Live From The Press Box - Sonics vs. Portland
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Final Buzzer
Posted at 9:54 p.m.
Your final score: Sonics 99, Portland 89. As is their tradition, the Sonics huddle at midcourt. They’ve had plenty of opportunity to do so this season, moving to 9-0 at home and a league-best 15-3 overall.
Victory Cigars
Posted at 9:51 p.m.
Mateen Cleaves and rookies Robert Swift and Damien Wilkins have checked into the game, a sure sign that victory is well in hand.
Celtics Next Saturday
Posted at 9:50 p.m.
With this game well in hand, we can look ahead a little bit. The Sonics try their hands at the Texas two-step this week, taking on San Antonio Wednesday and Dallas Thursday, both at 5:30 p.m. and televised on FSN. A week from tonight, they’ll return to KeyArena and put what will be a 9-0 home record on the line against the Boston Celtics and Paul Pierce. The game also marks this season’s only KeyArena visit from Gary Payton.
Get your tickets now!
Van Exel Returns
Posted at 9:41 p.m.
Good news all around. Nick Van Exel is fine after leaving the game earlier in the fourth quarter, and has checked back into the lineup. For the sonics, the good news is it might be too late. As we hit the four-minute mark, it’s 93-80 Sonics and Ray Allen has started heating up, scoring five points since checking back into the game.
Luke’s Game
Posted at 9:37 p.m.
Luke Ridnour just checked back in to the game with a little over six minutes to play and an eight-point Sonics advantage. With Antonio Daniels struggling tonight, Luke is probably in for the duration. How he plays will go a long ways towards determining if the Sonics can finish off this win. Great move by Ray Allen to get to the basket, faking the pass before slipping in a layup to push the cushion to 10 points.
Fort Report
Posted at 9:32 p.m.
A big three-point play by Danny Fortson gives the Sonics back a 10-point cushion, 88-78, as we approach the eight-minute mark. A quick note to mention how impressive Nick Collison has been tonight. His six points and one rebound don’t stand out, but Collison is making great basketball plays, including the pass to set up Fortson.
Van Exel Out
Posted at 9:28 p.m.
Portland point guard Nick Van Exel has left the floor and gone to the locker room holding his right hip. Frankly, this is good news for the Sonics. Van Exel had 12 points and is one of the kind of players who can get hot and carry a team.
Horseshoes, Anyone?
Posted at 9:23 p.m.
If close counted, Danny Fortson would have had a dunk on the first play of the fourth quarter. Alas, he’ll have to settle for another layup. This was the first time this season you could slip a brick under Fortson’s feet when he jumped, however.
It’s worth taking a second to point out that the Sonics are offensively tearing up one of the better defensive teams in the league. Portland is second in the league in opponent scoring at 88.3 points per game, and the Sonics had 81 through three quarters. They’ve done it despite their star, Ray Allen, shooting 3-for-11. At the same time, the Blazers trail by just eight, and the Sonics need to squash any notion of a comeback.
To The Fourth We Go
Posted at 9:20 p.m.
The Sonics outscore Portland 29-21 in the third quarter and take a 10-point lead to the fourth, 81-71.
Vlade Dade
Posted at 9:15 p.m.
The Radmanovic Factor at play again. He drills a three to give him 20 points for the fourth time this season shortly after checking in. Ray Allen follows with a three (bringing him to 7+ points for the 18th time this season) and Zach Randolph draws a loose-ball foul and then a technical. The Sonics have their largest lead, 81-67, and the Key is getting loud.
Also, to complete the line, “We like to party, we don’t start trouble, we don’t bother nobody.”
Stat That May Interest Only Me
Posted at 9:07 p.m.
Shareef Abdur-Rahim three-point attempts vs. Sonics: 5. Shareef Abdur-Rahim three-point attempts vs. other 29 NBA teams: 6.
Behind the LFTPB note: I initially wrote “other 28 NBA teams”. Old habits die hard.
Luke Factor
Posted at 9:05 p.m.
A big part of this third-quarter surge has been Luke Ridnour. Ridnour had only one assist in the first half; he’s got three already this quarter and could have more had his passes not led to free throws or missed gimmes (an open Ray Allen three, for the record, is a gimme in his case). There was some interesting discussion with Nate McMillan before tonight’s game about Luke. Nate said he watched Fox Sports Net’s “Before the Bigs” episode on Ridnour over the summer (good plug) and seen how dedicated to the game Ridnour was at even a young age. According to McMillan, that knowledge played a role in his decision to start Ridnour.
Nate also said that a lot of Ridnour’s success is that he’s, “One of the few guys in the league that plays every possession.”
“I can’t say enough about that,” McMillan added. He also said that Ridnour’s desire to get better during practices and the off-season makes his teammates better, high praise indeed for a point guard.
Rockin’ Key
Posted at 8:58 p.m.
The Sonics Boom Squad keeps the energy going during the timeout with some impressive moves, drawing a loud ovation when they’re finished.
That’s the Way
Posted at 8:55 p.m.
The Sonics start the third quarter with Luke Ridnour finding Reggie Evans for a layup, Rashard Lewis draining a three and Jerome James hitting a hook shot. The energy is phenomenal. I can’t prove this, but my recollection watching as a kid was that the mid-90s Sonics used to regularly break games open by blitzing teams out of the locker room to start the second half. This team has done something similar this year. Lewis with another three, then an alley-oop lob from Ridnour. He’s got 17 and the Sonics have their largest lead of the night, 64-54. Timeout Portland.
