Mike Brown understands how the national media portrays the Kings after Sacramento clinched its first playoff appearance in 16 seasons Wednesday night and uses that to energize his players.
On the latest episode of the "#thisLeague UNCUT" podcast, Brown explained how he sent Kings video coordinator Charles Allen a video of ESPN's Brian Windhorst claiming that potential playoff teams "smell a weakness" with Sacramento.
"So we know what the narrative is. Trust me -- and they know what the narrative is too," Brown revealed to hosts Chris Haynes and Marc Stein. "And you know what? That's fine because we deserve it because we haven't done anything yet.
"And if we're as good as we think we are, we'll change the narrative. That's how I look at it."
Currently, the narrative surrounding the Kings is that they are a poor defensive team and their inexperience ultimately will go against them.
While the first point might hold some merit, the Kings also are one of the best offensive teams in the NBA during the 2022-23 NBA season, leading the league in offensive rating (119.6) by a hefty margin.
Regarding the second point, multiple players on the roster have either playoff or championship experience.
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Players like Harrison Barnes, Domantas Sabonis, Kevin Huerter and Matthew Dellavedova all have made the playoffs in the past, with Barnes and Dellavedova winning championships with the Golden State Warriors and Cleveland Cavaliers, respectively.
Brown is not the only member of the Kings organization to address Windhorst's comments.
Huerter spoke with Sactown Sports 1140's Carmichael Dave and Jason Ross to discuss Sacramento clinching a playoff spot and what the team will be focusing on in the waning weeks of the season as they prepare for the playoffs.
"We're not going to look at matchups, there's been a lot of matchup talk," Huerter said. "ESPN, we saw a video yesterday about people I guess seeking us out.
"So we're not looking at matchups, we're just trying to win games. Obviously, continuing to get better. Just treating every game from here on out as a playoff game."
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Despite how the national media is portraying the Kings and their playoff hopes, those around the organization, like rookie Keegan Murray, understand that making the playoffs is just the first step in the ultimate goal of winning a championship.
And Brown knows that if the Kings want to be where they want to be at the end of the season, using their detractors' words surely is one way to fire up the team.