By Mike Fisher -- DallasBasketball.com
It would be a neat metaphor to say the Sacramento Kings, Dallas’ Round 1 opponent in the NBA Playoffs, is readying for an early shower.
DB.COM BOARDS
FISH ON RADIO
SACRAMENTO BEE
KINGS STATS
But this isn’t a metaphor. This is a literal incident, a real-life happening: Before losing Game 82 this week to huge underdog Golden State, the Kings lost Game 81 this week to huge underdog Denver.
In Denver on Monday – where a win might have led to Sacramento capturing the West’s No. 1 overall seed – the Nuggets’ we-made-the-playoffs party began with a few ticks left on the clock and the score Denver 97, Sacto 89. Kings players trudged off the court, entered the locker room, undressed. …
Meanwhile, on the floor, the referees were trying to order the Kings back onto the court. There was, after all, 0:00.5 still showing on the game clock.
No thanks, said the Kings organization, who informed officials that their players were literally in the shower.
Said Kings coach Rick Adelman: "I'm concerned right now."
The Kings’ pedigree is such that we assume they can “turn it on’’ at the appropriate moment. And maybe the can on Sunday. Except you’d think they would have viewed Monday in Denver as an appropriate moment. And you’d think they would have viewed Wednesday in Oakland as an appropriate moment.
Sacto’s big advantage comes in Game 7, at home, if Round 1 goes that far. The Kings are a bad road team, almost as woeful as Dallas. If each teams “holds serve’’ at home, we go 3-3 and onto Game 7, at which point one would assume the Kings would truly “turn it on’’ at that appropriate moment.
The Kings have earned our respect for how they’ve built themselves to this point, a point of series contention once again for a title. They have earned our respect for how they play through adversity, the Chris Webber injury history serving as the most notable example. And they have earned our respect for accomplishing so much (short only of an NBA title, really) with the entertaining team-first style now emulated by the Mavs.
They have earned all of that. And as their reward, here’s hoping they’ll accept another hot shower, 12 of Mark Cuban’s fluffy towels, and a one-way ticket out of the playoffs.