Live From The Press Box - Sonics vs. Utah
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 is A Final
Posted at 9:51 p.m.
129-119 Sonics your final. They outscore Utah 19-9 in overtime to move to 14-3 this season and 8-0 at KeyArena. San Antonio (7-0) is the only other NBA team undefeated at home. Remember to tune in to the Sonics Postgame Show on KJR 950 AM with David Locke and Elise Woodward.
Ballgame
Posted at 9:46 p.m.
Ray Allen at the free-throw line with the Sonics still up 124-117 and 37.0 seconds showing on the clock. He hits them both. I think we can safely mark this one in the “W” column.
AD FOR 3!
Posted at 9:44 p.m.
With the shot-clock winding down, Antonio Daniels dribbles into a three-pointer. Now that’s a gut shot. Sonics lead 124-117 with 1:04 to play.
Sonics by 4
Posted at 9:42 p.m.
Ray Allen hits a three, Danny Fortson forces Carlos Boozer to tip a rebound out of bounds and the Jazz turn it over after a Sonics miss. We’re counting down toward the one-minute mark.
Fortson Factor
Posted at 9:39 p.m.
He’d been quiet for a while, but Fortson’s putback gives the Sonics the lead back after a Howard Eisley three. Rashard Lewis follows with a steal for a breakaway and it’s 118-115 Sonics, but Mehmet Okur is headed to the free-throw line.
Mehmet Okur
Posted at 9:39 p.m.
You know, it worked out great, but you’re telling me Larry Brown couldn’t have found more playing time for this guy? He can’t start in Utah over Jarron Collins? Because Okur looks like the fourth-best player on the court right now (trailing Ray Allen, Rashard Lewis and Carlos Boozer). Two Antonio Daniels free throws give the Sonics a 114-112 lead with four minutes to play.
OT
Posted at 9:35 p.m.
Howard Eisley misses, grabs his rebound, then misses again to force overtime. Was Eisley (five points) really the best guy to shoot that shot?
VLADE FOR 3!
Posted at 9:32 p.m.
It tickles the twine, and we’re all square at 110 with 10.5 seconds left. 21 points for Radmanovic. Timeout Jazz as they draw up a last play. It’s a shame someone has to lose this game (though, all things considered, we’d prefer it be the Jazz).
It’s On Boozer
Posted at 9:30 p.m.
The Sonics foul Carlos Boozer, a 76.8% free-throw shooter last year. The one-time Dookie calmly sinks two to make it a three-point game with 18.2 seconds left and push him past his career high. Timeout Sonics - it’s their last.
This Close
Posted at 9:28 p.m.
That’s what Ray Allen was to a potentially game-tying and one. He’ll settle for two free throws.
Portland Saturday
Posted at 9:28 p.m.
Take a second out from your stressing over the end of this game to remember the Sonics are back at KeyArena Saturday against their Northwest (Division) rivals, the Portland Trail Blazers. Don’t miss a minute of the action in the battle for Northwest supremacy.
Get your tickets now!
Big Possession
Posted at 9:27 p.m.
Well, obviously. The Sonics have the ball down 108-105 with 28.0 seconds to play. Howard Eisley blew a layup and Matt Harpring missed a three around a costly Antonio Daniels turnover.
Come With Me
Posted at 9:25 p.m.
Coming out of the timeout, the Sonics play “Come With Me”, by P. Diddy, something my friends and I have always believed to be good luck. Ray Allen gets to the free-throw line. Coincidence? I think not.
A Break
Posted at 9:22 p.m.
The Sonics get the benefit of a big close call, as Raja Bell is called for an offensive foul for pushing off, giving the Sonics back the ball with 1:24 left on the clock and Utah in the lead, 108-103. They’ve been going to Rashard Lewis matched up with Matt Harpring recently, but you don’t want to go away from Ray Allen.
Stops
Posted at 9:17 p.m.
The Sonics can’t get them. It’s not like they’re playing particularly poor defense, but Utah is hitting everything right now. Mehmet Okur has 21 points, all of them on contested jumpers (okay, not quite, but it sure seems that way). Carlos Boozer has now tied his career high with 34 points. But the Sonics are shooting well as well, so they can win if they string together a couple of stops.
Back and Forth
Posted at 9:11 p.m.
