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.
Editor's Note: Because I was unable to get an internet connection during Thursday's game in Dallas, I kept a running LFTPB while watching the game and posted it afterwards. Consider this like the Pacific time zone edition of "Saturday Night Live" - it's not live for you, but it once was. I've even left in the typos.
Sonics Mess With Texas
Posted at 10:05 p.m.
Wins over San Antonio and Dallas on consecutive nights on the road? That’s a pretty impressive road trip. The Sonics keep proving it over and over again. Rashard Lewis outplayed Dirk Nowitzki tonight. What an incredible game for him – he gets the unofficial Player of the Game award.
Diggler Can’t Do It
Posted at 10:02 p.m.
Two misses by Dirk Nowitzki on the Mavs penultimate possession, and this one looks about over with 5.8 seconds left. Vlade Radmanovic splits two free throws, and the Sonics go up five, 107-102. I should mention at this point that the Sonics will be home again on Saturday. Gary Payton makes his only return of the 2004-05 season with the Boston Celtics. Tickets available now …
get yours!
Lew at the Line
Posted at 10:00 p.m.
The Sonics had to get it in twice – I forgot Dallas wasn’t yet in the penalty – and got it to Rashard Lewis the second time. He’s at the line with 18.5 seconds left and calmy strokes them both in to give him 25 points on the night.
Whew
Posted at 9:59 p.m.
Michael Finley had a good look at a three that would have put the Mavericks on top with just over 20 seconds to play, but it missed and went over the backboard, giving the ball back to the Sonics. They call time with 22.3 seconds left leading 101-99 and will have to get the ball inbounds and hit some free throws. Who wants it more?
Lewis-Stackhouse
Posted at 9:58 p.m.
No, not a new heavyweight on the scene challenging Lennox Lewis – it’s Rashard Lewis of the Sonics and Dallas’ Jerry Stackhouse trading scores. Lewis, after a three, has five straight points for the Sonics, Stackhouse Dallas’ last four. It’s 104-102 Sonics.
Big Quarter for Lewis
Posted at 9:54 p.m.
Rashard Lewis has absolutely been the man for the Sonics in this final quarter. Of their 15 points, eight are from Lewis, along with three rebounds, and he’s a rebound away from a 20-10 evening. Lewis is playing smart, under control and with a great deal of energy. He’s been superb. 101-95 Sonics with 1:58 to play and six on the shot clock for the visitors to shoot.
Who Wants it More?
Posted at 9:51 p.m.
That’s what play-by-play announcer Kevin Calabro has asked the last two nights, and right now you’d have to say the Sonics. Rashard Lewis’ jumper was followed by a free throw and a jumper from Ray Allen, and the Sonics lead by six with three minutes to play. But the Mavericks answer with a Josh Howard putback and are using Marquis Daniels’ mismatch at the point with Luke Ridnour to their advantage. Allen misses a three, but Lewis gets the rebound and throws down an incredible monster dunk to quiet the crowd.
Diggler Down, But Not Out
Posted at 9:47 p.m.
Dirk Nowitzki was on the ground for about a minute after a hard fall when he came down on Luke Ridnour’s back while grabbing a rebound. The fans don’t like it, but Ridnour had established position and Nowitzki moved into him, not the other way around. Nowitzki seems fine now, and after a timeout he’ll have two shots to try to pull his team back within three. One can only imagine how incensed the fans might be if Mark Cuban was here – in something we haven’t noted, Dallas’ resident billionaire and owner is absent tonight, making the Dallas experience not quite all it could be.
Huge Play
Posted at 9:45 p.m.
The Sonics get their equivalent of the Daniels three-point play when Jerome James comes off a pick-and-roll with Luke Ridnour and has a clear path to the basket for the dunk and Erick Dampier’s fifth foul. James complets the three-point play to give him seven points and the Sonics a seven-point lead as we near the five-minute mark. The Sonics are on an 8-0 run since Dallas took its only lead of the second half. Dampier checks out, replaced by Josh Howard as Don Nelson goes small.
Big Game Vlade
Posted at 9:43 p.m.
I don’t know how I’ve missed this one, but I’ve said almost nothing all night of Vladimir Radmanovic’s performance. Radmanovic has 17 points off the bench and has hit five three-pointers, all of them daggers. He has been extraordinary tonight.
How Does That Happen?
Posted at 9:40 p.m.
