Doug Christie Takes Accountability After Kings' Loss to Thunder

Coach Christie’s accountability is certainly admirable, if a bit too simplistic. He absolutely has a role to play in making sure the game plan is in place and executed, and he determines the lineups and rotation, including which players get to close the game. There are plenty of scenarios in which coaching decisions affect the outcomes of games. 

However, the players can’t possibly be blameless for what happens on the court. Ultimately, their play dictates whether a game ends up as a win or a loss. It’s up to the players to execute the game plan, make shots, and buckle down on defense in order to get stops.

Just a few plays away from being 4-0

There are two ways to view the start of the Kings’ season. On one hand, you could say that if just a couple of things had gone differently, the Kings would be 4-0 instead of 1-3. Those who find themselves in this camp aren’t wrong, as all three of Sacramento’s losses this season have been relatively close and the Kings have certainly had chances to win all three games.

Doug Christie clearly subscribes to this philosophy, as he said in his postgame interview that “We probably should be 4-0. But we’re not ready to be 4-0, and we gotta look in the mirror on that.” Coach Christie elaborated, saying, “Because 4-0 means the little stuff that I just said? It gets handled when it’s winning time. That’s on me, too.”

On the other hand, many fans and several pundits have pointed out that the Kings are a Domantas Sabonis rebound late in the game against the Utah Jazz away from being 0-4 right now. Those who find themselves in this camp aren’t wrong either, as despite having their chances to win all four games, the Kings have found a way to lose three of them, and they very nearly coughed up another late lead to lose the fourth as well.

Defense is key for the Kings

Much of the Kings’ lack of success can be traced to defense, specifically late in games. The Kings have been outscored in the fourth quarter in all of their games thus far, and a big reason for that is their inability to get multiple consecutive stops in crunch time. 

This problem was on display again in the game against Oklahoma City, as Sacramento allowed the Thunder to close the game on a 17-4 run. After the game, Christie correctly pointed out that, “Defense doesn’t stop until you get the ball. So, you really didn’t play defense if they’ve got the ball.” 

Too often, the Kings hold the other team in check for an entire possession, only to give up an easy shot late in the shot clock. Or, they force a miss but allow their opponent to grab the offensive rebound and capitalize with second-chance points. 

These types of breakdowns on defense occur too often for this team to genuinely consider the notion of being 4-0 right now. You have to love that Coach Christie wants to stand up for his guys, but the truth is that everyone, coaches and players alike, has room to be much better than they have been so far.

The Kings travel to Chicago on Wednesday to take on the Bulls.