Kayte Christensen on Kings vs. Lakers & SAC’s inconsistencies

Kayte Christensen on Kings vs. Lakers & SAC’s inconsistencies

All right joining us from beautiful Los Angeles California the one the only analyst for your Sacramento Kings Katie Christenson good morning Katie good morning David hi Jason Hi Katie what is that that was a friendly greeting towards me it was straight up good morning David hi Jason we we’ve had

A couple of weeks together while you’ve been out which which if reversed to your point would be uh good morning Dave hi Jason I’m so glad you’re back wow it’s just been so great some dig it I had to be on with just Dave for two weeks type

Of thing but that didn’t happen no no no yeah didn’t happen wow all right well this this interview’s off to a great start um all right Katie uh let’s start with an easy one um what’s wrong with this team welcome back oh yeah I I know that um I

Know that the the loss to Miami is a or not Miami Chicago rather yes both hurt yes is a tough one to swallow um particularly coming off of the last home game which of course was the the loss to Miami um yeah Dave you know it’s it’s interesting because I you

Know watching that game as we’re you know calling it I was like wow you know they came out and and like offensively I felt like they were they were playing at a faster Pace they were clicking there was different things that we were seeing from them defensively I thought that

They were being really really aggressive and doing a great job and they were scrambling and covering a lot of ground and I really I was like wow like you know coming off that wi in Minnesota and you come back and you’re upset about the loss against Miami and and then just you

Know Demar D rozan absolutely took over and anduma like he was or Kobe white was fantastic I mean you had two guys that really really went off and and Demar D rozan did Demar things in the fourth quarter and like there was no no answer to that no stopping it and frustrating

As as that can be you know it’s just like I don’t really know how to answer your question I saw a lot of great things and then I saw a collapse yeah on the collapse Katie I look obviously what you said is is spot on I mean Demar D rozan sometimes when

You got a gifted player that’s hot you you can’t stop him I almost look on the other side because what the Kings still do best is offense and maybe just a little sharper offense even while dear’s doing that uh they end up with maybe a six-point win it wouldn’t have been the

Prettiest but it wouldn’t have mattered um what went wrong offensively in that fourth quarter that really also kept him from winning the game I thought that Chicago did a great job of you know when the Kings got downhill on them they sent two three guys and they were just

Causing to nothing was clean anymore they were causing deflections they were kind of muddying the waters nothing was crisp um and then really you look at the last you know we do it all the time as players you know in practice you do last two minute you know drill you basically

Two minutes on the clock they put a score up and you play you play live and you try like being crisp and clean and not making mistakes in the last two minutes of a game is is critical you practice it you’re drilled with it like you know um that you’ve been in

This situation a million times you prepare for it to have three turnovers out of the last four possessions is just you can’t you can’t win a close game that way and I thought they did a great job not turning the ball over most of of the game I didn’t feel like it really

Impacted it wasn’t an issue throughout the course of the game it was an issue down the stretch and again I I have to credit Chicago I mean I thought I thought that they did a great job of being physical and taking away you know straight line passes and and straight

Line drives like they just made everything really difficult and because of that they were able to be on top of every single rotation um they weren’t behind there was no clean looks there was no clean shots and so uh look Chicago defensively like they’re a very

Very solid team and you know I I I actually was like okay wow this is how this is how it you know this is how you win games in in these situations it’s with your defense and that’s what they did Katie Christensen joining us um look in all seriousness no one’s looking to

You to have all the answers that none of us have as to what’s wrong with uh with this team uh but and and and we saw last night Boston the best team in the NBA lose to a Donovan Mitchell L Cleveland team after being completely throttled in

The fourth quarter so it’s not like we know this happens to teams the problem is that you win in Minnesota without dearin you come home you lose to Chicago you win in La against the Clippers a team that had throttled you twice and then you come home and you lose to a

Short-handed Miami team you blow a record breaking literally fourth quarter lead against Phoenix you lose it home to Detroit you lose on the road to Portland you lose it home to Charlotte and on and on and on so if we were talking about every team has bad nights every team has

Bad stretches and everybody gets paid in the NBA I completely get that the problem is and you know this this is a team acting like a dynasty team keeping it in third gear during the regular season and they’re a first round exit after one year is there any way to point

