Sacramento guard Mike Bibby was steaming.

Asked about all the he-said/he-said written in newspapers across the West Coast, apparently a nerve was touched.

Bibby took issue with Sonics forward Reggie Evans and center Jerome James talking as if they were elite players like Ray Allen and Rashard Lewis.

"Four games doesn't make you a star," Bibby said of James, who is averaging 18.8 points during the series, well above his season average (4.9). "It makes me mad. People that shouldn't be talkin' are talkin'. Reggie Evans going out there and foulin' and just floppin', he has no right to talk. He doesn't score any baskets. He goes out there and just fouls. If he feels that he's doing something ... so be it."

Bibby also clarified that he wasn't at a pool party that James held at his Sacramento-area home. And regardless of what James says, none of his family members or friends would have attended, even though both players reside in the same neighborhood.

When told of Bibby's fiery words, James was offended. Aside from making fun of Sacramento fans' use of cowbells, he couldn't recall any disparaging remarks. They purposely didn't acknowledge each other before tipoff last night, and James spun around Bibby and waltzed to the basket for a powerful dunk in the second quarter.

"Bibby has a problem with me?" James asked. "I never said I was a star. 'Star' came out of his mouth. I'm just being as consistent as possible for my team to get past this series and move to the second round.

"If Bibby or any of his friends have a problem with me, they know where I live. They don't even have to wait; they [can] come see me after the game.

"I just want to get this thing done and let them go on vacation. ... All I've said about that kid from the gate is how good he was as a point guard. I think he's one of the best in the NBA. For him to talk about me in the paper? I think that's cowardly."

Evans left his response on the court, scoring seven points in eight minutes during the first half and leaving Kings center Brad Miller crumbled on the court after a dunk.

• Sacramento coach Rick Adelman wants officials to take a closer look at the contact underneath the hoop.

"Every time a shot goes up, do you want wrestling matches under the basket?" he said, making another mention of the physical play of Sonics forwards Danny Fortson and Evans. "That looks bad for our league, but they still killed us on the boards."

The Kings, who also are known for their sneaky play around the basket, couldn't match the Sonics' grit. Seattle outrebounded them 43-25.

• It's been awhile since the Kings were such an easy exit in the first round of the playoffs. Sacramento guard Bobby Jackson said losing 4-1 in the best-of-seven series stung because this is not the Kings team he remembers, despite recently rejoining his teammates after suffering a wrist injury in December.

"We haven't played the way we're capable of playing," said Jackson, who was scoreless in seven minutes last night. "We know we didn't give our best performance. I know I didn't give my best performance, and I know what this team is capable of. They (Sonics) were just the best team in this series, and we just gotta look forward to next year."

Bibby tied his playoff career high with 35 points along with his 10 assists. But the Kings' shooting sputtered as the game winded down, with Peja Stojakovic going 9 for 10 in the first half and only 1 for 8 in the fourth quarter. As a team, Sacramento shot 35 percent from the field in the fourth.

"We tried to win tonight, and it just wasn't enough," said Stojakovic, who finished with a team-high 38 points. "The first two games, we didn't play good basketball overall. We tried our best tonight, and it just didn't go."

Jayda Evans: 206-464-2067 or jevans@seattletimes.com