It is March 8th, 2023. The Sacramento Kings have 18 games left this season. And with a record of 38-26, your Kings are currently in second place in the Western Conference.
The Memphis Grizzlies lost to the Los Angeles Lakers last night 112-103, bringing them to an identical record to the Kings. The Kings split their season series with the Grizzlies, but currently hold the tiebreaker over the Grizzlies by having the better Division Win/Loss %.
This isn’t to say the Kings will stay the second seed, obviously. The Phoenix Suns are hot on the heels of the Kings and Grizzlies, and the standings are likely to continue to shift over the remaining month of the season.
Wherever the Kings finish the season, for now we can take a moment to appreciate another improbable milestone in what has been a wholly unexpectedly wonderful season. At least until Thursday the Kings are the 2 seed.
How cool is that?
I posted this in the 6th man thread this morning just before this article went up, and I wanted to put it here as well:
Public Service Reminder: On 12/23 Domantas Sabonis suffered a fracture to his right thumb. Initial estimates were that he would miss six weeks, roughly 20 games. Sabonis missed the first game after the injury, which the Kings lost. He returned to play in 18 of the next 19 games, with the Kings going 11-7 in those 18 games (they won the game that he sat). Sabonis averaged 20.2 / 12.4 / 7.6 during this period.
It is difficult to determine how many wins Sabonis was worth during this period, a period where the Kings would have backfilled with a little more Lyles, a little more Metu, and more Holmes and/or Len. The Kings won an OT game during this period, two games by 1 pt., one game by 2 pts., and two games by 5 pts. By my estimation, Sabonis was worth at least 4-6 wins during this period, so let’s split the difference and say 5. That would place the Kings at 33-31, which would be an amazing record with Sabonis out six weeks, and they would be right on the cusp of the playoff / play-in line.
In a day and age of load management, Domantas Sabonis’ decision to play through a fractured thumb – and play at a level that garnered an all-star acknowledgement – has been one of the most amazing (and under-publicized) stories of this season.
Thank you, Domas!
He’s sooo strong yeah.
IMO, you are being quite generous to the rest of the roster. Simply put, Sabonis makes this team hum. Without him they are below average. The guy has a ridiculous 9.7 win share (2nd best in the league), a 4.1 VORP, and 16.2 player impact estimate. The second best to that is Fox at “just” 4.5 WS, 2.0 VORP, and 13.7 PIE. Can the Kings win without Sabonis? Sure, but I think he’s worth a lot more than 4-6 wins. I feel they’d be below .500 with Sabonis and the beam would have gone the way of the security bots. Tankathon would be getting a lot more traffic, though.
You could be right. The Kings did have 20+ pt. wins over the Magic and Rockets (x2) during this 18 game run, and those probably don’t change. The 13 pt. win over the Spurs probably stays intact? The 33 win over the Griz probably does not change. The 10 pt. win over SA could come into play – that’s just a four possession cushion.
So yeah, I could see the number being as large as 7 of those 11 wins. And this does not take the continuity factor into consideration. You would have to significantly change your offense with Sabonis out, and then re-introduce it once he returns.
There are lots of little wrinkles. Just an example, Trey Lyles was the backup to Metu, who himself was a backup. Lyles was more at the end of the bench in late December when Sabonis hurt his thumb. All the talk then was who was going to step up: Holmes, Len, Queta, Metu? I don’t think any of us thought about Lyles at the five, but flash forward to today, he’s getting good minutes there. I don’t think Lyles growth and role in the rotation would have been the same had he not found his niche with Sabonis still playing. He is now a key bench player who gets good minutes next to Sabonis.
Hell, the whole trade deadline likely would have been different had Sabonis sat out to recover. Does Monte get an extension? Him playing saved the season in no uncertain terms.
I have turned into an absolute Trey Lyles fan over the last few weeks.
Keeping him after this season will be important, more so if Barnes decides to make a move. Both are just such smart, solid players, and you can never have too many.