KeyArena has split personality, depending on who has the ball. Luke Ridnour tied his career high with 17 points; the crowd sprung to life. Carlos Boozer scored to give him 30 points; it quieted. Ray Allen hit a three; loud. Carlos Boozer off glass; quiet. Vladimir Radmanovic three; loud. Mehmet Okur three (he’s got 19 all of a sudden); quiet. Let’s not get carried away, but this is really reminiscent of some of the great Sonics-Jazz games from the 90s. With 5:07 to play, the Sonics lead 99-98. But Utah has the ball.
Cool Hand Luke
Posted at 9:09 p.m.
With the shot-clock running down, Luke Ridnour couldn’t find anyone to pass it to. So he just casually fired up the three himself. Splash! Ridnour has 15 points, a bucket away from his career high, and the Sonics are back in the lead.
Appropriate Quote
Posted at 9:06 p.m.
Nate McMillan on the Jazz: “They play physical; they grab, they hold. You have to play through that, and you’re not going to get calls all the time, and you can’t allow that to affect how you’re playing them.”
Marked Man
Posted at 9:04 p.m.
Danny Fortson has, within the span of 10 seconds of game time, been called for two fouls which replays reveal “phantom” to be a compliment for. To his credit, Fortson has kept his cool. In fact, it wasn’t he who was called for a technical, but instead Sonics Coach Nate McMillan, rightly indignant at Fortson’s treatment by the refs.
Note That I Hope Interests Only Me
Posted at 8:59 p.m.
The Utah PR department refers to its players collectively as “Jazzmen”. For example, from their pre-game notes packet, this line: “Four Jazzmen scored in double figures for the Jazz including a team high 20 for Andrei Kirilenko.”
I’ve always found that funny. Would that have made players from the now-departed Utah Starzz of the WNBA Starzzwomen?
12 Minutes to Go
Posted at 8:55 p.m.
The Sonics lead continues to be quite dicey indeed as we go to the fourth quarter. It’s 85-82, and it feels like this one is going right down to the wire. The Sonics are going to need to string together some stops. That’s easier said than done. I don’t care what Jerry Sloan says - even without Kirilenko, the Jazz is one of the best offensive teams in the league this year.
Too Much Boozer
Posted at 8:52 p.m.
How good has this guy been? Let me put it this way: I’m one of Boozer’s biggest fans - and I’m starting to wonder if even I underrated him.
Fortson Factor
Posted at 8:45 p.m.
Mark it down: He enters the game with 3:44 to play in the third quarter and the Sonics lead at a tenuous 78-75 count. What will his impact be?
No Get Well Soon Card
Posted at 8:39 p.m.
It’s safe to say that Sonics forward Rashard Lewis doesn’t miss his Utah counterpart, All-Star Andrei Kirilenko. Last year, Lewis averaged just 11.0 points in three games with the Jazz, shooting 31.6% from the field. Kirilenko’s long arms have always given Lewis particular trouble (though they give everyone trouble - Kirilenko is arguably the best defensive perimeter player in the league). Playing against Matt Harpring, a willing defender but not one as gifted as Kirilenko, Lewis is running wild. He’s got 19 points on 7-for-11 shooting. For that matter, the whole Sonics team doesn’t miss Kirilenko. Only twice in the last two years have they managed even 90 points against the Jazz, one of those requiring overtime.
They’re currently sitting on 76 with 5:44 to play in the third quarter.
Can we also talk a little bit about Luke Ridnour? (The answer is yes - what are you going to do about it?) The Kid is playing just a phenomenal game right now - 12 points on 5-for-10 shooting and eight assists. He gets better and better every game. Still, Carlos Boozer (20 points) continues to keep Utah in the game.
Nice Start
Posted at 8:33 p.m.
The Sonics have come out of the locker room strong. Luke Ridnour is playing great basketball right now. He started the half by knocking down a jumper from the top of the key. He had a wonderful defensive sequence where he double-teamed, got back to contest the shot by his man and then saved the rebound inbounds. And he just got free for the layup. Carlos Boozer continues to carry the Jazz, with 16 points now. Also, a great half-court alley-oop from Ray Allen to Rashard Lewis (game-high 17 points), who got behind the defense.
Sloan Talks Jazz
Posted at 8:30 p.m.
