Turned upside down

In one night, Kings go from dishing out pain to feeling it

On a wild, record-setting night, the Kings lost a game, two star players and any momentum they might have had.

Other than that, Thursday night’s Game 2 in Dallas had to have been a blast for Sacramento.

After all, it’s not every night you get to see a shooting exhibition like the one the Mavs put on in the first half. With Dirk Nowitzki, Steve Nash, Michael Finley and Nick Van Exel seemingly hitting everything they threw up at the basket, Dallas hung up an astounding 83 points in the first half. Not even the old Denver Nuggets ever did anything like it in a playoff game.

But pardon the Kings if they weren’t exactly thrilled about the fireworks display. While confident enough to know they can bounce back from such a rout, they clearly left Dallas in a state of concern. The Mavs, left for dead 24 hours ago, suddenly have new life and a series tied 1-1.

75-43 Points Dallas outscored Sacramento by in the final 20 minutes of the first half, after the Kings opened the game with a 20-10 lead. "I don't think they respect us. I don't think they're worried at all. That's nothing, to be up 2-0." -- Spurs guard Tony Parker, still playing the respect card even as the West's No. 1 seed. Which Eastern Conference team has the Western Conference voodoo doll?

More important, injuries to Kings stars Chris Webber (knee) and Bobby Jackson (orbital bone) have thrown a new variable into the playoff equation. While it is not clear how long they will be out, if at all, the loss of either for any considerable period of time could be crippling to Sacramento’s title hopes. The Kings have enough depth to overcome it for a game or two, but perhaps not for an entire series or in a future matchup with the Spurs or Lakers.

Webber, obviously, is the biggest concern. He has been playing all season with a sore knee. The Kings need him to be at full strength in the playoffs, when he can use his inside-outside game and passing ability to fuel their offense.

Jackson’s loss could be almost as important, however. As the team’s top sixth man, he provides an energy burst off the bench that doesn’t show up in the box score. Even if he can play with a protective mask, the Kings can only hope it doesn’t affect his aggressiveness.

Like the Blazers in the last round, Sacramento will need to suck it up and hope its deep bench can step up over the next few games.

Unfortunately for the Kings, they won’t get much chance to rest. The schedule calls for back-to-back games over the weekend.

With the injuries and schedule, it’s going to be tough for Sacramento to sweep the Mavs the rest of the way. Their hopes of a short series could be in jeopardy. The longer it goes, the more they put pressure on Webber’s knee (should he come back).

Meanwhile, if the Spurs go on to a quick triumph over the Lakers, they could get a long rest heading into the Western Conference finals.

The Kings are good enough to overcome these obstacles and still get to the NBA Finals. But it suddenly just got a whole lot more interesting.

	Getty Images Stud: Tayshaun Prince, F, Pistons In two weeks, Prince has made 22 NBA GMs feel extremely stupid. He could be the most unlikely playoff star in years. The 3.3-ppg scorer forced Game 2 into OT with a tough runner, then scored seven more in OT to win it.		AP Dud: Allen Iverson, G, Sixers Yes, he had 31 points. Yeah, he had seven assists. So what? When it mattered most, AI was MIA. Two missed free throws with 15.1 seconds left -- and only 6-of-11 from the stripe overall -- gave the Pistons a new life they never should have had.

Who says the Pistons can’t score enough to win the East? Even with Chauncey Billups out with an ankle injury, they rang up 104 points (including OT) in Game 2. Detroit has scored 98 points or more in its past five playoff games. With seven victories in their past nine meetings, the Nets are due for a clunker against the Celtics. Boston will be out for blood in Game 3 Friday night, and the Fleet Center crowd will give them a lift. If the Celtics can’t get it done here, they’re lame. The big story in L.A. heading into Friday’s Game 3 is the officiating. The Spurs would be wise to foul Shaq early and often and allow the refs to get it out of their system. Better to have Shaq on the line early in the game then to have Kobe there later.

Marty Burns covers pro basketball for SI.com. Click here to send Marty a question or comment.

 

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