Sacramento’s spectacular regular season has ended in somewhat unspectacular fashion after the Kings fell to the Nuggets 109 to 95. Harrison Barnes, playing his 82nd game of the year for the Kings, finished with a team-high 17 points in the losing effort. Keegan Murray also had a sweet dunk:
Keegan Murray pic.twitter.com/QoTkAua8Tk
— Sacramento Kings (@SacramentoKings) April 9, 2023
For the past 16 years, that meant that we wouldn’t be getting anymore Kings basketball until October. But not anymore. The Kings are heading to the post-season where they will face the Golden State Warriors in the first round of the NBA Playoffs.
We will have plenty of coverage and previews regarding the upcoming Kings-Warriors Playoff series, but for now I’d like to touch on the Kings season itself, which has been easily the most fun in recent memory. This Kings team has been the most prolific in history, surpassing the 1961-62 Cincinnati Royals for the most points scored in a season in franchise history. They have set the NBA record for Offensive Rating in a season. Keegan Murray set the NBA record for threes made by a rookie. Domantas Sabonis set the Sacramento-era single season record for triple-doubles in a season at 13. They also managed to win the Pacific Division, possibly the toughest division in the entire league. Between GM Monte McNair, Coach Mike Brown, De’Aaron Fox, Domantas Sabonis and Murray, the Kings are going to be up for many end of season awards as well and it will be well deserved.
Hopefully with this core to build upon, and the experiences from both this season and the post-season to come, success will become more of the norm than the exception. This Kings team still has a lot of room to grow, and I’m looking forward to seeing how they grow and adapt and deal with actual expectations.
It’s been a great ride so far, but this is just the beginning.
Operation Take Out the Champs. LFG!
The over/under point totals for these games are going to be ludicrous.
Or they might be around 235-250 as they were in the regular season……
🤷♂️🤷♂️🤷♂️
My heart says Kings in 6, but logic tells me Duds in 6 given their championship pedigree.
Would love it if the Kings busted out the early 2000’s jerseys for the opening game as a homage to that era of Kings basketball.
Either way, light the beam for Kings playoff basketball 🔦💜
What a great season! I love that we’re facing the Warriors. How sweet it will be to not only make the playoffs, but knock off the defending champs!
And here we go. The I-80, NorCal battle. Bay Area versus State Capitol. Beam Team versus Defending Champs (stole this from Will on Twitter!). Bring it on. At least Coach Brown knows that Warriors team well, so hopefully he can pass on whatever knowledge he’s got to the guys.
Pretty crazy that the first time in the Sacramento Kings era that the Kings and Warriors are in the playoffs at the same time, the actually play EACH OTHER.
It’s the first matchup dating back to the Rochester-Philly era actually. They’ve never been in the same series at the same time. I’m gonna check for sure, but I don’t think they matched up when the teams were in Philly and Rochester/Cincy.
They matched up with the Syracuse Nationals (now the 76ers who moved to Philly for the 1963-64 season) in the playoffs in 1963 and matched up again in 1964, 1965 and 1967 (the year the Sixers won the title with Wilt Chamberlain).
The Warriors moved to SF in 1962 (and Oakland in 1971). In that time, both dating back to their Philadelphia years, and since the Royals have moved to Cincinnati, then Kansas City and now Sacramento, have never matched up in the playoffs. EVER. The Sacramento Kings 1st rd opponents are:
1986: Houston Rockets (lost 3-0)
1996: Seattle SuperSonics (lost 3-1)
1999: Utah Jazz (lost 3-2)
2000: LA Lakers (lost 3-2)
2001: Phoenix Suns (won 3-1; 1st ever playoff victory in Sac era), LA Lakers WCS (lost 4-0)
2002: Utah Jazz (won 3-1); Dallas Mavericks WCS (won 4-1), LA Lakers WCF (lost 4-3)
2003: Utah Jazz (won 4-1); Dallas Mavericks WCS (lost 4-3)
2004: Dallas Mavericks (won 4-1); Minnesota Timberwolves (lost 4-3)
2005: Seattle SuperSonics (lost 4-1)
2006: San Antonio Spurs (lost 4-2)
2023: Golden State Warriors (???)
This is gonna be a good ass time. 🙂
Not good at all, its a team that oddsmakers will favor over us and 600 dollar nosebleeds with their large local contingent in the warriors
Tickets at Golden 1 are selling for more than Chase for round 1 and virtually every seat has been purchased before release to the general public – it’s all been bought buy existing STH, new STH and people buying 16 game playoff strips. I am not even slightly worried about Warriors fans showing up at G1C in numbers
Given the # of GS fans that always show up at the G1C, I’m definitely worried about that. However, I’m more worried about their knowledge of knowing what it takes to win titles.
That’s because season tix holders sell them well in advance to help with the cost of the seats overall.
Part of the reason for the higher cost, IMO, in G1C isn’t just due to the streak but simply less seats. Plus the 2nd deck is steep for less able bodied people. I saw a tweet from a woman wanting to take her 90 YO Mom but not if it was the 2nd deck. And she couldn’t afford lower bowl tix either.
