Newest articles and comments on The Sacramento Press written by Justin Kennedy

Tyreke Evans powers the Kings over the Denver Nuggets

2010-01-10T12:04:01Z

The Sacramento Press called me Friday afternoon to see if I would be able to cover tonight's game against the Denver Nuggets. I jumped at the opportunity to get media credentials and be able to walk behind the scenes at Arco.

Go Kings!

THE PRESS LOUNGE:

Free food for the media.

The “dinner of champions."

A countdown clock in the Press Lounge shows how much time is left before the game starts.

Look at me, I'm part of the press.

I got to sit courtside, right by the Denver bench.

THE FIRST QUARTER:

Jon Brockman started the game for the Kings!

Brockman grabbed four of his career-high 12 rebounds during the first quarter. There were many other times when he might not have ended up with the rebound, but his hands were always in the mix.

Spencer Hawes picked up the first of the Kings' three technical fouls in the first quarter. The other two were given to Coach Paul Westphal in the end of the second quarter and Tyreke Evans in the middle of the third quarter.

Unfortunately during the first quarter, the Kings did not play well as a team. They committed seven turnovers that Denver used to make 7 points. At the end of the first quarter, the Nuggets were up by 7.

SECOND QUARTER:
The Kings started playing slightly better as a team. Kenny Thomas made a nice drive to the basket with under nine minutes left in the half .

The Kings ended the second quarter down 54-43.

THIRD QUARTER:
The Kings played with passion and determination in the third quarter and outscored the Nuggets 30-22, but still trailed 76 to 73 at the end of the quarter.

Jason Thompson showed great spirit and grabbed a defensive rebound with 5:28 left in the quarter. He ended up stumbling to the ground. Instead of calling a time out, Thompson was able to pass the ball to Beno Udrih who sent the ball flying to Omri Casspi who buried a 20-footer. This tied the game at 61 a piece.

One of the funniest moments of the game occurred with just under 4 minutes left in the third.

Tyreke air-balled a three-pointer and J. R. Smith got the rebound, but thinking that the ball had gone out of bounds, he stepped out to then inbound the ball. The referees, quickly whistled that the ball had in fact stayed in bounds. Smith gave all of Arco a nice laugh as he committed a foolish turnover.

FOURTH QUARTER:
With approximately eight minute left in the game, the Kings showed their tenacity again as the ball was stolen but not secured. Players dropped to the floor to grab the loose ball. What resulted was a dog pile of giants. I began to wonder when the Kings started playing football on the hardwood.

The crowd became electrified when with 1:04 left in the game Omri sank a three-pointer to take the lead, 96-95.

The crowd remained on their feet for the remainder of the game. With 15 seconds left, J.R. Smith fouled Beno who went to the line and made both free throws allowing the Kings to reach the 100-point threshold. Kings were up 100-97.

With 11 seconds left, Chauncey Billups sank a three-pointer to even the game up at 100.

In the Kings' final possession, Tyreke Evans showed that he is “the play maker.” He demanded the ball and made an 11-footer to take the lead with less than a second left on the game clock.

The entire arena was tense. The Nuggets bench rose to watch the final play creating a bit of a Great Wall of Denver in front of me.

With 0.07 seconds left in the game, the Nuggets in bounded the ball to J.R. Smith who launched a long 3-pointer and missed.

The Kings Won!

Arco Arena was deafening as the entire place broke out into huge cheers and applause for the Kings who fought back from a 13-point deficit to claim victory over the North Western division leading Denver Nuggets.

POST GAME:
After the game, Gavin Maloof and his female entourage attended Coach Westphal's post game recap.

Westphal commented on Brockman starting and the larger role he is earning on the team. Westphal also commented on the poise of rookie Tyreke Evans and how he wanted the ball in his hands at the end of the game.

GAME SHOTS:

Brockman going to the rim, but missing because he tried to lay it in rather than slamming it home.

Omri for Three!

Sac Press contest winner interviews Kings

2009-11-16T06:20:05Z

I arrived at the practice facility at 2:30 p.m. and entered the media room. The room was filled with chairs looking out on the court where, beyond the one-way mirror, the Kings were scrimmaging.

There were some fantastic assists and some flashy passes - that if caught and executed could have been spectacular - but instead were disappointing as a simple pass could have gotten the basket. Coach Westphal did not seem pleased with the unnecessary flashiness.

