SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) 鈥� Doug Christie took over as the interim head coach of the Sacramento Kings amid a season-long losing streak, fans booing the team off their home court and questions surrounding the decision to fire Mike Brown, who led the franchise to its first playoff appearance in 16 years in 2023
Christie got his first win at the helm on Monday over the Mavericks, a victory that meant just as much to the team鈥檚 season as it did to him personally. It wasn鈥檛 particularly easy, with the Kings falling behind by 18 points early to a Dallas team missing Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving.
In the huddle, Christie told his players: 鈥淵ou鈥檙e getting close.鈥� He cited a Bob Marley lyric about taking a bucket to the well and not knowing when the bottom will fall out. After the Kings picked up a couple of technical fouls in the second half, Christie stressed to his players that they shouldn鈥檛 allow the referees to derail the gameplan.
They responded, closing the third quarter on a 17-2 run and snapping a six-game losing streak to give the 15-year NBA veteran his first win since taking over the Kings.
鈥淎re we going to still struggle from time to time?鈥� Christie said. 鈥淵es, but the good will needed to happen to show that lot of things that we talk about 鈥� we鈥檙e able to do. Now, we need to do it with the consistency, the intensity and the violent aggression, in my opinion, that needs to be there to win games at this level.鈥�
Domantas Sabonis, who had 17 points and 16 rebounds, said that seeing Christie get his first win was 鈥渞eally cool.鈥�
鈥淲e鈥檝e spent three summers now with him,鈥� Sabonis said. 鈥淗e works his butt off and just to see him installing what he believes in the guys, and the guys reacting that quickly to it is awesome.鈥�
Being an NBA head coach, even with the interim tag, hasn鈥檛 yet sunk in for Christie. He had been busy with assistant coaching and scouting duties ahead of getting the promotion, planning to catch up on some sleep when the team was in Los Angeles over the weekend. Instead, he found himself against the Lakers, subsisting on 90-minute naps.
Christie鈥檚 initial goals are incremental: Simplifying the offense in game one, followed by the defense in game two. The Kings held the Mavericks to just 40 points in the second half.
He wants the fans, who have endured 12 coaching changes since 2007 with just one playoff appearance, to know that they are appreciated, that they鈥檒l put a product on the floor that makes them proud and that they can root for players who gave it their all. From his players, he hopes for both understanding and love.
鈥淭his is hard,鈥� Christie said before the game. 鈥淭his is high leverage, the best in the world. There are only a certain amount of people who do it, from my perspective and the players' perspective. Whatever you say about the word 鈥榩ressure,鈥� it鈥檚 there.鈥�
Christie said that his job involves letting his players play after putting them in a position to succeed. Part of whether he succeeds as coach will hinge on his best player, De鈥橝aron Fox, who on Monday on reports that he was involved in Brown鈥檚 firing.
Christie, who has been an assistant with the Kings since 2021, won two games as an interim head coach in 2022 when Brown was sick. But Monday鈥檚 win was his first on a semi-permanent basis, with the expectation that he鈥檒l get the rest of the season to prove himself as a head coach.
One of the aspects that Christie hopes to improve is the team鈥檚 record in close contests. The Kings are 6-13 in games that are within five points in the final five minutes. He said that being 鈥渃lutch鈥� comes down to which team is willing to dive on the floor and 鈥渟acrifice themselves in a way that's going to hurt.鈥�
鈥淲hen it comes to that point, what are you willing to do?鈥� Christie said. 鈥淚 know what I鈥檓 willing to do for you, and I鈥檓 going to support them in any way I can. Because it鈥檒l always be my fault. It鈥檒l never be their fault. They go do their job. I鈥檓 here to take the bullets.鈥�
Christie said building off the win will involve understanding that turning the season around is a process and wins are a byproduct.
鈥淚t鈥檚 hard in this league,鈥� Christie said. 鈥淲inning is difficult. So, totally understand that. I think they鈥檙e beginning to feel it, and that鈥檚 going to be the process that we have to go through on a night-to-night basis. I鈥檓 here for it, and I think that they鈥檙e ready to do it.鈥�
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AP NBA:
Eric He, The Associated Press