Dallas rebounds Dirk Nowitzki’s bad miss, but has no clue the shot clock hasn’t reset and gets a shot-clock violation. Vladimir Radmanovic hits a three, and suddenly momentum has turned in the Sonics favor.
Tenuous
Posted at 9:38 p.m.
With 7:21 to play, Dirk Nowitzki brings the Mavs within one with a score and the free-throw shot for a three-point play the old way. It’s also the Sonics fifth foul of the quarter, and I’ve got a feeling we’re going to be seeing a lot of Dallas free throws over the next seven minutes. It feels like the Sonics will need a miracle to win this game, even though they lead.
Miss Me?, Part Two
Posted at 9:35 p.m.
The Mavericks may have become more “conventional” this season, and they’re playing better defense, but it’s incredibly obvious watching them play that they miss Steve Nash very much. There have been numerous occasions where Dallas has just stood around offensively without any idea of what to do. That’s going to cost them down the line.
Miss Me?
Posted at 9:33 p.m.
Danny Fortson has seven points and eight rebounds in 14 minutes of action. You’re going to tell me Dallas couldn’t have used that? Couldn’t have found any way to get that in the lineup? Sorry, I’m not buying it. Fortson is the only thing keeping the Sonics ahead right now, as Dallas has closed to within 84-82. The big lineup isn’t getting it done for the Sonics, and Ray Allen replaces Nick Collison.
Fun With Lineups
Posted at 9:28 p.m.
For the first minute of the fourth quarter, the Mavericks went extremely small, a lineup of Daniels/Stackhouse/Finley/Howard/Dampier that included only one big man (and no true point guard) while the Sonics countered with Daniels/Allen/Radmanovic/Fortson/Collison. Dirk Nowitzki is now in for the Mavericks, but the Sonics have gone even bigger, with Rashard Lewis at shooting guard replacing Allen. Advantage Mavericks so far: Jerry Stackhouse is putting his head down and going to the bucket, and he’s getting rewarded. He’s at the line now looking to complete a three-point play that would bring the Mavs within five for the first time this half. This is the strongest push the Sonics have encountered tonight.
To the Fourth We Go
Posted at 9:25 p.m.
Why were the Mavericks able to make up some ground in the third quarter? The free-throw line. Dallas’ 10 free throws attempted were more than their first-half attempts, and their seven makes accounted for a third of their scoring in the period. Dallas cuts into the deficit by three points, but the Sonics still take a seven-point lead to the fourth quarter. Nate McMillan asked rhetorically before the game If the Sonics would be happy with a split of their road trip in Texas and come out with a little less intensity tonight. Win or lose, that will not be the case tonight. It’s 80-73 Sonics with 12 minutes on the clock.
Finley Looking Good
Posted at 9:19 p.m.
Michael Finley is making his return to the Dallas lineup tonight after missing 15 games with a sprained right ankle. The Mavericks were slow in bringing Finley back, and Don Nelson seemed to hint at the reason before the game when he mentioned that Finley had a history of coming back slowly from injury, not quite having his rhythm. Well, that’s clearly not been the case tonight. Finley has 17 points – he’s one of two Dallas players in double-figures, along with Nowitzki – and has shot 7-for-14 from the field. Dallas is 4-1 with him in the lineup this season, so he’s clearly very important to what the Mavericks do.
No Letdown
Posted at 9:15 p.m.
We didn’t expect a replay of last night’s third quarter here in Dallas, and we haven’t gotten one. Naturally, the Sonics shooting has slowed down – they’ve got 14 points nearly nine minutes into the period – but they’ve turned up their defense, surrendering to Dallas just 11 points and building the lead to 13. After committing five turnovers in the first half, the Mavericks already have as many in the third quarter. … But here comes the Dallas secret weapon … Calvin Booth? We’ll see what he’s got.
Fortson’s Return
Posted at 9:08 p.m.
Tonight marks Danny Fortson’s first return to Dallas since the Mavericks traded him to Seattle for Calvin Booth this summer. Alas, this story seems to be a lot bigger in the minds of the Dallas media than it is in the minds of Fortson or Dallas Coach/GM Don Nelson. Both of them point to the trade being something of a foregone conclusion because Fortson plays the same power forward position as Dirk Nowitzki and he’s not a natural center (that is where he got most of his minutes last season). Fortson clearly harbors no ill will towards the Mavericks, though he is happy to be playing – and winning – in Seattle. As for Nelson, however, his explanation that he wanted to get minutes for Nowitzki and Antawn Jamison and Antoine Walker rings a little bit hollow when you consider that Jamison had already been traded by the time Fortson was dealt and Walker was about a week away from moving on himself. When the Mavs later added Erick Dampier, they suddenly had more depth at center than power forward, and one thinks Fortson might have contributed this season in Dallas … at least more than Booth has this season.