Will there be Dubs fans in the house. Of course. Always will be. But I don’t think it will be as much as wre accustomed to seeing since Kings fans on Twitter, just from what I’ve seen, are trying to resell these tix to actual Kings fans. And STHers are the ones reselling them.
Point is, I don’t think the stands are going to drown in gold. If anything, there might be more Kings fans in Chase Center than Dubs fans in G1C.
So I’m assuming we won’t know the TV schedule for the playoffs until tomorrow or so? Man, this is going to be such a long week waiting for game one…
Well, it looks like we know Game 1:
https://twitter.com/JDJohnDickinson/status/1645192891604828160
Primetime slot means must see TV.
NBA is now forced to give us nationally televised games.
After ESPN royally dropped the ball and didn’t televise the 351 point affair when they had the ability to flex that particular game onto their schedule (they chose to televise OKC-Phoenix instead), they were chomping at the bit to get this game on ABC. Guaranteed. It might not be the best game, but it’s definitely one they wanted to air.
This is gonna be a fun, tense, tight series in all likelihood. Unless Wiggins is absolutely done and doesn’t have anything left.
FWIW, I think no matter who the Kings play (pre-seeding), Game 1 will be on ABC. They wanted the Kings bad, it’s must see TV. #LTB
There was always going to be a heavy push to get Boston, LA or GSW on ABC this weekend. It’s just very likely that the Lakers play the Nuggets and that will be what draws the ABC game becuz..duh…Lakers.
I’m sure Disney execs wanted the Kings on a big Nat TV (ABC) this weekend, and the fact they don’t even have to stretch to explain it is a major bonus. Their ratings have been down, they would love to a fun, exciting team to be able to televise. If the Kings do well this go around, they’ll be doing this a lot, lot, lot more. Bank on it.
Jaden McDaniels fractures hand punching wall.
Some headlines you really can’t make up.
Wow!
Big loss, one of the better defenders in the game. Gobert may be suspended for the next game. LBJ always seems to get injury luck and circumstances to swing his way.
It’s really hard to imagine how today could have gone worse for the TWolves despite their win
Yep and they actually match up well with LAL, hopefully Gobert is available.
The bigger loss is Jaden McDaniels. He punched a wall and fractured his hand.
who knew that punching a wall could actually fracture your hand?!
That is shocking! Shocking I tell you!
I believe surgeons and gem stone cutters do it all the time. It shouldn’t hurt a professional athlete that works out all the time.
https://twitter.com/NBAPR/status/1645195157350785027
Play-in games are on Tues, Wed and Fri.
It’s on like Donkey Kong
I HATE this match up for round one, but it is what it is.
I guess we’re about to find out what the Kings are made of.
I would’ve preferred playing NO, but oh well.
Fuck the dubs.
And as long as we’re at it, Fuck the Lakers too!
(Copy and pasting this from the Dubs postgame thread from the other day. I will say it’s extraordinarily hilarious the Kings only scored 28 points in the entire 2nd half today. GAME 82 BASKETBALL BABY!!!!)
I actually love the Dubs as a matchup, though, for the Kings. Take away the optics, the front of the jersey and the last decade of success, and I think this matchup is very favorable for the Kings. Who is going to defend Fox for the Dubs? Wiggins? GPII? Great! Who are they going to take off the floor to do that?
When the Kings finished facing the Dubs for the 3rd time this season on Nov 13th, their ORtg was 114.4. In between then, games 13 to 80, the Kings ORtg has been 120 on the nose. My point here is that despite the Kings seeing the Dubs, they haven’t seen them in a game that’s mattered much in the grand scheme of things….ever.
How do they defend Sabonis inside when he goes down there? Can Klay defend anyone on this group? How are the Dubs going to get away playing both Looney and Green together offensively? How will the Dubs attack Sabonis defensively given that they don’t particularly attack the cup frequently or consistently?
Can Murray and/or Barnes take advantage of their matchup’s on offense? Will Kessler Edwards have an impact this series? Do the Kings use Metu against the Dubs since he’s done well against them? Will Lyles get it going against the Dubs in the playoffs? What kind of impact does Davion Mitchell going to have? Jordan Poole and Steph Curry are exactly right in Davion’s wheelhouse in terms of defensive coverage.
I haven’t mentioned Monk or Huerter and I expect to see a number of lineup’s with those two in the playoffs. The Warriors can’t get bigger than Sac and going smaller might be a real advantage for Sac, too.
So many questions here, but I don’t really think the Warriors have as many counters here as one might think. Their offense is jump shooting and Curry (to a lesser extent Thompson and Poole) dependent. They need Looney and Green for their defense (not to mention Wiggins and GPII). I think the answers and counters for them aren’t as plentiful as people think, and the Kings have some counters of their own the Dubs aren’t used to seeing. They have some similar strengths and weaknesses but I think the chief difference between the Kings and Warriors is that their offense is truly elite and the Warriors aren’t necessarily elite on either end of the court. Even when you factor the absences of their players, I’m not sure they are an elite defensive team.