I’d also like to keep Davis if it can be done for a reasonable number.
I also believe Sabonis has a significant impact on winning and on the changes here at Sacramento. Just like Steven Adams has a big influence on memphis’play and demeanour (on the court), I count Sabonis as a better, offensively more skilled player. Adams may have a slight edge in rim protection and D, but that is it. The grit, commitment to winning, toughness, consistency, willingness to sacrifice stats for the team etc.
Now, it is impossible to ascribe the increase in wins to just one component. The influence of Brown, the other new players, the development of Fox etc., all contribute.
I wonder how he’s doing now. Has his thumb had time to heal?
extraordinary commitment
Thank you. Sabonis has been quite good as well.
ooh boy
Is this real life?
amazeballs
Is this fantasy?
We are about to see the afterlife.
(the playoffs)
So instead of Basketball Hell, it’d be Basketball Heaven?
♪♪
If you believe in forever
Keep looking for that purple beam.
If there’s a basketball heaven
Well the Kings have got a helluva team…team…team! ♪♪
2nd place. Is this happening in our old dimension or our new one? I’m almost
certain that there is a comet heading our way sent by the basketball gods to make sure the Kings never have a chance to win a playoff game……in this new dimension.
I literally thought I would be an old man by the time I saw that the Kings would make the playoffs again…let alone be the number 2 seed in the West at some point. What a time to be a Kings fan. There are literally Kings fans that are turning 16 years old that have never seen this team go to the postseason, and how crazy the home crowd can be. Playoffs in Sacramento will be a sight to behold.
My son is one of them!
Realistically there are 20 year olds who have never seen the Kings make the playoffs, since they were 3 years old at the time. That’s really crazy to think about
I was a sophomore in high school the last time we made the playoffs. I’m 31 now. I don’t care how much playoff tickets will cost, I will spend every dollar I have to see playoff basketball back in Sacramento. This season still feels unreal but fuck it, we deserve this!
I was 13 the last time we made the playoffs…gosh 2006, what a time to be alive
Imagine how good this team could be if they could play some defense.
Just average defense through 4 quarters.
I watched the Clippers double overtime game last night. While it’s hard to say the word defense when your opponent scored over 170 pts…. (ya… even as I type that…it’s absurd) but I was amazed at how disruptive Fox was with the steals. At the very end … defense made the difference.
This team is built to score, and it works. If they play a LITTLE more defense… we could go deeper than people are probably thinking.
The tiebreaker is by division and not conference, even if they aren’t in the same division? I don’t like that.
No, I believe that’s a false claim in the article. According to NBA.com, first 4 tiebreakers are:
So, since both teams are Division leaders, tiebreaker 4 comes into play – best Conference W/L record.
The Kings are 2-2 vs. the Griz. They are 0-2 vs. Phx, so the best they can hope for there is a split (they play the Suns two more times).
So, if the Kings and Griz win their divisions, the Kings would have the edge, as 1 is a push, 2 is a push, 3 is not applicable, and the Kings (likely) win the 4th tie breaker. But…
If Phx overtakes the Kings for the Pacific, 1 would be a push with the Griz and the Griz would win the 2nd tie breaker.
Well I guess the only thing left to do is just win the whole motherfucking thing.
Agree.
This dirty fanboy who predicted 49 wins be like……. OK.
Well, I still don’t like it. If you had a weak division where the top team had forty-five wins, a second-place team in another division with forty-seven wins is just SOL.
This is not a shoot-the-messenger deal, but as with so many things, the more I learn about it, the less enchanted I become.
It is tough to understand how/why divisions are even a thing anymore. It’s all about the conferences. I mean, I guess you get to hang a banner for winning your division? Aside from that, it really is meaningless, and should not factor in the seeding of playoff teams.
Another banner year!
For those without a microscope:
Pacific Division Champions 2001-2002Rochester World Champions 1951Summer League Champions 2014Summer League Champions 2021
In all seriousness, is the Monarchs’ championship banner hung up there?
