Sacramento Kings Basketball Team

Here come the Sacramento Kings, even if they're not exactly scorching their way into their second-round matchup with the Lakers. By the time the Western Conference semifinals begin Sunday, the Lakers will have had six days off to let the briquettes cool down after their first-round roasting of the Portland Trail Blazers. And they'll still be hotter than the Kings.

Easy, Shaq. That's my neck you've got there! Careful, Kobe. Those bristles are real! Gently, Lakers. I'm not a toy or a weapon, even though you've been treating me like both. I'm a broom. The czar of the kitchen corner. The sultan of cleaning supplies. I do porches. I do garages. When I'm drunk and cold, I do curling. At least, I did. Then, two weeks ago, after a decade of neglect, the Lakers surprisingly pulled me out of the closet. Now I do basketball teams. And I'm exhausted.

Criticized by local fans and at least one teammate for admitting his confidence had been "shaken," the Kings' Scot Pollard said he's feeling a lot better about their chances in Game 3. "It's going to be fun," Pollard said. "Different environment. Gives us a chance to play our type of game. . . . The crowd will be behind us. "I have no reservations about the fact that our intensity will be where it needs to be, finally, in this series.

Shaquille O'Neal's mother, Lucille, attended Game 1. His father, Philip, attended Game 2. The result: 87 points, 41 rebounds, 10 blocked shots and a 2-0 lead over the Sacramento Kings in the best-of-seven series. He frequently made eye contact with his mother, who sat directly across from the Laker bench Sunday afternoon, and he pointed at his dad. He said their presence often helps his game. "Especially with my father," he said. "If I don't put together a good game, I'll have to hear it."

Peja Stojakovic ran into Rick Fox again Tuesday night. Boy, did he. He ran into him, but couldn't run around him. Or past him. Or do much of anything against him. By the time the Lakers had polished off the Kings for a 96-90 victory and a 2-0 lead in this best-of-seven Western Conference semifinal series, Peja's ears were pulsating with the sounds of Fox's footsteps. Only these weren't normal footsteps; these were steel drums.

Geoff Petrie, Sacramento's president of basketball operations, is considered a leading candidate for NBA executive of the year award because of several crafty moves he made in the off-season. Trading for steady shooting guard Doug Christie and picking up backup point guard Bobby Jackson are two such decisions. But the move Petrie made that is often overlooked is his selection of Hidayet Turkoglu with the 16th selection in last year's draft.

Tex Winter, master of the triangle offense and Phil Jackson's right hand for seven NBA championships, continues to mull his retirement, at 77. He admitted Tuesday that the Laker play in recent weeks has made his job more joyful, but he would not say it was enough to bring him back for a 55th season as a basketball coach. "The season was a lot more enjoyable going down the stretch than it was at one point, when there seemed to be a lot of, uh, distractions," he said.

There's a place for them, somewhere a place for them . . . And the Sacramento Kings can tell you just where it is too, some 300 miles to the north, nestled in the San Joaquin Valley, where they don't need noise machines to get fans to cheer, where everyone roots for them, where Pacific Gas & Electric is more popular than Phil Jackson. And if Arco Arena is tied up, the Kings would settle for Death Valley, or outer space. Anywhere but here.

Two California teams still playing indoor basketball in the middle of May, and the question comes up: Shouldn't they doing their part to save energy? Sure they should. On Tuesday night, in the second game of their second-round playoff series, the Lakers and Sacramento Kings showed exactly how they can. Skip the flight to Sacramento this weekend for Games 3 and 4. A waste of fuel. Keep the barn doors closed and lights dark at Arco Arena. A waste of power. Cancel the rest of this series.