A basketball fans perspective

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3-1

The first round of the Eastern Conference playoffs would see the Celtics ranked number 2 would face the number 7 Sixers. The Celtics would blitz the Sixers in Game one however the Sixers returned the favor in the second meeting and then it occurred. The Celtics won the next two games and would hold a 3 games to 1 lead and then all that changed. The Sixers won two games in a row setting up a Game 7 match, the belief by most with the game being played in TD Garden the Celtics would be winners. Despite the view by some that would not be the case as the Sixers won the game and series 109-100. There were several hero’s for the Sixers, the law firm of Embiid-Maxey-Edgecombe who laid down the law for the Celtics. If we just check the scoring it was 34, 30 and 23 points scored by the trio.

The points certainly were key but so was the defense as the Celtics managed to shoot but 40% from the floor and 27% from three. Contrast that with the 48% from the floor and 39% from three the Sixers managed. The game began on a high note with the Sixers taking the lead, for the most part they were able to sustain. There was more than one occasion the Celtics climbed back and were only a single point behind. Sometimes when you climb a mountain it’s difficult to reach the summit, that might have been the case for the Celtics. They were missing Jason Tatum however I have my doubts much would have changed even with him in the lineup, the Sixers appeared on a mission. Next up we’ll witness a Sixers-Knicks match, once again there will be Big Man basketball with KAT matched against Embiid, it should be a good series.

Very much alive

Pac-12 supporters were determined the conference would not disappear as the Southwest Conference did. Many of you might remember back to 1996, that was the last season for the Texas schools. The majority of teams moved into the Big 8 conference with the additional teams became the Big 12. Most of the schools left the Pac-12 leaving Washington State and Oregon State as survivors. We realize 99% of these moves are generated based on football and that is the case here.

Six schools have joined (Texas State, Fresno State, San Diego State, Boise State, Colorado State and Utah State. Those schools plus the holdovers will form the “football” portion of the conference. Also joining the Pac-12 are Gonzaga (basketball only) Dallas Baptist, Northern Illinois and Southern Utah are also members for sports other than football or basketball. There you have it, the rejuvenated Pac-12 conference the one conference that refused to die once members departed for greener pastures. It should also be of note that most of those joining the renewed conference were considered mid-major basketball teams, that term no longer applies to them.

This is the Why

IMO there are 7 reasons why the Kings no longer call Kansas City home. These are just my thoughts, the events and actions that occurred. I will attempt to be concise and to the point without haste….so with that statement here goes.

The 1973 NBA draft-at that time was more extensive than today. This was the first draft held under the Kansas City-Omaha Kings banner. There were 20 rounds and the Kings selected 10 players, some noteworthy although not with the Kings. Mike D’Antoni who would later become a successful NBA coach and M.L. Carr who never played for the Kings. Carr would sign with an ABA team and leader become a valued member of the Celtics. With pick 7 in the first round the Kings chose Ron Beghagan, more on him below.

Moses Malone-NO, he never played for the Kings but he might have. For a difference of $100,000, the Kings had the opportunity to select future Hall of Fame player Malone in the ABA Dispersal Draft. Instead, they opted for Ron Boone, a reliable guard whose NBA career did not reach the heights that Malone would later achieve. The decision to select a 6-foot-2 guard over the 6-foot-11 Malone raises questions, yet some context is warranted. Malone, drafted directly from high school, had limited professional experience at that time, having played only two seasons. Beyond financial considerations, it may have been believed that Malone was a relatively raw prospect, making Boone appear to be the safer option.

Ron Behagen-was a standout player at Minnesota, earning a reputation as The Man, many likely thought his college game would translate to the NBA. Known as an enforcer in college, it’s possible that this influenced the Kings’ decision to select him with the 7th overall pick in the first round of the 1973 draft. However, Behagen’s impressive college performance did not move with him into the NBA. His numbers for the Kings and several other teams turned out to be average.

Cotton Fitzsimmons-was the most accomplished coach of the Kings during their tenure in Kansas City. Notably, the franchise achieved only four winning seasons between 1972 and 1985, with two of those winning seasons occurring under Fitzsimmons' leadership. Although no direct evidence is available, it has been suggested that the coach perceived the Kings' management as prioritizing financial savings over a commitment to building a consistently successful team on the court.  

Phil Ford-The Kings benefited greatly from selecting Ford with the second overall pick in the 1979 NBA Draft, as he subsequently earned NBA Rookie of the Year honors. The anticipated partnership between Ford and shooting guard Otis Birdsong resulted in a dynamic backcourt for the team. However, during his fourth season, Ford sustained an eye injury and was unable to regain the level of play exhibited in his first and second year in the NBA. 

Richard Washington-After an exceptional season at UCLA in 1976, the 6-foot-11, 220-pound Washington chose to enter the NBA following his All-American junior year. The Kings selected him as the third overall pick in that year's draft. Although much was anticipated from Washington, his two seasons with the Kings were only average and did not meet those expectations the Kings and fans hoped would occur, a choice believed to impact the franchise successfully turned out to be another miss.       

The Comets-indoor soccer killed the Kings attendance, at that time playing a winter schedule the Comets competed alongside the Kings for fans. The first year of operation the Comets averaged 11,000 fans a game, the Kings, 6,600. Of course the NBA team wasn’t winning and the truth is neither were the Comets but the owners of the Comets marketed the team properly, they made it an event to attend a game. The Kings being the older team in the city never made an effort to attract fans, they simply rolled a basketball onto the court with expectations NBA fans would attend games, for the most part it didn’t work successfully.

Inside his Castle  

We were acquainted with the name…Stephon Castle, we saw him perform admirably in the NCAA Championship game helping his UConn Huskies win it all in 2024. Immediately thereafter in June Castle was made the 4th pick in that draft by the Spurs. He was a starter in half the Spurs games and was rewarded at the end of the season being named 2025 NBA Rookie of the Year. I’m unsure what was expected of Castle however the 6-foot 6 combo guard probably exceeded them. As a sophomore he’s moved into the starter role at shooting guard.

We have also witnessed the fact Castle has blended his game along with Wemby and other teammates and his numbers have exceeded those of his rookie year. Check out the spin move he placed on the Clippers Robin Lopez, it was a thing of beauty and he had Lopez on skates. Following that against the Kings Castle only scored 3 points but dished out 12 assists. As Wemby, Castle and others have grown the overall number of wins has continued to increase. As this is written they have 51 wins the most since the 2016-17 season when they won 61. If the Spurs front office can manage to keep this gang together there is no telling the heights they will attain.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oTMryyXjEak