The team needs to be scared stiff to play their best basketball and quickly bury this win-hungry Kings team six feet under. I think I have just the right idea. Close your eyes when you make the jump.
It's Halloween. You know what I want Gregg Popovich to do to scare the shizzats out of his team tonight to force them to play well? One guy named Alfred Hitchcock might know:
If Pop asks me what costume he should wear for tonight's game, I'd say Norman Bates. He's already got the suit rocking and I have every goddam reason to believe he's also mentally-ill--what with all the different lineups he threw out there during the last game. So Pop, before you leave the locker room, tell your guys you've been starring in this classic horror-flick remake and show them these post-production photos:
"Hate the smell of losing, don't you? It's such a, I don't know, creepy smell."
Pop: "She just goes a little mad sometimes. We all go a little mad sometimes. Haven't you?"
Marion Crane: "Yes. Sometimes just one time can be enough."
"Oh Georgie... I brought you my favorite wine..."
Hitchcock scare rating of this remake: he gives it five out of five screaming Marions.
Happy Halloween, folks! I hope Pop won't come after me with that upside-down wine bottle. On to the real preview then.
 Sacramento Kings @ San Antonio Spurs Where: AT&T Center - San Antonio, TX When: October 31, 2009, 7:30 PM Spurs time Watch: KRRT 35(SA); Comcast Sports(Sacramento)
How They Stack Up
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Matchups
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 Tony Parker Chucky |
Point Guard Like Chucky in Child's Play, Tony will be one tough nut to take down, especially after a bad game. On the other side of the floor, Parker's going up against ROY candidate Tyreke Evans. Evans has talent and size, which could give us fits at the defensive end, but Tony will give Tyreke hell if his lateral movement isn't up to speed.Advantage: Spurs |
 Tyreke Evans Chucky's Bride |
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 Manu Ginobili The Exorcist |
Shooting Guard Kevin Martin is baby-faced but he has mad game suited for more adult-looking people. Like Manu, Martin was also injured for long stretches last season and he's looking to bounce back and wreak havoc on the unsuspecting teams, so I'll give the Kings the slightest of advantages on this one. Yes, I'll be a little skeptical and patient with Manu's form for the next few games.Advantage: Kings |
 Kevin Martin Casper |
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 Richard Jefferson Alice in Wonderland |
Small Forward As we saw last night, integrating into the Spurs' system isn't easy and RJ seemed lost in Wonderland out there. The Spurs coaching staff need to set him up to score some easy baskets to get him going. The Kings might opt to start Desmond Mason or rookie Omri Casspi here, but I'm going with Andres Nocioni, whose aggressive, attacking game I admire. He might lead our little Princess to places he might not want to go tonight, but we all know Alice prevails in the end.Advantage: Spurs |
 Andres Nocioni The Mad Hatter |
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 Tim Duncan The Wizard of Oz |
Power Forward Yet another athletic freak for the Spurs to deal with tonight. Jason Thompson acquitted himself well last season and will look to improve in his sophomore year. Still, look for Mr. Merlin himself, Tim Duncan, to put the youngster under his spell that we call Fundamentals.Advantage: Spurs |
 Jason Thompson Jason Voorhees |
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 Antonio McDyess Winston Zeddemore |
Center Spencer Hawes is one of the better, if not also one of the most underrated, big men in the league. He rebounds, blocks shots, can shoot from the outside and work in the low block, and best of all, he's still young and improving. Hopefully McDyess and Bonner (yes, he was not too shabby after all the last time out so I'm mentioning him here) can outsmart Hawes defensively and limit his impact in the game. However, I expect Spencer to do a Noah or Tyrus Thomas on us, especially if he stays active.Advantage: Kings |
 Spencer Hawes The Poltergeist |
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 Roger Mason Jr. Hawkeye |
Bench & Role Players When our shooters can't do the thing that their most counted on to do, the Bulls game is what happens. No driving lanes, long rebounds from the opposite end leading to giving up fastbreak points, yadda yadda yadda. Mase, Finley, George and Matt need to make the long ball and keep the defense honest. I'm also expecting a bounce-back game from Blair, so I hope Pop gives him the chance. As for the Kings, Francisco Garcia is out for 5 months but they still got Beno, Sean May in FatMan Returns, the ghost of Kenny Thomas and former Blazer Sergio Rodriguez. I still like our B.A.M.'s chances.Advantage: Spurs |
 Beno Udrih Harry Potter |
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 Gregg Popovich Norman Bates |
Coach I didn't know that Paul Westphal has taken over the Kings coaching job until now. His best work was coaching that Barkley-led Phoenix Suns team to the Finals where they lost to Chicago. But we have Barkley 2.3 now in DeJuan Blair, so I expect Pop to murder him, hopefully not in the literal sense.Advantage: Spurs |
 Paul Westphal Bates Motel Tenant |
| images via yahoo.com | ||
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Other Factors
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Intangibles |
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| Despite the 2nd unit stinking in Chicago, we still have the better team top-to-bottom, and our stars are miles better than the Queens. | ||
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Mojo |
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| We're back home. The Spurs got beat in almost every department by a young and active Bulls squad, and we're going to go up against another young and hungry team. I'm sure Pop ripped his team in the locker room after that loss, and lit a fire under their asses for this one. I am absolutely scared for Sacramento. Advantage: Spurs Advantage: Spurs | ||
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Winner |
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| There is simply no excuse to lose this game to an expected Western Conference bottom feeder. I think I'll prepare that After Party Loser Thread in a bit. | ||
Keys To The Game
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Last Time They MetThe Spurs last played the Kings on April 12th in a game that ended well for us, but probably shouldn't have ended when it did. Why do I say that? Apparently FinPerro can alter the shot clock rule anytime he feels the need. We must keep this power secret, lest Joey Crawford find out.
H/T to SpursTalk for uploading the clip.
I think the Kings were also the first team that BlaseE covered with his awesome My Team Is Better Than Yours series. And I quote:
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Some Other ReadingKingsSactown Royalty - The Kings SBN blog. They also have members who actively comment during games. Go visit them and drop a friendly line or two, olf-style Cowbell Kingdom - This is the TrueHoop network blog for the Sacramento. I hate the sound of cowbells, but these guys do a great job covering the Spurs48 Minutes of Hell: Speaking of THN blogs, we're extremely lucky that the best one is dedicated to the Spurs. Tim and Graydon always do an excellent job of breaking down everything that's happening in the Spurs' organization. The (sort of) Daily Twitter
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The Magic That HappenedShoutout to jrw for spotting the magic:
Some Other ViewingJust because I don't want to post the highlights of a loss:
Other things of possible interest
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Where to Tune In
(Note: The League Pass free preview is available until Nov. 3 for both broadband and television.) TVThis game is not on national TV, so for those of you staying at home, you might want to read on below... OnlineAs always, NBA league pass is recommended for those who are willing to pony up the cash. Almost every Spurs game will be broadcast there, which is especially helpful for those of us who aren't in the San Antonio area. This one should also be on ESPN 360, if your ISP provides access to it. Please don't post links to illegal game feeds in the game thread. Links to illegal feeds are not permitted on SBNation, but you can probably find them out there on the internets if you're resourceful and desperate. In fact, nobody can stop you from googling "atdhe". You can also shoot an email to dmenendez@gmail.com for more assistance. Spurs League Pass audio is still free this year, so check it out. RadioIf you're in the San Antonio area and aren't near a TV, tune in to WOAI (1200 AM). |
