It began 25 years ago, these Kings in Sacramento. Gregg Lukenbill in his red sneakers. David Stern arriving in his limousine. Jerry Reynolds in the old, old, old Arco Arena, holding the assistant's clipboard and leading the cheers.

It was loud.

It was sold out.

Just like Monday night.

Those Kings of Reggie Theus, Mike Woodson and Larry Drew went on to secure a playoff berth, which Paul Westphal's squad will do this season only if the rest of the Western Conference slides into the ocean. That doesn't mean debacle, though. That doesn't mean awful.

This year's home opener – the thriller of a 2009-10 Arco tipoff that ended with the Kings outlasting the Memphis Grizzlies in overtime – was about Kevin Martin's health, about the ability to crawl out of last season's 17-65 cubbyhole, about the development of Spencer Hawes, Jason Thompson, Omri Casspi and Jon Brockman, and about whether Tyreke Evans is precocious enough to skip a few grades.

If he is, great. If he isn't? At least entertain and make life interesting in the meantime. Westphal promises a lovable team, and given the tenor of these last few seasons – and how long has it been since the Kings have been likeable? – fans aren't greedy. Likeable works just fine. Who knows what develops from there – love works in strange ways, right? Ball movement. An abundance of energy. Bodies slamming to the floor for loose balls. The Kings-As-Ensemble-Act should be the sales pitch, with the return of the group hug the grand prize.

There was a reason why Bobby Jackson received a rousing ovation when he was introduced, why Hawes and Beno Udrih were applauded as they left the floor, why Martin elicited gasps with his dagger three-pointers, and why Casspi – days removed from his debut as the first Israeli to play in the NBA – initiated the evening's first standing ovation when he snagged an offensive rebound and found Martin for a three in the left corner.

There were plenty of other reasons fans rose to their feet with just under six minutes remaining in regulation … and stayed on their feet until the Kings forced the extra period.

And notice, please. No obnoxious fan prompts needed. This was the real stuff, spontaneous emotion and appreciation for a tremendous team effort.

Evans? A word of caution, please, for those ready to anoint the rookie as the next Oscar Robertson, LeBron James or Magic Johnson. The Kings' marketers could do the kid a huge favor by cutting him a break in the hype department. His playmaking skills are as raw as unrefined sugar, with his defensive abilities far more developed.

The debate about his position is ongoing – is he a point guard or just a player? – but the Kings clearly were more efficient, more effective, more energized, more multidimensional when Hawes or Udrih initiated the offense.

"I'm a scorer," Evans said after the game, his sore right ankle encased in ice, "but they need me to play point guard. I'm still learning. Coach wants me to speed it up, play faster, but tonight I wasn't able to do that because of the ankle."

The No. 4 overall pick in June, Evans is limited by experience and age. He's 20 years old. He played one year of college ball. He is trying to grasp the nuances of pace, of when to shoot, when to pass, how to set up his teammates.

"He's going to have his ups and downs," Westphal said before tipoff. "Every game is a different experience. What I do know is that he's going to be a very good player in this league for a long time."

The sturdy 6-foot-6 Evans already has been matched against several of the league's premier playmakers, among them Chris Paul, Tony Parker and, in his Grizzlies and 2009-10 season debut Monday night, the aging but always dangerous Allen Iverson. Evans caused the much smaller AI some problems.

But Westphal wasn't kidding when he said his rotations would be dictated by the performances of his players. He went with Udrih for most of the second half and all of overtime, and he was rewarded with terrific passing, timely jumpers and impressive on-court leadership. He went with the Kings who earned the minutes, as promised, and walked out with a rousing win.

Call The Bee's Ailene Voisin, (916) 321-1208.