(UPDATED) The champs have their backs against the wall and Kings fans love it

Who knew a 2-0 lead could bring so much joy? TIME TO CLAP BACK

My blogging friend Brenden Nunes has been a very busy man, as he happens to be an NBA insider who has just watched his favorite team emphatically defend homecourt against his dad’s favorite team in the first round of the NBA Western Conference Playoffs. That’s pretty cool!

Nunes covers his beloved Sacramento Kings, who are currently up 2-0 in the latest dramatic chapter of the Golden State Warriors’ dynastic run.

He’s also a fellow NorCal hoops scribe and entrepreneur who survived the fallout from Vox Media’s blog purging to help create the Kings Herald, an independent blog that grew from the seeds of what was formerly Sactown Royalty. We here at the HQ absolutely have a deep appreciation for what he’s accomplishing in his work.

He also predicted the Warriors were going to beat the Kings in 6 on the DNHQ Vidcast. That was only what, a week ago?

My, how time flies. He also has some thoughtful takes on some of the most polarizing playoff officiating I’ve seen since Shaq and Kobe’s Lakers eliminated the last Sacramento team people believed in, so many years ago.

He’s an island of basketball sense in Sacramento surrounded by waves after waves of feverish hot takes that have at sometimes been comically disrespectful. And as someone who loves comically disrespectful basketball humor, I’m really tickled by the jokes that can only be born from the deep pain and resolve from a fanbase’s that is emerging from decades of irrelevance. After all, that’s the same way Warriors fans stormed online basketball discourse!

Real quick I asked Mr. Nunes a couple questions about the series since we’re two games in after his former “Dubs in 6” prediction.

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Do you agree with the Draymond Green suspension?

I think Draymond Green deserved to get suspended. It’s impossible to know whether or not Domantas Sabonis intentionally grabbed his ankle, but the extent of how Green stomped into his chest escalated that situation to a whole other level, in my opinion.

We both predicted Warriors in 6, has your prediction changed, and if so why?

As for the series prediction, I’ve swung in favor of Sacramento after seeing the first two games.

When we spoke prior to the series, I mentioned that if Sacramento won the first two games I thought they would win the series and here we are. Golden State obviously still is very much in it, but I’m extremely surprised by the defense the Kings have played.

It’s honestly been the best they’ve played all year long with their combination of physicality and attention to detail. I’m fully prepared to possibly look stupid down the line, but I think the Kings win this series in five or six games.

Who is your X factor for the Kings as the series progresses?

My X-Factor for the remainder of this series is guard play from the benches on both sides. Malik Monk has made a massive impact on the offensive end of the floor and provided much-needed secondary playmaking. In theory, Jordan Poole shold be able to have a similar impact for Golden State, but that has not been the case up to this point due to his substantial defensive shortcomings. Monk and Poole are both streaky players throughout the regular season, and it wouldn't surprise me to see the two sides swap production levels moving forward.

Which Warrior concerns you most going forward and why?

Steph Curry easily concerns me the most. He's a two-time MVP who can win games by himself, and it feels like just a matter of time before he has a night where he records 45+ points in spectacular fashion. Of course, the same thing could be said about Klay Thompson when he sees a couple shots go through the net. I feel like it's totally normal to be scared of the best shooting backcourt of all-time to light it up one of these games.

Which Warriors weakness is Mike Brown targeting most in your opinion?

Coach Brown denies that his knowledge of Golden State is playing much of a factor, if any, in this series but I'm not buying it. I think that his knowledge of Kevon Looney's deep drop coverage has been a big help for the guards, and also just taking advantage of the lack of spacing the Warriors have when both of Looney and Green are sharing the floor. The chess match with Alex Len has been intriguing as well where he's been assigned to non-shooters like Jonathan Kuminga and Gary Payton II.

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Well damn, the Warriors must be down pretty bad for there to be such an abundance of hope coming from Sactown.

Let’s see how the champs respond. I don’t think I can watch this one on TV; IT’S TIME TO GO TO CHASE! I’LL BE IN THE BUILDING TONIGHT WITH DUBY DUB DUBS AND NATE P.

LET’S GET GOLD BLOODED!