Sonic Notes

Here's some random Sonic stuff:

According to 82games.com, the 3 most valuable Sonics this season have been Allen, Lewis, and ... Antonio Daniels. Which should be no surprise to anyone who's read anything I've written in the last four months. I'm telling you, AD is the real deal. ... Another site has entered the Sonic websphere, www.unll.net ... Allen is still a game-time decision for tonight against the Bucks, but Nate seems to be leaning towards sitting him. ... According to the Cleveland Plain-Dealer, the Cavs could be interested in Ray Allen this offseason.

Class of '89 RULES!

Percy Allen notes in today's Seattle Times that three members of the 88-89 Sonics are now NBA head coaches. And no, Mike Champion is not one of them.

Clutch

Fantastic win last night over the Lakers. No Allen, no Radman, no JJ, no Fortson, and the Sonics still pull it out. All together now: Thank you, Front Office, for not dealing away Flip at the deadline.

That said, without Radman for 4-6 weeks, I'm a little less confident in the Sonics' run to the playoffs. Add in a dose of uncertainty over Ray's ankle, and I'm borderline worried.

Question of the day: How's Ray's ankle? Anybody know the scoop? From reading the game reports, it sounds like it's still day-to-day.

Magic Number Update

After the Sonics win against the Lakers Sunday night, the Supes' Magic Number to clinch the Northwest Division is now 8.

How tough will it be to get those 8 Sonics wins/Nuggets losses? Here are a few factors to consider:

		SEA	DEN
Current W-L		45-20	35-30
Remaining Games		17	17
Home/Away		8/9	9/8
vs. .500+ teams		8	10
->home/away		3/5	5/5

Remaining vs. Western Conference Top 8

			SEA								DEN
San Antonio			1								1
Phoenix			0								2
Seattle			--								1
Dallas			2								0
Sacramento			1								1
Houston			2								1
Memphis			1								2
Denver			1								--

The Sonics visit Denver on April 9. One would hope that, with a 10-game lead, the Sonics would have the division sewn up by then, but with all the injuries that are plaguing the Sonics and the Nuggets surging lately, that game could be what people like to call, "significant."

Shut Up, Ray

"Much of your pain is self-chosen."

~Kahlil Gibran, The Prophet, 1923

There are 19 games remaining in the season. 19 games until the playoffs and all the wonder that would bring, capping a glorious season of rebirth for the Sonics and their fans. With expectations sagging lower than, as Dan Rather would put it, your Uncle Horace's ass after a night of carousin', this team has confounded all doubters and risen to the top of the Western Conference.

Yet all that joy is being ripped down by the discontent of seemingly one man - Ray Allen.

For two games now, Detroit and Chicago, Allen has groused about the inability of the offense to get him the ball, ignoring the fact he has shot below 40% from the field for the month.

Allen has been a man of contradictions. Asked why he was not getting many shots, Allen said, “I’m not getting any looks. You got to talk to the coach.”

That was on Wednesday. On Thursday, he had changed his tune, admonishing Rashard Lewis for his comments regarding certain unnamed teammates that seem to be more interested in themselves than the team. Quoth Mr. Allen: "We can't splinter when we lose a game."

Really, Ray? Is that why you've been bitching so much lately? Or is complaining about whiny teammates different than whining about your coach? The same coach who has guided this team to an amazing record, who will be hired before his plane touches down should he decide to leave Seattle?

Dammit, this is exactly why Ray Allen is a loser. From never making the Final Four at UConn, to never doing crap in the playoffs with Milwaukee, to the same thing in Seattle, the guy is only interested in his own achievements. In his own words, “There are two people on this team that are supposed to shoot the ball, that’s me and Rashard.” When faced with a difficult situation, presented with a team that has been losing more frequently than it had been used to over the previous five months, Allen didn't step up and take the pressure upon himself. No, he complained about not getting enough minutes. (He also compared his situation to that of Michael Jordan's in Chicago, and the rest of his teammates to Will Perdue. Nice, Ray).

Well, Ray, despite your belief that the entire world is out to get you, it isn’t so. McMillan hasn’t reduced your third quarter minutes because of some irrational reason, he’s reduced them for the good of the team – because you were in foul trouble and, well, because the team was playing just fine without you.

All of which makes me wonder – are Ray’s complaints about minutes because of the team’s lack of success, or because each point he doesn’t get means a few less dollars in the free agent market? Being that he was bitching after a fantastic win over the Bulls the other night, I’m leaning toward the latter.

That being the case, let me be the first to say:

Shut up, Ray, and when June comes, keep on walking.

Oh that Danny, Part Two

Remember how Danny Fortson fouled out in just six minutes the other night? Well, that's not all he did - he also managed to injure himself, forcing him to miss Wednesday night's loss to the Pistons. Truly a remarkable individual.

I love Danny, but if you missed as much work as Da Fort has in the past month (for various bizarre reasons) would you still have a job?

Detroit, part two

The Sonics are playing the world champion Detroit Pistons as we speak, er, write. The Sonics beat them last week, so here's hoping they can do it again!

Oh that Danny!

Something amazing happened during last night's 99-93 victory over the Chicago Bulls, and it wasn't Reggie Evans grabbing 19 rebounds in 27 minutes. Nope. It was our man, Danny Fortson, wrangling a near NBA record six fouls in just six minutes!

Here are the quickest exits in NBA history, courtesy of the Seattle PI:

12/29/97 Bubba Wells, Dallas, 3 minutes
3/12/56 Dick Farley, Syracuse, 5 minutes
12/22/00 Mark Bryant, Dallas, 5 minutes
3/15/05 Danny Fortson, Seattle, 6 minutes*
*Several other players have collected six fouls in six minutes

We here at Supersonicsoul would like to salute Da Fort on this magnificent achievement. Huzzah!