Utah Coach Jerry Sloan is a noted critic of his own team, so it was pretty clear he wasn’t going to be real positive after the Jazz came into tonight’s game having lost four of its last five games. When Sloan talked to the media before tonight’s game, that was indeed the case. Here are his unaltered comments:
On whether he’s comfortable with the Jazz’s direction:
“You’re never comfortable when you’ve lost five or six games in one stretch. If I was, I’d get out.”
On whether what the Sonics are doing is similar to what the Jazz is doing:
“Well, right now, I don’t know what we’re doing. They play hard. I think they play hard. They’ve got a guy that can push the ball up the floor; they’ve got guys that can shoot. They play to their strengths. I don’t see a great deal of comparison because they’ve got a great deal different kinds of players. They’ve got a finished product in Ray Allen, and that’s certainly different from what we have.”
On shooting the three:
“We don’t shoot it a lot. We’ve got guys that can’t make ‘em. I’d rather shoot them if you can make ‘em.”
On the Sonics ability to do that:
“One thing about them, they’re athletic enough that if they miss it, they can get back and cover the other end of the floor. That’s the toughest place to play out of. If you miss shots from the three-point line, your big people can’t get back and cover the other end of the floor. That’s what we have a problem with.”
On the Sonics getting to the free-throw line:
“This year it’s easier. If you’ve got guys who can put the ball on the floor, you’re going to get to the free-throw line. They want more scoring. When you’re putting points on the board while the clock is stopped, that’s a pretty good way to increase scoring.”
Meet the Dance Team
Posted at 8:15 p.m.
Tonight’s halftime featured the annual introduction of the members of the Sonics Dance Team. But you already knew them from SUPERSONICS.COM’s
Selection 04 Page … right?
Sonics Lead At the Half
Posted at 8:10 p.m.
Utah tied the game briefly on back-to-back baskets by Carlos Boozer, but the Sonics finished strong. First, Luke Ridnour made a great extra pass to get Vladimir Radmanovic an open three-point look which he buried. (Radmanovic has 13 at the half.) Then, Antonio Daniels scored with 2.5 seconds left after a Carlos Arroyo offensive foul. So, the Sonics take a 56-51 lead to the locker room. As I mentioned before, they’re 9-0 this season in that situation.
Running
Posted at 8:05 p.m.
A 10-0 run gave the Sonics their first lead in some time, 51-46 before Kirk Snyder split two free throws. Can the Sonics hang on to the lead through halftime? They’re undefeated this season when they do so.
Credit Utah rookies Kris Humphries and Kirk Snyder. I didn’t like either that much in the draft, but they’ve adapted quickly to Jerry Sloan’s style and are eschewing perimeter games in favor of playing around the hole, making them much more efficient.
Celebrity Lookalikes
Posted at 8:00 p.m.
Now that I think about it, the resemblance between Jerry Sloan and John Kerry is pretty close. I think we can say with pretty great certainty that Sloan has never been injected with Botox, however. … Also, they found a guy that was a dead ringer for Ross Perot (the category, if you couldn’t put it together, being losing Presidential candidates).
Holding Down The Fort
Posted at 7:55 p.m.
After Sonics big man Danny Fortson was ejected and picked up two technical fouls and a flagrant foul in last night’s loss at Portland, Fortson’s playing style - and how it’s being reffed - was a big topic this evening.
“I want to be a physical presence out there, but I want my team to win more,” said Fortson, who has in the past said he’s reluctant to change his game.
“I’m at a point where I don’t really want to talk about it,” said Coach Nate McMillan. “He has to figure it out.”
Fortson said he understands and agrees.
“I’ve got to keep myself quiet and play the game,” he said. “Sometimes I forget I’m not in a local gym.”
As for whether McMillan felt Fortson’s ejection took the life out of the Sonics as Portland came back from a double-digit effort … well, his answer seems obvious from his comment that leaving the officials alone was “at the top of his list” for his team tonight.
Still, Fortson doesn’t believe the play he was called on last night was a flagrant foul.
“I hope somebody reviews it,” he said.
Bench In Effect
Posted at 7:50 p.m.
Both the Sonics and Jazz have gone into lineups with four reserves into the game, which isn’t strange - both teams rely heavily on their reserves. What IS strange is that the one starter in for the Sonics is Luke Ridnour. Rarely are Ray Allen and Rashard Lewis on the bench together. Lewis checked out with the Sonics trailing 34-31. Now Allen’s back in with the Sonics down 40-36.
