He may only be Sacramento's interim coach, but Doug Christie feels the weight of his new responsibilities. Mike Brown's (temporary?) replacement on the Kings bench picked up his first victory in his new role on Monday against Dallas.
As Domantas Sabonis readily admitted, this success was undoubtedly not “beautiful”. But Doug Christie's message seems to have had an effect in boosting the morale of his players a little.
The former full-back made no secret of it, he focused above all on giving body to his group more than on wanting to impose a tactical vision. “He has this ability as a former player to understand what is going on in our heads” explained Trey LylesX factor of the evening thanks to his 14 points coming off the bench. “ He's been here a long time so he knows all this personally. He gives us freedom on the floor, he knows what we want to do. He leads us positively and encourages us. »
Defense, defense, defense…
Sacramento really needed that after its six consecutive defeats, and the sidelining of Mike Brown which caused a lot of reaction. To revive his people, Doug Christie is banking above all on the group spirit of these Kings.
“ I gave Trey a big hug and thanked him » he reacted. “ It was a collective victory. The energy of our bench, the communication during timeouts, the starters, the management of fouls… These are the kinds of things I want to see because it is a team sport. We are a team, each of us counts. We had our G-League players with us tonight, everyone… This victory is not for me, it's for them. That they managed to surpass what they experienced, I am super proud of them. »
However, it was not won against the Mavericks, after a missed first quarter and a delay of 14 points. But the Kings managed to get back into the game in the second half, which is not their strong point this season. “ At the break, Doug said to us: 'Make them feel like you're in the game. Touch the players, touch the ball' » explained Domantas Sabonis. “ And after several possessions, the referees let us be more physical. This suits our game more. »
“ More than anything, what makes the difference is defense, defense, defense and more defense and finally defense” hammered an affable Doug Christie into the microphone. “If we want to get back into the game, it will be there. I'm not worried offensively, we have elite attackers. […] I trust them, I'm going to be as good as they are and fight as hard as they do. I understand what my role is. I'm trying to give them wind in their wings to be as good as I think they can be. »
“Us against the rest of the world”
Twelfth in the West, Sacramento must no longer procrastinate to find a positive spiral. The schedule for the next two weeks is tough (Sixers, Grizzlies, Warriors, Heat, Celtics and Bucks) and leaves no room for patience. Through his personality, Doug Christie seems to have at least created a first internal trigger, while Mike Brown's increasingly harsh criticism ended up weighing down the group.
“ Sometimes a change in energy is all you need » said Kevin Huerter. “ Doug is a fiery person. Do you remember what he was like as a player? That’s kind of what he is as a coach. He has this mentality: 'This locker room against the rest of the world'. He really believes in that. Many players are close to him. He loves the Kings deeply and that infects everyone. »
“ I think that in many ways, a team takes on the personality of its coach » said Doug Christie. “ I want the players to fight. When they go on the field, it's always us against the guys in front, and there will always be that us in the equation. We must come arm in arm and stick together. I like to have fun, so I want them to play with joy. But when we talk about work, we have to seek our victories. That's what I want our fans to feel, that when they come to the venue, they're going to feel a sense of pride. »
This is good, after a first career success in front of his audience, Doug Christie continues with two other meetings at the Golden 1 Center to hope to restart the machine.
