SACRAMENTO, Calif. -- Joakim Noah can be forgiven for his full-scale toy store aisle tantrum that earned him a third-quarter technical. The Sacramento Kings are a frustrating team to face. They thrash inside the paint, physically overwhelming the opponent, grabbing fistfuls of free throws. The league's newest team out of nowhere has a Chicago Bulls-esque charisma to them. They win ugly, and beautifully so.

Sacramento took only six 3-pointers in their 103-88 win over the Bulls. That was fine because they made 19 at the rim regardless. He might be the strongest star in the sport, but DeMarcus Cousins is nimble enough to find those creases around a crowded rim. His 22 points on 19 shots wasn't a superficially great performance, but he drained Chicago.

Containing Cousins is a full-time job for the opposition. When he's on, guarding him can seem as futile as trying to lasso an earthquake. Bulls coach Tom Thibodeau sent hard double-teams at Cousins, in a rare strategic concession.

It worked, at times, but the Kings did well to share the ball.

"Big Cuz is getting doubled almost every single game so far," Kings guard Darren Collison said. "I think our spacing's probably been the best, today. We talked about spacing last game, and this game our spacing was probably a bit better. And DeMarcus made some really, really nice passes to Ben McLemore for the 3 or a cut to Omri Casspi."

The compliments flow both ways between Collison and Cousins. When asked about his point guard, the burly big man said: "He's got my respect. I love him."

Cousins also had plenty of compliments for the coach on the opposing sideline. Thibodeau might be to blame for this loss, but not exactly how one might assume.

"I respect Thibs a lot," said Cousins, who played for a USA team that had Thibodeau as an assistant coach this past summer. "I learned a lot from him over the summer. He's basically a genius on defense. I mean I think our whole team basically flows from his defensive scheme over the summer."

Cousins spent much of the summer learning from Thibodeau and bonding with Kings teammate Rudy Gay. The results are paying off.

When pressed on the biggest thing he learned from Chicago's coach in these last FIBA World Championships, Cousins answered, "Just being vocal. Talking."

The big man has the best view of the floor on defense, and thus, the most responsibility. Communication is essential, and Cousins is doing more of it this season. That much was clear throughout the game when Cousins could be seen directing traffic, informing his guards of assignments and coming screens.

We're not yet sure how good these Kings can be, or whether success will be sustained. For now, they're talking to each other, enjoying each other and collectively animating themselves into a force to be reckoned with. Thibodeau may have created a monster.