Kings win! Yay? React away, full recap to follow.
Sorry gang, this was supposed to have published last night. Not sure what happened.
Postgame Thread: Kings 125, Hornets 102
Light the Beam!
By Greg Wissinger | 27 Comments | Apr 5, 2025
NBA: Sacramento Kings at Charlotte Hornets
Apr 4, 2025; Charlotte, North Carolina, USA; Sacramento Kings forward Domantas Sabonis (11) shoots the ball against Charlotte Hornets center Jusuf Nurkic (11) during the second quarter at Spectrum Center. Mandatory Credit: Jim Dedmon-Imagn Images
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Bugs dancing! Kings Win!
I can come up with a “best case” scenario involving the Play-In, and it is perhaps as likely as moving up in the lottery.
-10th Play-In
-Miami and/or Chicago with same/better record (if same record, Sac must win coin flip(s)).
If either or both Chicago and Miami have better records, Sac is at the 11 or 12 draft spot. Keep pick unless highly unlikely lottery jump moves them to 13 or 14.
-Kings win 9 v. 10 and play loser of 7 v 8
If lose, keep pick (see above)
if Kings win the 8th seed in the playoffs and face OKC – they not only lose pick, and almost surely get swept, the season is placed on the “success” side of the Ranadive ledger. This would secure Doug Christie’s hire, and possibly retain Monte McNair. This is the downside of Play-In success and would spell expected doom for a better next season as the Kings do not excel in player movement decision making..
Coach Christie update:
For Doug Christie to be .>500:
Kings must go 2-3
For Kings to be >.500:
5-0
Bugs dancing?
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+1 And if we somehow manage to keep the pick, I’m sure we’ll have many discussions about Vivek’s directive on how to use it…
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Tank Watch:
Chicago, Miami and Phoenix all share identical 35-42 records.
My Bugs: tutu
Your Bugs: stratocaster
My bugs: ballet
Your bugs: groovin’
I’ll give that your bugs has better sting, but only by a hare.
I’m rooting hard for Chicago and Miami to either get ahead of us (not likely) or at the very least tie so that we still have a chance at keeping our pick with winning coin flips. Hoping Dallas stays at 9th too.
I’ve pretty much written off Phoenix for passing or tying us. They just are too far back now.
So if Kings go 3-2 in the next 5, they lock up the 10 spot. 2-3 might do it if one of the wins is against PHX. 9 spot still possible with some help likely needed. If Kings get 9 or 10 spot and lose the first play in game do they keep their pick? If they win game 1 will they lose their pick?
It will depend on the records of the teams that get bounced in the East play-in. If both teams that get eliminated over there have a better record than the Kings, then Sac keeps their pick, even if they win their first play-in and lose their second.
For the lottery, do tiebreakers not factor to determine standings? If two or more teams have the same record, is the order purely based on coinflips?
coin flips.
We’ve seen this in the past, and my off the cuff recollection is that Sac has had fairly good coin flip luck historically. But, it’s still a coin flip, and the same odds remain.
Over the last 15 games the Kings are just 4-11. There is now a very real chance they lose their last 5 games against superior competition. There is also a very real chance they still stumble into the play-in while doing so. Just think, it’s entirely possible for this team to end the final quarter of the season going 4-16…and still make the post season. Just utter stupidity this play-in joke is. On the flip side, I think it’s wrong for a very deserving 7th seed to potentially get bounced in a game 2 games, especially if they have an injury and illness that directly affects the game. Either have a real series or make the whole damn thing a NCAA single elimination style tourney, but done’t mix the two. I wish the league would just do away with it.
An aside, I see teams from contenders to lottery bound continuing to sit guys due to “rest.” Sometimes it’s on a back to back and sometimes it’s due to the scheduled matchup. It got me thinking, when was the last time the Kings ever sat a player for “rest?” I can’t recall it happening at all.
The play-in is just bad. I think a team needs to be at least .500 to make the playoffs. Make it just the top 16 teams get in the playoffs. Then figure out the formatting options.
And no, I can’t recall the last time the Kings had someone sit out for “rest”.
The TV/viewer ratings for Play-In are very high.
The NBA is a professional entertainment enterprise – they must pay the piper. TV and advertisers play the tune- the NBA dances to that tune.
The Eastern Conference, though overall weaker, if I count (which I do poorly) through the list of NBA champions over the last 50 seasons, the West holds a 26-24 advantage over the East. It’s very back and forth on that account if you look at 40, 30, 20 years as well.
The team records reflect a Leastern Conference bias however. In my mind, All-Stars follow that same “less than” qualifications.
The larger markets are Eastern with more smaller markets Western.
To wit – the NBA will not go to Top 16 team record playoffs given the current conference and market make up.
Let’s imagine they did – there could be a Boston v Cleveland or OKC v. Clippers or some such iteration for The Finals. Not going to happen. You’ve alienated a whole sector of viewership. Yikes!
IMO – The Play-In is here to stay for the time being (And you will like it!) even though it is grossly unfair to the 7th and 8th placed teams. And the Conferences will remain with the separated playoffs.
