Live From the Press Box - Sonics vs. San Antonio
Want to enjoy the electricity of being Live at the Hardwood even if you're thousands of miles away? SUPERSONICS.COM's Live From the Press Box in-game blog is your best bet. All night and all season long, Kevin Pelton will be bringing you pregame Q&As and observations from the game. Make sure to keep coming back or refreshing so you get the latest content.
It’s Over
Posted at 7:25 p.m.
Rookies Robert Swift and Damien Wilkins and guard Mateen Cleaves have checked in with 18.9 seconds left, mostly meaning they get to strip off their warm-ups. The Sonics dribble out the clock to finish a 111-92 victory.
The Capper
Posted at 7:23 p.m.
Vladimir Radmanovic puts an exclamation mark on the Sonics victory by stealing a Spurs pass and taking it the distance for the unopposed flush.
Hey, Hey, Goodbye
Posted at 7:20 p.m.
Jerome James has fouled out, but with the Sonics up 107-90 and 1:45 to play, it doesn’t really matter. The Spurs late-game tactics have succeeded only in making this game appear much more lopsided than it was.
A New One
Posted at 7:16 p.m.
The Spurs, who have seen the strategy used against them, are intentionally fouling Jerome James away from the ball before we get to the two-minute mark and that becomes one shot and continued possession. Robert Horry, with just one foul entering this stretch, gets the dubious honor. James split two free throws his first time to the line and knocks down both this time. That’s the way to make them stop.
Give It Up For AD
Posted at 7:13 p.m.
Antonio Daniels hits a three from the left baseline and the late Chick Hearn might have been ready to put this one in the refrigerator (is that Jello a jiggling?). The Sonics lead 99-85 with 3:34 left and the Spurs will be hard-pressed to make up the difference. Give it up for Daniels, who has been quietly excellent with 14 points on 4-for-5 shooting off the bench.
Time Is On Our Side
Posted at 7:09 p.m.
Tony Parker has been great in the lane, but has struggled from the perimeter. He’s missed on the last two possessions, and Antonio Daniels splits two free throws to put the Sonics up 14. Again, Ginobili ruins my post by hitting a three. Brent Barry in the game for Bruce Bowen as the Spurs look for scoring. Vladimir Radmanovic hits a three to give the Sonics a 94-80 lead, and that might be just about it …except Barry answers within seconds with a three. This has been a very entertaining game. Ginobili picks up his sixth foul on a driving Daniels, and he’s done for the night. Devin Brown checks in.
Momentum: Sonics
Posted at 7:07 p.m.
Rashard Lewis didn’t quite put the oop in Antonio Daniels’ alley-oop attempt, but he put the ball in the hole and drew the foul, hitting the free-throw line for an 87-74 Sonics lead. But no sooner do I type that then Manu Ginobili drains a three to get the lead back to 12. The refereeing has been consistent; the Sonics are now in the penalty with Jerome James at the line.
Plenty of Fouls
Posted at 7:00 p.m.
With 8:49 left in the fourth, the Sonics picked up their fifth team foul, meaning San Antonio shoots the rest of the way. That’s worth watching. After going to the line and hitting two again, Danny Fortson has 13 points, 11 rebounds and his first double-double with the Sonics (presumably it won’t be his last). After Vladimir Radmanovic comes up with an incredible block of Duncan on the defensive end (after Fortson tries to draw a charge), Rashard Lewis gets the offensive board and is fouled by Duncan, hitting two free throws to put the Sonics up 82-69. Showing no fear whatsoever, Gregg Popovich has rookie Beno Udrih in the game at the point as we approach “the stretch”. A standing O for Fortson as he checks out after picking up a debatable fifth foul.
Time for the Stars
Posted at 6:54 p.m.
Tim Duncan is back in the game, and Nate McMillan counters with Ray Allen. McMillan is currently incensed by a dubious loose-ball foul called against Rashard Lewis. Now another loose-ball foul on Danny Fortson, and the crowd doesn’t like it.
Spoke Too Soon
Posted at 6:51 p.m.
Horry hits a jumper and Massenburg gets a three-point play. Who needs Duncan?
No Duncan
Posted at 6:49 p.m.