Quote of the Day: Rashard Lewis

From The Seattle Times:

"This is real basketball to me, I think, the way the game should be played," Rashard Lewis said. "I don't think you should make a call every time somebody makes a move to the basket and you barely even touch them. I don't think that's man basketball. I think that's WNBA basketball."

Lewis was commenting on the perceived decrease in hand-check fouls called by referees in the Sonics' three recent losses. I think we can make it a given that any swipe at the WNBA automatically qualifies as a Quote of the Day from hereon.

Game Night: Chi-lite

Who?!

The 3-game skid. Not unlike movie sequels, the third of three is always the worst (or did you think Back to the Future 3, Revenge of the Jedi, and Aliens3 were the climax of those respective series?).

Well, the Sonics are on the brink of losing three in a row, and the Chicago Bulls have enough firepower and we-don’t-know-why-we’re-winning-but-who-cares uncertainty to put a scare into even the most loyal of Seattle hoop fans.

The Bulls are a weird team to figure out. They don’t have a go-to guy, unless you count Ben Gordon, but if he’s their man, why’s he averaging less than 25 minutes a game since the All-Star break? Eddy Curry has emerged recently has an above-average center when it comes to scoring points, but he’s led the team in rebounding all of two times since the first of January. Yet, the Bulls are 31-18 since starting the season 0-9, and that means they’re definitely in the “Be Careful” category for the Sonics.

If you’re going to the game tonight, or if, like me, you’re stuck at home, here’s a quick look at some of the key players on the Bulls:

Andres Nocioni – Never heard of him? Neither had I. A 6’7” small forward, Nocioni has started the past four games since Luol Deng went down with an injury. He’s played well in that time, averaging 12/8 and logging some solid minutes. He began the year taking alot more 3’s, but since then he’s gone more to shorter jump shots and taken the ball into the lane, with improved results.

Eddy Curry – Chicago’s resident Center-of-the-Future, Curry has come on as the season has progressed, showing signs of brilliance and, more often, ineptitude. He’s equally capable of scoring 25 with 8 boards against the Blazers as he did on Wednesday, or 9 points with no rebounds, like his effort against the Spurs a week ago. Can he hurt the Sonics? Definitely.

Kirk Hinrich –Hinrich’s not a bad shooter, witness his near 40% mark from 3-point land in January, but he’s not a great decision-maker on what shots are best. Face it, a guard shouldn’t shoot below 40% from the field for the year, unless every shot is beyond the arc. Nonetheless, he gets his points and is the best player on this team now that Deng’s out. At 6’3” and 190 he’s not going to overpower anybody, but he’s absolutely capable of schooling young Luke. With AD questionable for tonight’s game, the Sonics could have trouble stopping him.

Othella Harrington – The Big Fella has always been a puzzle to his followers. I loved the guy when he played in Vancouver for his ability to get his points and boards on a consistent basis – and moreso for his skewering of the locals (when asked why he didn’t like Vancouver, Harrington replied, “Cuz it’s always raining, man.”). A strong presence down low, Harrington could have some fun matches with Fortson tonight. The Bulls play better when he’s on the court, much the same way the Sonics did earlier in the year when Fortson was able to provide offense and some punch off the bench.

All that said, this is a crucial game – in my mind – for the Sonics. 7 of their next 11 are on the road, with most of those 11 against playoff teams. A loss tonight could push the team into a tailspin – the last thing they need as the playoffs near. Fortunately, if the Sonics have shown one ability above all others this year, it’s resiliency. Whether via injuries or a doubting public, Nate’s crew has shown repeatedly that they are a legitimate contender. I’m guessing they’ll show us again tonight.

Spread: Sonics by 7 ½
Prediction: Sonics 102 – Bulls 90
Record Against the Spread: 15-12

Benoit is So Smart! S-M-R-T!

Oh, Big Ben.

Best. Benoit Benjamin story. Ever.

Game Night: Rock Steady

Is anyone else's all-time favorite Sonic memory the incredible run they made back in the spring of 1987, knocking off the Mavs and the Rockets before falling to the Lakers in the Western Conference Finals? I vividly recall racing home after baseball practice to watch Seattle take on Sampson, Olajuwon & Co. For crying out loud, a double OT deciding game, Bernie Bickerstaff getting named coach of the year, Dale Ellis is most improved ... man, the good times were gonna roll for us weren't they?

Well, it didn't quite happen as expected. Ellis, X, and Chambers couldn't maintain the glory they achieved that year, and it took almost ten years before Seattle rose to that sort of level again.

With my rambling done, let's look at tonight's game. In their only meeting this season, Seattle knocked off Houston 87-85 thanks in part to 10 more FTAs, a 50-37 rebounding edge, and in spite of hitting only 4 of 25 3 pointers. Yao took the Sonics to school, scoring 30 points before fouling out - a big reason why Seattle outscored Houston 26-19 in the 4th quarter.

Some writers will lead you to believe the loss to the Sonics was the switch that turned off the Rockets' red glare. After all, before their loss to Seattle, Houston had won 8 straight. Following that game, they went on a slide the featuring 3 straight losses.

I think the real culprit is Bobby Sura's back, though. After putting up Oscar Roberston-like numbers (or at least Fat Lever-like) for a couple of months, Sura's back has caused him to miss the last 6 games, during which time Houston's gone 2-4. A coincidence? I think not.

Since it looks like Sura won't play tonight, I think the smart money is on the Sonics. Hey, if they can knock off the Pistons at home, they shouldn't have any trouble with the Rockets.

Spread: Sonics by 4
Prediction: Seattle 96 - Rockets 87
Record against the spread: 15-11