When Sonics Coach Nate McMillan makes his first substitution at the 5:40 mark of the first quarter, replacing Jerome James with Vladimir Radmanovic, the Sonics still trail 14-6. There is no fear, however, because the cavalry has arrived. With guard Antonio Daniels and big men Nick Collison and Danny Fortson joining Radmanovic in the game later in the first quarter, the Sonics go on a 12-4 run to tie the game at 18 less than four minutes after the Sonics bench first arrived on the scene.

The Sonics never trail by more than two points the remainder of the game and cruise to a 99-89 victory.

Radmanovic has been a valuable matchup weapon for McMillan off the bench. David Sherman/NBAE/Getty

That's one game, but the scenario and the impact of the bench has been a constant throughout the Sonics successful start. If you're looking for the reason the Sonics are 18-4, atop the Northwest Division and boast the second-best record in the NBA entering Friday's showdown with the league-leading Phoenix Suns, you need to start with a reserve squad unparalleled throughout the NBA.

"Any time you're playing well, the bench is a big part of that," says McMillan, who should know, having played on some deep benches during the 1990s with the Sonics and finishing second in Sixth Man Award voting in 1993-94, when the Sonics won 63 games.

So far this season, the Sonics rank second in the NBA in combined bench scoring at 36.8 points per game. They're fifth in bench rebounding at 16.5 rebounds per game. Chicago leads the league in both categories, but the comparison isn't really a fair one; while Bulls Coach Scott Skiles has shuffled his starting lineup regularly and 10 different players have started games, the Sonics have used just one starting lineup and have established a consistent rotation of the bench.

In Daniels and Radmanovic, the Sonics are also one of only three teams (Memphis and Utah are the others) that boasts multiple players averaging double-figures scoring while starting less than half of their teams' games.

The most important yardstick for measuring a bench statistically, however, is not how many points they score or rebounds they grab. It's their impact on the game, as measured by how much they outscore opposing teams. It's not possible to exactly track how the Sonics do with the bench on the floor, but the adjusted plus-minus ratings compiled by 82games.com, which compare how the Sonics perform with a given player on the court and with him on the bench, provide a good guide.

After star guard Ray Allen (+16.3), the next three players on the Sonics this season in adjusted plus-minus rating are all reserves: Radmanovic (+13.8), Daniels (+10.7) and Fortson (+8.3). Amongst players who have primarily come off the bench, only Toronto's Lamond Murray (+14.2) has rated better than Radmanovic.

In this case, the numbers are picking up something that has been visible to the naked eye watching the Sonics this season: Bringing in Radmanovic to replace either James or Reggie Evans up front has caused opposing teams serious matchup problems and turned the Sonics into an entirely different team.

"We become faster," McMillan says of what bringing Radmanovic in does. "We become more of a spacing team and we become a running team, a better running team with him at the four. It makes us faster, allows us to play really to our strengths, which are pick-and-rolls, shooting and running."

Fortson leads the NBA in rebound percentage (22.9%) and free throws made per field-goal attempted (1.05, the next best is 0.65). Sam Forencich/NBAE/Getty

While Radmanovic's biggest impact usually comes in the first quarter, particularly when the Sonics starting lineup isn't having a great game, Fortson makes his presence felt during the fourth quarter. McMillan likes to bring him in when starters Allen and Rashard Lewis are going out, allowing Fortson's physical play down low to have maximum impact.

"If he's playing well in the second (quarter), then you see how things are going and you try to maximize him in the fourth," says McMillan.

While the statistics can tell the what and maybe even the how with regards to the performance of the Sonics bench, they don't speak to the why. That might be the most interesting part of this whole story.

Daniels, coming off the best season of his career, had every reason to think he would replace Brent Barry as the Sonics starter at the point. Instead, the job went to second-year man Luke Ridnour. Radmanovic, entering his fourth year with the Sonics, has in the past made no secret of his desire to start, Fortson asked for a trade from Dallas in the hopes of returning to the starting role he held in Golden State and Collison was drafted by the Sonics as their power forward of the future in 2003 before missing the entire season with shoulder surgery. Instead, Evans won the starting job.

It would have been difficult to fault any of the Sonics core reserves for complaining about their situation. Instead, they've never uttered a peep of complaint and made the most of the opportunity to be finishers in many games, if not starters.

"I don't sense one single bit of selfishness or unhappiness or greediness with the second unit out there," says Fortson. "That's a great thing, because that's never happened before since I've been in the league. Usually, you have some people griping about playing time or this, that and the other thing. Right now, everybody's happy because we're winning, we know what we have to do to get wins and everyone's working hard."

"I'm trying to put that role, coming off the bench, on the side," says Radmanovic. "I don't want to even think about it. I'm just trying to play basketball. That's what I'm concentrating on. I guess that's the only way to play. The last couple of years, I was thinking too much about starting and not coming off the bench, and that was disrupting my game and my rhythm. This year, I'm just trying to not think about it and come out every night and play."

Ultimately, the credit has to go to the players, but the situation wouldn't work were it not for the high esteem in which they all hold McMillan for his fairness and honesty.

"This system here is, work your butt off, play hard, Nate's going to find a way to put you in the game and give you a reward," says Fortson. "Deep down in everyone's hearts, we all know that. That's all you can ask for as a professional athlete."

Has Fortson had a coach like that before?

"Yeah, Bob Huggins," he says, referring to his legendary coach at the University of Cincinnati and omitting the seven coaches he's had in seven NBA seasons.

McMillan has also found a consistency in his rotation he was unable to last season because of unclear goals for the team and inconsistent performance on the court.

Daniels is fifth amongst all reserves in scoring this season. Jeff Reinking/NBAE/Getty

"It's been a lot more consistent," says Daniels, who was the team's first-, second- and third-string point guard at various times last season. "You know coming in what he expects out of you, when you're going to play. He's staying with the same rotation pattern as far as who's coming in first and when they're coming in, so you kind of know what to expect and know what to bring."

"You kind of know when you're coming in there and you know when your time is going to be, so you can prepare for it," says Collison.

That's also helped the bench forge a camaraderie on the court that has been crucial to its success. Fortson wants to make sure you know that.

"The number one thing - write this down, quote this - everybody likes everybody," he says. "That's it. That's the number one thing. If you've got people who like and get along with people, then it's going to be successful, it's going to be good."

Indeed, the Sonics bench has been successful this season, and very good.

"I think we have almost as strong a bench as a starting unit," says Radmanovic. "The guys coming off the bench, they are contributing every game, and that's one of the reasons why we are outscoring teams. Antonio's playing great; Danny's crashing the boards each and every night, and it's really hard to stop somebody when you have that kind of unit in and good rhythm. Then, with Ray and Rashard in, it's almost impossible to stop everything."

The initial crux of this story was that the Sonics bench was playing so well it needed a nickname, like "The Bench Mob" in Sacramento or "The Alternatorz" in Detroit. (On second thought, maybe it's just a Jon Barry thing; the fiery veteran was a part of both benches.) Radmanovic's comments, however, make that seem embarrassingly laughable.

"We're not thinking about that stuff," Radmanovic says. "All we are thinking about is winning the game and that's it. We don't need a name for the bench, we don't need a name for anybody, we just want to go out and beat everybody."

One correction, Vlade: Continue to go out there and beat everybody.