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I mean, really. Who cares.
There was a basketball game going on tonight, but given how much effort was collectively put in by the Sacramento Kings, you wouldn't know it. The Cleveland Cavaliers were red-hot coming into the game, but didn't even play particularly well and still slowly ran away from the Kings by a final score of 101-90.
The Kings were led by their All-Star center DeMarcus Cousins, who was again inefficient offensively. In Tyrone Corbin's new "offense", Cousins has been operating more and more in the high post, which has resulted in a precipitous drop in his shooting percentages. Boogie ended the game with 21 points and 13 rebounds, but only shot 5/17 from the field. Rudy Gay was there, scoring 20 points on 16 shots and grabbing 9 rebounds. Omri Casspi got going in garbage time Other than that, the performance was absolutely ghastly across the board. The team shot 35% from the field and 17% from three point range, with only 15 assists and 16 turnovers. Cleveland, on the other hand, shot 47% from the field and 35% from three.
The Kings have no fire on either end anymore. The offensive sets are dry and don't generate good shots. On defense, the breakdowns are frequent, as evidenced by Kevin Love getting 16 easy points in the first quarter of the game. That being said, I'm not sure if I blame the players for checking out already. Its tough for a team to give effort when there is nothing to play for, and must be especially so for this team given the crazy turmoil they have been subjected to this season. When that happens, game-to-game at the first sign of adversity, whether its an opposing team hitting a hot streak or jumpers not falling, there is no confidence or willpower to struggle through it and stay competitive.
The Kings now fall to 16-29 on the season. Something needs to happen to give the team something to play for. Whether its a trade or a coaching move, its obvious the players are over this current course. There are still 37 games left in the season, and even if its building something for next year, it would be a shame to just watch this time flushed down the toilet. The Kings next play tomorrow against Indiana, a team who is also mightily struggling.
For the opponent's perspective, visit Fear the Sword
