LAKings.com feature: Here and Now

I turned in my season preview-type story for LAKings.com this morning, and you can access it here.

There are some interesting quotes from Dustin Brown, Drew Doughty and Justin Williams on what motivates this L.A. team. Similar to the sentiment expressed by Jonathan Quick last season – that the Kings are motivated by a fear of losing – there was the opinion that they are catalyzed by an intangible that wasn’t as quickly mentioned last spring: jealousy.

And given that he has now won two Stanley Cups with the Kings – part of three total – last year’s Conn Smythe Trophy winner is as qualified as any to analogize on what it means to continually be in search of league hardware as part of a Kings team that on paper should be every bit as competitive as the two championship teams and the Conference Final-advancing squad that preceded it.

“Everyone knows we’re a quality team, we’re a good team,” Williams said. “I think one of the things that kinds of drives us is sometimes jealousy. I see someone with the Stanley Cup, and it’s like a wife or someone. I see someone else holding it and I get jealous and upset, and I want it back, and that was kind of the feeling that we had after we lost to Chicago and they won the Cup a couple of years ago. We want to keep it, we want to hold it, and we know what it’s like to lose it now, too.”

LAKings.com Season Preview: Here and Now

Quotes that didn’t make their way into the story:

Justin Williams, on whether this team is motivated by its dynastic potential:
I don’t need any motivation. My motivation comes from myself. I don’t need anyone to pump me up or do anything like that. I’m motivated by trying to be the best I can be. That’s what’s gotten us to where we are, is self-motivation, pride, and not taking ‘no’ for an answer.

Williams, on short summers:
Well, it’s good, considering you don’t have time to get out of shape, which is good. You kind of have to get right back at it, and it’s always easy to stay in shape than to get out of shape and try to get back into shape. I guess it’s kind of an advantage in that effect that we [haven’t had] that much time off to lose anything.

Dustin Brown, on recollections of entering the 2012-13 season:
It was a lot different, just because of what had happened. I think we were all prepared and ready to go in 2012. I think our attitude is a little different this year – about our approach, and I think we’re more focused, more businesslike this time around. But we have a time to start this time. [Reporter: Does that focus come from knowing you’re starting on time versus not knowing you’re starting on time?] I mean, it definitely helps, I think, but I think also the experience of going through how you come out – like I said, our attitude I think is different than it was in 2012, regardless of the lockout.[Reporter: That’s experience.] Yeah, I think going through it once, just like anything else, you have a better understanding of what it takes to be ready and what you need to do to get yourself where you need to be.

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