Sacramento Kings: 5 Things We Learned from Opening Night Win vs. the Lakers

The Kings opened their season against the Lakers and impressed everyone by beating them 100-91.  Thornton scored, Tyreke learned how to play second fiddle, Cousins provided the incredible hustle minutes in the final stretch that nobody expected from him, and the Kings proved that they can truly play with the Lakers.  

Never mind the fact that the Lakers are limping like they've just barely made it out of a major battle.  Never mind the fact that it's only Game 1 of 66.  

Do yourself a favor and try to savor this one.  

The Kings beat the Lakers, they beat them handily, and they didn't look nervous for one minute of the contest.  Okay, so maybe they looked a little anxious for a few minutes down the stretch, then Chuck Hayes imposed his will upon Pau Gasol, blocked his shot, and made everyone completely forget about the heart condition that almost kept him out of playing this season.  

Here are five things that we learned from the Kings' opening night in 2011-2012.  May the next 65 be as sweet as this one.  

Cousins Has Something to Prove

DeMarcus Cousins came out with a fire in his belly tonight.  Despite the fact that he was on the bench for a large part of the third quarter for being in foul trouble, he came back on the court and proved that those black jerseys are something to be afraid of.  

With about two minutes left, Cousins took charge and grabbed a rebound from a Kobe brick, and you could see the devilish twinkle in his eyes.  He's juiced about this year, there's no doubt about it.  

When the Kings needed Cousins to come up with a giant board (and especially a defensive one), he did just that.  About a minute later, he bounced for a board after Hayes missed a free throw, and the hustle he showed was just out of this world.  The Kings announcers commented that he's simply much stronger than Gasol when he grabbed the ball out of his hands and threw it off the big Spaniard's body in order to gain possession.  Gasol is a little soft (his biggest drawback), and DMC took full advantage.    

Plus, DMC hit 4-of-6 free throws.  It doesn't sound amazing, but a number of them were in the fourth quarter, which was clutch.  He finished with 12-11, which is the double-double (seriously, he should be a spokesperson for In-n-Out) that we're all hoping that he can produce night after night.  

In a shortened season, those "night-after-night" series are going to be as literal as they are tiring.  One way or another, he dominated tonight and amplified the energy in both the locker room and inside of Power Balance. 

Look out, National Basketball Association. 

Jimmer and Thornton Led the Floor Impressively

There were several times during this game that I thought Jimmer just wasn't ready for the NBA. For all intents and purposes, it's true that he just isn't ready for such serious competition.  But despite a lockout-shortened 66-game season, he's going to learn something from every single game down the stretch.  

He only scored six points and had three assists, but the most remarkable part of his performance was that he was on the floor for 26 minutes in a very crucial game for Sacramento (both the franchise and the city).  This means that Westphal trusts him and wants him to be out there.  On top of that, it means that despite his three turnovers (which led the team), he's willing to get out there and put himself on the line when it really matters.  

Marcus Thornton led the Kings in scoring, and this says a number of things.  First, he is clearly feeling motivated by the fact that the Kings rewarded him with a contract extension just before the season started.  I'm so proud of the fact that he is stepping it up for his family, for the city and for the crazy amount of fans that have stuck with the Kings through all of the junk that we've had to watch over the past decade.

His final stat line: 27 PTS, 5 REB, 3 AST.  

I don't know how many people drafted Thornton in their preseason fantasy drafts, but they very well may be rethinking their decisions at this point.  He's a pure scorer, he knows how to get his team pumped up (at a very young age), and now he's carrying them.  Let's hope he continues this ridiculous run and proves all kinds of people wrong throughout the season. 

Chuck Hayes Stepped It Up

With about three minutes left in the game, Chuck Hayes stepped it up big time and showed everyone what it means to play defense as a 6'6" center.  Using his body and his arm strength to the best of his abilities, he blocked a Pau Gasol shot down low that would have cut the Kings' lead to two.  

If you've watched Kings games in the final few minutes in the last couple of years, you'll know that they've had almost zero inside presence that they could rely on.  When you really think about it, Hayes is tiny for a center.  Who knew he was going to be such a bargain (especially the first time around)?  Ah yes, I knew.  There's a good chance I'm totally wrong about that in the long run, but it feels pretty good to know that it paid off in what was a very important opening game for the Kings. 

At the end of the game, he hit a big free throw and played a general's role on the floor, leading a very young team to victory.  His presence on the floor in defensive situations is going to be far more important than his ability to score points or even to get offensive rebounds. 

They're Still Insanely Disorganized, Especially on D

During the majority of possessions on defense, Sacramento looked discombobulated and completely unprepared to stop any kind of offense.  The Lakers, at this early point in the season, are obviously out of whack and not prepared to beat generally weak teams like the Kings.  Bynum is suspended, Kobe is ailing, and everyone is trying to figure out how to cope without Metta World Peace (despite his 19-4-4 performance) and Odom playing serious roles as No. 6 and No. 7 men.  

That being said, the Kings are not prepared this year on the defensive end.  They gave up a significant amount of points down the stretch and made everyone remember the 2002 Western Conference Finals.  

The most alarming part of this is the fact that they really don't have any serious defensive presence down low.  World Peace, Bryant and Gasol had free reign in the final minutes to do what they wanted with the Kings (in the paint, that is...you don't go on a 17-4 in the fourth quarter and not have a seriously solid offense).  

If the game had gone on much longer, the Kings may have folded and given up a great lead and a huge win on opening night.  Luckily, games are only 48 minutes.  

I Know It's Game 1, but Sacramento Is Still a Scary Place to Play

I know Kobe has an injured wrist and is in pain because of his recent divorce.  If you look at this picture, you'll notice that Kobe is three things:

1.) In pain.

2.) Trying to get over a serious divorce and the loss of Lamar Odom (which, in all seriousness, wasn't that big of a deal, but Kobe made a big deal out of it anyway).

3.) Annoyed that his team is disintegrating and that Sacramento is a tough place to play. The Kings are formidable again, even if it's because the Lakers are a shell of themselves, and Kobe is trying to do everything himself.

Maybe the boldest prediction of this NBA season is as follows: The Kings will scrape together a new arena, win 35 games, make a playoff appearance and make Gavin Maloof a little happier about owning this crack squad of athletes that we can't help but love right now. 

Get ready for an exhilarating season for the Kings.