An opportunity, or a trap?

It is Homecoming Month for the Kings. Other than a 1 1/2-day trip to San Jose and a bus ride to Anaheim, the Kings won’t leave Los Angeles again until Nov. 21. That’s 21 days in California, by far the longest stretch of the season, and it includes seven home games. Given how difficult travel can be, especially for a West Coast team, this is an opportunity the Kings can’t squander. You likely remember a similar situation late last December, and into January, when the Kings had eight consecutive home games and lost six of them. That put their playoff chances — at one point, a near-certainty — into some doubt, and was a big reason why the Kings only finished seventh in the Western Conference. Now, they have another opportunity at home. Have they learned their lesson? Or, as I asked Terry Murray, will they be too relaxed at home?

MURRAY: “That was my concern coming back from Europe and the East Coast, with our first game against St. Louis, that proverbial first game back after a long trip. You (sometimes) come out flat and not able to deal with it the right way, and I thought we played very well. I liked our energy and our execution. You know, you’ve got to go through some experiences in your life as a player and as a team. Last year, hopefully, was a real learning experience for us, in January. We were able to regroup at the end, but sometimes when things start to go the other way, it gets to be too late to turn the tables. We did get it turned around and started to play pretty good again. So we’ve got to make sure, and that’s one of the things we wanted to come into this year with awareness to, how you’re feeling, what the schedule is all about. I have talked about this homestand already, even going back to the game in Colorado. That was part of the pregame talk, about finishing the trip up the right way, and what we have in front of us. So there’s awareness to it, and now we’ve got to do it.’’