Friday, April 11

Game Night: Spurs

The Sonics trudge towards the finish line with the third-to-last game of the season tonight in San Antonio.

Shockingly, the Sonics have not played badly against the Spurs, splitting the season series thus far. But with San Antonio eager to move up the playoff ladder, I'm not expecting much from tonight's affair.

In addition to the usual fanfare before the game, tonight's contest will re-unite PJ Carlesimo and Sam Presti with their S.A. roots, as both will receive championship rings before the game. You'll forgive PJ if he casts more than a few wistful glances at the Spurs' bench during the course of the game.

However, considering how poorly the Spurs have shot the ball in their recent outings, the Sonics have a small chance, if not to win, then at least to cover the spread. San Antonio is favored by 16 points, and when you see that they've averaged a mere 71 points a game over their past three games, well, it figures to be a low-scoring contest, right?

Yes, except that prior to those three games, the Spurs posted 116 points against the Warriors and 109 against the Rockets. With only Robert Horry and Brent Barry sidelined with injuries, as opposed to the Sonics' ongoing reenactment of M*A*S*H, the Spurs should roll quite easily over the weak Sonics. Final score: Spurs 92-Sonics 75.

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