So much for what I said earlier about offensive fouls; two close calls (one on each end) have gone blocking foul instead of charging.
More Boozer
Posted at 7:35 p.m.
Hmm, I post that and Boozer immediately throws up an airball. Let’s see … It’s a well-known fact that Mehmet Okur is one of the five greatest centers ever to play the game.
An Antonio Daniels three-point play gives the Sonics a 29-27 lead after one quarter. This has been a great, back-and-forth battle so far.
Boozer
Posted at 7:31 p.m.
Carlos Boozer, with eight points and two rebounds, is in the process of taking this game over. In Andrei Kirilenko’s absence, Boozer becomes Utah’s go-to guy, a role he knew he was never going to have if he stayed in Cleveland. Boozer probably wouldn’t even be Cleveland’s top post threat, which had to upset him given how well he played when given the chance - 32 points and 20 rebounds against the Sonics in Cleveland when Zydrunas Ilgauskas and LeBron James were both out of the lineup, notably.
It’s funny … I still think of Boozer as a garbage-type offensive player more than a go-to guy in the post, but that’s not really accurate, as he’s scoring 19.7 points per game. And 10.2 rebounds. The Sonics can’t be thrilled about being in the same division as this guy for at least the next several years.
Boozer just scored a point he won’t get credit for in the scorebook - his post presence forced Danny Fortson to cheat over too much on the weak side, drawing a defensive three-second violation.
Kris Humphries tried to connect on a timing tip-dunk a couple of minutes ago and missed. His second try, he didn’t miss. Yikes.
Box Score Watching
Posted at 7:25 p.m.
One of the nice things about having a laptop in front of me as I watch the game is the opportunity to look at the scores and performances around the league. New York got two games over .500 with a win over reeling Memphis, and one of my guys, reserve forward Mike Sweetney, got his longest outing in some time and had 11 points and nine rebounds. Orlando solidly thumped Toronto, 129-108, and managed to get eight players in double-figures. Dwight Howard had 15 points and 20 rebounds. Yeah, he’s gonna be pretty good.
Reggie Evans with a great hustle play, stripping the ball from an unsuspecting rebounder and getting to the free-throw line. Sonics lead 17-14.
Offensive Fouling
Posted at 7:20 p.m.
By my unofficial count, we’ve had three offensive fouls called already. If the refs are going to call it this tight on the offensive end, that’s not good news for Danny Fortson - who’s already a marked man in the eyes of the zebras (more later) - and Nick Collison when they get in the game and start setting screens.
Luke For 3
Posted at 7:13 p.m.
Ridnour opens the evening by canning an open triple. If you’re scoring at home (or even if you’re just alone), Ridnour is now 15-for-33 from downtown on the season (45.5%). Last year, he was 27-for-80 (33.8%). Rashard Lewis follows with eight straight Sonics points and they lead early, 11-6.
Bummer
Posted at 7:05 p.m.
Gonzaga 99, Washington 87. (Apologies to Gonzaga fans for my blatant UW backing here in LFTPB.)
Luke and Stock
Posted at 7:03 p.m.
FSN recently showed in the crowd at the new Kennel Gonzaga alum and Jazz star John Stockton. The Sonics have a Washignton point guard of their own in Luke Ridnour, and, without getting ahead of ourselves, there are some similar aspects to how Ridnour and Stockton approach the game. Earlier, I asked Utah Coach Jerry Sloan whether he saw any similiarities, and he had this to say (which didn’t really answer my question, but that’s okay - he’s Jerry Sloan):
“He seems to be very involved in the game. I don’t know him very well. We’ve played against him a little bit. I don’t know what he’s like off the floor. I don’t know him as a person. I can tell you he seems to be doing a terrific job as a young player trying to get himself going in this game.”
Signing On
Posted at 6:40 p.m.
It’s a little blue Live From The Press Box as we begin tonight’s blogging. One of the benefits of being in the media is a television in front of you, but it’s the bearer of bad news right now - Gonzaga leading UW by four at the under-8 media timeout. If you’re in the Northwest and you’re not watching this game (and, of course, the Sonics afterwards) … well, I don’t know what’s wrong with you. A few tickets are still left to see the first-place Sonics, 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.