At it in any other way Katie other than mental cuz I don’t see a talent issue on this squad I see a softness issue on this squad I would definitely have to agree to a certain extent that there’s a a massive mental component I I don’t know

That I agree that they’re acting like a dynasty um I think I’m just saying that’s what dynasty teams do you’re you’re right I’m just saying you see that I mean Dave we’re I’ve known you forever you’re one of of my best friends um I also know uh yeah one of get it right

I also know listen here I want I I want you as my friend to hear this as well okay I don’t think they’re acting like a dynasty team I understand your personal attachment to this team and that physically every single time there’s a collapse something like this happens

That it hurts you in a physical way um so that’s okay like you’re not the only one I’m sure there’s other fans that feel the way the same way but I’m I’m I definitely can break down the listen there has been consistency issues throughout the season there has but I’m

Also going to tell you on a legitimate level the western conference is better than it was a year ago they haven’t faced the same type of adversities uh last year that they’ve faced this year and you know what I I’m I’m good with them facing those adversities now

They’re in a playin situation right now they’re not out of the play playoff pitcher right now you don’t know what’s going to happen the last 20 games you want to believe that the things that they’re facing now and the painful losses the adversities are going to be a

Great lesson when it comes to battling to get into the playoffs because I do think there’s a high likelihood that they could be in a playin situation because of how good and how healthy the Western Conference has been this year and I want to believe that like a year

Ago Miami that was in a play in situation that people talked crap about them the entire year they weren’t meeting expectations blah blah blah this and that they were able to make a run in the playoffs and and look how far they got they got to the final yeah from a

Playin situation so where it’s okay and I’m not going to begrudge anyone that looks at this team and looks at the inconsistencies and is like scratching their head saying what the hell is going on here but I’m also I’m G to look at it logically for me right and yeah the

Inconsistencies suck but I hope they I hope that it actually benefits them in the long run and that these are the things that they kind of need every season takes on a personality of its own maybe these are the things that they need to face so that they’re actually

Ready for the playoffs come that time I don’t know but yes there’s a lot of things that they need to fix before then Katie what kind of along those lines from your playing background to now observing this team too what do you think compelled Trey lyes to to kind of

Get that players meeting what what do you think was behind his thought process on that maybe that inconsistency you’re talking about yeah I think that that 100% um you know kind of contributed to it I mean there’s other things as well right I think that it’s good to check in

82 games is such a long season and you know you you start the season out and you’re pumped and you’re psyched and then you get to a certain point you’re like wow are we still doing this you know like is it still going um so I

Think a lot of times you got to kind of reenter reconnect um kind of assess your goals again touch base but for me I love that Trey called it first of all because he is a respected member of this team and he given his role as kind of you

Know that that guy off the bench who’s very critical to their success we’ve showed the numbers on our broadcast a lot recently that he has the best you know you know plus minus on this team and we’ve showed all of the numbers um that that you know it’s like wow like

Look at how how critical Trey is to the success of this team and I think a perfect example of that is is Minnesota if you look at the box score and you didn’t watch that game you’re be like oh Trey didn’t do much Off the Bench he was so important to the that

Win in Minnesota especially if you look at overtime and he did it defensively the way he impacted that game on that on that side of the ball when he wasn’t hitting you know shots at the level we’ve seen him he’s been in a little bit of a slump so I love that

He can bring everybody together and they can sit down and to me a lot of the things that they discussed is issues they’re having defensively and to be willing to speak to the coaches and say hey this is how you’re asking us to cover this this is

How you want us to cover pick and roll in this situation can we give you some feedback and those are the things that you need to have during the season season to be able to communicate and fine tune and fix issues and the coaches listened the players were open and

Honest you know they came to them after a great meeting and that’s that’s what you’re supposed to do that’s the accountability as a leader and Trey is tre’s a great example of that and not to be that guy but we saw results obviously against Minnesota what a wonderful win

Winning in Minnesota against the number one seed in the west without your best player arguably in dearon Fox but then you come back you blow two double digit leads at home uh against an a below average team in the NBA giving up 36 in the fourth quarter so when you look back

And go well maybe that player is only meeting lasted a game is there cause for worry too that uh it didn’t necessarily click with them no I don’t think there’s cause for worry I thought that they had three great quarters against the Bulls um and

