It sure looked easy. There's little doubt that a lot of hard work went into the Kings' 109-94 victory over the Boston Celtics on Sunday night.

There's even less doubt that the Kings made beating the Atlantic Division's second-best team look like no big deal.

Before the 100th consecutive sellout crowd of 17,317 at Arco Arena, the Kings improved to a league-leading 17-1 at home. Their 10th consecutive home win also improved their overall record to 23-9.

Kings point guard Mike Bibby knew the question was coming and was prepared.

Bibby, who in his fourth NBA season has yet to miss a game, ranks second among active players for consecutive games started with 246. Only Utah's John Stockton with 308 has more.

In consecutive games played, New York's Shandon Anderson at 365 and Stockton are ahead of Bibby.

SACRAMENTO - Reports of divisiveness have been greatly exaggerated, it would seem.

The Sacramento Kings were off to a great start without Chris Webber, the 6-foot-10-inch All-Pro forward who was idled by a severe ankle injury. They were moving the basketball, and everything was great.

ACRAMENTO - Now that's NBA basketball.

If the Sacramento Kings were playing in Boston, the FleetCenter would be banged out every night, the scalpers would be dreaming about Caribbean vacations when the team was out of town, the bars and restaurants in the North Station area would have lines clear to Charlestown, and, best of all, the basketball lovers among the general populace would have a legitimate reason to think the 17th flag might soon be flying from the rafters.

For the Sacramento Kings are a team Boston could embrace. They play the game in a manner you people have seen before, and the way they toyed with the Celtics last night is about what happens every night in Arco Arena.

Sometimes, especially to reporters -- and players trying to score against him -- Kings guard Doug Christie must seem invisible.

Christie is accommodating but rarely spends a lot of postgame time in front of his locker. He's seen more in the locker room before a game, walking from the trainer's room to his locker with a book in his hand and headphones on his ears.

After games, he dresses in the training room. If he's not caught within that small patch of carpet between the room and the back door, he's a ghost.

Kings forward Chris Webber was discussing revenge Thursday, ticking off the ways in which his team could avenge a 20-point loss to the Timberwolves this month -- better rebounding, more energy, healthier players -- when he hit on what might just have been the key:
"That was there. This is here."

Playing in front of ARCO Arena's 99th consecutive sellout, in an atmosphere so loud Timberwolves players were poking each other in their faces because they had to use hand gestures to call plays, Sacramento broke Minnesota's three-game winning streak with a 125-111 blowout Friday and won its ninth in a row at home. Minnesota has lost four of its past five games in Sacramento.

It wasn't just the hecklers and foot-stompers that affected Minnesota. Sacramento shot 56.6 percent, had six players score in double figures tied the Wolves 38-38 in rebounding and held Minnesota to 37.5 percent shooting in the fourth quarter.

But as Wolves coach Flip Saunders said: "You can't get behind here. The crowd gets into it, their players feed off of it, and they don't let you come back."

Sacramento may have been 21-9 entering Friday night's victory over the Minnesota Timberwolves, but forward Chris Webber says neither he nor the Kings had hit their stride yet this season.

"Especially for a guy like myself, when you can't do certain things," he said, "effort gets you through it. For all of our guys, we've been playing pretty good effort defense. That's one of the encouraging things.

"It's going to click, and when it clicks, don't jump on the bandwagon. It's definitely going to click, and that's why, as long as you keep the defense, I'd rather have problems with other areas than defense and effort."

The Kings led comfortably for most of Friday night's game, but early in the fourth quarter Minnesota made the requisite NBA comeback attempt.

The Timberwolves weren't only doing it with the ball -- there was an elbow here, a push there and words everywhere to see if the Kings would fold.

Not a chance, buddy boy.

Kings fans: You know you want to do it.

It's been welling up in your throats since the end of last season.

You kind of did it Wednesday night at Arco Arena as you jostled uncomfortably in your seats, your necks getting hot, your sense of right and wrong being tested.

Go ahead.

Boo Chris Webber.

Boo him loudly if you feel like it.

To whom are Kings fans attending tonight's game at Arco Arena against the Kevin Garnett-led Minnesota Timberwolves supposed to listen?

Center Vlade Divac -- who says the fans need to back off forward Chris Webber as he attempts to find his rhythm -- or Webber, who says the jeers motivate him?