LIVE FROM SACRAMENTO

Coming to you from Sacramento getting ready for Game #3. I will attempt to live blog again tonight if we can technically get it going.
A ton of storylines coming out of the Capital City ….
Rick Adelman denies all of Jerome James account of what happened when he got cut by Sacramento. I have to say that I side with Adelman on this one. I find it hard to believe that any coach would tell a player who is 7 foot one to pick another profession and I am sure they didn’t get him a garbage bag to clear out his stuff. The real issue is that Jerome James has forgotten who he was. When he was cut by the Kings he had sat out an entire season, they did him a favor by inviting him to camp and he was grossly overweight for an NBA player. Jerome is playing revisionist history and he just got called out. As a media member who has covered James for 5 seasons I have always found it a struggle because his stories are often lacking a factual reference point. This is the case on his stories out of Sacramento.
Is anyone else terrified that Jerome James is now talking a little trash and pumping out his chest. I have visions of a 5 for 17 coming and JJ forgetting about all the great rebounding and rotation defense he has been playing …..
Rick Adelman has to be the biggest cry baby in the NBA. Before Game 2, in an interview we aired on the pre-game show, he complained about the officials in Game 1 and how the Sonics ran roughshod all over his players. Now he is complaining the James is walking every time he makes a move to the basket. Poor Rick ….
The heat here in Sacramento is on Peja Stojakovic. Peja is 12 of 29 from the field in this series and shot 29% in last years series against Minnesota. The Headline in the Bee is “Peja needs to become a shooting not falling star.” The article closes with the line, “The Kings need a grown-up Peja.” The problem is part of the reason Peja struggles in the post-season is scouting. He has flaws i
n his game and when a team has days instead of hours to prepare they are able to expose some of those areas. He is totally dependent at going left and the Sonics have been able to take the away from him. Peja and Bibby combined to take just 6 shots going to their left in Game 2. Both of them have to have that shot in their game …..
Look for Brad Miller to play a tremendous amount in Game 3 which should slow down Jerome. Also, look for the Kings to double team JJ. This is a problem because James is terrible at passing out of the double team. It is why they should have doubling him the whole series. Not so much to stop his scoring, but to force turnovers. The flip side is the Kings are a bad defensive rotation team and the Sonics have killed them on the double team of Lewis. Now they will have Lewis and Allen available.
Bottom line Luke Ridnour has to make some shots tonight.
A few other notes … Kings are just 19-13 at Arco Arena in the post-season. They have won 7 of their last 8. The Key to Game 3 is going to be staying close and avoiding the death blow from the Kings at Arco,. If the Sonics can stay close then the pressure really turns on the Kings. Every shot is to stay in the series, every possession has magnified importance for them and they have not shown that they are a group that is capable of answering that bell in the first two games of this series
Notes from around the NBA. Jason Williams of Memphis passed up an open 3 in the 4th and then went scoreless in the 4th quarter. It makes you wonder. … Denver is playing a dangerous game of turning it off and then flipping the switch back on. …. Eddie Jones may be the biggest choke in the NBA he is just lucky he has been surrounded by great players his whole career …. Reggie Miller is playing at a totally different level …. Vince Carter was terrible late in the game before he hit his buzzer beating tying shot. The Nets had the Heat on the ropes and Shaw had 5 fouls and then all they did was shot threes.
Talk to you tonight from Arco Arena.