Kings earn some down time with five-game win over Jazz

SACRAMENTO, Calif. -- First, the Sacramento Kings endured a five-day wait between playoff games in the first round. Now, the Kings are waiting again: practicing lightly, hitting the clubs and waiting for Dallas and Portland to finish their series.

"Personally I like the games to go quickly, without as much time in between games," center Vlade Divac said. "But I guess it's good for the team to have extra days to prepare. The playoffs can wear you down."

The Kings earned several days of down time by beating the Utah Jazz in five games, finishing John Stockton's career with a victory on Wednesday. Sacramento was impressive, forcing the Jazz to play at the Kings' favored pace and outscoring Utah by an average of 10 points per game.

The manner in which Sacramento won the series bodes well for the Kings' quest for their first championship since 1951. For all their offensive prowess and sturdy team play, the Kings and coach Rick Adelman, have long been known for adjusting to other teams' styles and matchups instead of imposing their will on opponents.

Against Utah, Sacramento was in charge. The Jazz were unable to force their slow tempo on the Kings, as they do against virtually every opponent.

"When we play the style we want to play, we're tough to beat," said Bobby Jackson, the NBA's top sixth man. "No matter who we play next, we've got to make them match up with us and beat us at our game."

The Mavericks won the first three games of their series against Portland, but the Trail Blazers have won the last three. Game 7 is Sunday, which means the Kings won't get back into action until Tuesday - and they don't know whether they'll host Portland or travel to meet the Mavericks, who won one more game than the Pacific Division champion Kings in the regular season.

The Kings would prefer to open the second round at home, but they play exceptionally well in Dallas. Sacramento beat the Mavericks in five games in the second round last season, winning twice in Texas.

"Home court is important, but we play well on the road, too," point guard Mike Bibby said. "People say vulgar stuff to us on the road. It gets us going."

Though the Kings finished with fewer regular-season victories and a lower playoff seed this spring, Adelman knows his team is better than the one that had the NBA's best record last season.

Last season, Sacramento still was reacting to opponents' styles. The Kings sweated out a physical first-round series against Utah before outrunning Dallas in the second round.

Against the Lakers in the conference finals, the Kings dominated large portions of nearly every game, but couldn't execute in the closing minutes of two losses. Sacramento has been much better in close games this season.

"Part of that execution is maturity, but part of it is just the evolution of these guys," Adelman said. "Chris (Webber) wants the ball on the last play of the game. Peja (Stojakovic) would love to take the shot. Mike has already proven that he can make the big shot. These guys, I think, love the pressure now."

But the Kings are fighting to keep their edge while they wait. If the Mavericks closed out the Trail Blazers on Friday night, Sacramento would have been on a plane to Dallas on Saturday.

Instead, the Kings held a light morning practice and made evening plans - which probably included a trip to Divac's fancy new night spot in Sacramento's Old Town district.

"Whenever we can get going, I think we'll be ready," Stojakovic said. "We've been waiting all season for this. We can wait a few more days."

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