Coach Mahmoud Abdelfattah insists he is feeling no pressure as the underachieving Sydney Kings prepare to keep their hot-and-cold NBL season alive in a sudden death Play-In game.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
or signup to continue reading
Sydney entered the season with designs on a third consecutive title but have had an inconsistent campaign under Chase Buford's successor, former Houston Rockets assistant Abdelfattah.
The Kings have won only six of 18 games since starting the season with a 7-3 record.
Sydney have struggled to get the most out of their new-look import trio and dropped games to South East Melbourne, Adelaide and Brisbane, none of whom made finals, in the new year.
Abdelfattah has at times questioned his side's intensity on their way to posting a losing record for the first time since 2018.
"When we play well, we play very well. There hasn't been an in between for us," he said on Monday.
After appearing a chance to miss finals altogether, a big defeat of the Phoenix helped the Kings locked up fifth spot on the ladder in the final weekend of the regular season.
They will now host the New Zealand Breakers on Wednesday.
Lose to their injury-hit visitors at Qudos Bank Arena and Sydney's "three-peat" dream will be over, and the campaign unquestionably viewed as a failure in the context of recent years.
"At the end of the day, we want to win it all," Abdelfattah said when asked what a pass mark would be for his side's season.
Abdelfattah has been under external scrutiny since he accepted the job and the Kings have fought to keep their winning ways alive.
But the 35-year-old insisted he felt no pressure on his position as coach heading into the must-win encounter.
"I don't feel any pressure," he said.
"We're preparing as if we want to win the championship, whether it'd be our first, second, or if it's a three-peat.
"I know that you don't get many opportunities to do so, so I know what's at stake but there's no pressure on my end."
Abdelfattah said he was unaware of any external criticism.
"I don't check social media ... I stay off of that stuff because at the end of the day, the people probably questioning my job have no clue what the job takes," he said.
Import guard Denzel Valentine said the Kings' hot-and-cold campaign had steeled them right the wrongs in the post-season.
"I feel like we didn't meet our expectations this year so I think like we've got a little chip on our shoulder," he said.
"We been up and down all season but we know what we're capable of. When we're at our best, we're pretty fricking good.
"We've just got to come out with that same energy, intensity and focus and we'll be fine."
Australian Associated Press
