The Sacramento Kings are a serious threat for the NBA Finals and it’s time we treated them like it

Howdy, folks. Welcome back to Layup Lines. It’s Mike Sykes, here to usher you into this weekend of basketball. Let’s talk about the Kings. Like, really talk about the Kings.

For so much of this season, Sacramento has felt like one of the cozy stories of the NBA. Obviously, no one expected them to be good. But even now with the team 13 games over .500, Sacramento is talked about more as a feel-good story instead of one of the best teams in the NBA.

And I get it. The whole “light the beam” thing is extremely cool. Mike Brown has changed that team’s culture in so many ways that continue to reflect positively in this season.

Now, I could run down all of the stats here to make a credible argument that this team is different. The numbers are there. De’Aaron Fox is still the best clutch player in the NBA. The Kings have the best offense in the league. Sacramento has won eight of its last 10 games. That’s all fact. Sacramento might also have the best homecourt advantage in the league.

But, no. That’s not the reason why it’s time for us to think differently about the Kings. The real reason is this: Because the Kings, themselves, believe it’s time for us to think differently.

This quote from De’Aaron Fox in The Athletic says just about everything you need to know about this squad.

“What Mike (Brown) has come here and what he said before the season started, it instilled confidence in us…Every night we go out there and we expect to win. You know you’re not going to win every game. But you go out there and expect to win.”

First, that’s incredibly candid. What the team’s expectations once were are now clear. Sacramento did not expect to win — that’s why we treat the Kings the way we do.

But Mike Brown came in and changed that. This is a credit to him. This Kings team is not that Kings team. This Kings team is actually good. The players know it. They believe it. And, most importantly, they expect it.

It’s time we start expecting it, too.

Finding out Giannis Antetkounmpo would’ve gone to Duke if he’d gone to college absolutely broke my heart. Seriously, Giannis? Duke?

Our Bryan Kalbrosky has more in an all-encompassing interview with the Bucks superstar. Here’s why he’d choose Duke.

“Definitely Duke. I like Duke because of the players that came out of that program. You usually see a lot of four men that don’t fit the mold. I think I’m one of those guys. I’m 6’11” and I can handle the ball and pass and get in the paint. You see players like that who came out of that program: Zion Williamson, Jabari Parker, Jayson Tatum, and Brandon Ingram. Not only are they very good basketball-wise but academically it’s also a great school.”

That’s good reasoning, I guess. Still, though. Ugh. Duke.

The entire interview is worth your time. Kalbrosky and Antetkounmpo go deep into his life, his goals and what he hopes to accomplish. Take a read.

This matchup is going to be fantastic. These two squads just saw one another earlier this week and played an amazing game where Evan Mobley absolutely dominated on both ends of the court. Miami is home here, though, and are 21-13 in Miami. This is going to be a close one, but I’ll give the Cavs a nod on the moneyline here.

— Charles Barkley took a hilarious jab at Kendrick Perkins on Inside the NBA

— Here’s our latest NBA mock draft from Bryan Kalbrosky

— Draymond Green and Dillon Brooks’ beef is exactly the thing we need in the NBA right now, from my guy Charles Curtis

—Robert Zeglinski has more on Kevin Durant’s apparent ankle injury

That’s all, folks. Enjoy the weekend.