I don’t remember, but I think so.
I hope so!
I believe that it is up there, as well as Jerry Reynolds’ GM jersey.
I hope Jerry isn’t wearing that jersey!
(unless he’s not afraid of heights)
Yes, it is. As are a couple Monarch retired jerseys.
Nice!
Scheduling, mainly, IMO. And, while Sims’ scenario is technically possible (obviously), has there been a situation where that played out that way? I don’t remember one off hand but I don’t necessarily pay close attention to this stuff either. I have found in the final analysis it matters very little.
Consider me in the camp of not remotely concerned. Especially since I never expected this team would be in serious contention for a top 4 spot to begin with (I thought 45 wins would be a 6-8 slot).
So yeah.
I don’t know about Sims, but for me it’s not a concern as much as it just does not make sense. It would seem that head-to-head would be a legit 1st tie breaker, followed by conference record. I’d opt for a coin flip as an eventual tie breaker before I considered division winner.
Again, not worried about it in the least, and it is what it is. But what it is, in my opinion, is dumb.
Yeah, it’s dumb. I wasn’t arguing that, but I was (slightly) curious has that ever been used in a tiebreaker in this kind of scenario? Usually it’s head to head and conference record are what decide tiebreakers.
Me too. I’m not a fan of divisions mattering much…. or at all in tiebreaker scenarios but I feel they won’t go anywhere. And like I said, how often has it mattered? I remember awhile ago where it disrupted seeding occasionally but even that has gone away.
I’d say head to head record, then total points head to head.
I wish the divisions did mean more – the way the NHL does it encourages much stronger divisional rivalries
In the current NBA format, why not give the top-2 in each division a top-6 seed (as determined by record) and then have the next best 4 teams in the conference go to a play-in tournament?
I get it for geographic purposes, so that teams play more games at locations that are closer. Regional rivalries can be fun. It’s too bad that the Lakers are never any good when the Kings are good.
But I agree with you, they shouldn’t carry any weight for tiebreaking purposes, other than maybe if two playoff teams in the same division have identical records.
Got tickets to the game tomorrow night. Seriously cannot wait. Freshly crowned 2nd seed playing the Knicks (off a L to the Hornets at home, yikes) on TNT at Golden One. My goodness it’s gonna be fun.
ITS HAPPENING!!!
So happy that Vivek locked up Monte for a while longer. That dude is a miracle worker.
16-Years-of-Basketball-Trauma Take: “Yeah, but does anyone really think this team is the 2nd best in the West? Look at the close games they managed to win, the victories against teams with injured/sitting stars, the unlikely good fortune that nobody’s missed major time. We’re not as good as our record suggests, and even if we hold on to the 2 seed we likely won’t get out of the first round against a healthy Clippers or Warriors squad.”
More-Enjoyable Take: “Scoreboard, baby.”
KANGZ Take: “Breaking News: Kings fire Mike Brown, Peja Stojakovic named interim coach; Anjali Ranadive added as top assistant.”
Just for shits and giggles…
Monte grabs a future star with pick #24.
Good news Good news.
This franchise has had the number 24 pick in years past, though not often and it has always worked out great for them.
1990 Sacramento Kings select Anthony Bonner (St. Louis Bilikens)
1974 Kansas City-Omaha Kings select Len Kosmalski (U of Tenn Vols)
(other less famous 24th picks: Terry Porter, Brian Shaw, Mike Newell, Rick Fox, Latrell Sprewell, Sam Cassell, Derek Fisher, Andrei Kirilenko, Kyle Lowry, Serge Ibaka, Reggie Jackson, Tim Hardaway Jr., Damion Jones, Delonte West, Tyus Jones. Anfernee Simons and Arvydas Sabonis!
So please, as you can see – nothing to fret, sweat or be upset.
Honestly I like the names connected to that range currently in relation to mocks. The late lottery to 30 seems kind of jumbled or separated player wise primarily on opinion. Not a whole lot of distinction tier wise.
