Sunday, February 24, 1991 is not a day that jumps into the mind as a memorable one.
The Silence of the Lambs had dominated the box office that weekend, topping the lists for the second time in what would prove to be a five-week run as the top movie in the country. More importantly, the US launched ground war offenses into Iraq after six weeks of bombing, a battle which would end by the next weekend with the allied forces victorious.
But for the crowd of 12,080 gathered at the Seattle Center Colisseum that evening, it was an auspicious event, a foreshadowing of greatness in many ways, for that night, unbeknownst to anyone, was to be the first of many nights in which Shawn Kemp would take his place in the starting lineup matched up with Karl Malone.
Kemp had begun the season on the bench, and in Seattle’s first clash with Utah, a thrilling 97-96 loss at the Salt Palace, Kemp would only play 17 minutes as Michael Cage, Xavier McDaniel and Derrick McKey received the lion’s share of the forward and center minutes.
That all changed on December 7th, though, when the Sonics dealt the X-Man to Phoenix for veteran supersub Eddie Johnson. That evening in Orlando, while Johnson and McDaniel were packing their bags and journeying to their new homes, Kemp was inserted in the starting lineup, a position he would not relinquish (with the exception of a small spell in 91-92) for the better part of seven years.
It is said that the true judge of a great player is how he matches up against another great player, and there was no greater power forward in the NBA in the early 1990s than Karl Malone. Averaging close to 30 points a game and a double-digit rebounding total every night out, Malone was a fierce opponent for any player, let alone a youngster who just got the thumbs-up to drink legally less than two months before (insert alcoholism pun here).
Despite the overwhelming differences in the two teams’ records (Utah at 35-17, Seattle at a middling 24-28), the Sonics prevailed 103-91, thanks in no small part to a young Shawn Kemp’s 22 points. Still, even a true devotee of the green and gold would have to admit that Malone won the battle, even if he lost the war, as the Mailman finished with 29 points, 7 boards, and 5 assists.
Six years, and many battles, later, the two would match up again in late February, the final time Shawn Kemp and Karl Malone would face one another as members of the Sonics and Jazz, respectively. Again, Malone would win the battle, but Kemp won the war, as Malone’s 32-point night and Kemp’s 3-point (!) evening were overshadowed by a 2-point Sonic win in Salt Lake City.
In the intervening years, the two would match up no fewer than 25 times during regular season play, and another 17 times during post-season play, including, of course, the classic seven-game Western Conference Finals in 1997. In the next few days, we’ll take a closer look at how these two titans fared against one another, but for today, I’ll provide a small glimpse at their total numbers.
Regular Season Wins
Kemp 12, Malone 13
Playoff Wins
Kemp 8, Malone 9
PPG, Regular Season
Kemp 14.6, Malone 26.6
PPG, Playoffs
Kemp 16.6, Malone 26.8
Rebounds, Regular Season
Kemp 9.1, Malone 10.7
Rebounds, Playoffs
Kemp 9.6, Malone 10.8
TS%, Regular Season
Kemp 55%, Malone 57%
TS%, Playoffs
Kemp 62%, Malone 54%
You can tell that Malone dominates the raw numbers, a not unexpected occurrence considering the way he dominated the league for so long. But this study will delve a little deeper than the raw points and rebounds by which players are usually judged – and I believe, they’ll show that while the Mailman has the illusion of being far greater than Kemp, if you look closely at the numbers, and if you focus on the 10 biggest games of their careers in head-to-head competition, you might come away with a different impression altogether.
Tuesday, February 24
Suit Still Ongoing
The PBC managed to extricate itself from the majority of the legal cases in Seattle, but there is still one - albeit much smaller - case in which it finds itself entangled.
Greg Johns at the PI details today how the case between a group of Sonic season-ticket holders is still pending, at that there is a fair chance the group could see damages of up to $7.5 million, now that a Federal Judge has granted them a jury trial on a portion of their case.
It's a small pound of flesh, granted, but considering what Seattle fans went through with the Oklahomans, I'm guessing it might be a little more salve for the wounds.
Greg Johns at the PI details today how the case between a group of Sonic season-ticket holders is still pending, at that there is a fair chance the group could see damages of up to $7.5 million, now that a Federal Judge has granted them a jury trial on a portion of their case.
It's a small pound of flesh, granted, but considering what Seattle fans went through with the Oklahomans, I'm guessing it might be a little more salve for the wounds.
Friday, February 20
KeyArena: Deal or No Deal?
There are two ways one can interpret Angela Galloway's story in the Seattle PI this morning, a story which paints an ominous picture of the future of Sonics' basketball in Seattle.
1) Rep. Ross Hunter and the legislature is just trying to get this situation out of their collective laps, and pin the responsibility solely in the hands of the City of Seattle. By only providing authorization to the city to raise taxes - an authority the city already possesses, thank you very much - Hunter's bill 2252 really doesn't do much of anything. Looked at from that vantagepoint, it seems clear that Olympia is more interested in making sure they don't get accused of letting Clay Bennett's $30 million penalty payment go down the drain without any action on their part.
2) Hunter, and the city, are not done working on this. This, to me, is the more likely scenario. As in everything in politics, the devil is not in the details, but in the negotiations. Perhaps, just perhaps, Hunter is trying to keep this topic in the news by any means necessary, knowing that if he waits until spring to act, it will be too late. Lest we forget, the most common invective hurled at the state legislature in the past two years has the accusation that they have acted with all the swiftness of an Alton Lister fast break, when they should have proceeding more like Sedale Threatt.
If you choose to view this as a glass half-full scenario, then you might want to holster this quote from Hunter in your arsenal, in which he comments on how long it would take for a bill to be put together to satisfy the requirements of Bennett's payment to the city:
"These things are always done in three days at the end of session."
As it stands now, the city has rejected Hunter's bill, and the state has rejected the city's plan to use the hotel/motel tax. It is, simply, a minor impasse, not a major one, at least from where I sit. The important aspect to remember is that the two sides are still talking about the future of KeyArena. And while the aftertaste of reading this story might be bitter, remember that an even less tasty option would be this one:
No one talking about KeyArena at all.
1) Rep. Ross Hunter and the legislature is just trying to get this situation out of their collective laps, and pin the responsibility solely in the hands of the City of Seattle. By only providing authorization to the city to raise taxes - an authority the city already possesses, thank you very much - Hunter's bill 2252 really doesn't do much of anything. Looked at from that vantagepoint, it seems clear that Olympia is more interested in making sure they don't get accused of letting Clay Bennett's $30 million penalty payment go down the drain without any action on their part.
2) Hunter, and the city, are not done working on this. This, to me, is the more likely scenario. As in everything in politics, the devil is not in the details, but in the negotiations. Perhaps, just perhaps, Hunter is trying to keep this topic in the news by any means necessary, knowing that if he waits until spring to act, it will be too late. Lest we forget, the most common invective hurled at the state legislature in the past two years has the accusation that they have acted with all the swiftness of an Alton Lister fast break, when they should have proceeding more like Sedale Threatt.
If you choose to view this as a glass half-full scenario, then you might want to holster this quote from Hunter in your arsenal, in which he comments on how long it would take for a bill to be put together to satisfy the requirements of Bennett's payment to the city:
"These things are always done in three days at the end of session."
As it stands now, the city has rejected Hunter's bill, and the state has rejected the city's plan to use the hotel/motel tax. It is, simply, a minor impasse, not a major one, at least from where I sit. The important aspect to remember is that the two sides are still talking about the future of KeyArena. And while the aftertaste of reading this story might be bitter, remember that an even less tasty option would be this one:
No one talking about KeyArena at all.
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