Life of an Angry Kings Fan (11-9-17): Midrange City, Cowboy Gidaro, Bath and Body Works

11-9-17

8:30 PM

This could be quite possibly the most entertaining game of the season. Two young teams (Sixers-Kings) playing hard with talent all across the board. You can't even count on your fingers the potential of most the guys on the floor (Simmons, Embiid, Fox, Jackson, Saric, Hield etc.) and the one guy not playing if he gets his health right could be the best one out of them all (Fultz). It's been one, big, back and forth battle the entire night.

And where is the Angry Kings fan? At the G Spot? Pregame in Downtown Sacramento? Henry's?

Yes, you guessed it. Bed Bath and Beyond.

Now I'm not going to lie and say I didn't enjoy it, truth be told it wasn't my call. But I found fun and enjoyment in taking pieces of paper and spraying the scents from different bottles of aroma onto them. The whole process reminded me of basketball in all actuality when I really thought about it. After all when you smelled the sprays you could tell which ones were great and which ones sucked right off the bat. It's kind of like hoops when you just know from ten minutes which guys can play and which guys can't.

The plan was simple. Smell this overpriced crap and have fun doing it (which I did), let the wife pick out whatever she was looking for, get said overpriced crap, and get my ass to a TV as soon as possible while hoping that the Kings could stay afloat. And I was going to do all of it with my phone turned off. If you know me or are around me for five minutes then you know seeing me with my phone off is damn near impossible. Jim Carey was right man, one day we are all going to be addicted to these things and I'm going to be leading the charge. These damn Iphones man I tell you.

8: 42 PM

The Cowboy, Grant Gidaro, is calling me. And when the Cowboy calls you ya better pick up that phone. I find out this way that Willie Cauley-Stein has shaved his dreadlocks and doesn't have his headband on. More importantly, he's aggressive as all hell tonight. He finishes the night with 15 points (the first time he's gone over 12 points scoring this year according to Damien Barling). What's more important is what will come later. I've called Willie soft at times this season, and obviously if you have watched any Kings games then you'd understand mine and others gripe on this topic. It isn't so much of me believing Willie doesn't have the talent to get the job done. It's just about being consistent. I can't stress how important this year is to seeing what kind of player he is going to be.

8:50 PM

.

It's become impossible now that I've found out word of mouth that Kosta Koufos is playing out of his freaking mind. 8 points, 12 rebounds, 1 block, and one messed up hairline for the Koufer tonight. Incredible, exactly one night after my typed open letter to Special K and he decides to go off like Ricky Bobby's kid jacked up on Mountain Dew. 8 points and 12 rebounds don't sound like much for the common player but this ain't no common player we are talking about. Koufos? With 12 rebounds? In one game? That is a shooting star type of night for him. But like my Pops says, even a blind squirrel finds an acorn every now and then. But nonetheless Koufos put in work tonight, and for that he deserves props. Of course then because Koufos is starting to ball out my phone is going off. Will I ever truly know if he read my open letter? Probably not. Do I care? No, I care about my team being good again. And if me believing that Koufos read my letter had him playing hard (which probably didn't happen) then whatever works.

9:00 PM

I turn on the car to hear the sweet, sensational voice of G-Man to find out we are all tied at 91-91 with just under eight minutes to go and I almost ram my 2004 Corolla into the cars behind me. As I'm moving the car to near where Taro's is, it hits me like a ton of bricks.

One day Gary Gerould is going to hang up the headset, and then what!? He's been the voice of the Kings since I could remember. Who could possibly take his spot? The Kings without Gary Gerould is like a life without tacos. Who the hell would want a life without experiencing what a taco tastes like? For me that day is going to be like how it was for Dodgers fans when Vin Scully called his last ballgame. It eventually (later than sooner thankfully) will happen, but I'm not ready for it. Thankfully Gary is still doing his thing and is not slowing down anytime soon.

9:07 PM

I power walk towards that door like a person possessed. That poor hostess must've thought I was on some heavy drugs. She asks us if we are looking to eat (in all actuality I've come for your beautiful, High Definition Television that displays the Sixers and Kings game but I need a Bentley roll in my life too).

"I NEED THAT TABLE NEXT TO THAT TV"

Spoiler alert: I get that table next to that TV.

9:15 PM

The Kings at one point were down by 6 late in the game, but a layup by Fox off an amazing block by Cauley-Stein and a insane three pointer from Garrett Temple cuts the lead to 108-107. I'm currently being stared at by everyone in this restaurant except for Czarina who is forced to deal with me. She sure hit the jackpot when she met me. A keeper.

9:18 PM

The Kings force a turnover but and Fox drives to the lane but is hacked on his way to the rim. Really? No foul there? Oh of course how could I be so naïve this is the Kings we are talking about here after all. But alas some good news in that the Kings get the ball.

(Real quick while I have this break in the action. I really have enjoyed watching Justin Jackson play this season. He scored 11 of his 19 points in this game during the 4th Quarter and has averaged 17.5 points per game these past two games, call it what you want but the Kings don't win this game without Justin Jackson)

Cauley-Stein at first struggles with the out of bounds pass from the baseline but finally chucks it over to Fox from up top at the three point line who is guarded by Robert Covington. He puts the ball between his legs, stutter steps, and then pulls up for a midrange jumper.

And then....

9:19 pm

FOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX !!!!!!!!!!!

Fox sinks the jumper with less than 15 seconds to go right in Covington's eyes!! There's not even time to discuss the shot because the Sixers are out of timeouts and they're coming full steam ahead. Simmons tries to drive but can't get to the rim. Then Redick tries and he can't find anything, who finally fires it over to Embid.

Then there is that moment of truth. Cauley-Stein and Embid are at a crossroads. And Willie-Cauley Stein is rock solid forcing Embid to throw up an unfocused fadeaway jumper.

Game.

9:20 pm

This Kid De'Aaron Fox is going to change basketball life. He just has that drive in him. That wanting to succeed and be good. Remember this day.

9:21 pm

Truly a gift on the night Laker fans watch Lonzo Ball shoots 3-12 and put up enough bricks to build the Staples Center all over again, Kings fans watch De' Aaron show that ice in his veins. They couldn't say a thing all night. Too busy watching the Tivo of Shaq bombing on Jimmy Kimmel Live.

Why didn't anyone return my calls or texts?