The Vivek Ranadivé-owned Sacramento Kings began their 2013-14 NBA season with much promise and glitz as they edged the Denver Nuggets in the final seconds of the game to win 90-88. The game began with much fanfare as Kings’ minority owner and NBA legend Shaquille O’Neal, NBA commissioner David Stern and Sacramento mayor and former NBA player, Kevin Johnson attended the game. Ranadivé too was present.
Ranadivé, who became the first ever Indian-born majority owner of an NBA team, when he bought the Kings earlier in the year and thereby saved the Kings from moving from Sacramento to Seattle, had already made a number of positive moves to boost the Kings’ fortunes in the upcoming season.
From hiring new coach Mike Malone, to resigning foundation player DeMarcus Cousins to a four-year, 62 million dollar deal in the offseason, to adding O’Neal as a minority owner, Ranadivé has shown the intent of a winner since taking over the franchise from the Maloof family. The stadium today also had an Indian flavor to it in the form of cheerleaders dressed as Bollywood dancers and one of the entries to the stadium had an artificial cricket pitch on display where Vivek Randive played a few cricket shots for the audience. The stadium today saw all American fans waving Indian flags as a tribute to the Indian owner.
And the results of Ranadivé’s efforts were in full view on Thursday morning as Cousins dominated the Nuggets frontline all night long. The fourth-year center out of Kentucky finished with a game-high 30 points and 14 rebounds, while super sub Isaiah Thomas kicked in eight of his 16 points in the pivotal fourth quarter to help the Kings hold on for the 90-88 victory on opening night. “The one thing about IT [Isaiah Thomas] and DeMarcus [Cousins] is they have great chemistry. They're like Danny DeVito and Arnold Schwarzenegger -- you know, twins,” said Malone after the game.
The game was a keenly contested affair right through, with the Kings holding a 48-45 lead halfway through before the Nuggets took a two-point lead (72-70) to start the fourth quarter. However, with a little under four minutes remaining in the game, Cousins hammered a dunk over former teammate J.J. Hickson on one end and drew an offensive foul against Denver’s Ty Lawson on the other end to turn the tide in Sacramento’s favour. Forward Jason Thompson, whose two-handed put-back dunk, with 42 seconds remaining, gave Sacramento the 90-88 victory, provided the finishing touch.
Overall, Sacramento shot fairly poorly, going for just 40.7 percent from the field and only 69.6 percent from the free-throw line. But where the Kings managed to make the difference was in winning the battle of turnovers (14 compared to Denver’s 18) and in dominating the offensive boards (11 to 8).
The Kings next take on the Clippers on Friday at home after which they visit the Golden State Warriors on Saturday.