Three-in-One
Posted at 8:59 p.m.
I’ve neglected to mention what is, to me, one of the most distinctive features of the American Airlines Center. The AAC houses not only the Dallas home court, but also its practice facility and much of the Mavericks offices (as well as some of those of the Dallas Stars, when the NHL is actually playing). The Sonics, like many other teams, have three separate buildings for those functions. What’s odd is it means Don Nelson conducts his pre-game media availability in his actual office (which, by the way, is remarkable). Through the window, we members of the media could watch Marquis Daniels (I think – the shad was mostly closed) warming up before the game on the training court.
Odd Comment
Posted at 8:55 p.m.
The Dallas PA announcer – who appears to go by the name “Bone”, which is on the Mavs jersey he’s sporting, made an odd comment to start the second half – We’re (and he’s referring to Mavericks fans here) loud on defense, even louder on offense.” Isn’t that backwards? Aren’t you supposed to be louder on defense? These are the kinds of things I wonder about. A Ray Allen three pushes the lead to 13.
The Sonics Are Big-Time
Posted at 8:53 p.m.
Last night’s win at San Antonio seems to have convinced a lot of the media that the Sonics are for real. Chris Ballard from
Sports Illustrated was in the locker room before tonight’s game, and said he was all set to report on Carmelo Anthony before the Sonics pulled out last night’s game. Marc Stein of ESPN.com is also here, though that’s typical – he’s a Dallas guy – and wrote about the Sonics already today. I also spotted Chris Palmer of
ESPN the Magazine, though he wasn’t interviewing any Sonics and might be working on something with the Mavericks.
We Head to Halftime
Posted at 8:40 p.m.
Well, it’s not last night’s 19-point lead in San Antonio, but the Sonics will surely take a 10-point advantage at the half, 62-52. Three Sonics – Ray Allen (14), Vladimir Radmanovic (11) and Rashard Lewis (10) have scored double-digits at the break. In this case, unlike last night, you can’t assume the Sonics are simply going to cool down. They’re only shooting 52% to Dallas’ 50%, which is about the same as the difference between the teams’ percentages for the season (though both teams are well above those averages). The Sonics lead this game because of rebounding. They have absolutely dominated the Mavs on the glass, outrebounding them 26-11. Think Dallas misses Danny Fortson (more later)?
The Diggler
Posted at 8:35 p.m.
The Sonics have probably had about enough of power forwards from the state of Texas. Last night, it was a season-high 39 for Tim Duncan, the most points the Sonics have surrendered an individual opponent this season. Tonight, Dirk Nowitzki has 18 in the first half, making six of his eight shots. Nowitzki has gotten too many good looks, but let’s give him credit – this guy is the best offensive player in the league right now.
He’s Not Going to Like Me Mentioning This
Posted at 8:29 p.m.
Referee Jim Clark had to be reminded by Nate McMillan that the last stoppage of play was the under-3 media timeout. Dallas’ improved bench has been a popular topic in Dallas this season, but thus far, the Sonics reserves have outscored them 21-10, nine points from Antonio Daniels and eight Vladimir Radmanovic. Both have played the entire second quarter. Not too shabby.
Little Things
Posted at 8:25 p.m.
I glanced over at the Sonics bench during the last possession, and every single reserve player was standing. Not one or two – all seven. Not during the fourth quarter of a tight game – during the second quarter. Don’t underestimate the value of that cohesion. We’re finding out this season that it has played an invaluable role in the Sonics fast start. This team likes hanging out together and playing together, and that’s a great start. Oh yeah, that play was punctuated by an Allen dunk to give the Sonics a 52-41 lead. There’s still four minutes left in the first quarter as the Sonics try to beat last night’s first-half tally of 60.
Audio Notes
Posted at 8:18 p.m.
