Kings for a Day

While the Dalai Lama peddled his magic elsewhere in the city, while the Mariners saw this year's supposed savior, Erik Bedard, miss yet another start, while the entire northwest was walking around mumbling to each other about how beautiful Saturday was, the Sonics put on a show that trumped it all.

Gary Payton, Fred Brown, Avery Johnson ... there was plenty of past glory floating around KeyArena, and for one night, at least, it was a good night to be a Sonic fan. Buoyed by the enthusiasm from the fans, the players got into the act and somehow managed to knock off one of the top teams in the Western Conference, the Dallas Mavericks, and give 16,000+ Sonic fans reason to cheer in a season that has been beyond ugly.

With a balanced scoring attack which saw five players in double-figures behind him, Earl Watson led the Sonics with 21 points, 10 assists, and eight rebounds, and Nick Collison contributed yet another double-double in a 99-95 victory.

But the game was about far more than the final score. Was it the final home game in Seattle basketball history? At the moment, I'm conflicted about the future. A part of me believes that the evil forces at work in the NBA will have their way and we may have seen the end of pro basketball at KeyArena last night.

But a larger part of me is optimistic, and believes that Clay Bennett has done enough damage to his reputation to ensure that the league will force him either to sell and/or accept another team in exchange.

Only time will tell, of course. Looking at the situation now, though, where do you stand? Was this the last game for the Seattle Sonics?

Kevin Calabro: World's Greatest Human

It's no secret that we at Supersonicsoul are huge Kevin Calabro fans, but this announcement makes me fall in love with KC all over again:

If the Sonics move to Oklahoma City next season, then longtime play-by-play announcer Kevin Calabro will be calling his final game tonight.

"I agonized over this for a few days, whether or not to say anything, but the fans have been so great to me and my family over 21 years and just to suddenly not show up for the final game on Sunday and disappear from the scene didn't seem quite right," Calabro said during a telephone interview from San Antonio. "That's not the way I wanted to go out."

Read the rest in the Seattle Times.

I'm old enough to remember Bob Blackburn, and how everyone thought no one would ever be able to replace the original voice of the Sonics. Then, along came KC. It was probably like being a Pat Boone fan in the 50's, and then you discovered Little Richard. Calabro was funny, intelligent and hip--not things you'd normally associate with sportscasters in the mid 1980's. He had an encyclopedic knowledge of basketball, but never let it get in the way of entertaining his listeners. When Kemp and Payton arrived in the 90's, KC was the perfect voice for the high-flying Supersonics.

I know for a fact, Calabro had opportunities to make more money elsewhere, but his loyalty to his family, the community and the Sonics kept him here when most people would have left. It's too bad Howard Schultz didn't share these traits.

Game Night: Spurs

The Sonics trudge towards the finish line with the third-to-last game of the season tonight in San Antonio.

Shockingly, the Sonics have not played badly against the Spurs, splitting the season series thus far. But with San Antonio eager to move up the playoff ladder, I'm not expecting much from tonight's affair.

In addition to the usual fanfare before the game, tonight's contest will re-unite PJ Carlesimo and Sam Presti with their S.A. roots, as both will receive championship rings before the game. You'll forgive PJ if he casts more than a few wistful glances at the Spurs' bench during the course of the game.

However, considering how poorly the Spurs have shot the ball in their recent outings, the Sonics have a small chance, if not to win, then at least to cover the spread. San Antonio is favored by 16 points, and when you see that they've averaged a mere 71 points a game over their past three games, well, it figures to be a low-scoring contest, right?

Yes, except that prior to those three games, the Spurs posted 116 points against the Warriors and 109 against the Rockets. With only Robert Horry and Brent Barry sidelined with injuries, as opposed to the Sonics' ongoing reenactment of M*A*S*H, the Spurs should roll quite easily over the weak Sonics. Final score: Spurs 92-Sonics 75.