Evans probably would have secured the achievement whether he was permitted to chase it or not. With a player that talented and that crucial to a franchise’s future, the game should have been about winning the game and nothing else. Instead, the Kings demonstrated that individual achievement sometimes matters more than winning. Naturally then, the Kings lost the game and maybe more.
In a season going nowhere, the Rockets won a game and self-respect.
-Jonathan Feigen, Houston Chronicle, Chron.com
Whoa, there, Jonny! You’re going to break your leg going up on that high a horse! Come on back down!
Seriously, the Houston Chronicle writer went off today blasting the Kings fans for having the audacity to cheer for an individual accomplishment for the best rookie performance since LeBron James in a game between two lottery squads in the second-to-last game of the season. THE BASTARDS.
I feel like I’ve entered into some bizarre universe where mainstream writers are calling out everyone over things which do not matter. Got news for you there, Jonny. This game? DIDN’T MATTER.
But what about the spirit of competitio…
DIDN’T MATTER.
But you should always try to get the wi…
DIDN’T MATTER.
Well, that’s fine, but Houston gets to walk away with the wi…
DOESN’T MATTER.
This game? Meant nothing. Has no impact on anything. It pads the stats of its players and was meant to entertain the Kings faithful. And entertain it did, because even though they lost, instead of moping around and booing or checking their calendars for when their next tanning appointment is like the average Staples crowd, the crowd was plugged in.
There’s absolutely nothing wrong with it. The Rockets were going to win that game because they’re the better team. But they weren’t playing for anything, either. They weren’t competing for a playoff spot. This game didn’t affect seeding. This was just a game between two teams who will be on vacation in two days. So who cares if Evans tried to get the stats. What’s it matter?
Furthermore, the Kings need draft help. NEED IT. Not every team is getting a seven foot Chinese dude with awesome touch and .25 good feet back next season. The loss helped them. Every loss helps them at this point. People criticize tanking. Well the Kings didn’t tank last night. They just tried to do something other than win. Giving it to your best player and watching him jack up crazy shot after crazy shot? Kobe Bryant almost won an MVP in 2006 that way. So let’s cool it with all the judgment there. Kevin Martin had himself a fine game after he’d already failed to help get the Rockets into the playoffs like he was supposed to. Good for him. But Evans was the story. Of the game, of the fans, of the night.
Geez.
