After the Pacers ended the Cavaliers' 12-game winning streak today, who is the league's longest winning streak right now? It's the King's seven-game winning streak!
During this time, the plot of the Kings team can be called ups and downs, the previous five consecutive defeats exposed the discord between the generals and coaches, and the next day the Kings management resigned Brown, which was very decisive. New coach Doug Christie lost to the Lakers in his first game after taking charge, and the team suffered a wave of six straight losses.
I thought that this was the end of the season for the Kings, the team was in turmoil, the record fell out of the play-in area, and Fox was also leaving. The main task for the rest of the season should be to keep Fox and remain competitive for years to come.
Unexpectedly, after winning the Mavericks in the last game of 2024, the Kings actually started a wave of seven consecutive wins. And this wave of seven-game winning streak opponents is not low, the Celtics and Grizzlies have a record there, the 76ers won George and Maxey almost double-30, and the Warriors, Heat, and Bulls are also playoff-level teams.
It is said that changing the coach is like changing the knife, the king's seven consecutive victories, the seven knives swung out, the knives and knives were all cut on the "bread" of the king's former coach. Mike Brown and Fox's feud is not a secret, of course, their friendship off the court is still there, and they had dinner together two days ago, but Brown's coaching philosophy has disagreements with most of the team.
One of the things that Mike Brown is reportedly known for is that he always trains as much as he can, and whenever the NBA schedule allows, he even lets his players train after a long flight to overcome the fatigue of the journey.
But the new coach Christie's training schedule is far less rigorous, they still watch videos, study opponents' on-pitch performances, and practice tactics on the field, but they have much less or no confrontation at all.
The most direct feedback on the court is that the overall vitality of the Kings has improved a lot, and during the seven-game winning streak, the Kings have ranked first in the league in rebounds, second in the league in scoring, and tied for third in steals, and their offensive and defensive efficiency are among the top five in the league.
After reducing the frequency and intensity of the team's training, Christie said, "When I was with the Kings, we played a similar way, very fast-paced, and we were always picking up the pace. So when you adopt this style of play, as a coach I have to be clear about how to train and train. โ
In layman's terms, since we have chosen a fast-paced style of play, we need to reduce the intensity of training and keep the better condition on the court. The core of the Kings is not strictly a young guy, Sacha Jr. is 4 months and 29 years old, Fox is about the same as Monk, and DeRozan is in the twilight of his career.
Doug Christie, no stranger to old fans, the starting quarterback of the Kings in '02, formed a backcourt with Mike Bibby, one offense and one defense. Among the five people Bibby, Christie, Peja, Chris Webb, and Divac, he should be the most unknown to everyone.
Christie was drafted in '92 and defended Jordan as a young man and taunted Kobe Bryant at his prime. In his five seasons with the Kings, he was named once to the first team and three times to the second team, and was the league's top perimeter defender at the time. Christie, who was born as a player, is also a famous name of the Kings, so his prestige in the team is also very high.
Christie and Mike Brown are two very different coaches, with Mike Brown playing for two years in college before disappearing from the court. Step by step, he has grown from a trainee video editor to a head coach of an NBA team, which is very inspirational and professional.
But sometimes, Mike Brown's problem is that it's "too professional." He's very tactically demanding, and whatever tactics he develops, the players have to execute 100 per cent. We all know that the previous system of the Kings has always been initiated by Xiao Sa's hand, Xiao Sa is the axis, and the other players run without the ball.
Such a system requires a high level of three-point accuracy for role players. Because neither Fox nor Monk is a typical off-ball defender, they need to attack with the ball. This season has added DeRozan, who is more of a typical point of possession.
When Huerter and Murray had a good three-point shot, the Kings' offense was passable. But this season, both of these three points have taken a big dive, and the Kings are out of luck. Coupled with the very intense training, the players were exhausted, and conflicts broke out over time.
Brown is undoubtedly a good coach, but with nearly 28 years of coaching, it will be very difficult for him to be flexible and compromised. The new coach Christie may not have changed much, but he has simplified the complexity, simplified the Kings' offensive tactics, and was able to make the most of everyone's characteristics and untie the handcuffs and shackles of the players, and that was enough.
When asked what Christie did during his winning streak, Monk said: "He just simplified a lot for us. He simplified the game on both the offensive and defensive ends so we didn't have to think too much about it. โ
Maybe after this streak, the Kings will return to normal, but at least they have had their toughest time.