Kings Report – 4/9

It was no surprise, after how they destroyed Arizona in the Final Four, that Michigan is the NCAA champion. UConn put up a fight, and there were a couple of moments when it looked like they might make a run, but Michigan managed to hold them off to win their first national title since 1989 in the NCAA Tournament Finals on Monday, April 6. Michigan’s Yaxel Lendeborg, who sprained his ankle in the semifinal against Arizona, wasn’t quite himself but said there was no way he could miss the final. No one really looked like themselves, to be honest. Both teams shot under 40% from the field. That included Braylon Mullins, whose buzzer-beater eliminated Duke in the Elite Eight; he finished a miserable 4-for-17. Apparently, the only place Michigan could score from was the foul line. They went 25-for-28, compared to UConn’s 12-for-16. Michigan beat UConn, 69–63.

The Sacramento Kings managed to win two games in a row against the Toronto Raptors and the New Orleans Pelicans, moving them up to the fifth-worst team in the league. With only two games left in the season, they’ll probably hang on to that position. I really hate the way the NBA determines its draft order. The lottery is supposed to discourage tanking, but it just makes things unclear and weirdly secretive, so we won’t actually know what pick the Kings will get until May 10. But it is what it is, and the draft can feel like a crapshoot anyway; so many great players have been selected later on. Take, for instance, the Kings’ rookies this year. They got Nique Clifford with the 24th pick in the first round, but it’s Maxime Raynaud, taken in the second round with the 42nd overall pick, who has really been impressing this season. Raynaud, who scored 28 points in that win against New Orleans, was named the Western Conference Rookie of the Month for March.

Like I said, there are only two games left this season. The Kings’ last home game will be this Friday, April 10, against the Golden State Warriors, and their final game of the season will be Sunday in Portland against the Trail Blazers. The Warriors are 37–42 this season and have already clinched the final spot in the Play-In Tournament, so this game will be pretty inconsequential for them. Portland, whose record currently sits at 40–39, has also clinched a Play-In spot, but depending on how the next couple of days go, they could be fighting for eighth place instead of ninth when they face the Kings on Sunday. I have to say, I’m kind of ready for this horrendous season to be over and am already looking ahead to next year, but I’ll try to enjoy these last couple of games. Go Kings!