The season series between Seattle and San Antonio was tied at 2-2 and highlighted by two games that went down to the wire. In the last game between the two on April 3, Spurs guard Tony Parker scored with 7.1 seconds for the 90-88 win. In the game before on March 29, Gary Payton hit a lay-up with 6.7 seconds left to give Seattle the 79-76 win. The last time the two teams faced each other in the playoffs, it was in the 1981-82 Western Conference Semifinals, which the Spurs won 4-1.

Nov. 1, 2001 - KeyArena - Sonics 114, Spurs 108
Box Score
Seattle defeated the Spurs 114-108 in their season opener at KeyArena, improving to 23-12 all-time in home openers and 6-1 since moving to the Key. Seattle’s three-ball specialists started the evening hot. Brent Barry and Rashard Lewis combined for seven bombs in the game and hit two apiece during the half. San Antonio led by four points at halftime. Strong performances by Tim Duncan and Antonio Daniels kept the game tight until the waning minutes of the fourth quarter, when Gary Payton regained the momentum for the Sonics with a combination of layups and perimeter jumpers. Bolstered by 13 points from Rashard Lewis in the third period, Seattle nursed an 81-74 lead heading into the final twelve minutes. The Spurs made a late run, but Gary Payton’s 13 fourth-quarter points proved too much to overcome. Tim Duncan led San Antonio with 22 points and 13 rebounds, while Antonio Daniels chipped in with 21. Payton finished with 25 points on 9-of-19 and a game-high 10 dimes. Barry and Lewis combined for 46 points on 7-of-12 from downtown. Barry topped off his line with three steals, six assists and seven boards.

Nov. 21, 2001 - Alamodome - Sonics 93, Spurs 110
Box Score
Fueled by a game-high 30 points and 13 rebounds from Tim Duncan, San Antonio beat the Sonics 110-93 at the Alamodome. The Spurs shot a red hot 54 percent from the field. San Antonio jumped out early and never looked back. With the game tied at 2-2, the Spurs exploded on an 18-2 run and led by double-digits for the duration. Duncan’s 16 points in the opening frame was just one shy of the Sonics leading scorer for the game, as Gary Payton led Seattle with 17 points and seven assists. Seattle shot 46 percent and finished with three players in double figures. Brent Barry and Calvin Booth added 13 and 12 respectively, while Olumide Oyedeji hauled in a game-high nine boards in only 16 minutes of work. Steve Smith and rookie Tony Parker scored 13 each for San Antonio, while Terry Porter and Malik Rose added 19 off the bench. David Robinson played 22 minutes and tallied 12 points and 4 rebounds. The Spurs outplayed the Sonics in nearly every category, including rebounds, (43-33) points in the paint, (56-42) second-chance points (18-11) and fast-break points (19-13).

Mar. 29, 2002 - KeyArena - Sonics 79, Spurs 76
Box Score
Despite being a low-scoing affair, game three of the season series provided playoff-style energy from the opening tip to the final horn, as neither team could successfully hold a lead. The first half featured six ties, as both teams headed into the break deadlocked at 38. A defensive battle ensued throughout the second half, as neither team mounted more than a five-point lead. Payton and Spurs guard Bruce Bowen highlighted the defensive fervor-jawing at one another during and after a series of possessions in the third quarter, when Payton scored eight of his team-high 19 points. Taking advantage of five Spurs turnovers in the fourth quarter, Seattle built a lead while Payton rested on the bench. Shammond Williams nailed three buckets early in the quarter, turning a four-point Sonics deficit into a 68-65 lead. After the brief breather, Payton returned and hit a 17-footer to extend the lead to 70-65 with 5:11 remaining. Steve Smith’s 3-pointer tied it at 74 before both teams made a series of trips to the charity stripe. With the score tied at 76 apiece and only six ticks left, Payton drove past Bowen and a host of Spurs before looping a shot over Duncan for the victory. Duncan led all scorers with 25 points and 16 boards. Robinson and Smith added 12 and 11 respectively. Barry and Jerome James added 10-points each for Seattle.

Apr. 3, 2002 - Alamodome - Sonics 88, Spurs 90
Box Score
The Sonics and San Antonio once again endured a tough, physical game that resulted in a 90-88 Seattle loss. The Sonics took a nine-point lead into the break after shooting a torrid 57 percent in the first half, but the Spurs came out of the locker room determined to evaporate the lead. With time running down in the third, Tim Duncan inadvertently levied an elbow to the right eye of Brent Barry, who departed briefly to receive five stitches. Following a Danny Ferry 3-pointer that gave the Spurs an 85-75 lead with 7:10 left to play, Seattle scored 13 of the next 16 points to knot the score at 88-88. Jerome James punctuated the surge with a close-range lane jumper at the 1:52 mark. Seattle didn’t score again in the contest, allowing San Antonio to sweat out a 90-88 win despite tacking only 14 points on the board in the final twelve minutes. With 6.8 ticks left, Duncan found ice-cold Tony Parker wide open for the go-ahead bucket. Seconds later he nicked Peja Drobnjak’s driving layup attempt to run out the clock. Duncan scored a game-high 30 points, grabbed 18 boards and dished a game-high nine assists. Robinson added 20 and Steve Smith 19 for the Spurs. Gary Payton paced Seattle with a team-high 24 points, 8 rebounds and 7 assists. Vin Baker chipped in 14 and James 12 for the Sonics.