‘that’s the fight we’ll need for the playoffs’
Mike Brown, Sacramento Kings Head Coach, stated clearly in his introductory press conference how the team would thrive under his leadership.
After an altercation in the Kings’ 139-114 win over the Houston Rockets led to four ejections, it’s undeniable that a result of that culture shift is an overall fighting spirit for the league’s high scoring “Beam Team.”
Malik Monk and Rockets’ guard Garrison Mathews raced to the backcourt following a loose ball. Mathews landed on Monk’s shoulder during the chase and was given a foul. Monk poked the ball from behind while Mathews looked at the referee.
Mathews was upset and confronted Monk. Monk refused to stop. The two came face-to-face in a heated exchange and players from both sides rushed to the altercation near the Rockets’ bench to separate them.
Officials reviewed the incident and determined that Rockets forward Tari Eason acted as an “instigator” while Kings forward Chimezie Metu acted as an “escalator.” Monk, Mathews, Eason and Metu were all given technical fouls and automatically ejected.
The win gave the Kings (23-18), five games more than.500, for the first time since April 2006. That was their last playoff appearance.
“I had no issue with it,” Kings veteran Harrison Barnes told reporters regarding the altercation. “At the end of the day that’s the fight that we need as a team, that’s the fight that we’ll need this season, and that’s the fight we’ll need for the playoffs.”
Strive for more than respect
Beyond fighting for respect of fans, officials and opposing teams, as Yahoo Sports’ Vince Goodwill wrote, the Kings have shown that they’re willing to fight through adversity and for each other.
Domantas Sabonis, the Kings’ leading scorer, broke his thumb during a December loss to Washington Wizards. Instead of taking the recommended surgical routeHe decided to continue playing through the injury.
He recorded 19 points, 15 rebounds and a career-high 16 assists in the team’s second straight victory over Houston. This was his fourth triple-double performance of the season.
Brown is no stranger in fighting for his team. Brown was fined $25,000, and then ejected during a December victory over the Toronto Raptors after he vented about the officials.
On Friday night, he kept that same energy when praising Sabonis and made a point to call out his players’ lack of recognition in early All-Star fan voting returns after the win.
“If he and [De’AAron Fox] aren’t an All-Star, shame on the whole process.” “They’re just not getting enough love and it’s a shame.”
Even without their ‘due respect,” the Kings are the top scoring team in the NBA. They are currently leading the Pacific division, and they are fourth in the Western conference. We can expect them to continue fighting to break a 16-year-old playoff drought.