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HOUSTON – The locker rooms were dark Saturday night at the Toyota Center. There were no tears and certainly no holes drilled through the walls, but the frustration and disappointment of what could have been hanging in the air.
The Sacramento Kings season is not over, but their hopes and dreams of ending the 12-year drought in the franchise playoffs are. The Kings have been officially eliminated from the NBA in the playoffs.
Although the cloakroom is dark and dark, you have to wait for a group of young players with much greater aspirations. Looking sideways, the management had a slightly different view on eliminating the team.
"I'm very proud," general manager Vlade Divac told NBC Sports California after the Kings' 119-108 loss to the Rockets. "I think it's a big step forward. I love the way they are still competing because it 's good for next year. I am very proud of them. "
Shooting goalkeeper Buddy Hield is not good at hiding his emotions. He is an emotional player who wears his heart on his sleeve.
"You're going through things like this in your life," Hield said. "You will never get it the way you want it. You have to go through ups and downs. At this moment, it is low.
"But I think this team wants to get better. Everyone is angry because we are not finishing the games. If we had finished the matches, we would not talk about something different. "
For the center, Willie Cauley-Stein, the oldest player in the Kings roster, this season was different from the previous three. Although it may be a subject of controversy at times, Cauley-Stein has had some very difficult times wearing the Kings' uniform.
"We have a good group of guys who just come to work and have fun every day, every day as we want, we want to improve, we want to improve for ourselves, for the city, for the team, "Cauley-Stein told NBC Sports California. "You wanted to prove that we were different this year, that we are moving in the right direction."
Even if the team has not achieved its ultimate goal, it does not mean the Kings have to look down. The NBA has standard benchmarks for improvement and the Kings have gone one or two stages in the traditional bow of the teams this season.
"It was a good season for us," said Bogdanovic. "I do not think anyone expected this kind of season, but there are a lot of good things, a lot of positivity. We just have to understand this summer to accelerate even more next season. "
How many times has a Kings team had a real path to success? Not often. Perpetual rebuilding for more than a decade, Divac and its group have built a strong talent base in Sacramento.
They have not finished improving. There is no long term ceiling for this club. They need to add a few pieces, but the core of a long-time playoff contender is in place.
"We just have to keep growing, man, we're looking forward to next year and we're going to finish the season in style," said Hield. "We have yet to grow up."
With another game next Sunday against the San Antonio Spurs, the Kings no longer have time to think about what could have been. They will have less than 24 hours to prepare for a team that is now guaranteed to be in the post-season for the 22nd season in a row with coach Gregg Popovich.
[[[[RELATED: What we learned from Kings' loss to the Rockets]
The Kings still hope to finish the season in force. They have the opportunity to reach the .500 mark, but would have to finish 4-2 in the year. If they want a legitimate shot to win 41 wins, taking care of business in San Antonio is a must.
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