Well, I guess it's payback. The Kings made a valiant comeback effort last week against the Warriors, only to come up a couple key buckets short. The same happened last night, only in reverse. So, I guess it's a wash.

Brad Miller, of course, came up big down the stretch. I won't lie, though – I'm kind of worried about The Congressman. It's nothing actually about B-52 himself, it's about how teams are defending him. Opponents are learning that you have to stay up in Miller's face to keep him from creating. We've seen San Antonio use this defense, and I think New Orleans pulled it, too. But it's becoming so well known around the league that even Mike Freaking Montgomery pulled it out last night. Murphy guarded Miller much of the game, and it generally consisted of staying with B-52 at all costs and sticking a few dancing hands in his face.

The counterattack to this is obviously sticking the ball on the floor and driving. And yeah, you can do that to a Golden State or a Phoenix, where there's no one under the hoop to frighten you. But against teams that rotate perfectly, like San Antonio, or teams with some major shot-blocking prowess, like Dallas – well then Brad has to drive and kick. That's one area of his game that seriously lacks, his passing on the run. (It's funny, because that's a skill Mike Bibby has in spades. But MB10 isn't so great at creating the great pass from out high – he's got to be moving and running and coming off picks to drop dimes. Witness that beautiful no-look wrap-around to Bonzi at the end of the game last.)

So Brad's got to get confident driving and dishing, or else every squad in the league is going to plant a guy in his personal space. (This is when Kenny becomes somewhat of a offensive liability – he's a natural choice to leave open when you need to double-down on an Artest or Bonzi on the block. And Kenny, if he gets the ball on his spot off the double, will shoot. He only hits about 40 percent of those. Yet if he sneaks into the lane when his man leaves home, he's really only there for a putback chance, because Bonzi won't pass in the lane and Ron-Ron can't pass in the lane. All I'm saying is that opponents would be fools to double off of Shareef. Another wrinkle to add to the ensuing KT-Reef debate.)

Also worrying, of course, is the following:

But on the bright side…

The next four games are obviously huge, given the Hornets' decision to not go away. Also, the Seven Spot is a lofty goal, since the Spurs are now crushing all dissenters. So yeah, big stretch.