Ageless wonder: Christie sports endless energy
By Joe Davidson -- Bee Staff Writer
Published 2:15 a.m. PST Saturday, March 13, 2004
He'll be 34 in just under two months, but his body and bursts of movement
suggest a man much younger.
Doug Christie doesn't just defy age as an elder statesman in a young man's
sport. He has suddenly assumed an intense role of versatility in stepping
up as perhaps the Kings' most critical cog in recent weeks.
With Bobby Jackson sidelined indefinitely with the ever-tricky abdominal
strain, Christie has produced some of his best Sacramento efforts in the
last month, often running the team from the point, upping his scoring,
attacking the basket relentlessly, popping the three-point shots,
becoming a leader - all while remaining one of the league's premier
defensive pests.
And all this from a player who was mired in a slump at midseason and
became an absolute afterthought on offense, to the point that his wife,
Jackie, feared the rumblings of fans from the Arco Arena seats or from
talk shows that Christie was on the trading block. It turned out to be
just that - talk. Kings officials said Christie wasn't on the table.
Then Christie caught fire. At about the time players hit the wall in the
marath on season, Christie cleared it and kept sprinting. He had scored
in double figures in eight of the last nine games before Friday, averag
-ing 16 points and seven assists in the previous seven. What's more, the
Kings moved to 13-0 when Christie doles out nine or more assists after
he had 12 Thursday to go with his 22 points to douse Dallas 120-102.
Friday, he scored only eight points and had just three assists in the
loss.
"Right now, things are really happening," Christie said. "I am trying to
be more aggressive. When you have the ball, you have to be that way. You
can't be passive."
Though he is not the primary ballhandler for the Kings, Christie's ability
to man the controls speaks of his considerable skills. And the role of
point guard is not necessarily new for Christie.
He was acquired via trade by Los Angeles from Seattle during his rookie
season in 1992 by then-general manager Jerry West to run the post-Showtime
Lakers. Christie gave it a shot at the point, then settled into his more
familiar No. 2 guard spot, going from the Lakers to New York in 1994, to
Toronto in 1995, to Sacramento in 2000.
"Jerry West told me I could play that position a long time ago," Christie
said. "I wasn't as mature as I am now, nor did I understand exactly what
was happening on the floor then like I do now."
What's more, the Christie you see today doesn't resemble the Christie of
old. In his early NBA days, he was heavier, some 24 pounds more than the
trim 200 he carries now. It was a microfracture procedure on his knee
that prompted him to lose weight, the delicate drilling in the knee to
induce bleeding to help replace torn or missing cartilage, similar to
what Kings teammate Chris Webber endured in June.
"I was 20 then, and it took me a long time to get over it," Christie said.
"I understand what Webber is going through. It's harder to recover from
that surgery the older you get. I understood that when I was in Los
Angeles, when my knee was hurting, that I had to lose weight. The lighter
I got, the better I felt, and it really helped my career. I changed my
diet, my lifestyle, all kinds of things."
Christie said he feels more active, more energized now, in this recent
stretch, than he has in some time. But he's older, with more mileage. Go
figure.
"It doesn't make a lot of sense, but life never does," Christie said. "I
feel more explosive now than I did several years ago, when I was younger
in Toronto. For a while there, I thought I might have to give it up
because my body didn't feel that good. It does now."
Christie continues to sparkle on defense, keeping Tracy McGrady in check
- he had 13 points on 4-of-15 shooting just days before scoring a career
-high 62 against Washington - and making his routine thefts of passes in
games. After a Christie steal, layup and the subsequent three-point play
against Dallas, Webber sat on the bench with his fist held high, with a
grin that seemed to suggest, "Here he goes again."
"Can we name him Defensive Player of the Year, at least once?" Webber
said.
Christie the defender is one player Kings coaches never have to worry
about. Christie the scorer? He sometimes has to be implored to attack
because he can hit the jumper and still take people off the dribble.
"His legs are fresh, and he looks fresh," Kings assistant coach John
Wetzel said. "Doug is one of those guys who takes tremendous care of his
body. With Bobby out, he's really been terrific. He had games earlier
this season when he only took three to four shots. We need him to shoot
eight to 10 shots. For him to be effective, we need him to take a
certain amount of shots."
Typical Christie, he downplays all of it, insisting he's just trying to
keep the machine rolling. But he did allow that there is a sense of
urgency this season.
"This season is special," Christie said. "I want to enjoy it. I won't
be able to play like this the rest of my life, and that's why I cherish
this now. I'm having a blast."
http://www.sacbee.com/content/sports/basketball/kings/story/
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