Preseason Game #2: Blazers-Kings Recap

Yesterday, my excuse for not recapping the game was because I wasn’t able to watch it. Well, I don’t have that excuse for not recapping the game today. I headed out to Arco last night, sat myself in the media section and viewed the game in its entirety. And you know what? It was pretty ugly — even for a preseason game. There were whistles upon whistles (and that’s not even counting the cat calls for the Dance Team), which eventually totaled up to 63 fouls. The Kings were unable to dominate the boards like the previous contest against the Blazers but they ratcheted up the defensive intensity and made a late surge with an unlikely lineup to give themselves a chance to tie the game on the final possession.

All in all, the 89-86 game was an experience. It wasn’t particularly interesting unless you like Kevin Martin made threes, Tyreke Evans bullying Steve Blake and the Kings interior being decimated by Greg Oden. I won’t recap the game though. It’s still preseason and the games mean next to nothing. There were a lot of positives and negatives to take away with this team. And we’ll get into that in the post later today.

Here are the highlights from NBA.com:

Here are some post-game quotes from the Kings:

Coach Westphal:
“I like this team a lot. We have a long way to go. We have a lot of things to cover. We’re not nearly in the league with the Blazers right now but I like the way we fought out there.”

On Tyreke’s defense
“That’s one of the things we like about him so much. He can affect the game in many different ways and he’s learning himself, we’re learning how to utilize him in all those areas. The good thing about Tyreke is he cares about doing things right and having an all-around game. I think he’ll take pride in his defense.”

On what stands out after the first two games
“We need taller people, at least healthy taller people. Look at Portland; they’re one of the really top teams in the league. I don’t hear people talking about them quite as much as some of the other prominent teams but they can beat anybody anywhere. They’ve got tremendous size and a real sound defensive philosophy. They’re no joke.”

“We need to get some key players back and healthy to figure out what our identity is.”

On having Tyreke Evans and Kevin Martin on the floor together
“I think they’re going to be a terrific backcourt. They present a lot of problems.”

Kevin Martin:
“We were down in the fourth quarter and guys didn’t give up so that’s a positive. We made some adjustments on the pick and roll last night, which coach wanted us to do. I think that’s what gave us a chance to win.”

On playing with Tyreke Evans
“I just love playing with that guy. That’s the guy I wanted since day one and I got him. So just being on the court with him, we’re still learning each other’s games. We work together everyday. It’s just going to get better and better.”

On Westphal’s command on the sideline
“He’s a player’s coach. He wants you to play hard and play smart. You don’t have to look over your shoulder every time you make a mistake and that should be easy for guys to play. That’s what I had my first year and second year here. And he just gives you freedom to take care of it.”

Finally, here are the lineups for the night (organized listing coming soon):

More thoughts on the game and coverage later today.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gUFX5aLN0NI

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Preseason Game #2: Blazers-Kings Recap

Alan Draper

Alan Draper

Alan Draper