we brought the physicality the first two games from the jump. One thing Jordi (Fernandez) always says is you finish the game how you start it,” De’Aaron Fox said at Wednesday’s practice. “I think both of the games, their first possession they turned the ball over. So, I think we’re coming out and we’re bringing the physicality first. If fouls are called then we adjust, but I think we’ve started the game well defensively in both games.”

Let’s take a look at the first possession from game one. Fox picks up Curry right as he crosses the halfcourt line. Domantas Sabonis is battling for position with Kevon Looney and keeping his hands active, which forces the Golden State big to catch the ball higher than he would probably prefer while Kevin Huerter is simultaneously top locking Klay Thompson. After Fox manages to fight through screens and reapply ball pressure on Curry, Huerter digs in to force the ball loose before the possession ends with Barnes jumping the passing lane for a steal.

In game two, Fox helped set that tone early himself. The newly announced Clutch Player of the Year took the Warriors’ cookies twice in roughly 30 seconds of play with both leading to an easy bucket on the other end. Take note of his defensive effort and impact in the moments between steals as well.

Huerter and Malik Monk have notably increased the consistency of their physicality on defense. Domantas Sabonis, Alex Len, and Trey Lyles have been battling nonstop and Davion Mitchell’s defensive talents have translated to the big stage against elite opponents.

Mitchell has always been someone who makes you feel him and takes a tremendous amount of pride in making life tough for the opposition. 

“I think a lot of people look at basketball like it’s kinda all about offense, but it’s really not. It’s the little things you do defensively, rebounding, those little things like that,” Mitchell said following their 114-106 victory in game two. “Offense is definitely a big piece, but in the playoffs, it’s gonna be tough. It’s a lot of physicality. A lot of calls are not being made because it’s the playoffs. I know you got to be locked in defensively, especially in times like this.”

You could make an entire highlight reel of Mitchell’s defensive plays from game two where he spent a large majority of his time checking two-time MVP Steph Curry. His combination of physicality, timing, willingness to sacrifice his body, and discipline makes him a phenomenal defender.

While Mitchell, also known as “Off-Night”, has been that guy all year long, the rest of his team had struggled on that end of the floor more often than not. Sacramento ended the season ranking 24th in defensive rating (116.0), per NBA Stats. It’s a primary reason why many questioned what they were going to be able to accomplish in the postseason.

Yet, they’ve played some of their best defense of the year consistently through the first two games of this series. Curry has been shown a healthy variety of different coverages and primary defenders. Fox and Mitchell have pressured him most while Sabonis and Len have primarily hedged in the pick-and-roll with occasional blitzing. The box-and-one has been utilized a good bit with Huerter often being the one on Curry. Showing one of the best scorers in league history a variety of defensive coverages is a necessity.

One of the weaknesses that Curry and his Warriors have had for years now is turnovers. Golden State turned the ball over more than any team in the regular season, with an average of 16.3 per game. The Kings’ physicality, communication, and engagement on defense as a collective led to them forcing 15 turnovers in game one and 20 in game two. 

Mike Brown and the rest of Sacramento’s coaching staff have been emphasizing the importance of “the two P’s” that go hand in hand: physicality and pace. Playing with physicality causes turnovers and often leads to easy opportunities on the other end of the floor. Through the two games, the Kings are favored 29-21 in fast break points. That margin may not jump off the page, but when you factor in that Golden State led the league in pace this season you begin to understand its importance.

There is one more P that was added recently, and that’s poise. The polarizing situation between Sabonis and Green, which ultimately led to the league suspending Green for game three, obviously plays a part in emphasizing poise, but it can show itself in many ways.

Malik Monk, for example, has been extremely poised and ready to contribute in his first postseason. Monk added 32 points on 8/13 from the field (including 14/14 on free throws) in game one and 18 points on 6/15 shooting the following game. His patient secondary playmaking and shot-making ability have been crucial to the Kings’ success.

“We’ve talked about the game being a physical game, so you had to be strong with the ball, especially when you tap that paint,” Coach Brown said following game two. “For us to be strong with that ball like we were in the second half and only end up with two turnovers was huge.”

Monk has kept his turnovers low while penetrating the paint and making plays for himself and others. He’s been poised on offense and physical on defense.

Malik Monk (6'3) blocking an Andrew Wiggins's (6'7) three-point jumper is an absurd display of athleticism. pic.twitter.com/OfkY7IkkOA

— Brenden Nunes (@BrendenNunesNBA) April 18, 2023

The Golden State Warriors averaged the second most points per game in the regular season (118.9) and the Kings managed to hold them to 106 on Monday night by focusing on the three P’s. 

They were physical without fouling, maintained their pace while limiting the opposition, and remained poised throughout all the chaos.

“If we can start stringing some games together where we’re playing at a certain level and a certain way for 48 minutes with our group we can feel like we can beat any team out there,” Coach Brown said at Wednesday’s practice.

With the defensive execution Sacramento has displayed, and their league-best offense threatening to drop 125+ on any given night, it’s easy to see where that confidence level comes from.