The 6th Man Report: There’s madness in March for the Western Conferece

Everybody has something they are dealing with when the calendar turns to March in the NBA.

It’s a damn long season, and the minutes that have been adding up all season begin to really take their toll when spring gets on the horizon.

Normally, the Kings are playing out the string by this point; even last year, when there were play-in scenarios swirling, the team had won just 24 games by March 5 and were in the beginnings of a four game losing streak.

That’s different a year later; not only are fans keeping track of the magic number, they’re running through seeding scenarios with confidence.

Currently first in the Pacific Division and third in the Western Conference, the Kings are just nine wins away from securing a playoff spot and 14 from hosting a first round series, statistics that were patently unfathomable just a couple months back.

It won’t be easy holding off the teams below them; the Suns are just 2.5 games back of third place and look to be on another level since Kevin Durant was activated to the roster. The superstar has scored 80 points in his first three games on 69% shooting and the Suns have yet to lose with him on the court.

But it isn’t just Phoenix hot on the tail of Sacramento: four teams are within five games of third place and 10 are eight games or less back in the loss column.

The teams Sacramento are chasing — Denver and Memphis — haven’t locked anything up yet either, though Denver does currently hold a seven game lock on the No. 1 seed. The Grizzlies will be without star Ja Morant for at least a couple games as he deals with off-the-court issues in light of recent lawsuits and social media behavior.

We certainly want the best for Morant, but no one will feel sorry for the Grizzlies’ hold on the No. 2 seed being vulnerable in the meantime. With how tightly the West is bunched, one bad week could elevate a team out of the play-in — or drop them right back into it.

Coming into the season, just about any long-suffering Kings fan would have been ecstatic to be in the play-in, but let’s be honest: we’ve gotten greedy. Finishing as the 7 or 8 seed would feel a little bit like a disappointment, though I don’t think anyone is entitled to the point of not being happy to be in the postseason, period, after such a long absence.

Finishing in the top six of this particular version of the Western Conference would be a huge deal for a young team; hosting a first round series could be franchise-changing.

The stretch run won’t be easy for a team with a lot of guys who haven’t been in one previously; every game matters at this point, and to be extra cliche, there are no nights off.

Games like Saturday’s loss to Minnesota hurt, especially on your home floor. Let downs are to be expected, but you hope that one bad game doesn’t turn into one bad week. That’s the challenge for Mike Brown, but he certainly knows how to handle winning time. Veterans like Harrison Barnes help as well, as does Matthew Dellavedova — who seems to have been brought in as much for what he can provide experience-wise off the court as anything he brings on it at this point in his career.

All of this to say: this is fun, isn’t it? There are beams to be lit, numbers to be crunched, and teeth to be gritted over the next month. But at the end of the day, it’s far more enjoyable to be stressed out over every minute of game time than to spend them analyzing college players and trolling mock draft sites.

The Kings matter. They’re fun, they’re good, and they’re legit.

Time to buckle up and enjoy it.

Crown Him:

You’ve got to give this one to Mike Brown, who has been pushing the right buttons the entire season.

Brown became the first Sacramento Kings coach since 2004 to earn Coach of the Month honors after guiding his team to an 8-4 record in February and a four game win streak out of the All Star break.

Though the hire wasn’t flashy or all that exciting by the reaction of NBA folks initially, there’s zero argument now that his steadying presence, basketball acumen, and culture building have been an absolute game-changer.

Not only does he have the team on the verge of ending its 16-year playoff drought, they might have home court advantage through the first round.

Brown has seen just about everything in his 23-year NBA coaching career, a journey that has had him learning under some of the greats like Gregg Popovich, Rick Carlisle, and Steve Kerr. He’s earned the trust of his team not just with his own acumen, but by building a staff of assistants that can not only coach and develop, but are builders off the court, too.

I won’t say I was a doubter when he was hired, but I certainly didn’t expect THIS to be the result. I have a feeling I am not alone.

Up Next:

The Kings host the Knicks Thursday before traveling to Phoenix to take on Kevin Durant and the Suns in a pivotal Western Conference matchup. Phoenix has been on an absolute heater since Durant was activated, with the superstar averaging 1.9 points per shot, and absolutely obscene statistic.

This isn’t just a big game for seeding purposes, but a measuring stick opportunity for the young Kings against a true title contender.

SacTown’s Finest:

We are a ways out from St. Patrick’s Day, but before you fill up on corned beef and green beer, get a run in.

Shamrock’n Weekend is this coming weekend, featuring a Leprechaun Dash, 5K, 10K, and half-marathon options. All proceeds from the event benefit Sacramento-based Triumph Cancer Foundation.

The event is more about the ambiance than your finish time, and you can expect plenty of folks in costumes, walking, enjoying the live music, or a combination of all three. And after you finish, there’s plenty of post-race food and beverages to enjoy.