Pickin' Time

Well, apparently Vegas is on the Kings' side, as they've got Sac as a 5.5 favorite for Friday's tilt. After removing the egg from my face after a disastrous pick in game 2, I'm going to go with the Sonics to cover in game 3.

Fact is, the Kings look as played out as my Stevie Wonder "Songs in the Key of Life" album. Brad Miller is done for this season, regardless if he plays or not, Peja - healthy or not - is apparently incapable of producing in the playoffs, and all the stupid giveaways in all of Sacto aren't going to help the Kings play interior defense.

I see Ray-Ray continuing his strong run with another solid game, further improved play from Braidzilla, and some desparate "intensity" from Sacramento. Despite all of their tough talk after game 2, the Kings won't stop the Sonic rebounders because, well, they can't. Yeah, the Kings will start out hot, and they may even lead after 1 quarter, but the Sonics will overcome.

Here come da smack: Sonics 101 - Kings 97.

Inside the NBA (and Capeside)

Sorry, I just couldn’t resist

Some topics here at Supersonicsoul are just lightning rods for controversy: Luke vs. A.D., Dreads vs. Headbands, Ray Allen: superstar or soon to be super overpaid, Bizarro Jeromes: fact or mythical being… I’ve said my peace on most of these and I’ll leave it upon the smarter minds here to decide.

Some other thoughts-

-The 2 games on TNT last night went as predicted with Pheonix beating the Grizzlies 108-103 and the Spurs rebounding in a major way, blowing out the underrated, why is nobody giving us our respect, blah-blibbity-blah-blah uber-team Denver Nuggets 104-76. Please remember to get back on the wagon you started on folks, buckle your seatbelts, and await the no smoking sign to be turned off as we exit this small amount of turbulence to clearer skies ahead.

-I had to check on our neighborhood blogger Matt’s health the other day after the Spurs game 1 loss. Seriously, emotional wreck and nervous breakdown are understatements when describing his status. He’s busy on a project deadline, and actually left me a stern, jittery, slightly incoherent voicemail warning me not to call him with results of game 2 because he wasn’t gonna find out the outcome till he went home and watched the TIVO recording and didn't want me to spoil it. Please light a candle for him, he needs help…

-John Thompson during the phoenix game: speaking of defense, “I just love the way that Sonics team plays defense….” Huh?!?

-John Thompson… announcing a Phoenix game, talking about great defense, and referring to the Supes. Is this funny? May I laugh at this? (I absolutely HATE those commercials.)

-Dallas vs. Houston game 3 tonight 6:30 Pac time on TNT: I know you’re all diehard Sonics fans in here, but please do yourself a favor and get involved in this series. It’s the clear AND cream of the 1st round crop.

-Chuck, don’t listen to EJ and Kenny. Spurtability is too a word! My ex used it do describe my bedroom skills. (Gotta give them that O-face! Oh-yeah! You know what I’m talking about!)

-Oohh that Veronica! She's so arrogant, I hate her! What a b***h!

-I’ve been much too preoccupied of late analyzing the backs of my eyelids, but today I actually got up early and caught up with The Creek:

Creek updates:
-Dawson is filming a movie: it’s a rip-off of Saturday Night Fever and he’s shagging the hot lead actress.
-Pacey is sporting a wicked goatee and going out with the token hot girl with an English accent (Shouldn’t the show be giving royalties to Friends by now??)
-Holy crap! Token hot English girl’s name is Emma! Can..., I..., BEEE…, any more unoriginal?
-To give her an edge, they’ve got Joey working as a waitress in some dive bar… and she’s also banging the dark and mysterious bartender with a chip on his shoulder. Cliché’s galore folks.
-Dawson’s mom started doing acid and joined a biker gang… Just kidding. It was crystal meth…
-It’s the Christmas episode and the cast is sporting outfits 58c-64b from pages 24-26 of ye olde J. Crew catalog. How nice. Subliminal promo tie-ins. Please, just shoot me. And also get me that periwinkle blue scarf with the frolicking reindeer knitted in while you’re at it.
-Joey’s dad is apparently done serving his 5-10 for being the drug czar/crime lord of good ol’ Capeside (that premise always KILLED me) and is participating in the yuletide shenanigans.
-Huge shocker here, Dawson’s conscience forces him to drop the smoking hot actress. Young Leary must hold the record for most amount of ‘tang left untouched due to moral obligations.
-Joey’s roommate and Pacey’s ex-girlfriend came home with them; She’s apparently now an alcoholic and pill-popper and just crashed Pacey’s car into a picket fence. The new car was purchased from some illegal funds Pacey’s been obtaining. I’m trying to read between the lines but I’m still not sure if he’s now been turned into a pimp, hitman, or consigliere to some Mafia overlord.

Please note: All of the preceding occurred in just two episodes.

I’m sorry to keep on with this topic, but on a previous post I said that the wheels fell of the show sometime. Well, I was only halfway right. The wheels were actually taken off by West Coast Customz, replaced with deuce-deuce w/ Pirelli tires, they turbo-supercharged the engine, gave it a whole new cherry red paint job (with flames)… and Mad Mike threw on like fifteen 30” HDTV screens on that mutha… and a cappuccino maker.

Dawson’s Creek: Congratulations… you’ve officially been pimped.

And now back to our regular NBA/Supersonic schedule.

Sonics Fashion Corner: Slick & Twisted

They still haven't retired your jersey, Slick, and now this?!

[Somewhat off-topic but fairly time-sensitive, methinks...]

Thanks to a team policy, the world has been blessed with a swarthier, decidedly less-sexy Yugoslavian version of Bo Derek in "10":

(Radmanovic) used to wear a headband when his hair got long, but McMillan implemented a no-headband rule last year, saying yesterday: "I didn't like all the retro stuff that goes on. You play basketball. Style is for the sidelines."
That's what led to Radmanovic's first hairdo in Game 1, a homemade version designed and braided by his sister.
(Seattle P-I, 04/28)

I guess this is "one of Nate's million rules" that Danny Fortson mentioned a while back.

Nate has had well-nigh Papal Infallibility in my book all year, but I gotta draw the line here for a couple reasons:

1. What do you mean you don't like all the retro stuff that goes on, Nate? Up until the beginning of this season when you went to the Taye Diggs, your box cut was retro to 1987! You still wear your shirt tucked into your sweats! You wear booty shorts! You are as retro as they come, Coach!
2. Slick Watts, one of the greatest Sonics ever, was the man who popularized the headband! The headband is possibly the most enduring contribution to The Sport of Basketball to emerge from this franchise (c'mon, name another?), and you're telling me no one on Slick's old team can wear one? Christian-Frickin'-Laettner can rock the headband, but not, say, Flip Murray or Reggie Evans?

Hey, if the braids are working for Vlade, then more power to him. Hope he hits 10 treys on Friday and signs an endorsement deal with Avon. But any policy that inflicts us with pony tails on grown men and Venus Williams* braids on a white dude has got to go. Please. Give us headbands!

--chunkstyle23
Supersonicsoul.com Fashion Correspondent

*goodlookinout to my little bro for that one