A bounce in their step
Kings thump Spurs for 2-2 tie in series
By Sam Amick -- Bee Staff Writer
Published 2:15 am PDT Monday, May 1, 2006
Manu Ginobili sat on the San Antonio bench, a dejected look on his face and a towel over his head. Tim Duncan was to his side, hands planted underneath his chin, with Tony Parker not far away midway through the fourth quarter.
The franchise faces of the league champion Spurs showed nothing but concern Sunday night, when they weren't so different than the 17,317 fans at a vibrating Arco Arena that saw the Kings even this first-round series at two games each with a 102-84 victory.
All they could do was watch.
Watch Kings shooting guard Bonzi Wells explode for 25 points and a playoff career-high 17 rebounds. Watch Kings center Brad Miller finally arrive on the scene, scoring 19 points on 8-for-11 shooting. Watch the Kings play perhaps their best end-to-end game of the season, leading by 11 points at halftime and by 26 in the fourth quarter.
And watch Ginobili, who agonized over his late turnover in Game 3 Friday that led to the Kings' buzzer-beating win and revival, endure more nightmares, as Ron Artest held him to three points in just 24 minutes.
"They beat us in just about every facet of the game," Spurs coach Gregg Popovich said. "They were very physical, aggressive, showed a lot of desire, played well on top of all that, and we didn't match it."
They didn't even come close.
In the history of NBA seven-game series, an eight seed has pushed a top seed to six games or more just twice, with top seeds San Antonio and Detroit winning both series in seven games. The two times in which the eight seed defeated the top seed (New York over Miami in 1999 and Denver over Seattle in 1994) occurred in five-game series.
"In our eyes, we should be up 3-1 right now, but we're not," said Kings point guard Mike Bibby, who had 16 points and seven assists. "We know we can play with them. We just have to go out there and do it."
The Spurs received little help from anyone outside of Parker and Duncan, who combined for 39 points. And after three games of enjoying the luxury that was the missing shot of Miller, it was no more.
"It feels like it's been forever since I've made one of those (jump) shots," Miller said. "It just felt good to finally hit those shots with confidence. We're just staying more focused."
After a back-and-forth first half, the Kings pulled away in the third quarter and put an exclamation point on their evening in the fourth quarter, opening with a 13-6 run. The Spurs followed quickly with a virtual white flag, with Popovich removing Duncan, Parker and Ginobili for the final six minutes.
But just as Game 3 had ended with Kevin Martin and his game-winning layup, this one began with the shooting guard providing the spark. When Artest was whistled for two fouls in the first 90 seconds, Martin entered to score 12 first-half points as the Kings led 54-43. Bibby had 14 first-half points, including a three-pointer with Bruce Bowen playing tight to put the Kings up 46-40 and a sensational reverse layup that put them ahead 48-40.
There were 10 ties and six lead changes in the half, and the Kings managed to lead despite 52.9 percent shooting (18 for 34) by the Spurs. They also fixed the problem of giving up leads at the end of quarters.
They finished the first half on a 13-3 run that was capped by a buzzer-beater. Artest stole the ball from Robert Horry with five seconds left, let go of a shot too early, retrieved the rebound on a tip and sank a layup in Duncan's face as time expired.
The Kings maintained in the third quarter, in which Wells had 12 points, including seven of their final 10 for a 75-64 lead. The chants of "Bonzi, Bonzi" came later, long after the Spurs were left silent and stunned.
"That was a lot better than the close (games) we've been having," Kings coach Rick Adelman said. "We just kept defending, we rebounded. It was just a solid game. ... Now it's a three-game series. It's really gratifying the way we played."
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Kings thump Spurs for 2-2 tie in series
By Sam Amick -- Bee Staff Writer
Published 2:15 am PDT Monday, May 1, 2006
Manu Ginobili sat on the San Antonio bench, a dejected look on his face and a towel over his head. Tim Duncan was to his side, hands planted underneath his chin, with Tony Parker not far away midway through the fourth quarter.
The franchise faces of the league champion Spurs showed nothing but concern Sunday night, when they weren't so different than the 17,317 fans at a vibrating Arco Arena that saw the Kings even this first-round series at two games each with a 102-84 victory.
All they could do was watch.
Watch Kings shooting guard Bonzi Wells explode for 25 points and a playoff career-high 17 rebounds. Watch Kings center Brad Miller finally arrive on the scene, scoring 19 points on 8-for-11 shooting. Watch the Kings play perhaps their best end-to-end game of the season, leading by 11 points at halftime and by 26 in the fourth quarter.
And watch Ginobili, who agonized over his late turnover in Game 3 Friday that led to the Kings' buzzer-beating win and revival, endure more nightmares, as Ron Artest held him to three points in just 24 minutes.
"They beat us in just about every facet of the game," Spurs coach Gregg Popovich said. "They were very physical, aggressive, showed a lot of desire, played well on top of all that, and we didn't match it."
They didn't even come close.
In the history of NBA seven-game series, an eight seed has pushed a top seed to six games or more just twice, with top seeds San Antonio and Detroit winning both series in seven games. The two times in which the eight seed defeated the top seed (New York over Miami in 1999 and Denver over Seattle in 1994) occurred in five-game series.
"In our eyes, we should be up 3-1 right now, but we're not," said Kings point guard Mike Bibby, who had 16 points and seven assists. "We know we can play with them. We just have to go out there and do it."
The Spurs received little help from anyone outside of Parker and Duncan, who combined for 39 points. And after three games of enjoying the luxury that was the missing shot of Miller, it was no more.
"It feels like it's been forever since I've made one of those (jump) shots," Miller said. "It just felt good to finally hit those shots with confidence. We're just staying more focused."
After a back-and-forth first half, the Kings pulled away in the third quarter and put an exclamation point on their evening in the fourth quarter, opening with a 13-6 run. The Spurs followed quickly with a virtual white flag, with Popovich removing Duncan, Parker and Ginobili for the final six minutes.
But just as Game 3 had ended with Kevin Martin and his game-winning layup, this one began with the shooting guard providing the spark. When Artest was whistled for two fouls in the first 90 seconds, Martin entered to score 12 first-half points as the Kings led 54-43. Bibby had 14 first-half points, including a three-pointer with Bruce Bowen playing tight to put the Kings up 46-40 and a sensational reverse layup that put them ahead 48-40.
There were 10 ties and six lead changes in the half, and the Kings managed to lead despite 52.9 percent shooting (18 for 34) by the Spurs. They also fixed the problem of giving up leads at the end of quarters.
They finished the first half on a 13-3 run that was capped by a buzzer-beater. Artest stole the ball from Robert Horry with five seconds left, let go of a shot too early, retrieved the rebound on a tip and sank a layup in Duncan's face as time expired.
The Kings maintained in the third quarter, in which Wells had 12 points, including seven of their final 10 for a 75-64 lead. The chants of "Bonzi, Bonzi" came later, long after the Spurs were left silent and stunned.
"That was a lot better than the close (games) we've been having," Kings coach Rick Adelman said. "We just kept defending, we rebounded. It was just a solid game. ... Now it's a three-game series. It's really gratifying the way we played."
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