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SLIP SLIDIN' AWAY
TheBigO
"You
know the nearer your destination, the more
you're slip slidin' away"
"I
know a team, they come from my hometown, they
can't play like this everynight if they hope
to wear the crown."
"I
said Rick Adelman, I live in fear, your road
record needs improvement or in the playoffs
you'll disappear."
Wow.
I hadn't planned on listening to the whole
game on the radio (I was home sick today and
possibly tommorrow and I was trying to get
some sleep) but I ended up doing just that.
These
are the type of games I loved when the Kings
were on the other side. A terrible team with
nothing to lose taking on a contender. I hate
them now. If the Kings win, so what? If they
lose, its a big setback.
Good
to see they gutted out tonight's win. The
Kings have NO breathing room. If history tells
us anything the Lakers are about to flip their
switch. I certainly hope that the light doesn't
go on this year, but they've shown they could
do it in the past.
They
CANNOT start letting games slip slide away.
el
donut
Relieved
is a good way to describe the feeling. Relieved
that we are able to bask in the glow of a
win that could have absolutely gone the other
way. Why did Webber miss so many shots from
the field? A high volume of missed shots can
be a strong indicator of a tired player. Just
enough of the edge is off to cause shot after
shot not to fall. I still believe that Webber
would have had a better shooting game tonight
if he had been rested more last night in the
blow out against the Bucks. I also posted
that they need to get over the giddiness of
winning big last night and focus on this game.
From Napier's comments about their casual
attitude and laughing/joking around prior
to the game, it would also indicate that they
were just a little to sure that the Bulls
would be a push over. As we all saw, nothing
could have been further from the truth. Boy,
did the Kings escape from a loss to a bottom
tier team by the hair on their colective chinny-chin-chins.
Kingme
The
game was a stressful one to listen to because
you had the feeling it was going to be "one
of those nights" for the Kings. I kept
on hearing the word "lackadasical"
which was very disconcerting. Again, there
was the unprofessional attitude which is all
too prevalent with the team. It's great they
all get along so well, but they aren't supposed
to be the Frat Boys of Sigma Phi . They have
to take their job seriously, and realize the
gravity of the situation, i.e. it's nearing
the end of the season, one game up on the
Lakers/Mavs, etc. You just really have to
wonder what the hell Adelman says - or doesn't
say - to them. This is a glaring weakness
that almost every Kings fan agrees that they
have, yet they seem unable to control themselves.
Only Bobby Jackson, so far, has shown maturity
on the court and in the locker room, and has
taken responsibility as a player. I thought
after Webber got the big contract he was supposed
to take on more of a leadership role. And
he even said so himself, now that he was settled
with one team, he would give it his all, and
try and make them championship contenders.
Well, he hasn't done it with any regularity
I have to give him credit for last night's
game, however. He had played a pretty inconsistent
game, committing a lot of turnovers and missing
easy shots which perhaps he should not have
kept taking. But in crunch time, when the
pressure was on, he came through. He made
a huge basket, had a big steal, and half-blocked
Rose's shot. He played big at the end, and
was a gutsy leader who never gave up on himself
nor his team. So, yes, I give him credit.
But we all know because of the sloppiness,
and the poor shooting/decision making, it
could have easily gone the other way, in which
case this would have been a different post
entirely.
Q
Bobby
Jackson is a fireplug. I remember marveling
at how he played at the University of Minnesota.
The way he is playing NOW, regardless of his
lack of height, he could start on many teams
in the NBA as a point or shooting guard. He
is a natural leader, but does not have the
status or the clout necessary to get this
team to follow his lead. He has the temperment,
the courage, the will, the drive and the energy
to lead and to push the team to win; but that
is hard to do from the bench. In order to
even begin to have the clout, the coach would
have to START him as well as have him in the
game when the team needs a boost or the game
is on the line. But getting Rick Adelman to
violate his rotational template during a season,
barring injury to a starter, is pushing on
a wall. So, Bobby will continue to push the
team and inject his personality and energy
in the locker room, from the bench and on
the court, but as long as Rick touts Mike
Bibby and Doug Christie as his starters Bobby
will be listened to and appreciated by his
teammates but not heeded.
Chris
Webber's play at various points in the game
allowed the Bulls to stay in the game or take
the lead - very sloppy and "lackadaisical"
play (Rick should NOT have left him in in
the 4th quarter in the Bucks blowout because
the guy had to be tired - which is still no
excuse); but I was glad he managed to come
through at the very end a make a few very
key, even CLUTCH plays. What is irksome is
that if he had not played so sloppy during
the game, he would not have to have come up
big at the end for the Kings to win. Oh well...
It
was obvious to me that the Bulls were trying
to take advantage of a tired Kings team by
rotating their players a lot. I mean, the
Kings only played 8 players (no surprise to
me, or the Bulls most likely) while the Bulls
played 11 and only Jalen Rose played 30+ minutes.
Because the Kings were over-confident and
leg-weary, the strategy almost worked. The
Bulls struck hard and fast and piled up and
early lead and then kept bringing in fresh
legs throughout the game.
Rick's
gameplan is NOT "like a box of chocolates",
"you" ALWAYS "know what your're
going to get." But this TEAM has so much
talent and such good chemistry that with the
right incentive and leadership they can overcome
almost any obstacle.
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