A highlight for me during the scrimmage was watching Hall of Fame Coach/Kings assistant coach Pete Carril walking the sidelines observing how the players were moving the ball and how/where they would position themselves. It fascinated me to imagine all of the thoughts going through his head.

After the practice concluded, the media was allowed onto the court. I was joined by Sam Amick of The Sacramento Bee, Jim Crandall of Fox 40 News, Andrew Nicholson of Kings.com and Chris Morrow a freelance CNN reporter.

The media group first swarmed around Coach Westphal to hear his opinions on the practice, on the team’s .500 record and to hear his thoughts on the upcoming game against Houston.

A side note that I find interesting is how prevalent iPhones are in the media, with most using their iPhone’s video or audio recording features to record their interviews.

*********

My Interviews (there are no direct quotes, anything attributed to a player is merely my recollection of the conversation):

My first question was for Beno Udrih. I asked him about his role as a point guard. Udrih discussed how he and the team are playing better because the players have bonded more. As a closer team they are able to play better on the court together. I asked if this bonding might have included poker nights, to which Beno said “No.”

Next I interviewed Spencer Hawes and asked him who his favorite player was to battle for rebounds against in practice. Hawes modified my question and said Jon Brockman was the worse because Brockman goes all out every time. I also asked Hawes if he was still working on his college degree. He said yes, but that it wouldn’t be finished for some time.

After questioning Hawes, I went on to talk to Omri Casspi. I later realized the whole conversation with Casspi consisted only of me gushing about how fun it is to watch him play and how I like the energy he brings to the court; I forgot to ask him a single question... oops.

Finally, Jason Thompson came out for interviews. He was feeling sick, and hadn’t practiced much. I asked Thompson the same rebounding question I asked Hawes. Thompson responded that he enjoyed battling Brockman and that he gets a new jersey everyday because Brockman always manages to tear his jersey while going for rebounds.

I asked about his role on the team. Last year I attended a Kings’ event in which Thompson was asked which position was his favorite on the court. He responded that he enjoyed small forward because he was able to make great plays. This time around, Thompson said he is more comfortable with his role as power forward. He attributed the change to his increased comfort in the league.

And that wrapped up my interview with the Kings players. I took many pictures and videos (yes, with my iPhone).

I would like to thank Andrew Nicholson for guiding me around and showing me the ropes; Chris Morrow for interviewing me and editing it into a nice video and finally a HUGE THANK YOU to SacramentoPress.com and the Sacramento Kings for giving me this incredible opportunity.

Photos taken by Chris Morrow

Kings Home Opener Through My Eyes

2009-11-04T05:20:42Z

The season has finally started! For me, the season never begins until the Kings first victory.

This game was so exciting. The last two minutes of regulation, the announced sell out crowd was on their feet - cheering, clapping, and making noise. I got to go as the winner of the Full Court Sacramento Press Kings Writing Contest. I took my girlfriend Crystal Cheney, my brother Jonathan and my good friend Mark Fowler.

The Kings need to work on their rebounding, but other than that, last night made me very proud to call myself a Kings fan.

While Kevin Martin was definitely the game winner with his 48 points, Omri Casspi won the crowd by playing with energy and giving the fans something to cheer for.

The Kings will not be winning the championship this year, but if they play like last night - with energy and heart, the fans will still have plenty to look forward to. Enjoy the shots I took here and GO KINGS!

-Justin

Justin Kennedy on "Kings Writing Contest - Win Opening Night Prize Package & Exclusive Access"

2009-10-28T22:24:55Z

To Tyreke Evans: Do you see yourself in 5 years playing Point Guard or Shooting Guard? When Beno Udrih and you are both on the court, he is the Point Guard and you are the Shooting Guard, do you prefer that dynamic? Especially with Kevin Martin playing the small forward? To Any Kings Player: Who would you say is the best defensive stopper on the team? To Jason Thompson: You are the teams Power Forward, but with Sean May starting at Center, you will be the tallest player on the court for the Kings, do you see yourself using that to be more defensive minded - such as going for more blocked shots and rebounds? Which Kings player do you most enjoy battling for rebounds against in practice? To Kevin Martin: How is your ankle??? Hypothetical question, with 2 seconds left on the clock, you are at the top of the key, do you go for the shot or try to get fouled and go to the line? More questions available on demand.