You know I I I wish that after the players only meeting that they could win every single game um but that’s not going to happen uh but that also isn’t going to mean that that players only meeting wasn’t critical and wasn’t important and and isn’t going to still be impactful moving forward because

Sometimes it it’s it’s about just the connectivity of the guys after a loss like that be like okay you know what we just talked about this we’re good just refocus get back to it move on go to the next instead of oh here we go again great like it it can collectively become

A mental issue when guys don’t feel like they can talk or or they haven’t talked and then it just kind of piles on piles on throughout the course of season so no I don’t I don’t think that it goes away after this I think it’s still going to

Be impactful Katie they’re all important here really at the end and coming off of the performance against Chicago one that they were angered by one that got away from them it’s the Lakers who they’ve matched up well with played well this year but they’re hot on their heels

Feels like this one’s pretty big tonight in La what will be some of the uh the keys for you when you’re watching this one yeah you know I I checked the injury report this morning you know I would be shocked if LeBron and and ab did not

Play I think LeBron and listen is questionable but you know if history kind of has has taught us he’s available more times than not um I actually think that the matchup between damont sabonis and Anthony Davis has has been heavily in Del’s favor you know for

The entirety of his career I mean he’s he’s never lost a game to Anthony Davis and I don’t by the way people listening don’t freak out don’t oh my God the announcer Jinx I don’t we already said it it’s okay no it’s like whatever it’s just like it traditionally has been a

Matchup that favors damont dbonis and he he executes well against him he’s had his number for whatever reason but listen the Lakers are also you know this is a team that has a lot of external pressure on them they’ve been kind of in this situation all year in the play

Conversation they want to get up into the to the you know top six is that going to happen I highly doubt it because of how brutal the western conference is so they look at this game as as how critical it is to you know seating and and who they’re probably

Going to be matched up with in the first round all of those or the playing round all of those things and so I I think for the Kings it’s about put put Chicago behind you refocus you need to come out with the same type of physicality that you played with defensively the same

Pace and presence and connectivity that you played with for the third first three quarters against Chicago you need to carry that over so you want to focus at this point on the things that you did really well learn from the things that you didn’t do well but continue to make

Sure you’re growing on the things that you did well and that’s what I want to see against the Lakers because you know obviously this is a a really BR I feel like the last two and a half three months of the season have just been a brutal stretch schedule-wise yes the

Kings have been home more recently but this is game 10 of 11 in a row where the kings are playing after travel so it’s just been you know one thing after another that are just the adversities that you’re facing and these are hopefully the things that are going to

Build them and and give them some resiliency come playoff time and uh so got step in there tonight and I want to see what I saw the first three quarters against Chicago build on that Katie Christensen joining us uh you by the way speaking of issues that aren’t

Explainable with this team what do you make of uh and again these are I I want to acknowledge again these are impossible questions I’m asking of you I’m just curious as to your thoughts what do you make of the fact that this team not only is last in the league in

Free throws but they’re almost two full percentage points behind Toronto at 29 72.9% and if there you know was something uh I can’t about versus the Bulls it’s 100% mental is a okay it is because they were great against the Bulls let’s acknowledge that I think 17

To 19 they were wonderful from the line but I don’t understand like 12 of 12 or something like that yeah it’s it’s wild um because you look at how many great Shooters there are on this team and you you struggle to figure out how they struggle at the free throw line the way

That they do um think it’s something that has it’s it’s compounded during the course of the season it’s become a mental kind of hitch if you will or a glitch in their brains you know um especially when you see guys like Malik who is has has traditionally been like

You know a high 80s 90s type free throw shooter somebody that steps up with a ton of confidence and then you know after the win in Minnesota I mean literally they were it they could have lost that game so easy and Minnesota because they were horrendous at the free

Throw line and they were still able to beat this team on the road um in overtime despite free throws being just one of they were abysmal um to me that’s mental and you saw Malik’s response after when he was asked about the free throws and it was utter frustration but

Now it’s on their mind in such a way that when they step up to the line it it’s like oh my God I can’t this I can’t miss this and to me it’s just it’s become this mental thing that has trickled through every single player

