Sleeping Giants

Why are the Sacramento Kings--formerly the most heartless, choking-prone, hateable team
in the league; the losers of four straight--straight up scary in the playoffs?

Revenge.

The ghost of Bob Horry's 3-pointer. Rick Fox's kitten claws all over Doug Christie.
Sam Cassell's 4th quarter flurry. Shaq's rendition of the 'Cheers' theme song:

Winning a championship takes everything you got
Sacramento, they thought it was their year
But I'm telling you it's not.
Vlade said if we don't have home-court advantage we won't win
Vlade, are you stupid? I tell you time again
You need to go where they don't know your name
And the Lakers, we don't play the game
You said that we wouldn't win at your place
Guess what Kobe dunked it in your face
You need to go where people don't know your name

Oh, sure, it's been building. Mounting. Chris Webber almost named names last year after
the second-round loss to the T-Wolves. But this week, the back broke. The wheels fell off.
Rick Adelman's moustache quivered. Four potentially deserving all-stars in Bibby, Webber,
Miller, and Peja, were shut out. The Kings lost two games AT HOME on uncalled goaltends.
Smoochie Fortson tussled with C-Webb. No respect. That's what the Kings have earned (deser-
vedly so) up to this point. But this isn't the Kings you used to know. C-Webb has reestablished
leadership. Cuttino Mobley is talking. Greg Ostertag is just ready to spend a hard 6.5 fouls per
playoff game hassling the shit out of Duncan/Amare/Shaq. And Maurice Evans is dunking on people.

The new DwaMarBron NBA favors the Kings style of play, and it's a style they've been used to for years. Whereas before, they didn't have that swagger nor did they own any extra incentive beyong winning a shit-load of home games for their crappy California-meets-Orlando hometown of Sacramento, that chip-on-the-shoulder they always could have used is finally there.

Revenge tour, baby. Kings-style. I don't want to believe it, but I just might have to.