Great Moments in Sonic Playoff History: April 30th

1978 – Portland pulls to 3-2 in the Western Conference Semifinals with a 113-89 win in the Rose City. The Sonics take the next game in Seattle to win the series.

1980 – A year removed from winning the title, the Sonics lose 111-105 to Los Angeles as Kareem Abdul-Jabbar scores 38.

1982 – Seattle falls 97-99 loss to San Antonio as George Gervin hits 15 of 31 shots.

1987 – A 129-98 triumph over the Mavericks caps a miraculous first-round upset of 2nd-seeded Dallas.

1989 – 109-97 win over the Rockets gives the Sonics a 2-0 lead in the Derrick McKey series.

1991 – Benoit Benjamin makes 14 free throws and Sedale Threatt pours in 29 (!) points as Sonics narrow series to 2-1 with a 102-99 win against Portland. Pete celebrates in Eugene by forcing all Blazer fans in Carson Hall to buy him a beer.

1992 – Kemp dunks on Lister, grabs 20 boards, Eddie Johnson scores 26 off the bench, and the Sonics beat the Warriors 119-116 to clinch a first-round win.

1993 – Kemp grabs 11 offensive boards, a Sonic playoff record, to go with 29 points and 17 total rebounds and Sonics upend Utah 99-85 to open their first-round series.

1994 – Seattle’s 97-87 win over Denver puts Sonics up 2-0 in first-round series. Things go sideways after …

1996 – After losing at home to Sacramento in Game 2, Sonic fans are anxious about falling behind in the series in Game 3, but Sam Perkins comes off the bench to score 17 and the Sonics capture a 96-89 win and begin their drive to the NBA Finals.