"The Kings won too easily." Brad Stevens smiled and watched the playoff report.
In the series between the Kings and Grizzlies, although Ja Morant and his teammates would not admit defeat, there is no way to change the fact that the Kings crushed Memphis no matter how they resisted.
4:0 !
The Kings are the first team to qualify for the NBA Finals! Four games have clarified that Hector is the best player in these playoffs.
34 points, 14 rebounds, 11 assists, 7 steals, and 3 blocks for Hector in a one-sided G1 93:123!
G2 Grizzlies 101:111! Hector played only 31 minutes and scored 27 points, 13 rebounds, 4 assists, 5 steals and 2 blocks.
G3 in Memphis, the Grizzlies fans support their team fervently, but it's useless! Kings 113:109! De'Aaron Fox and Ja Morant scored 40 points, but Hector was the difference maker with 19 points and 24 rebounds.
G4 Kings 102:99! It was a close game, but the Kings are still winners. It's not that Memphis has been bad, but the injury of Jaren Jackson Jr. The G1 was the hammer blow, and the return to Memphis did good.
The circumstances were too favorable to the Kings as if luck was with them. Brad Stevens is the GM of the Boston Celtics, and he believes that this is the last chance for the trio Tatum-Brown-Porzingis. Porzingis will not be extended, and the Tatum-Brown duo asks: Can they do it?
But before that, you have to beat the Knicks. The series is currently at 2:2, and the winner will face the Kings with heavy legs. That's not what Brad wants to see. This Kings team is very dangerous, in his opinion.
"That's what the Knicks GM must be thinking too," he told himself. A team in the NBA Finals, there is a reason for his presence. The Kings started the playoffs crescendo, and since the G5 in OKC, we find the team that rode on the regular season.
The Celtics were one of the teams that beat the Kings, but like every other team, they lost in Sacramento. He is confident in his team's ability, but it is under the condition that they do not fail in Boston; a G7 in Sacramento is the worst thing possible.
***
Monte McNair is calm but must think about his team's future. As an NBA finalist, a title will not be an end, and some adjustments will have to be made to hold it in place. Salary management will be stable for the next two seasons with no loss of strength in real combat.
But Harrison Barnes will no longer be under contract at the end of the season and will not be extended, and even if the Kings have good young players, no one will be able to strengthen the team. He does not want to take veterans to not upset his best player.
Ring culture is the trendy political party among NBA players these days—everything for the championship. Every star who hasn't won a title is a loser. Their careers are being questioned regardless of their other achievements.
Doncic double MVP is questioning, which shows the absurdity of this line of thinking. He knows veterans want to come to Sacramento, and Hector knows it too, but accepting it is something else. Hector is against this philosophy.
Hector said earlier this season, "I don't need to prove I want to win a ring. That's not what I'm playing for. It will be good to win a championship, but that's the way I'm concerned about. For me, any title outside of Sacramento will not satisfy me. »
Most players do not share his opinion. But the Kings' leading players are of this opinion. That's why there are no contract concerns. Agents are trying to place their players in Sacramento, but Monte has not responded.
But he will have no choice but to take a player in the prime of life, not a veteran.
Not to mention the players, there will be a problem as Ewing plans to retire in two years, but he and Anjali have already agreed to an internal promotion of a staff member.
But Monte is a satisfied GM for now, and his team is in the NBA Finals. With an ideal payroll, the Kings have three years to be champions.
Why not be this season? They have the MVP. Not taking advantage of Hector's bounty would be a crime he could never whitewash.