Once the league expands to 32 (which I hope happens sooner than later), why not make it a 32 team playoff and eliminate the conferences all together in the playoffs. Make the first round best of 5 with 1vs32, 2vs31, etc. The second round and above could then go to 7 game series. Shorten the season to 80 games and everyone is guaranteed 83 with the new playoff format. It would also give teams incentive to play until the end of the season because just about every game would count for seeding.
Better yet, have the 16 teams that get eliminated in the first round go into a single elimination consolation bracket and play for draft pick seeding. Winner of the consolation bracket gets the #1 pick. That would eliminate tanking all together, make more money and keep fan engagement.
I think Seattle and Vegas are the ones that are in line to get an expansion, right? Wonder if they keep the conferences, would they maybe move one of the Western teams to the East (like Memphis?), or if they would just have an uneven amount of teams in each conference.
Who and How do you see the 32?
Las Vegas (definite? 42nd market. Yes worse than SLC (33) Milwaukee (35) Kansas City (31)/OKC (45). Other notables: San Antonio (37), Memphis (48), New Orleans (53).
Seattle (14th, most likely by region and legacy)
Tampa-St. Pete (13th Fla is football country)
San Diego (28) – it’s been tried and failed – Buffalo Braves, Rockets were San Diego before Houston. The San Diego franchise (1967-71)was named the Rockets since it was the city where Atlas rockets for NASA were made. A move to Houston was perfect. The ABA had the Conquistadors (great name))
Nashville (29- and close to Memphis)
You can see why Toronto is still in, and why Vancouver was attempted and why Mexico City games happen every season. Markets, markets markets.
Given the latest $6B Leprechaun buy, the price for a new franchise would inject a nice booster to the current governors ($5B/team – League gets a cool $10B to divide by 30 or $333.33M/team. They have to divide current TV deal from 30 to 32). A good business to be in.
A 32 team League makes sense. Add 2 to the West, shift New Orleans and Memphis East, is my expectation. Expansion strengthens a Play-In though (more chances for more teams)
Seattle for sure. I, for one, don’t want to see one in Vegas. I’m not a fan of the city and despise how much gambling has infiltrated professional sports. Vegas is also 100% Laker market, so whoever puts a team there is going to have to pay a pretty penny, or a Luka.
I wouldn’t mind seeing another Canadian team. Would love for Vancouver to come back. That would right a lot of wrongs in the league if it were Seattle and Vancouver, but I doubt that happens.
I could see Kansas City or St. Louis putting in a bid. Part of me wonders if TV market is going to play that much a part, especially if the future is streaming and cable goes the way of the horse and buggy.
I don’t know how well Golden Knights or Raisers or Runnin’ Rebels draw.
When I was in LV for VSL, the locals I interacted with were not very enthused over the Athletics coming to town. Apparently no one is – the team is at Sutter Health Park and there has been no ground breaking ceremony, just news about demolition of the old casino. The Vegas folks (Vegasos? not Vegans. haha – Sinners!) seemed to prefer an expansion MLB team over the chronically penurious A’s ownership history. I got a powerful “he/she really isn’t into you” vibe.
Would the Vegas Mavericks be a solid draw? Sure seems so. Appropriately, it’s a gamble. An expansion team to Dallas? Move Memphis, New Orleans, Sacramento (lower in attendance teams) to Dallas and expansion to that city? I can’t see that either. Would Dallas keep their name? The Dallas Malice? Saddle them with cowboy, equine name? The Pintos? Riders? Rascals? Vaqueros? Gauchos?
Rec’d for “penurious.”
The NBA gimmicks are pathetic and sad. The in season tournament is a joke and the play in as well. And I’ve noticed how jovial those who cover the NBA have been since the Luka and Jimmy B trades have rejuvenated the Lakers and Duds. It’s as if the NBA is nothing without those two darlings being in contention.
There’s no doubt in my mind that there’s consiratorial shit behind the Luka trade.
The NBA is a trash product and it’s even trashier for us as King’s fans.
I’ve seen it seen it theorized more than a few times, especially on Mavs forums, that the Luka trade was a buyoff of the Lakers media rights to Vegas, by the Mavs, for an eventual relocation there.
Adelson has been pumping money (over $13M) into Texas legislature to get gambling approved in 2025. Texas legislature has until June to decide, but it’s not looking good for Mariam. Rumor is, if they don’t get approval, she’s moving the Mavs to Vegas. Read this from just a few weeks ago: A casino in Irving? Here’s what you need to know ahead of Thursday’s city council vote
I’ve heard these rumors too about the Mavs owners. Like they traded their superstar Luka so that fans would stop coming to games so they’d have an excuse to move.
I’ve seen some estimates (and yes they are rough arse pulled estimates) that the Luka trade could cost the Mavs a billion dollars or more when you factor in ticket sales, tv rights, merch etc.
You don’t trade the most marketable young star in the NBA for peanuts unless there’s sinister reasoning behind it.
Have you met GM
DivacMcNairHarrison?There can be other than nefarious reasons.
I mean, Momma always said…
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I see King’s players resting almost every game Adam, usually on defense.
Domas don’t do rest.
Keon, Keegan, Jake don’t either.
Lol, well
playedrested.Badge Legend