 |
| |
|
 |
 |
Let's get physical It'll take more than a positive mental attitude to beat L.A.Posted: Monday May 20, 2002 12:02 PMUpdated: Monday May 20, 2002 6:50 PM
SACRAMENTO -- Yogi Berra must love Kings fans. Judging from a common local reaction to their team's Game 1 loss to the Lakers, Sacramento’s problems against the Lakers are 90 percent half mental. If only the Kings had just had more CONFIDENCE, they say, they would have avoided their 106-99 loss. If only they had more BELIEF, they wouldn’t have been down 14 points in the first quarter. If only they kept a POSITIVE MENTAL ATTITUDE they wouldn’t have let L.A. fend them off with clutch baskets down the stretch. It’s almost as if they think the Kings need Dr. Frasier Crane more than they do Peja Stojakovic. Sorry, but it’s no mental block that has caused Sacramento to lose six consecutive playoff games to L.A., including three straight at Arco Arena. It’s a talent/performance block. The Kings might boast a deeper roster, but so far they just have not been able to find an answer for Shaquille O’Neal and Kobe Bryant. As Kings center Vlade Divac said Sunday: "There’s a lot of reasons they’ve got our number. It’s not that we’re thinking about them. … We just have to play better." In Game 1, the Lakers burned Sacramento for 36 points in the first quarter on 16-of-24 shooting. Sagging into the lane to stop Shaq, the Kings defenders allowed Bryant, Rick Fox, Derek Fisher and Robert Horry too much daylight with which to line up their shots. By the time the Kings figured it out (they actually outscored L.A. in each of the next three quarters), it was too late. "We were too concerned with what was happening inside. It opened up the court," said Divac, noting that L.A. racked up 16 assists in the period. "Every time they passed ball, they had open shots." Given Sacramento’s tendency to treat defense as a resting period between fast breaks, Lakers coach Phil Jackson emphasized patience and ball movement at practice last week. According to guard Lindsey Hunter, Jackson instructed his team not to settle for the first open shot but to seek second or third options with the idea that the Kings’ scrambled D would eventually yield a better look. He also had his team work extensively on drive-and-kicks, a stratagem that produced several open shots in Game 1. "They killed us with dribble-drive and kick-outs," Kings guard Bobby Jackson noted. "That set up a lot of their jump shots. … We’ve got to contain our man and contest those shots." In Game 2, the Kings say they will make a more concerted effort at running out on L.A.’s shooters. They also might try to get more physical, using their hands to slow the Lakers when they put the ball on the floor. The Kings know it will open up the inside more for Shaq, but they appear willing to take their chances. One thing Sacramento won’t do, according to coach Rick Adelman, is double-team Bryant every time he touches the ball on the perimeter. While some fans might wish to see it, Adelman believes Bryant is too good at finding the open man. "This team spaces the court better than anybody," Adelman said. "If you take away one thing in a knee-jerk reaction, a lot of times you just get hurt somewhere else." CONFIDENCE. BELIEF. POSITIVE MENTAL ATTITUDE. They're nice qualities, to be sure, but they don't help much when Shaq is backing you down or Kobe is driving on the perimeter. The sooner the Kings learn to make big stops, the better. Only then will they have reason to feel confident.
Marty Burns covers pro basketball for CNNSI.com. Click here to send Marty a question or comment.
|
|
|||||||||
|
|||||||||||
