Former NBA coach shares why he believes in Kings in series vs. defending champs

"The media loves Golden State... but for that matter, nobody believes in Sacramento... I believe in Sacramento," Stotts said while mentioning how some teams receive the benefit of the doubt while skepticism remains around others. 

Per OddsChecker, six-seeded Golden State (-250) is the favorite in the series. In ESPN's playoff predictions, 16 analysts selected the Warriors while only two picked the better-seeded Kings.

Stotts brought up some fair points in Sacramento's favor.

He pointed to the Warriors struggling on defense as opposed to when they've been at their best, saying, "Golden State hasn't necessarily been the defensive team they've been in the past." 

This season, the Warriors finished the regular season 17th in defensive rating (114.4), the worst rating of any Golden State team that reached the playoffs under head coach Steve Kerr.

The Warriors finished in the top five in the metric in three of their four championship seasons.

Stotts also noted Golden State's horrible road record, which doesn't bode well for a team that must win a road game in order to advance. This season, the Warriors were 11-30 on the road. Only the Pistons, Rockets and Spurs — the three worst teams in the NBA this year — had worse road records.

All that would make anyone wonder how the Warriors are favored at all. 

Stephen Curry immediately comes to mind as a reason why.

Stotts admits the offenses are likely to dictate the tone of the series — "I don't know if defense is going to be a factor," Stotts said — and there's little evidence to suggest Curry (or Klay Thompson, for that matter) can be contained during a seven-game series. Golden State also defeated Sacramento in three of the four regular-season meetings this season, most recently on April 7.

Curry averaged 33 points per game in those four meetings, shooting 50 percent from three (20-of-40) and 58.4 percent from the field overall (45-of-77). 

While it might be considered an upset by most if Sacramento wins, it would hardly be shocking. The Kings proved they belong after being consistently good all season, and unlike the Warriors, Sacramento thrived on the road, finishing with the West's best road record (25-16).

When it comes to the Warriors-Kings first-round series, it's not that people don't believe in the Kings — it's that they know what the Warriors are capable of.