Kings provide run and fun style

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Posted: Wednesday May 12, 1999 08:43 PM

Jason Williams' (left) up-tempo style was one of the reasons the Kings led the NBA in scoring. AP

By Tom Heitz, Turner Sports

How great is it that the Sacramento Kings are in the NBA playoffs? I mean, who would have thought that a team that finished 28 games under .500 last year could have somehow grabbed the number six seed in the West this year? Not me. And if you're honest, then not you, either.

So what if the Kings were hammered by 30 points in Game 1 on Saturday -- they won Game 2 Monday night and went home with a split. Sacramento will not change its game plan; they will continue to run. That's the only way the Kings play. And that's why they find themselves in the postseason for only the third time in the franchise's 14 years in Sacramento.

Whatever the jargon for high-scoring basketball happens to be -- up-tempo, transition, fast-breaking -- apply it to the Kings. It would have been easier for Kings head coach Rick Adelman to install the basic halfcourt offense that is so prevalent around the NBA today and save himself the criticism should his team falter.

You know the drill. Have the guard dump the ball into the post and have everyone stand around. Keep the games close so that if you lose, it'll be by only four of five points so it seems that at least your team was in the game. That's the kind of philosophy that Cleveland head coach Mike Fratello and most other NBA coaches subscribe to.

"It's better to lose 75-70," they reason, "Then to lose 125-110." As if fans and media somehow think that the lower the score, the better the coaching. Please.

Give Adelman credit for letting his guys play. He never put a leash on guard Jason Williams, and the rookie has been the biggest reason why the Kings led the NBA in scoring this year and were the only team to average over 100 points a game.

"I just go out and do my thing," the 6-1 Williams says. "That's all I can do."

Williams' "thing" has been to push the ball at every opportunity while incorporating a passing ability that keeps each one of his teammates ready for a no-look pass. "That's the way I grew up playing and it works for me," Williams said. "I can't change my game. I have to play it my way."

Forgive me as I take a stroll down memory lane, but the Kings are similar to the full-court, pick-up basketball games that most kids growing up play at the local park. The park I played at was called Argyle, the backboards were made of aluminum and the blacktop wasn't black (it was an off-white concrete). But the rims featured nets and the court included painted three-point lines and that's all that was needed. Ten players, no set plays, just running up and down the court.

The contests were intense and winning was huge, but the games were always fun to play and apparently, fun to watch. During breaks in the action I would notice the few people who would stop what they were doing and watch the action for a few minutes. Though there was no Jordan or Erving, we, in the sweat-drenched T-shirts, were running and gunning and it wasn't boring. That's what the Kings brought to the league this year.

You can argue the biggest reason for Sacramento's success this year is the fact that NBA teams are simply not used to defending teams constantly looking to run. It's laughable at times to see players try to harness the Kings' fast break. They're simply not ready for it. And as long as teams continue to struggle to stop the Kings' transition game, the Kings will continue to push it.

Another huge surprise for the Kings this season has been Chris Webber. Not the fact that he's playing so well in Sacramento, just the fact that he's playing in Sacramento. After threatening to sit out the whole season once he was dealt from Washington, Webber reluctantly joined his new team and it appears to be one of the better decisions in Webber's career (who isn't known for making too many good decisions).

"I think a lot of people thought that I would be in another position, not in the playoffs and upset," Webber said. "I'm glad I didn't come here bitter and the guys really get along with each other."

The 6-10 power forward became the first player other than Dennis Rodman to lead the league in rebounding since the '90-'91 season and he was second in the league with 36 double-doubles. "He's probably the best all-around player, along with Scottie Pippen, in the league," center Vlade Divac said. "That's why he has had an impact in all categories."

The biggest category impacted by Sacramento's new faces and new play has been wins. The Kings' 27 victories this year were the same total that they had last season, but in 32 fewer games. Clearly, the Kings are the NBA's entertainment elite.

"From talking to the players around the league, I get the feeling that they would like to play for our team," Webber remarked. "It's like recruiting, where somebody has to be the first and take the first step and then others come."

Though they aren't expected to get past the Utah Jazz in the first round, the Kings will push it and run and gun and if they go down, so be it. They have already shown that it's OK to run. That it's cool to score points. That it's chic to be exciting. Here's hoping that the Kings go a long way during this year's playoffs. Playoff basketball is supposed to be exciting.

Tall order

It was interesting to see the New Jersey Nets and Minnesota Timberwolves scramble to sign Gheorghe Muresan and Radoslav Nesterovic, respectively, during the season's final days.

Do the Nets really believe that the 7-7 Muresan has anything left? He's got a brighter future as an actor than as a NBA center. The Slovenian-born Nesterovic is a lanky, seven-foot center who would rather shoot the jumper than bang inside.

With the slender Kevin Garnett and Joe Smith as the Wolves' starting forwards, is Nesterovic really what Minnesota needs? Nesterovic is not in the mold of Vlade Divac, Arvydas Sabonis or Zydrunas Ilgauskas -- Europeans who give you a bang for the Eurodollar.

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