This season as the season has gone on as there’s been struggles and now it’s become problematic right it’s it’s like an epidemic on this team at the moment and honestly I don’t I don’t know how they turn it around it it it can only it’s not like go take 200 free throws

And it’s going to be over no it’s a mental thing at this point and by the way Jason just just to put everything in perspective they’re dead last at 72.9% Toronto is is next at 74.6 last year the Sacramento Kings shot 78.8% from the line that is almost a

Full 6% better if they were shooting 7 shooting 788 now they’d be uh just behind Portland for 10th that’s how much it’s falling off this year yeah well I mean I had you know our producer row and the graphic guy like we put it on the broadcast recently and I asked them keep

Track of um makes versus makes uh makes Fisher versus makes last year um so that we can throw it up in games where yes they’re struggling and you see that it’s impacting the game and their ability to close out that type of thing if you look

At just the makes from from at the same point uh last year as this year it is a massive diff differential for the Kings and that to be honest has that has impacted wins this season and that’s just there’s no way that you can deny it it’s just it has impacted wins this

Season so Katie tonight you’ll fly home what are you gonna do with yourself for about 13 14 days you don’t have to be on a plane again after tonight W oh my gosh don’t ask that it doesn’t get any easier right because it’s like yeah we we get

Home but then we have a game the next day and then at like 900 in the morning on Friday I at an elementary school doing reading program like it’s just gonna it’s just gonna it doesn’t it doesn’t matter it’s still busy just without jet lag you know it’s funny uh

And I kind of went through this last week when I was sick and I don’t know if you’ve done any research on this or looked into it at all but have you thought about chilling oh David I’m just asking if you’ve actually looked up and maybe maybe get prescribed a bottle of chill

And then when you have literally as soon as you said that my right I wish I wish that you could see me right now underneath my right eye is like twitching right now what does that even look like for Katie yeah chilling I I don’t know I’ve I’ve known

Her pretty well for over a decade and I think the the the chill factor with her is uh you know well I I need to catch my taxes up so uh I I can do that with a nice glass of wine in the evening like that’s about as close as she gets to

Chilling so he’s going to give me a hard time for being a responsible adult it no I’m not saying that it’s just you fill it like you mentioned a reading program let me ask you this is this reading program optional did you sign up for it the

Kings asked me if I if I could go and I said that I would love to all right I’m not going to argue against a reading program there’s no win for me there just I’m just you know are you GNA come home and make your own dog

Food that does have to happen very soon actually but yeah definitely not happening on Friday that my my whole entire day Friday is packed there is no not a minute to spare Friday yeah that’s that’s all I’m saying is that Jason she comes home You’ be like ah you got 13 14

Days off no not at all and I don’t know what I don’t know what I can tell you this much I’ll bet all the money in mine and your pockets and we have not discussed this Katie would throw me under the bus in a heartbeat if we had I

Don’t know no you would if I was lying here is what I’m saying I don’t I’m sorry oh okay I don’t know thank you I don’t know what massive household project she’s about to undertake but I can promise you there is something either inside or outside that house that

She’s had circled on this calendar that’s going down over the next two three weeks what is it Katie actually no yeah honestly I’m gonna be completely honest with you I cannot tell you what’s happening after Sunday I know we have a game at like 3 or 3:30 on Sunday that’s

As far as I’ve gotten okay well we’ll monitor over the next two weeks and Report because it’s it’s never too late for you to pick up a household project yes stay tuned for Wednesday to see what moronic thing Katie has decided to do in her house Katie will be analyzing uh

Tonight’s game uh remember late start 7:30 Lakers versus Kings and when she gets back I know this Jason she’ll have time to uh at least sit back chill and spend some time with the many of her other best friends so many of them all of them the whole group thank you

Katie bye guys thank you care by it’s Katie Christensen joining us uh we you know

On the heels of another head-scratching loss, the Sacramento Kings hope to get back on track when they face their old rival, the Los Angeles Lakers.

NBC Sports California analyst Kayte Christensen joined The Carmichael Dave Show with Jason Ross on Wednesday morning to preview Kings vs. Lakers, try to make sense of Sacramento’s latest meltdown, and much more.

Plus: Kayte discusses why she thinks the Kings’ recent players-only meeting is important for this group.

Thank you for watching. Don’t forget to hit the thumbs up and subscribe!
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