The woes just never seem to end. In fact, they continue to get worse each and every week.
Tell me if you've heard this before.
After a strong first half, the Kings imploded immediately after halftime, eventually suffering a loss that coach Alvin Gentry could only describe as "absolutely ridiculous."
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Losing to the Memphis Grizzlies, 127-102, Sunday night at Golden 1 Center, the Kings once again shot themselves in the foot with an ever-so-common second-half implosion.
“That’s the most disappointed I’ve been in 34 years in the NBA," Alvin Gentry told reporters. "I can honestly say that performance was absolutely ridiculous. We didn’t play hard, we didn’t compete, we gave up 19 offensive rebounds for 37 points or some astronomical figure. We didn’t guard the ball, we didn’t guard screen-and-rolls, we didn’t follow the game plan. All of those things.
"To be honest with you, it’s the most disappointing game that I've been involved in. No competitiveness whatsoever.”
At this point in the season, the Kings have nobody to blame but themselves. Not the coaches, not the front office, but the players on the court. If they are unable to figure it out, Gentry will find other players who can.
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“At some point, there has to be a sense of pride, individual pride," Gentry added. "It can’t be on the coach, it can’t be on the GM, it can’t be on the secondaries, it’s gotta be you. You have to go out and compete and do it yourself. And as a coach, I gotta find the guys that will do that."
“We really have to look in the mirror as an individual and as a team collectively," Terence Davis said. "We really have to – I wouldn’t say regroup – but some guys just got back (myself included) and we just have to dial in and figure out the little things.”
The issue Sunday night -- and for many of the losses this season -- was Sacramento's response out of the gate in the second half, specifically the third quarter. The Kings were outscored 40-27 in the third and the onslaught began immediately.
“As the games were played while guys were out, I just noticed that every third quarter at the start of the third quarter it’s something about those first five minutes," Davis added. "We don’t come out with the same aggressiveness that we played the first half with. From that point on, playing from behind, that’s not the way you want to play.”
If you were to ask anyone within the organization, they would tell you that losses like the one Sunday night are unacceptable at home. Winning teams know how to defend their home court and the Kings will be the furthest thing from a winning team until they can capitalize on the (still) lively crowd at Golden 1 Center.
“You can’t get a reputation in this league of a team where you can come into their home gym and do what they just did to us," Gentry said. "I’m just telling you, it will stay with you in the NBA. If you let teams come in and do what they did to us --they basically toyed with us and we’re not that team. We’re not a team that people come in here to toy with. So yes, if you ask me if I'm upset and disappointed, you’re damn right I am.”
“I definitely feel like teams come in here licking their chops for sure," Davis told reporters. "I feel like every team comes in here thinking that it’s a winnable game. It’s up to us to protect home court. If you don’t protect home court, you’re in for a long year. If you don’t protect home court then you’re looking at a downslide pretty much.
"You gotta win your home games.”
The Kings were without numerous players due to COVID-19, so of course, there will be an immediate adjustment period now that the team is getting healthier.
From here on out, though, there cannot be any more excuses.