When Should We Start To Believe In the Sacramento Kings?
When should we believe in the Kings oh okay we can do that yeah um I don’t I I I what they’ve done defensively in fact we were just looking this up at the break they’ve given up 299 points the last three games MH the last time they
Gave up fewer than 300 points in a three-game stretch was May 2nd fourth and 5th of 2021 so three years ago four seasons ago and I think that’s a good sign playing better on the defensive end is I I think a key if they’re going to go
In and win a playoff series like it’s about stops I just have all the faith in their offense I don’t have any problems with what the kings are doing offensively or what they will do offensively like end of end end of the day if the Kings need a bucket and you
Need to go to the fox to bonis pick and roll I trust that that can get them a bucket or a monks a bonus pick and roll or whatever it is I don’t the their offense is not the thing to me the thing is can they go in a playoff
Series across seven games can they put together enough defense against a playoff caliber offense to win four out of those seven games and if they play like they’ve played the last three games the answer to me is yes but we have a much larger sample size of the answer being
No so I’m not there yet and to me this is believe in the Kings as a oh you know what hey they could make a little bit I don’t think they I I don’t think they’re going to the finals yeah they could win a series and and scare somebody in the
Second round which is kind of what I I expected coming into this year maybe they make the Conference Finals if everything goes right okay but I’m not I I just I I’m I can’t I can’t get there yet they’re still too inconsistent for me yeah I mean I think you asked this
Question like we had on the rundown last week and and it’s do if they were to beat the Knicks would you have believed in them and my answer is is no I actually could believe in them more after tonight’s game than I could on Saturday interesting why
Because they just beat two really good teams like whether the Lakers are great or not like who knows but they have LeBron James and Anthony Davis and and ruy hachimura they they can put up points you beat the heck out of the Lakers twice in a one week two and one
And a half week span yeah but the second time you beat them on the second night of a back to back after playing the Bucks and an win against bucks and the Bucks had everybody except for Middleton which you know Middleton he’s not making up5 points well that and he’s not really
A player at this point anyway so like just because he hasn’t been able to stay healthy and you know he’s on the downswing so my point is that you show that you can beat the Lakers in in the Bucks and then you had another really good team the Kings get up for really
Good teams they’re ready for a really good team and the Knicks are a really good team whether you love them or not whe you know they’re still they’re a team that’s pacing to win 50 games and it’s not that game that scares me it’s that you now have eight games in a
Row where maybe five of them are just should win have to win if you don’t win then we’re right back to square one five of the games are the types of games that we’ve come in here this year and gone how did they lose that how did you you
Cannot lose to the Memphis Grizzly you cannot lose to the Washington Wizards like there are there are games here in front of you where the Toronto Raptors are not a good team the Philadelphia Sixers 76ers are not playing well right now the Utah Jazz are not a good
Team but this Sacramento Kings team like they’ve proven time and time again this season that every time we think that they’ve figured it out and they’re ready to get up for a bad team and run somebody over that they can’t do it so the question that you ask should you
Believe in them you know again a little bit of belief tonight if they beat the Grizzlies a little bit more belief if they beat on Wednesday if if they beat the Raptors a lot more if they walk in and they beat the Wizards on Thursday I
Don’t care if it’s a back toback and then you know again Orlando kind of a coin toss team you’re better than them or you’re right around the same they’re talented but that’s still you need to prove that you can go in there and win a game and if they start doing that they
Start stringing together and all of a sudden we’re looking at let’s say they win these four games right here in front of you one two three four that puts you at eight- two over your last 10 that’s great Bravo playing play and playing your best basketball going into the post
Season peak now it’s okay you didn’t Peak before peek Now find your game now get the offense cranking but show that you can play defense mhm I think there’s still time 16 games is a long time you build some momentum right here in this eight game stretch that final eight
Games will take care of itself yeah you put yourself in a very very good position to win some of those games down the stretch whereas if they are and this goes to the belief that again they can win a first round series and and give somebody a scare in the second round and
Maybe even make the Conference Finals that’s that’s belief to as I’m defining it for this question okay and to your point if they go let’s say six and two in this in this stretch of games maybe they slip up on on one of their Road games and they the Mavs let’s
Just say yeah they lose in Orlando and they split with the Mavs and those two home games here are golden one but you’re six and two after those eight and then you go in and you beat Utah to to cap it you’d feel so much better about
Them like yeah hey they’ve got this Clippers down the stretch here they’ve got the they’ve got the the Suns again like you feel you feel better about them winning those tougher games then if they go four and four in these eight you go four and four in
Those eight it’s imposs possible to look at that second set of eight games going yeah they can win six of these no so I I’m with you man these aren’t the the toughest games left on their schedule but given the ups and downs of this season I need to see this I know
That they can beat Denver three out of four times I know that they can beat the Suns I know that they can beat the Clippers I got all that up here I don’t know that they can consistently play well against good teams and against Bad teams
I need to see that where I can now go hey I know what King’s team I’m getting no matter the night yeah and right now we I I don’t I don’t have that they could go into a first round series and it would be like sure maybe they go to
Seven games with the Nuggets or maybe they get sweat by the Timberwolves like I I I’ve got nothing for you yeah it just well that’s the problem and consistency the other thing I’ll just keep pointing out nothing is guaranteed like no like you want to
Guarantee go 12 and four of the final 16 win 50 games and you’ll be a six seed or a five seed I mean the Clippers are just like hanging out like waiting for you to take take take right there for it is like you want to you could easily be
Pacific division champs and I know that doesn’t mean anything but a home Series yeah you probably get a home Series yeah so here’s this is the other the the the other thing for me um figure it out no um it is just as to me you say it’s on
The table that they go win the Pacific Division and this is where my belief in the Kings comes in where my lack of belief in them comes in is you say that and I’m like dang you know what they could they could easily pick up four
Games on the Clippers over these next 16 because they both have 16 games left they could definitely pick up four games on the Clippers and win the Pacific division but there’s an equal part of my brain going they could go eight and eight in these last 16 and lose two playing
Games like that’s that’s as on the table to me right now yeah now it’s it’s I will say this how they played the last three games I’ve been very very impressed is particularly on defense I think defensively they’ve been a lot better the last three games and consistently good for 48 minutes over
Those three games Jaylen Brunson going off as side and Trista cck on the heat check her podcast made the case that Jaylen Brunson deserves some MVP love yeah and he is that level of player like okay he got loose against you stuff happens he’s backpacked that next team
For months yes I mean Julius randle’s been out forever yes oan no’s missed a bunch of time yeah he’s missed a bunch of time like Ty yeah and they traded away some really good scores in order to get OG and and Jaylen brunson’s had to carry the load I mean he’s been really
Impressive I I don’t disagree with that that take I don’t I don’t either he’s not an MVP but he’s played to that level yes and he has a he has that teamate a for seed despite the adversity I definitely think he’s in the conversation he’s not going to go win it
But he’s in the conversation I think he should be and that’s and that’s fair but that’s what I would love to see go be that for the next for the next week or two weeks and show me that and at that point I will be fully on board
With okay forget the first 60 plus games 66 games here they are this is what we’re expecting they’re picking at the right time and then we can move forward from there I just uh I I’m I’m not ready to get there just yet based on based on just too many poor
Performances this year and too many moments where you’ve gotone oh they turning a corner and then they don’t
Subscribe for the latest Sacramento sports news & videos!!
Listen live: https://www.audacy.com/espn1320/listen
Visit our website: https://www.audacy.com/espn1320
Subscribe on Twitch: https://www.twitch.tv/espn1320
Follow us on Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/espn1320
Like us on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/espn1320
Follow us on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/espn1320
