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**Peja Vu** · 12-04-2007, 01:19 AM

As long as Ron Artest is in Sacramento, the Kings will be in the playoffs this season.

Quote:

That much, the small forward made clear in an exclusive interview Sunday, is a certainty.

Everything else? It's not up to him. His 4-year-old daughter's fight with cancer is the worst uncertainty of all, as he will continue to deal with the situation on a day-by-day basis. The mystery of his NBA future in this city looms, too, an issue that begins with the question of whether Kings basketball president Geoff Petrie will trade him before the February deadline.

Controlling only what he can, Artest said he's determined to make the most of whatever time he has left in town.

"I know we're going to be playing (in the playoffs) in April," said Artest, who made a playoff prediction shortly after being traded to Sacramento from Indiana two seasons ago that held true. "I know we're going to be playing in April. I've been playing too long to be not making the playoffs. Especially two years in a row. I've been playing too long. I've got to get in the playoffs."

HB · 12-04-2007, 02:41 AM

Wow didnt know his daughter was battling cancer. Thats sad, hope she makes it

Regarding the playoffs, I chuckled when I read that

c_dog · 12-04-2007, 11:16 AM

actually, the kings have a solid core to make the playoffs. this team isn't much different from the team 2 years ago.. the talent is certainly there, they're just trying to figure out their identity since firing adelman.

kevin martin has emerged as west's top 3 sg, udrih is showing the world that he can ball(and mike bibby is due back by then), ron artest when focused is one of the league's best players, brad miller is playing the best basketball he's played in a while, and garcia and salmons are coming onto their own as solid players. mikki moore is an overpaid bum but if those shots are falling, he can be effective. i want to see shareef with more minutes though, if health permits him.

**Peja Vu** · 12-22-2007, 02:16 AM

Kings Notes: Kings starting to think playoffs

Quote:

The P-word returned to the Kings' vocabulary Friday, no longer banished to preseason goals and if-only thinking.

Yes, it's OK to say "playoffs" again. And this time it's not just Ron Artest with April forecasts.

"Even early when we were really struggling, we still won at home, so we knew if we could take care of some away games we would have a good chance," swingman John Salmons said.

Although it took the Kings 10 tries to log that first road win, Dec. 14 against Philadelphia, continued confidence came with back-to-back victories over New Jersey on Tuesday and Milwaukee on Wednesday as they finished their road trip 3-2. The Kings took Thursday off and returned Friday with a sense of rejuvenation, even after a long practice.

"So much of getting better is believing you are getting better," coach Reggie Theus said to a slightly larger group of reporters than normal. "That's an indication that the guys believe we are getting better."

Theus didn't stop there, making his own prediction along the way.

"We realistically have a shot if we stay the course," he said. "It's not going to be easy. I've said this before, that if we make the playoffs, it will be the hardest year of your career in order to make this work."

Theus said it was nice to end questions about when the Kings would finally notch that long-awaited road win.

"We put a lot of that to rest on this last road trip," he said. "I think our guys stepped up."

While most of the players talked jubilantly about the trip, Artest quickly put it in perspective.

"The road trip wasn't that successful," said Artest, who has predicted the Kings would reach the playoffs. "We still lost two games."

Apparently, "perfection" is Artest's word of choice.

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