Obviously far more exciting things pertaining the team right now, but either an intriguing upside project or more capable immediate impact contributor is possible come the draft.
Really hope Chicago tanks so I can see Wembanyama locally.
alternate Kangz take – when we go 0-18 for the rest of the season, we STILL have an 8 game win improvement over last year
Oh, and off topic, my Dad’s birthday is in late March, and since I’ll be in Sacramento around that time for a wedding and will see him, I ordered him a “Beam Team” t-shirt from the Kings Herald Store for his birthday present. I might need to get one for myself too because I love the graphic of the downtown Sacramento skyline. 🙂
My Dad’s birthday is in late March as well. We’re like, “Eskimo” brothers or something.
Might have to get a couple of those shirts as well.
Actually, I spilled red wine on my white KANGZ TKH hoodie at a sip and paint. So I’ll likely be replacing that, too.
The wine stain really ties it all together, though.
I was whining and wining!
just pretend it’s blood – you’re that hardcore of a fan that you do literally bleed kangz
…you know what?
(picks up a splotch with finger. tastes it.)
It IS blood!
I feel like despite the refs trying to steal games from us and sites like NBA.com kinda ignoring and disrespecting us, and the NBA probably not even wanting us to be good the Kings have had the magic of the basketball Gods on our side this year. Not sure how far this magical run will continue but damn, hell yeah I’m going to simply enjoy where we’re at right now. Our guys seem to have good character and a ton of fun playing the game, that counts huge in my book and I see it as a big part of our success. Stay humble and classy Kangz and fans, keep that beam LIT!
Better get tickets to next 4 games: Knicks, Bucks, Celtics, Suns, I’ll be there, great matchups gonna be WILD!!!
I agree. A lot of these guys seem really likeable—“Hey, let’s go have a beer” likeable.
Apologies to Ralph Furley’s tailor.
Dance!
This forum is the town from Footloose now. NO DANCING
The guy who makes these made an excellent Footloose video!
😀
Kosta,
Ann Margaret. Wooeee.
I agree. 🙂
Amen brother.
Great video. Some really talented dancers! Thx.
Go Kings.
Even, if the Kings go 18-0 the rest of the way, they’re probably not going to catch the Nuggets. So they can relax and go 14-4 or 13-5 and still probably beat out Phoenix for the number 2 seed.
Or go 17-1, sounds good to me.
Kevin Durant out at least a month.
Looking forward to the TNT broadcast tonight where points will be made by the color analyst that lasts two possessions instead of five possessions.
What will I not miss?
Whoever is directing the games is doing a shit job. Live action is frequently missed while we’re looking at a replay of a layup, a coach or player sitting on the bench, or the guy who just scored jogging back upcourt. These shots are left to linger entirely too long, only to return and find that one of the teams has already scored, or some other interesting and relevant thing has happened.
The other day the announcer mics went out on the national broadcast, but the ambient noise of the arena was still heard. Good Gawd it was glorious!
There are few announcers that could sit next to me for an entire game and not annoy the living shit out of me. Jerry Reynolds would be on that list. Gary Gerould. The SF Giants announcers. Aside from those guys and a few others, just give me the sound of the game, and to your point, keep the camera trained on the live action.
This is unbelievable. pretty incredible what a coach and some good GM’ing can do.
Remember when we had umpteen PFs, then SGs? Amazing what a semi-balanced roster will do for you.
“The Kings are the 2 seed now.”
😀
2ND PLACE (!!) IN MARCH (!!!!!!!) Hear that Mf*ckers!
Light the beam!
Badly edited Jimmy Butler with cat ears
Keegan Purry?
Mandatory:
Uncanny Valley!
I’ve been working through scenarios and if the Kings just go 9-9 the rest of the way, they are virtually a lock to get home court advantage in the first round. Coming off 15 years of no playoffs to a top 4 seed would be insane. I need to stop counting chickens though, lest my heart gets ripped out if they go full Kangz.
