Kings blocking out noise, make loud statement in win over Celtics originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area
Doug Christie’s biggest accomplishment since taking over as interim head coach has been to quiet the noise.
The noise from fans who were filling Golden 1 Center with boos as disappointing performances mounted, and noise from outside critics wondering what had gone wrong for a team that at one point seemed to harbor serious and legitimate playoff hopes.
Most importantly, Christie got the Kings players to shut down the noise on the court.
That had been an issue for the Kings, who were quick to argue with referees when calls went against them or weren’t made at all.
Getting the players to stop those antics was a prime concern when Christie took over, and it’s starting to pay off.
Domantas Sabonis was a perfect example of that.
On a night when he was a personal wreaking ball who broke down everything that the Boston Celtics tried to throw at him, Sabonis kept his lips zipped. In the past, he might not have kept his calm, but under Christie, it’s the new way.
“Didn’t say a word,” Christie told reporters after the Kings’ impressive 114-97 win over the Celtics at TD Garden. “Just kept fighting, fighting. And I love him for that.”
That’s a feeling that is shared by the Kings’ players, who have been all too happy to take a ride with Christie as he’s led them to their longest winning streak since the 2023-24 season.
In addition to getting the players to stay focused on the task at hand, Christie’s cool and calm demeanor has injected the players with confidence.
“Collectively, everything that we’ve been through in December [until] now is just 360,” forward Keegan Murray told reporters. “He’s a coach that instills confidence in every player. Whether you make a mistake or you don’t, whether you make a good play or things like that, he’s going to stay confident in you. With that, the rest of the year that’s huge for us and our confidence going forward.’
The early returns from the coaching change are obvious to everyone, just in the standings alone.
It’s the attitude, though, where the biggest change has come from.
“Super proud of the competition level,” Christie said after the Kings throttled the Celtics on Friday night. “For us to string together 48 minutes of solid basketball, it all goes to the players. Those guys are absolute rock stars. They went out, they had a game plan and they executed it.
“More than anything, it’s the belief. I think they’ve (begun) to believe in themselves, and that goes past coaching. Now it’s something that they own, and when they walk onto the court, when they are in any arena, they believe that they have an opportunity to win, The ball falls sometimes, sometimes it doesn’t. But the one thing that we are going to do is we are going to compete at a high level. If we get beat, we shake their hand and we move on.”
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