The Sacramento head coach shared honesty about ending the long 16-game slide after beating Memphis.
Doug Christie showed no gleaming smile, yet can visibly show how relieved he was.
His Sacramento Kings ended a losing skid that began back on Jan. 16 and stretched 16 games. The past revered franchise player from the early 2000s coached his team to the emotional 123-114 road win over the Memphis Grizzlies.
Clad in a Kings hat, Christie walked into the press conference in a state of relief.
"You do not want [the losing streak] with your name, and all those go for the coach," Christie said to reporters. "But there are points in this where I'm really proud of how our guys continued to evolve."
He kept coaching a group of players itching to get back into the win column -- all while dealing with injuries and inconsistency.
"I'm not so much for me as for [the players], because I know that they still come night in and night out and compete, and I'm really proud of them for that," Christie said.
He particularly cited Maxime Raynaud, Russell Westbrook and a surprise performer for spearheading the win.
"It's never perfect, but when I look at the stat sheet, and I see 30 assists, that means the ball's moving around, and guys are sharing the basketball," Christie continued. "Max with the most double-doubles in the NBA for a rookie, that's big-time stuff. Daeqwon Plowden knocking down some shots tonight. Russ, I asked him to set the tone for us with the energy, and I thought he really did that at a high level tonight."
It's become a lost season for Sacramento. Even in the victory does little to get the Kings out of the bottom dweller in the league. The franchise remains the current favorite to land the top overall pick in the NBA Draft Lottery. Now there's the belief Cameron Boozer of Duke needs to be the selection for Sacramento following his epic dominating Saturday night against No. 1 Michigan.
But still, Christie walked into a relieved and euphoric locker room. Then brought the relief over to the postgame presser.
"I mean, more than anything, we've already struggled and been through...some ups and downs, things you go through in the NBA season, injuries and all that kind of stuff," Christie acknowledged. "But super proud of how these guys continue to come and compete at a really high level, holding each other accountable, and getting after it."
Now Sacramento aims to win two straight by traveling to Houston on Wednesday to take on the Rockets.
Join the Community! Don't miss out on our KINGS ROUNDTABLE community and the latest news! It's completely free to join. Share your thoughts, engage with our Roundtable writers, and chat with fellow members.
Download the free Roundtable APP, and stay even more connected.