Ray Allen

Vladimir Radmanovic

While the Spurs might have been able to write off their Game 3 loss to 15 missed free throws, Game 4 saw the Sonics simply dominate despite Rashard Lewis being sidelined by a sprained left big toe. San Antonio never led, and the Spurs starters were mostly on the bench by the five-minute mark.

On offense, the Sonics have found ways to exploit San Antonio's defense of pick-and-rolls. In Game 3, that meant hitting the roll player, usually Jerome James, in the lane. The result was James going 7-for-7 from the field and scoring 15 points. When the Spurs adjusted by going under screens and playing off of the ballhandler, the Sonics simply took the mid-range shots they were accorded. The result was 71 points on 29-for-48 shooting for their three guards (Luke Ridnour, Antonio Daniels and Allen). This has left the San Antonio defense on the defensive as they try to figure out how to stop the Sonics. There is little that can be done against the Sonics freelancing, which, combined with better ball movement, meant San Antonio allowed 50% shooing in a game for the first time in these playoffs.

At the other end of the court, the Sonics did a fine job of playing off of Tony Parker and daring him to shoot. Ridnour and Daniels were usually a couple of steps off of Parker and went under picks, daring him to shoot. Parker shot 5-for-13 from the field and was a non-factor in the game. More of a concern to San Antonio Coach Gregg Popovich were 23 turnovers, as many as his team has committed in 91 games between the regular season and the playoffs. Led by Damien Wilkins, the Sonics did a fine job of putting pressure on the Spurs, but ultimately solving that issue comes down to San Antonio executing better.

G U A R D S
	Parker has been progressively less productive in each game of this series, going from 29 points to 22 to 18 to 12. It's probably not a coincidence that the Spurs have been worse in terms of final margin in each game as well. More so than Tim Duncan, Parker is the key to the San Antonio offense. The Sonics have done a much better job of defending Parker, but a few fast-break layups could get him and the SBC Center crowd going tonight. Ridnour was phenomenal in Game 4, particularly in the third quarter, when he helped the Sonics take a commanding lead by scoring 15 points on 7-for-7 shooting.
	Allen was brilliant on Sunday, scoring 32 points on 12-for-20 shooting. It was a performance that recalled his work against the Sacramento Kings in the First Round, and it might have been the first time since then he's been completely healthy. Allen felt after Game 3 that the looks are there against Spurs defensive specialist Bruce Bowen; the issue was knocking those looks down. He did that in Game 4. Brent Barry did not start the second half of Game 4 and had a very quiet night, scoring two points in 22 minutes.
F O R W A R D S
	Still bothered by his sprained left big toe, Lewis is a game-time decision for tonight's game. He did not participate in this morning's shootaround. Lewis wants to get on the court, but is less insistent about doing so after the Sonics played well without him in Game 4. Daniels replaced Lewis in the starting lineup and was outstanding, coring 19 points and handing out seven assists. As good as he is on defense, Bowen has been unable to get anything going on offense in this series. He's totaled just 15 points in 168 minutes on 4-for-16 shooting.
	"Tim Duncan played like it was a playoff game," said Popovich after Game 4. "He looked around and he couldn’t find anybody to help him." Duncan, who was spotted working on his free throws well before the game, got to the line 17 times and made 14 of them after shooting only 9-for-15 at the line in Game 3. The Sonics did do a solid job forcing Duncan to the perimeter at times when he wasn't fouled, and Duncan's 10-for-19 shooting wasn't outstanding. Reggie Evans leads the Sonics in rebounding in this series at 7.3 per game.
C E N T E R
	James may not have made any of his six shot attempts from the field, but his mere presence was enough of force the Spurs to change the way they defended the Sonics pick-and-rolls. If San Antonio goes back to double-teaming the ballhandler and doesn't bring over a third defender, James finishing as he did in Game 3 will become critical. James contributed on defense with three blocks and six rebounds. San Antonio centers Nazr Mohammed and Rasho Nesterovic were non-factors in Game 4, combining for two points and six rebounds in 32 minutes.
B E N C H
	Manu Ginobili (right) had 15 points and seven rebounds off the bench for the Spurs, but his was still a relatively quiet game. Scuttle has it Ginobili could end up starting Game 5. The other points scored by the Spurs bench mostly came after the game was decided in the fourth quarter, as Robert Horry scored just two points. Injuries thinned out the Sonics bench, with only Damien Wilkins (left), Nick Collison and Danny Fortson seeing heavy action. Wilkins' performance - 15 points, six rebounds, five steals - was critical to the Sonics win. Collison had a tough day finishing inside, but had six rebounds and played his usual heady basketball. Playing alongside Fortson helped Collison, as he did not have to defend Duncan.

TEAM LEADERS ALLEN DUNCAN Allen 21.3 PPG Duncan 26.3 Evans 7.3 RPG Duncan 9.8 Daniels 4.8 APG Parker 5.3 Wilkins 2.3 SPG Parker 1.3 James 2.0 BPG Duncan 3.3 Lewis 39.0 MPG Parker 37.0

The Sonics are undefeated this season when Duncan scores at least 30 points against them (2-0).

INJURIES

Sonics - Forward Rashard Lewis (sprained left big toe) is a game-time decision. Forward Vladimir Radmanovic (sprained right ankle) is out.

San Antonio - None.

For more analysis before tonight's game, listen to David Locke on the Sonics Pregame Show starting at 5:50 on KJR 950 AM and 6:00 on Sonics Radio Network stations.