The question on everybody's mind immediately after the Kings' double-overtime loss to the Lakers late Saturday night, the one that was repeated among fans seated near press row, was why Tyreke Evans continues to go one-on-one in late-game situations, or essentially, whether the rookie is breaking plays and resorting to the individual style or simply following his coach's instructions.
This just in: This is the Kings' late-game offense, as directed by Paul Westphal.
"One-four flat," Westphal explained forcefully in his press conference. "That's what we did. We'll do it again. You'll see it a lot." When a reporter brought up the fact that Evans was matched up against a superb defender in Kobe Bryant during one of the pivotal possessions, much as he was against LeBron James in Wednesday's overtime loss to the Cavaliers, Westphal continued, stubbornly: "He's our guy, and we're going to our guy in situations like that, and put the game in his hands." Referring to his decision to again eschew the timeout and advance the ball immediately for the potential game-winner in the waning seconds of regulation, he added, "It depends on the situation. It's not that complicated a play, for everybody (else) down at the baseline, the best one-on-one player at the top, try to get the last shot, either make it at the buzzer, or go to overtime." In this instance, Evans again took too much time to initiate anything and wound up losing the ball to Bryant just before the buzzer.
Undoubtedly, this is not a topic that will disappear. While Westphal and team officials frequently refer to a young Michael Jordan and Kobe Bryant when discussing the abilitiesof their own talented rookie, it should be noted that Jordan and Bryant flourished only after Phil Jackson became their head coach and implemented his share-the-ball triangle offense, first with Scottie Pippen as the playmaker, and later, with wrinkles that allowed for Shaq's dominance (and passing skills).
Worth noting
While the defeat can be attributed to a multitude of elements - missed free throws, turnovers, horrific three-point shooting (6-for-25), Kobe's greatness, Pau Gasol's interior contributions - it's impossible to ignore the fact that the Kings dominated the first half of the first overtime with a lineup of Beno Udrih, Jason Thompson, Donte Greene, Omri Casspi and Jon Brockman. With Brockman rebounding and triggering fastbreaks, Udrih finding Casspi for a breakout layup, Thompson sticking a 15-footer, and Udrih converting a short leaner for a 101-94 lead and 2:40 remaining, the Kings appeared poised for the upset.
Lost in the deadline crunch
* My candidate for play of the game: Greene's block on Kobe's baseline jumper with 52 seconds remaining in regulation. Rarely does that happen. The second-year forward also stole three balls and blocked another shot.
* Spencer Hawes still doesn't go to the basket with enough force, and as a result, gets an inordinate number of shots blocked. At least a few of Gasol's six rejections came against Hawes, but the Kings 7-foot center neutralized Andrew Bynum for stretches, grabbed seven boards in 31 minutes, and led both teams with seven assists, including two beautiful bounce passes to a cutting Udrh on the baseline, a la Vlade Divac. He also matched Kobe with four steals.
* Casspi, who came off the bench when Westphal decided to "bring Beno out of mothballs" to counter the Lakers' lineup without Ron Artest, led the Kings with 10 boards, busted out for one particularly impressive fastbeak basket in traffic, but converted only one of his six three-point attempts. He is much more successful when he takes his time and gets set before releasing the ball, and of course, when he remains patient and doesn't force his offense. His value to the Kings is his all-around game, and he scores most effeciently when the ball moves, he gets out in the open floor, or grabs rebounds and pushes the pace.
* Udrih continues to enjoy a near-remarkable career recovery. A few of the Lakers privately said they were relieved when he wasn't the Kings' option at the end of quarters and games because of his recent habit of converting critical shots.
* The Lakers don't win this game if backup guard Shannon Brown doesn't come off the bench for 15 points and 10 rebounds.
* Evans' mother (Bonita) and grandmother (Alice) sat courtside for a second consecutive game, and seemed to thoroughly enjoy themselves. Both hope to return, despite Bonita's fear of flying. Tyreke's mother also described her son as "sweet," and said he has had the same easy temperament since childhood.
* I make no pretense here: I am not a fan of the isolation game or the Kings' 1-4 offensive sets, with poor Tyreke stuck playing solo while everyone else stands around. But I immensely enjoy watching Westphal work a game, with his willingness to stick with players who are producing as opposed to adhering to a strict rotation, along with his quick grasp of end/quarter situations and offensive/defensive substitutions.
Rekindling old Kings-Lakers feelings
The atmosphere at Arco Arena lalst night was electric, for the first time in what seems forever. Jackson, the Kings longtime agitator, seemed to thoroughly enjoy the old/new experience. And here are Kobe's thoughts on the matter: "To be honest with you, it kind of (bleeped) coming up here the last couple games. It really did. There was no enthusiasm in the crowd. Now it seems like the city is getting behind this team. With what Tyreke's doing, what the young crew's doing ... it felt good to come in here and get booed. (Laugh) It felt normal again. It felt like old times. There was a lot of energy in the crowd. A lot of "hate you" signs. It got back to what it used to be."