On the eve of the Kings clinching a playoff berth, UFOs will descend upon Golden 1 Center and we will have to deal with Aliens…
Hopefully not the MONSTARS.
Nah man, light the beam and pass it on the left hand side. Aliens will be chill. Or at least you will be if they’re not.
Zach-approved.
Pass what to the left hand side?
Should we do as the tweet says and frame this screenshot? 😉
https://twitter.com/thekingsherald/status/1633343600758259712?t=x2LX-7nzSlgd93bgnIPU9Q&s=19
I don’t usually like to wear jerseys.
BUT HOLY HELL.
https://twitter.com/thekingsherald/status/1633547614418509824?s=20
So awesome!
Now we can start that gang we’ve talked about!
Just so long as we don’t eat dinner past 5:00 pm.
Even the Joy Luck
GangClub ate in the evenings.I think.
We can be the crypts.
I thought that was the team in LA, that plays at Crypt arena
That’s Crypto, which is what old people like me get when they get up for the 3rd time in the middle of the night to pee and slam their foot on the bed post.
Do you know why Mitch Richmond wore number 2?
Because his toe was on the line.
#notathreepointer
As long as there’s no math!
Sexy
It even has my last name on it?? Just might have to pick one up!
So your last name is Beam?
Wait, are you….Corliss Williamson?
(or Dwayne Wade?)
Let’s just say I own a Corliss jersey!
Wish I did. I would never consider burning it or throwing it in the trash like my Cousins Jersey. (Or any other Kings player, for that matter.)
Ay ay ay, don’t know what I was thinking that day.
Cousin jerseys should hang in the G1 center bathroom stalls.
I know you.
From Sactown or Humboldt?
Both. 😂
the mystery thickens
Not fair! If you’re on FB send me a message. I’m curious!!!
That is actually beautiful
ooooh!
The NBA needs to get the TKH staff to design team uniforms.
I’d love to see what design the TKH staff comes up with for the L*kers uniform.
Would it feature Mr. Hankie?
Please don’t poo!
cleannnnn
At this point, the Kings SHOULD finish no less than the 3 seed. I know, I know… the Kings have far exceeded season expectations as a whole, but the Grizz are in freefall.
I can understand losing ground to the Suns, but if the Kings want to prove they are for real, they shouldn’t fall below the Mavs, Warriors, Grizz, etc. Again though, I am VERY happy for this season no matter what happens.
I’m still taking it game by game. Can’t control other teams’ hot or cold streaks. Just win the one in front of you and the rest will take care of itself. That said, I am getting greedy and hoping we manage to keep the #2 seed. Potentially two home series and hope that someone knocks off the Nuggets.
Once again, a center with good hands and good passing…
The Kings. 2-Seed. IN MARCH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Looks like the Pellies aren’t going to be going anywhere.
https://twitter.com/wojespn/status/1633598125649670144
This might hamstring their playoff chances.
He misses more games than meals, that’s for sure. He’s becoming Marvin Bigley.
Oliver Miller is smiling!
Just staring at the western conference board… It is something to behold.
Dude me too. I bookmarked that shit, never would have thought I´d ever do that.
So cool I’ve officially changed my name on this site from UsedToLoveTheKings to NowLoveThemOnceAgain.
I stuck with the Bills through 17 years in the darkness and though I cannot claim similar with the Kings, it has been nearly decade. Not once did I renounce either and every season began with optimism
You should have been a Cubs fan.
Kings gaining ground tonight. Nugs will have one more L in the Loss column tonight. Doable. Faith.
Getting to second place because the Lakers won.
I am ok with it because of the big picture accomplishment.
Fuck the L@ker$
breaking news…. ESPN sucks!
ESPN reporting on a Kings game:
Opponent highlight
Opponent highlight
Praise of opposing player
Opponent highlight
Mike Brown looking irritated at another blown call
Opponent highlight
“…and Sacramento pulls it out, 138 to 121.”
Badge Legend