Halftime Stats
Posted at 8:45 p.m.
Unbeknownst to me, Vlade Radmanovic was not only shooting lights-out but also getting on the glass. At halftime, he’s got 17 points and eight rebounds. (His season highs, for reference, are 21 points and 11 rebounds. However, the rest of the Sonics can pick it up on the boards, as Zach Randolph’s nine rebounds have led Portland to a 21-17 rebounding advantage at the half. Danny Fortson and Nick Collison have not provided their typical boost on the boards, combining for two rebounds in 17 minutes of action.
Sonics point guards: six assists, no turnovers. Sonics bench: Outscoring Portland 32-16 so far. Ray Allen: Just 2-for-8 shooting and four points. He can’t be held down that much again in the second half.
Zach Randolph (12 points, nine rebounds) has been the only Blazers starter doing much damage so far. If the Sonics can contain him during the second half, they’re in good shape. If the starters set a good tone at the start of the third quarter and the bench comes in as strong as it usually does … look out Portland.
Sonics Lead at the Half
Posted at 8:38 p.m.
It was a tight second quarter throughout, but the Sonics emerge with a 52-50 lead. Vladimir Radmanovic leads all scorers with 17 points.
Richie’s Return
Posted at 8:28 p.m.
Swingman Richie Frahm, who spent 2003-04 with the Sonics before being drafted in the Expansion Draft by the Charlotte Bobcats, made his first regular-season return to KeyArena tonight with the Portland Trail Blazers. Frahm is currently on the injured list, but should help the Blazers when he gets back in a couple of weeks. Frahm spoke glowingly about the city he called home last year and plans to in the future:
“My wife and I, we’ve talked about it and Seattle, I think that’s going to be our home after basketball. We just like the location, all the water around here, the city and how the atmosphere feels.”
All Square
Posted at 8:20 p.m.
I hope you didn’t think Portland was going to just fold when the Sonics made a run. Uh-uh. Not going to happen. The Blazers have finally started getting the ball to the basket (something they weren’t really doing even when they led big in the first quarter; they had just eight points in the paint) and have evened the game at 37 with Theo Ratliff headed to the free-throw line for one shot.
Big Plus
Posted at 8:15 p.m.
When Vladimir Radmanovic checked into the game halfway through the first quarter, it was 14-6 Portland. Early in the second quarter, it’s 33-29 Sonics. That’s a 27-15 run advantage with Radmanovic on the court. He continues to change games when he checks in with his shooting ability and the difficult opposing teams have matching up with him. It’s not a fluke he has one of the best plus-minus ratings in the NBA.
Running
Posted at 8:11 p.m.
It’s 11-4 Sonics in the second quarter, as the Seattle bench has completely turned this game around. Maurice Cheeks wants a timeout (and, he being the coach, gets it).
Still Hot
Posted at 8:08 p.m.
Nothing changed over the quarter break - the Sonics bench is still red hot from the field, with Antonio Daniels hitting a three, Vladimir Radmanovic a runner and Danny Fortson a layup to give the Sonics a 29-26 lead. Watch out for Nick Van Exel, however - the streaky Sonics killer has both Blazers scores in the period.
All Square After One?
Posted at 8:05 p.m.
Behind 14 points from the bench, the Sonics have rallied to tie the game at 22 heading to the second quarter - or have they? Nick Collison laid the ball in just as the first quarter ended. The referees initially waived off the basket, but are using video replay to determine whether the shot counts or not. Answer: No. That’s about as close as I’ve ever seen, but, through these Green and Gold glasses, it looked ever so slightly before the red light on the backboard went off. Remember that play.
He’s on Fire!
Posted at 8:01 p.m.
Make it three jumpers - the last one ruled a two, as he had a foot on the line - for Radmanovic, whose scoring punch has allowed the Sonics to tie the game at 18-all.
Bench Showdown
Posted at 7:58 p.m.
Two-thirds of the way through the first quarter, we’re getting the benches into the game on both sides. This will be a critically important matchup, as both teams bring quality players off the bench and rely heavily on their reserves. The Sonics have one of the most productive second units in the league, but they were dramatically outplayed by Portland’s reserves Tuesday, the biggest reason Portland came out ahead. The early edge has to go to the Sonics bench, with Antonio Daniels driving for a layup and Vladimir Radmanovic knocking down two threes. The Sonics have pulled to within 18-16.
Blazers-Sonics Series
Posted at 7:50 p.m.
I’m hardly the first person to point this out, but the Sonics and Blazers series has had an odd symmetry to it throughout the year. Entering tonight’s game, the Blazers lead the series, 87-86. In Seattle, the Sonics are 58-28. In Portland, the Blazers lead 59-28 with Tuesday’s win at the Rose Garden. If past history is any indicator, that should imply a Sonics win tonight.
Thanks Rob!
Posted at 7:32 p.m.
Rob Martin, the Sonics Vice President of Marketing, is leaving the team after 14 years, with next week as his last week. He was just presented with a commemorative jersey celebrating his decade-plus as service, from an intern all the way up to vice president, in an on-court ceremony with Sonics President and CEO Wally Walker and Chairman Howard Schultz.
Thanks Rob for your many years of service!
Evans Starting
Posted at 7:29 p.m.
Despite a left hip pointer that left him questionable for tonight’s game, Reggie Evans will play and is starting.
Signing On
Posted at 7:25 p.m.
Tonight’s matchup with the Portland Trail Blazers is the second game of a day-night double-header at KeyArena today, with Gonzaga beating UMass 68-57 this afternoon. 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.
