Kings Breakdown: Good News, Bad News for Sacramento

A fourth-quarter Knicks rally turned what should have been a Kings blowout into a 123-118 double-overtime thriller in Sacramento on Friday night.

The Kings' win gave several glimpses into how and why Sacramento might  challenge for a playoff spot in the West.

Unfortunately for Sacramento fans, though, it gave many more glimpses into how and why the Kings might land a high pick in the 2008 Draft.

Why Sacramento Can Challenge for a Playoff Spot

Kevin Martin went bananas against the Knicks, erupting for 43 points on 11-21 shooting. He was 5-7 from downtown and 16-19 from the bonus line.

Most of Martin’s success came in the first three quarters, as the Knicks repeatedly allowed him to catch, square, and shoot.

On the few occasions the Knicks tried to deny him the ball, Martin was able to slip backdoor. He also looked comfortable running the floor, and was athletic enough to at least draw fouls on the move.

At 6'7", Martin has the size to shoot over smaller defenders and the athleticism to go around slower ones. His jumper alone is enough to provide consistent scoring for the Kings throughout the year.

While Martin got all the points, though, Ron Artest was the real reason the Kings staved off the Knicks.

Artest's numbers alone are impressive (11-16 FG, 2-3 3FG, 8 REB, 2 AST, 2 STL, 1 BLK, 28 PTS), but his man-to-man defense was extraordinary.

Not only did he lock up Quentin Richardson and throw away the key—when he switched onto Eddy Curry in the overtime session, Artest was strong enough to muscle Curry away from premier post position.

The results of Artest's defense on Curry were...

-Great positioning by Artest to deny Curry the ball with 10 seconds left to go. As a result, Jamal Crawford was forced to go one-on-one and put up an off-balance runner, which missed. Artest was too small to keep Curry from tipping in the miss for a layup.

-Great technique by Artest to lure Curry into an offensive foul.

-Artest pushing Curry farther away from the basket than Curry was accustomed to, forcing a missed left hook.

-No points for Curry in either overtime period.

Artest also hit a brace of strong jumpers pulling left, was strong enough to take contact and still finish, and—aside from Martin—was the only King able to get his own shot off with consistency.

Plus, Artest was easily the most physical player on the Kings' roster.

Some other bright spots:

- Brad Miller’s passing and jump-shooting from the high post opened up a number of successful backcuts.

- John Salmons executed a nifty weakside-to-strongside cut with only 19 seconds to go, resulting in a plus-one.

- Beno Udrih was patient and smart. His success in attacking Curry on rolls off the high screen led directly to seven critical points in the second overtime.

- Reggie Theus’ decisions to (1) switch Artest onto Curry, (2) let the offense run through Udrih in the second overtime, and (3) focus on bottling up the Knicks’ perimeter scorers at the extent of giving Curry his baskets were instrumental in Sacramento’s victory. 

Why Sacramento Will Be in the Lottery

Kevin Martin showed very little success scoring off his dribble. When he wasn’t running in transition, breaking back door, or catching and shooting, his offensive game went AWOL.

Martin also made zero shots after contact. In the fourth quarter, when Stephon Marbury crowded Martin and forced him to create his own offense going to the basket, Martin completely disappeared.

What's more, Martin played no defense whatsoever. At one point he was turned completely around by a Jamal Crawford crossover—and then committed a foul with his back turned to Crawford.

The Kings' interior defenders were putrid. Brad Miller and Mikki Moore were thoroughly dominated by David Lee and Eddy Curry, and help defenders were nowhere to be found.

The Kings were weak on the defensive glass, yielding 19 offensive rebounds—including five to Lee and a six to the lead-footed Curry.

Aside from Ron Artest, the Kings were remarkably soft and were overwhelmed by New York's physicality. During the Knicks’ comeback, New York fielded a lineup of four guards and Lee—and still managed to bully their hosts.

Beno Udrih was only able to finish when completely unimpeded at the hoop. Any defensive pressure resulted in a botched layup.

During the Knicks’ comeback, Martin missed two layups and Artest missed one.

Sacramento threw away their inbounds passes on back-to-back possessions late in the second overtime, giving the Knicks hope.

(Fortunately for the home team, the Knicks failed to capitalize on the Kings' mistakes, turning the ball over on one possession, and missing one of two free throws on the other.)

When Udrih was out of game, the Kings were hard-pressed to execute even the simplest of plays—including bringing the ball up and getting into a set. Finding a third point guard should be a top priority in Sacramento.

...as should replacing Mikki Moore with some interior muscle.

...as should having Francisco Garcia and Kevin Martin spend hour-upon-hour in the conditioning room.

Basketball is a tough-man’s game. And as strong as Artest is, he doesn’t have enough muscle to compensate for his paper-thin teammates.

Fortunately, the Kings will have plenty of time to lift weights while they watch the playoffs on TV.