Even when you factor they have the 3rd highest offensive eFG% of a team in the NBA, they have a middling ORtg due to a horrible turnover rate (2nd worst), the worst FT drawing team in the NBA and they offset this somehow by being a middle of the pack offensive rebounding team. Defensively, they don’t force as many turnovers as they give up, and they are an okay defensive rebounding team but not a great one. The Kings have been top 5 or near top 5 all season in that department, the Warriors are not. Other than history, and Steph being able to maybe give the Dubs a W on his own, I’m not sure what this team truly does that is elite.
I can see this being a 5 game series with all the deep playoff runs, last years playoff run, the Wiggins off-court issue, their off-court drama hitting from every angle, and everything else. While it’s too early to say for certain the Warriors demise is here, it’s feeling like this is the beginning of the end of that era to me. There’s a number of real cracks there, the mystique is gone (I’ve never seen them lose a game where Curry went off for 50 like they did in LA 3 weeks or so ago; the loss in Denver without Jokic playing was another red flag) and it feels like they are primed for an early exit despite their reputation suggesting otherwise. As always the proof is in the pudding, but there’s a reason I want the Warriors: I think they are the best matchup for the Kings to advance into the 2nd round.
We’ve got close to a week to bat this around but there are some fascinating match ups. It’s fresh today, so here goes:
Domas v. Draymond
Klay v. Kevin
Steph and De’Aaron.
Harrison Barnes and Andrew Wiggins.
Looney, Kuminga, Poole, Divincenzo, Payton II
Keegan, Monk, Lyles, Davion, Kessler Edwards
Kerr vs Brown
Myers vs. McNair
Respect v. Disrespect
Experience. Durability. Officiating. NBA marketing.
So much to consider!
Just to let something roll around your noodle because, as you point out, we’ll have all week to look at this. Their best lineup (Steph, Klay, Wiggins, Dray & Looney) hasn’t played since Wiggins has been out with this personal issue he’s been attending to. Their 2nd best lineup is the same group minus Wiggins and subbing in DiVicenzo instead. Those two lineups have 500 minutes combined.
The Kings top lineup (their starters) is at 900 minutes. That isn’t the most just this season, it’s likely to be one of the most used 5 man combinations in the last decade.
Now, I’ll say this, looking at the Kings and Dubs a little bit already, there’s a lot I like about this matchup. ALOT. I do think what I’m coming back to is this: How can the Kings get Domas to score points inside? If they can do that, I think they’ll win this thing going away.
All my dubs friends are laughing at playing us round one. I told them be careful what they wish for. They point to the title last year but anyone can see they aren’t that team this year. Yes, they can score. But can they outscore us is always my response?
We match up interestingly well and I’m excited to shut all the noise about this team up
The direct answer is –
If you don’t believe you can win, you won’t.
Coach Brown and his staff have a tall order – if they are going to make us believers, words won’t do it.
They have six days to prepare.
I suspect that this series will go at least 6 games. It seems like GS has a better defense than the Kings & I don’t think that can be ignored.
They 100% are still a better defensive team than us, but we’ve played and put up numbers against other good defenses this year. Playoffs are indeed a different beast though where teams tighten up but I just have a weird feeling we’re going to surprise alot of folks. We obviously can’t and shouldn’t overlook the dubs but having a head coach who knows the ins and outs of that team we’re playing against should go a long way
When I saw the starters playing I thought oh man 49 here we go… so close.
I don’t know if there is any “good” matchup in the west. There is a lot of parity and I’m looking forward to what should be a close and hard fought battle. I love that MB knows the team he’s going up against and hopefully this provides an edge. Knocking off the champs as the first experience in the playoffs for 16 years is a massive task, but would be one more great step in a storybook season.
Not looking forward to national announcers televise playoff games. Hoping Kings provide coverage on NBC Sports California with Kyle/Katie/Mark getting the call.
Kings on national TV is going to be a breath of fresh air as long as Mark Jackson isn’t on the call; but it’s the ABC Saturday night game so he just may be for game 1.
Nevertheless, I’m happy to not have to listen to Kayte and Mark Jones, I find them insufferable. Although Mark Jones may be calling national TV games as well.
You’re going to get Mark Jones, Doris Burke and Malika Andrews. Whether you like them or not, the schedule has already been leaked.
https://twitter.com/richarddeitsch/status/1645217375082381312?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw
Game 82.
Just wanted to say thank you to the people behind The Kings Herald. Your hard work shows; it’s a fantastic community to be a part of as a Kings fan. Even in shitty seasons it always felt like a comfy pub where you’d get to after seeing the Kings disappoint once again. Good beer, nice fireplace, and Will at the bar passionately making his case for tanking.
Not this year though, the season has been great and so has TKH. Thanks to all the staff for this and obviously other TKH members as well for making this such a nice place to discuss the Kings.
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