Sacramento Kings Eaten Alive in Hawk’s Nest
By Kareem Gantt
The Sacramento Kings didn’t have a prayer on Monday night against the far more superior Atlanta Hawks. With the Kings dropping two winnable games in Florida, how many people really expected the Kings to roll into Atlanta and beat a team who was embarresed in South Philly the previous night?
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The Hawks wanted to atone for their loss, and the Kings were the perfect prey for them, slaughtering Sacramento 130-105 at Philips Arena.
Once again, it was the Kings horrific defense that set the tone of the game, and it allowed the team to keep three woeful streaks in tack: It was the fourth straight game that they allowed an opponent to shoot over 50 percent from the floor (60 percent), the fourth straight game that Sacramento allowed 100 points or better, and the third straight game of allowing 110 plus points.
The previous two teams the Kings faced – the Orlando Magic and the Miami Heat – were two of the most offensively challenged teams in the East, but Sacramento was going up against an Atlanta squad that has routinely made a mockery of bad defenses with their unselfish offense.
If George Karl is looking for a team to emulate as he continues to rebuild and retool this team, the Hawks is a team that he may want to take notes from.
There is no one man that dominates the show, as all of the Hawks play a vital role in the team’s success. Atlanta plays tough defense, plays together, and plays a style of basketball that has led to them being called “San Antonio East.”
The Kings are the exact opposite of the Hawks.
They don’t pass the ball with regularity, Sacramento depends mainly on two players to carry them offensively – Rudy Gay and DeMarcus Cousins – and plays defense so poorly that it makes the 1980’s Denver Nuggets look like the Bad Boy Detroit Pistons of the late 80’s/early 90’s.
If the Kings want to improve a as a group, they should use the tape of this game as motivation, because the entire roster got schooled on this night.