A matchup of Northwest Division superpowers in Minnesota as the Sonics tangle with the T-Wolves. Kevin Garnett is, well, probably the best statistical player in the league and is coming off a near triple-double in Minny's last game.
Good Sign: Seattle's interior presence is better than last year.
Bad Sign: The Wolves took 3 of 4 last year.
Questions: Will Danny Forston get some calls from the zebras? Is Sam Cassell fully healthy? Can the Sonics keep Garnett in some sort of check, and who's going to shut him down?
Notes: What was the name of that guy who was supposed to help the Sonics drain 3's off the bench? Ibawhat? ... Michael Olowokandi could miss the game with the flu ... Fortson pulled a trifecta in the Seattle media, as all 3 papers ran stories about his lack of respect from NBA refs ... Garnett shot 68% against the Sonics in 4 games last season ... Ray Allen has made more 3's this year (36) than any T-Wolf has attempted (35, Hudson) ... Allen is hitting only 40% from the field over the last 3 games.
Vegas line: T-Wolves by 6 1/2
Over/Under: 191 1/2
Prediction: T-Wolves 97-Sonics 83
Record Against the Spread: 4-2
Tuesday, November 23
Monday, November 22
Amazing
Credit my brother with pointing this out:
The Pistons get into a huge on-court fight with Indiana, it spills out onto the crowd, the game is ended prematurely, a guy gets suspended for the season, four others get suspended for lengthy terms...
and Rasheed Wallace didn't have anything to do with it.
The Pistons get into a huge on-court fight with Indiana, it spills out onto the crowd, the game is ended prematurely, a guy gets suspended for the season, four others get suspended for lengthy terms...
and Rasheed Wallace didn't have anything to do with it.
It's Go Time
The rubber is about to meet the road. The Sonics – and their playoff-thirsty fans – are on the verge of finding out if their early-season successes are a legitimate indication of talent or just that – early-season successes.
For the first 11 games of the year, Sonics opponents were less than stellar, with a cumulative record of 48-52, for a 48% winning percentage.
Contrast that to the next 11 games, when Seattle will go up against teams with a record of 59-46 (56 %).
Utah, Minnesota, Dallas, San Antonio – they all await. Thankfully, the Sonics will meet Eastern power Indiana while the Pacers are still reeling from the Malice at Auburn Hills, but the schedule is nonetheless intimidating. This next fortnight will tell us the truth about the Sonics; if they win less than 5 games, then this team is no different than the ‘02-‘03 version that stormed out of the gate at 8-2 before crashing into the guiderail within a month.
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Some random notes:
According to 82games.com, Seattle’s four best players are Radmanovic, Daniels, Allen, and Fortson. It’s worth noting that the Sonics produce a 73% winning percentage with AD as opposed to Ridnour’s 60% ... Using John Hollinger’s PER rating (15 is considered the league average), Seattle’s 2-guards are at 25.6 per game while opponents’ 2-guards are at 11.6 ... This isn’t about the Sonics, but it’s worth mentioning. After Vince Carter’s iPod debacle last week, Carter happened to notice Tim Duncan using same before their game on Sunday. Air(head) Carter pointed out said fact to a reporter, who ratted out Duncan. Nice work, Vince. Too bad you couldn’t score more than four points against the Spurs, though.
For the first 11 games of the year, Sonics opponents were less than stellar, with a cumulative record of 48-52, for a 48% winning percentage.
Contrast that to the next 11 games, when Seattle will go up against teams with a record of 59-46 (56 %).
Utah, Minnesota, Dallas, San Antonio – they all await. Thankfully, the Sonics will meet Eastern power Indiana while the Pacers are still reeling from the Malice at Auburn Hills, but the schedule is nonetheless intimidating. This next fortnight will tell us the truth about the Sonics; if they win less than 5 games, then this team is no different than the ‘02-‘03 version that stormed out of the gate at 8-2 before crashing into the guiderail within a month.
----
Some random notes:
According to 82games.com, Seattle’s four best players are Radmanovic, Daniels, Allen, and Fortson. It’s worth noting that the Sonics produce a 73% winning percentage with AD as opposed to Ridnour’s 60% ... Using John Hollinger’s PER rating (15 is considered the league average), Seattle’s 2-guards are at 25.6 per game while opponents’ 2-guards are at 11.6 ... This isn’t about the Sonics, but it’s worth mentioning. After Vince Carter’s iPod debacle last week, Carter happened to notice Tim Duncan using same before their game on Sunday. Air(head) Carter pointed out said fact to a reporter, who ratted out Duncan. Nice work, Vince. Too bad you couldn’t score more than four points against the Spurs, though.
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