Gregg Popovich starts the fourth quarter with Tim Duncan on the bench and veterans Robert Horry and Tony Massenburg as his frontcourt. Can the Sonics take advantage and boost their lead? Stay tuned.
To The Fourth
Posted at 6:45 p.m.
Looks like this one’s going to be tight the rest of the way - though Ray Allen is doing his best to keep the Spurs at bay. Two straight Allen scores late in the third quarter pushed the Sonics lead to 10. At the end of the quarter, it’s 72-62 Sonics.
A Quick Poll
Posted at 6:40 p.m.
Storming the Fort
Posted at 6:36 p.m.
Danny Fortson gets a huge hand from the crowd as he draws his third shooting foul of the quarter. Fortson has been incredibly aggressive around the basket and is now up to 11 points on the evening, including seven free throws to go with six rebounds. On the downside, Tony Parker’s quickness is beginning to wreak havoc on the Sonics no matter who is guarding him. Parker has 19; he and backcourt-mate Manu Ginobili are the only Spurs players in double-figures.
Through Two and a Half
Posted at 6:29 p.m.
The KeyArena crowd takes the Sonics into the timeout with a solid round of applause. 57-45 Sonics and they continue to play well as the game has tightened up into more of a halfcourt battle (11-6 Sonics so far this quarter). Tim Duncan still can’t get anything going (seven points), while Reggie Evans (10 points) is in double-figures for the second straight game. Feed Reggie!
The Return of Brent
Posted at 6:16 p.m.
Barry is keeping in touch with his former teammates.
Chris Covatta/NBAE/Getty
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Based on tonight’s pregame chat, it seems like the media might be making a bigger deal of Brent Barry’s return to Seattle than Barry has. Barry downplayed going to the visitor’s locker room at KeyArena instead of the Sonics locker room, noting he’d done it before while with the L.A. Clippers. Still, the city of Seattle and the Sonics clearly mean a great deal to Barry after he spent five years here.
A somewhat-unkempt Barry, with his hair tousled, told a good-sized throng of reporters that he’s still keeping close to his former Sonics teammates even now that he’s in San Antonio.
“I talk to these guys on the phone, I talked to them through the summer,” Barry said. “I talked to Nick about how his shoulders were feeling. I have ties with these guys that go beyond the basketball court, I’m friends with these guys. I’ll check up on them as time goes by.”
For more from and on Barry, be sure to check back with SUPERSONICS.COM tomorrow.
Halfway Home
Posted at 6:08 p.m.
Brent Barry missed a last-second three to end the first half, leaving the Sonics ahead 46-39 at the half. They struggled a bit late in the second quarter, but it’s hard to quibble with the overall effort. Tim Duncan is 1-9 from the field with two turnovers thus. Ray Allen and Rashard Lewis are providing the offense, combining for 26 points on 9-for-16 shooting. We’re getting treated to the acrobatic stylings of the Beale Street Flippers, always popular with the crowd.
Practice Shooting in Game Situations!
Posted at 6:02 p.m.
One lucky fan was chosen to shoot a halfcourt shot for a chance at $10,000 this morning at the Sonics Open House at the Hardwood, and his shot during the last timeout was on line but well short. Squatch then embarrassed him by hitting a backwards shot off glass from halfcourt later in the timeout. “No $10,000 for you,” intoned PA Announcer Matt Pitman.
Those Throws Aren’t Free
Posted at 5:56 p.m.
With 3:26 left in the half, the Sonics are in the penalty and the Spurs have four team fouls, which isn’t an uncommon situation this year (as I type this, at the 3:01 mark, San Antonio hits the penalty). Whether it’s because of the increased focus on eliminating contact between halfcourt and the free-throw line extended or something else, fouls per game are up from 21.45 per team per game to 24.62 through Saturday this year. Fouls are probably slightly higher early in the season, but the whistles have been quick, something worth watching.
All Sonics
Posted at 5:51 p.m.
We’re still fairly early, but the Sonics are playing some impressive defense so far. Traditionally an average offensive team at best, the Spurs have shot 46.4% and averaged 103 points through two games so far. Tonight, the Spurs are at a miserable 36.4%. Tim Duncan is 1-7, Tony Parker only slightly better at 2-7.
AD and Friends
Posted at 5:42 p.m.
