Cross-posted at Sactown Royalty...Below is a graph showing the Kings' progress against the .500 mark so far this season. It's been quite the ride. Even with the recent spark, we're back where we were at game #32, on January 9th. For the record, that's a month of hoops, running in place.
Are the Kings a good team because they've won five games in a row? No. Are they a better team than the one that lost seven in a row not too long ago, or the one that lost three straight before this current streak? Probably not.
While it's fun to see the Kings finally put a string of W's together, it's not as if the Kings have finally found their true identity. They've been an inconsistent team all year long, beating on the bad teams, losing to the bad teams, eking out wins against average teams and getting blown out by the best.
After this recent mini-streak, the Kings are still 16 full games back in the Pacific Division, in last place, behind the other-worldly Phoenix Suns, and they are two games back of the LA Clippers for the 8th spot in the Western Conference standings, with Minnesota, New Orleans and Golden State needing to be leapfrogged.
Believe it or not, this team is neither good nor bad. After 192 full quarters and four overtimes (all losses), the Kings have scored exactly TWO points fewer than their opponents, with the current tally being "Them: 4,810 and Us: 4,808". Sounds pretty even to me.
For all the latest stats, Download the Database (Updated on 2/10/07).