Shhhh... They're coming

by SonDog

As we sit here today, the Sacramento Kings are set up about as well as one could expect to make a second-half playoff push. The Kings are now tied for 10th in the Western Conference with Golden State. They passed Minnesota last night and have Utah firmly in their sights, only 1.5 games back. Of course, even if they pass Utah, they will only be ninth in the Conference. The team in eighth is none other than the hated Los Angeles Mambas.

The Kings have 31 games remaining on the schedule. The have once again become somewhat of a force at home, winning eight straight in Arco Arena. However, the road has been bumpier for this team than the trek from Fallujah to Baghdad. Their 6-17 road record at this point is one of the worst in the NBA, and the worst for this team in the Rick Adelman era. This is somewhat troubling considering 18 of their final 31 games are on the road. The road failures must stop this week, with critical games against Chicago (tonight) and Memphis (Wednesday) before the all-star break. If the Kings can sweep those two games, they will be positioned well for a late push.

A few weeks ago, Stapes and I both questioned whether or not, even with the trade, the Kings had enough to get to the playoffs. However, I will be the first to admit that, while I expected Ron Artest to have an impact on this team, I did not expect him to have THIS MUCH of an impact.

#93 -- Infinite Intensity... In Ron-Ron's world, this makes perfect sense

Since Artest's arrival, the Kings are playing better defense than they have in years. No longer averse to, I dunno, doing anything on the defensive end, the Kings are actually creating turnovers, blocking shots (Francisco Garcia? Francisco Garcia? Since when did he turn into a shot-blocking machine?), playing tough on-ball defense (even Bibby is trying to some degree, although I still think that even I could beat him to the rim.) and giving fans in Arco a reason to cheer. Of note, this is the first time all year the team is consistently hustling. While hustling is somewhat of an over-used term, there is no question that Artest's attitude and influence has changed the mindset of this team in that aspect for the better.

Three more things:

1) Can Artest stay sane? I would love to dive into this guy's head for a moment, but I fear I would get lost. But, it should be known that there is one retired jersey in my den at home, and that is Chris Webber's jersey from the 2002-2003 season. If Artest takes this team to the playoffs, and goes through the Mambas to do it, I will buy a #93 purple jersey, and retire it alongside Webber's. I'm not even close to kidding. And yes, I'm 27-years-old. Seriously, I'm having a kid here soon as well. Don't try to think about it, just accept it.

2) Can Bonzi Wells get healthy? And when he does, can Kevin Martin consistently have an impact off the bench? When Brian Skinner, Kenny Thomas, Wells and Artest are on the floor together, this team is one of the toughest in the NBA. Wait... did I just say that? Really? A Kings team is one of the toughest in the NBA? Am I on crack? And am I talking to myself right now? Is Artest having that big of an impact on me?

As Mike Patrick would say, "Toughness... Personified."

3) I cannot even tell you how excited I am that the Kings play the Mambas three more times. Seriously, it's an orgasmic feeling for me. And maybe I'm way into sports, but I don't care. The potential for high-comedy that will come from Kobe trying to take 57 shots against Ron Artest and Bonzi Wells is something that I can't wait to see. Also, the potential for the last playoff spot in the West coming down to the Kings and the Mambas? Ohhhh... Ohhhhh....Ohhhhhhh..... YEEEEEEEEES! It starts next Thursday on TNT when the Kings play LA at the Staples Center. March 14 and March 22 are the other two dates circled on the calendar in my head.