Goodbye, Basement

Ah, the sweet, sweet smell of fourth place. Eat our dust, Portland, we're moving on up.

Okay, it's really not that big of deal, but still, in a season that has been one step out of the depths of hell, passing our hated rivals from the Beaver State is about all Sonics fans have to enjoy.

Crazy win last night; the Sonics made more 3's than free throws, Watson and Marbury combined to hit 14 of 19 from 3-point range, and Johan Petro Hendersoned Chris Wilcox (and we can all agree, Coach K was not to blame this time).

In fact, with a Sonic win tonight and a Golden State loss to the Nuggets (both unlikely, but, hey, it's possible), the Sonics would climb to within a couple of percentage points of the Warriors.

One problem in that scenario is the Sixers, who haven't played since Sunday and are riding a four-game win streak. And before you start making snide remarks about quality of opponents, note that included in those four wins are games against Phoenix, Sacto, and the Nets. Andre Iguodala has been huge for Philly, posting McGrady-like numbers in '07, and Lewis is going to have to work hard to shut him down. With Joe Smith and Kyle Korver coming off the bench, the Sonics won't be in for an easy evening tonight.

Even factoring in the high of Tuesday's win, I'd still expect the Sixers to win tonight. Call it 101-89, Philly.

Gay Marriage and the Sonics

It’s been beat to death on the internet in the past couple of weeks (seriously, no matter what side you’re on, can anyone read LZ Granderson’s column and come away thinking anything but: Shut up?), so I’m curious as to what people who visit this site think about the Sonics being owned by two men who rather not see two other men walking down the aisle.

I’ll put my opinion out there first. Personally, it doesn’t bother me that the Sonics would be owned by people opposed to gay marriage. Honestly, I don’t think the government should be involved in anybody’s marriage; it’s a matter between two individuals, and nobody else ought to be messing with it. I guess I look at it that it’s their money and they can do what they want.

But that’s me. Most folks in Seattle are much more left-leaning, I’d say, although it’s possible sports fans are slightly more conservative than the bran-eating Volvo drivers who are more likely to watch PBS than ESPN.

All that said, do you care if Tom Ward and Aubrey McClendon gave $1 million of their own cash to pay for an initiative that would ban gay marriage? Is this truly worth talking about, or is it merely a ploy of anti-stadium activists looking to cause trouble? On the one hand, it’s their money. On the other, if the Sonics turn a profit (and you know they will, at least in the long run), your ticket money will – at least partially – be funding these types of initiatives.

Let us know your thoughts. And, please, try to keep the rhetoric to a minimum. If you think gay people are the devil, fine, but we’re not interested. Go phone Rush Limbaugh, or somebody who cares. We’re only interested in getting a feeling as to whether this story even is a story.

Allen Guts It Out

Despite what must be terrific pain in his left ankle, Ray Allen gutted it out and led the Sonics to a win on Sunday night against Charlotte, the Sonics' fifth straight win at home. In fact, according to numerous reports, Allen has decided to postpone surgery until after the season, barring any change in his level of pain.

And while my initial reaction to this news was, "Why?," after reading about bone spurs, it becomes obvious that having the surgery this summer won't impinge on the Sonics' success in the upcoming season. Recovery time - and this is a general rule - is typically 6 to 8 weeks. Assuming the Sonics don't make it to the Finals (I'm going out on a limb here), Allen could be fully recovered by July, giving him plenty of time to get ready for the season.

And that's probably exactly what Allen and the Sonics were thinking. If the surgery doesn't affect next season, and if Allen can play with the pain, then why not let him play? Ray's comments that the team might - perhaps subconciously - tank the season if he decided to sit out is accurate.

Obviously, how the Sonics play the next couple of months doesn't mean squat for next year (or have you already forgotten the 15-11 run to finish last season, that portended great things?), but there's no harm in giving a message to the rest of the team that their best player doesn't pack it in when things get difficult.

Speaking of packing it in, the Sonics will be visiting a slew of contenders for Greg Oden in the next week or so. But before you start penciling in road victories, bear this in mind: the Knicks have won 2 straight and the Sixers and Celtics are both working on four-game win streaks. In other words, the trip won't be a cakewalk.