Kings Learning to Act the Part

The Sacramento Kings are trying to act nonchalant. They do not want to act giddy over a conference semifinal series victory or get cocky about the way they seem able to make every pass meaningful, make every loose ball theirs, contest every rebound, guess right on every bounce.

After defeating the Dallas Mavericks, 114-101, Monday night at Arco Arena and winning this Western Conference best-of-seven series, 4-1, the Kings wanted to act as if this were no big deal.

In their heads, the Kings know they really aren’t champions of anything yet. A Western Conference regular-season title does not make a team special or spectacular, and the Kings desperately want to be.

Advancing into the conference finals is only a step, not a leap. And so the Kings walked off the floor biting the insides of their cheeks to keep from giggling, tugging at their lips, trying to make the smile turn into something closer to a frown. They did a little group dance on the court, but it wasn’t too juvenile. Owner Gavin Maloof was the only King acting as if he hadn’t been here before. Maloof tried his own dance with the cheerleaders and proved only that owners should be heard and not seen.

While the fans spent most of the fourth quarter chanting “Beat L.A.,” expecting that the Lakers will defeat San Antonio and play the Kings in the conference finals, Sacramento players would not be pulled into a discussion about the two-time defending NBA champions.

“Don’t give up on San Antonio yet,” guard Mike Bibby said.

“We are not talking about our next opponent until we know who the next opponent is,” Chris Webber said.

It was right that the Kings behaved as potential champions after the game because they had played as champions during this game and all during this series.

Faced with a significant injury (sprained ankle) to a star player (Peja Stojakovic), the Kings conquered Dallas twice on the road and came home to end the series immediately and dispassionately. Sometimes teams unaccustomed to the furious pace of the playoffs will not treat each opportunity for an ending blow with the reverence and determination required.

But the Kings did. They led from almost the start (Doug Christie’s fadeaway 15-footer with 8:49 left in the first quarter gave Sacramento the lead for good) to the glorious finish.

During the middle, the Kings turned back a frantic one-man charge. Maverick forward Dirk Nowitzki scored on a twister from the lane, on a baseline drive, on a slam-dunk rebound and on a 20-footer in a matter of 108 seconds in the third quarter and single-handedly brought Dallas from a 70-61 deficit to 70-69.

It was as close as the Mavericks had been since Christie’s jumper in the first quarter. When Bibby missed a hurried jump shot on the next possession, it seemed that maybe Dallas had stolen the momentum for good. One of its stars, Michael Finley, received a pass while he was wide open and a step beyond the three-point line.

Finley has probably made hundreds of similar shots in his career and the cowbell-clanging din of this raucous place went silent with the expectation of Finley’s shot. Except Finley didn’t shoot. He caught the ball, stood still, looked longingly at the basket, double clutched ... and passed. Steve Nash ended up missing an off-balance jumper.

The Kings scored the next 10 points.

Finley’s hesitation was the last bit of help Sacramento needed.

With Stojakovic missing his second consecutive game, the Kings showcased their depth and versatility. Six players scored in double figures.

Nowitzki finished with 32 points and 12 rebounds for Dallas and Finley had 26 points, but the Dallas bench contributed only 10 points, four rebounds and little enthusiasm.

Webber and Bibby each had 23 points for the Kings. Webber spent some time in the third quarter in the locker room, having a sprained ankle treated. He also took a hard hit to the head from what was called an intentional foul by Eduardo Najera. But Webber didn’t stay in the locker room long or on the floor for more than a head-clearing moment. It is, Webber said, what champions must do.

“You’ve got to knock me out to keep me out now,” Webber said.

Starting in place of Stojakovic, Hedo Turkoglu found his missing jump shot and scored 20 points and had a career-high 13 rebounds.

“This is just a step in the journey,” Webber said.

Said Christie: “We’ve come a ways, and we have a way to go. A long way.”