Sacramento Kings: Moral Victories

Coach Mike Malone hugs Isaiah Thomas after he misses the potential game-tying shot with a second left. Thomas scored 21 points in the fourth quarter.

Jay-Z once said that “moral victories are for minor league coaches”, but for a Sacramento Kings franchise that has been different parts awful, dysfunctional, and without direction, moral victories for new coach Mike Malone can also be called building blocks for the future. Especially when that moral victory comes in the form of a 97-95 loss to a full strength Oklahoma City Thunder team while you are missing your best player in Boogie Cousins.

These are the type of games Kings fans hope to look back on in the future as the turning point toward respectability. The Kings’ brutal schedule has contributed greatly to their 4-12 record, but the Kings have played close games against the Clippers (twice), the Warriors, and now the Thunder and have shown signs that they will not fall to the wayside when they play teams that can clearly outclass them.

The biggest thing I can take away from the season so far is the competitive nature this team exhibits and their ability to battle back from deficits consistently. To me no one on the team embodies this spirit more than the shortest player on the floor every night, Mr. Isaiah Thomas.

I’m sure most people don’t watch the Kings very often (who really wants to watch a 4-12 team unless you are a fan of them), but people really need to take notice of IT and the year he is having.

With the game turning over to the fourth quarter, the Kings broadcast flashed a graphic that Isaiah is averaging 7.8 points per game in the fourth quarter, good for 3rd in the league this season. With the score 78-65, I didn’t think much of stat other than “That’s pretty cool.”

Well IT had other plans as he put on a show that I won’t soon forget. He dropped 21 points in the fourth quarter and came up just short on a midrange fadeaway that would have forced overtime.

If you read this blog regularly, you know that I love Isaiah, and this season he keeps giving me more and more reasons to love him. The fourth quarter was a classic tour de force, as IT imposed his will on the entire game, constantly attacking, seeking any opening for three balls, and doing his best to battle on the defensive side where he is always outmanned. He was able to turn what looked like a cute little run by the Kings to start the fourth into a bonafide comeback attempt as he just kept pouring in the points. He befuddled the Thunder with his array of floaters and jumpers, confusing Oklahoma City with his pick and rolls.

Three plays stick out in my mind from the fourth that showed just how much Isaiah means to the team. The first was on a side pick and roll with about 2 minutes left where Serge Ibaka sagged off the screener, letting IT to weave back into the middle and get to the paint, where he dropped a lefty running hook/floater just before Ibaka and Kevin Durant rose up to block the shot.

The next one was off a scramble offensive board by Russell Westbrook where IT was able to poke the ball away from Russ and dive over the top of him to secure the loose ball and call a timeout, setting up a short fadeaway by Isaiah to bring the game to 2. The last one was on the final possession of the game as the Kings tried to tie the game, everyone in the building knew it was going to IT and though he was hounded by Russ to the point of almost losing the ball, he was able to get off a great look that was just a little short.

However, instead of the team looking dejected after another close loss, coach Malone immediately came out hugged a visibly upset Isaiah, followed by the whole team coming out and giving him dap, knowing there was no way they would have ever been in this situation without Isaiah’s heroics. The more I watch this team, the more apparent it is that Isaiah is truly the heartbeat of the team, Boogie might be the best player, but this team rallies around IT and the spirit he brings to the game.

Notes

Transition defense is pretty damn good. The team did a good job getting 2 or 3 guys back to pack the paint after shots to thwart a legitimately scary Thunder transition offense, even suckering the Thunder into some pull up 3s that weren’t falling.
Any screens, whether they are off ball or on ball, that force rotations are an adventure. This is to be expected as the team learns new defensive schemes from coach Malone, but sometimes it just comes down to lack of focus. To many times it’s not the initial switch, though having Chuck Hayes and Ben McLemore switch on pick and rolls to the point of not switching back is not going to win many games, but rather the second and third rotation where the Kings get caught up and give up wide open shots.
The last, killer is penetration. Now obviously that is going to kill any team, but the Kings seem to give up penetration way to easily. This is no doubt due to having minus defenders at the guard and wing positions, but other teams have minus defenders and are able to avoid getting broken down so easily. In my eyes, it’s once again rotations that are not fully worked out yet that contribute greatly to penetration killing the team so much.
Ben is great to watch. He brings it every night on every possession and is slowly getting comfortable with the NBA game. Recently winning Western Conference Rookie of the Month will only help his confidence, and I hope, cause him to stay aggressive on the offensive end. No worries about his defense, he’s always there. I’m really excited to continue to watch his growth this year.
Derrick Williams, please don’t just be a gunner. We need some semblance of well rounded ball. No rebounds and no assists aren’t gonna cut it.
Marcus Thornton played well in my eyes even if the scoring wasn’t there (5 points 2-8 shooting). He contributed with 5 rebounds, 3 assists and some tough defense in the fourth.