Brent Barry isn’t the only guard playing his old team tonight. So is Sonics point guard Antonio Daniels, who spent four years in San Antonio and was a member of the Spurs 1999 title squad. I chatted with Daniels briefly in the locker room about playing the Spurs and his current role in Seattle.
Does it still mean something to you to play the Spurs?
Daniels: I think so. A couple of my best friends play for them - Tim (Duncan) and Malik (Rose) stood in my wedding this summer. They’re still very very good friends of mine and every time they come to town or I go to town, we go out and out, get together.
How about on the floor with Duncan and Rose?
Daniels: You know what? Out of the last four times we’ve played them, he’s (Tim) cut me three of the four times. Once over my eye, which I almost had to get stitches for. I had a long cut on my back and there was one more. It’s all in the fun of playing the game, it’s all good.
Are you comfortable with your role coming off the bench right now?
Daniels: Yeah. I would say yeah. Come off the bench, provide some veteran leadership and bring some sort of punch to the game.
Cause and Effect
Posted at 5:35 p.m.
Ray Allen hits a three (he now has 10 points), and Bowen immediately comes in the game. It’s not a coincidence, but Allen scores over him to get to 12.
Through One
Posted at 5:33 p.m.
I like what I’m seeing, and I’m sure the KeyArena faithful feel the same. The momentum seemed to change when Bruce Bowen hit the bench. Brent Barry has been defending Ray Allen, and I don’t have to tell you Ray likes that matchup a lot more than he likes going against Bowen, an All-Defensive First Teamer a year ago. We’ll get you the numbers on a possible run when we get complete first-quarter stats. Fornow, know the Sonics lead 25-19.
Big Fella
Posted at 5:27 p.m.
Jerome James has been active again tonight after coming up with four blocks on Friday. James just had two blocks on one possession and followed it up with another on the next possession for three already. Despite just committing a foul, James has kept Tim Duncan quiet so far - the Big Fundamental has two points in 10 and a half minutes. The Sonics are going to a front line of Nick Collison and Danny Fortson out of the timeout - we’ll see how that works defensively.
Good Clean Living
Posted at 5:22 p.m.
Reggie Evans is obviously doing something right. The Sonics forward was battling for a rebound with Tim Duncan and intended to tip it to himself. Instead, he tipped it in the hoop for his second basket of the night. It’s only six minutes in, but Evans is currently outscoring the opposing power forward, Duncan, 4-0. Who would have thunk it? So far, the Sonics have forced Duncan to be a jump shooter and the bank has been shut (it is Sunday, after all).
Matchup on the Boards
Posted at 5:15 p.m.
Something to watch tonight - Rasho Nesterovic vs. Reggie Evans on the San Antonio side of the court as they battle for rebounding position. That’s Nate McMillan’s worry about defending Tim Duncan with Jerome James.
“We’re going to try and force him out and start Jerome on him to try to get some length,” McMillan said. “My concern starting Jerome on him is we are small on the weak side with Nesterovic rebounding the ball. We’ve been hurt on the boards because they have two seven-footers. I don’t think you can give Tim a heavy dosage of the same defense.”
Evans drew a loose-ball foul on Nesterovic on the Spurs second possession, but Nesterovic just had a tip-in for the first points of the game.
Bones
Posted at 5:03 p.m.
Just prior to tip-off, the Sonics showed on ArenaVision a highlight video of Brent Barry’s five years in Seattle, capped by outtakes from some of the videos Barry made for the Sonics over the years. Afterwards, Barry got a rousing ovation. It would be lying if I didn’t say that Barry was one of my all-time favorite Sonics players, in part because he was an awesome interview but more because of how well he represented the Sonics over the years. It’s hard to believe that nobody thought much of trading for Barry back in the summer of 1999; it turned out to be one of the best deals in franchise history. Good luck in San Antonio and we’ll miss you, Brent.
Signing On
Posted at 5:00 p.m.
I’m going relatively big-time tonight with a seat in the front row of the Sonics Press Box in Section 214. The San Antonio Spurs, an early favorite to win the Western Conference, if not the NBA Championship, are in the house, and I’ve already had the chance to talk to former Sonics guard Brent Barry, making his return to Seattle with the Spurs. A few tickets are still left, so come on down if you’re in the house, or pull up a chair and get comfortable as we keep you updated all night long. Remember to hit refresh so you get the latest.
