Heading into the playoffs, not a few quarters noted the merits of claiming the sixth seed in the West. Their contention was that the Clippers, Warriors, and the rest of the hopefuls jockeying for a way out of the play-in tournament would do well not to take the fifth spot, and, with it, a first-round date against the dangerous Suns. Instead, they claimed, the Kings would be easier to dispatch, given the inexperience of the holders of the third-best record in the conference. Which was, to be sure, not untrue in and of itself; after all, the purple and gray last snagged a postseason berth in 2006.
There’s just one problem with the argument, however. These Kings are not the same Kings of Joe and Gavin Maloof. The current stalwarts of the Golden 1 Center, under the improving hand of Vivek Ranadive, are just as good as advertised. For all their supposed inexperience, they’re resolute under pressure; their fundamentals are extremely sound, with their decision making fortified by the steady tutelage of newly minted Coach of the Year Mike Brown. It’s no coincidence that their growth has been nothing short of phenomenal under his watch, just as it’s no coincidence that their progress is best reflected by their acknowledged leader De’Aaron Fox. Not for nothing is he the National Basketball Association’s best in points produced in the clutch.
Indeed, when the going gets tough, Fox gets going. He trumps all the marquee names casual observers would more naturally identify with, including the likes of the Warriors’ Steph Curry, Klay Thompson, and Draymond Green — whom the Kings face in their first playoff series in 17 years. He’s not afraid to carry the load for the Kings, and especially in the crunch, and he has been able to back up his confidence with results time and again. And yesterday was no exception. When the battlesmoke cleared, he afforded himself the luxury of basking in triumph, accomplished in no small measure by his 38-point masterpiece.
Granted, the Kings haven’t yet made any extraordinary strides. In terms of the bottom line, all they did was protect homecourt advantage — which they need to do once more when they face the Warriors tomorrow. Then again, if there’s anything yesterday’s win highlighted, it’s that they deserve to be given respect for their standing. So what if they’re up against four-time champions? And so what if they’re seemingly wet behind the ears? They haven’t played like it, and they won’t. All and sundry are taking notice, and rightfully so. The Kings are dead. Long live the Kings.
Anthony L. Cuaycong has been writing Courtside since BusinessWorld introduced a Sports section in 1994. He is a consultant on strategic planning, operations and human resources management, corporate communications, and business development.