The sound of these road arenas is one of the most fascinating parts of attending road games. I mentioned yesterday that both Dallas and San Antonio play music while the ball is in play, but the style is a little different. While the Spurs tend virtually exclusively to hip-hop, the Mavs have to be the only team I’ve heard play Billy Joel during a game. There’s also a group of drummers known as Mavs Drumline that plays from time to time. The Seahawks have something similar at Seahawks Stadium.
Interesting things heard from the crowd: Well, we’ve got one guy behind me who seems obsessed with getting referee Michael Henderson to call a three-second violation. To his credit, the guy seems to have the referees’ numbers memorized. That’s impressive work. Another guy called ex-Mavericks player Danny Fortson “Samurai Borardsmen” as he was walking off the court, referencing an article about Fortson at InsideHoops.com last week.
Things You Can Guarantee I’ll Post About Here
Posted at 8:14 p.m.
Feel free to add the Dallas media saying, “He looked like Steve Nash there,” about a Luke Ridnour layup in traffic, to that list.
Sonics Lead After One
Posted at 8:10 p.m.
My post did not jinx the Sonics, clearly. They finished out the first quarter with 35 points – better than they did in any quarter last night – and hold a nine point lead. Dirk Nowitzki has eight points for Dallas, but the Sonics have out-run and –gunned the Mavs thus far. At seemingly every opportunity, Sonics Coach Nate McMillan is exhorting his charges to push the ball. Of course, against a team as potent offensively as Dallas, no lead is comfortable.
206 Love
Posted at 8:06 p.m.
Shortly after checking into the game, Jason Terry has the last two buckets for the Mavericks. Terry, who is going by “JET” – assumedly his initials, though the Dallas media notes don’t indicate that – is a Seattle native and Franklin High grad who famously has 206, the Seattle area code, tattooed on his chest. Terry had a lackluster end to his career in Atlanta after the Hawks matched the offer made to him by the Utah Jazz as a restricted free agent in the summer of 2003, but he seems to be fitting in quite nicely as a sixth man in Dallas this season.
Do It Again
Posted at 8:02 p.m.
You remember that second quarter last night in San Antonio? The Sonics sure do. They’re playing the exact same way tonight in the first quarter here in Dallas, rolling a 29 … with 2:27 LEFT TO PLAY. Obviously, the Mavericks aren’t the kind of defensive team the Spurs are, but they’ve been pretty good at that end of the court this season, and they’re getting torn up by the Sonics right now. Ray Allen has seven, Vladimir Radmanovic a pair of quick threes and Rashard Lewis and Reggie Evans six apiece. The Sonics are also outrebounding Dallas 12-5. They’ve grabbed half of their own misses and every single Dallas miss. 29-20.
The Collector
Posted at 7:57 p.m.
At our first timeout, it’s 20-19 Dallas with 4:37 to play in the first quarter. I feel good about where the Sonics are right now. Dallas came out with a lot of energy and the Sonics answered, thanks in large part to the energy provided by Reggie Evans. For the second straight game, Evans has come out very strong in the first quarter. He had eight points in the first period last night, and he’s got six and four rebounds so far tonight while heading to the line. Evans is making all the hustle plays right now.
The Courtside Experience
Posted at 7:50 p.m.
I haven’t sat courtside since the first preseason game at KeyArena this October against Phoenix, and I’ve forgotten how different the game looks, feels and sounds down here. It’s played at an entirely different speed. I’m fond of saying there are no bad seats at the Key – I should know, having started out with season tickets one row from the top in Section 222 way back in the inaugural 1995-96 season – and I believe that. The 200 level affords you a better opportunity to watch away-from-the-ball action and see plays develop. At the same time, there’s a very good reason why people shell up the big bucks to sit courtside.
Looking Around the American Airlines Center
Posted at 7:45 p.m.
In the span of a little over 24 hours, I’ve tripled the number of current NBA arenas I’ve been in (from, uh, one to three). Word from Sonics folks was that the AAC was nicer than the SBC Center, where we were last night, and I’m going to have to agree. The first thing you notice about this arena is that it is huge. Not really so much in terms of seats – capacity is a little over 20,000 – but just the size of the arena in general. The height of the roof seems much higher than KeyArena or the SBC Center, and there’s a lot of space underneath the arena (providing plenty of opportunity to get lost while going around).
There’s three levels of suites down one baseline and two everywhere else in the arena, which means a lot of suites. The 200 level is virtually nonexistent, with a large 300 level. I should also note that I’m incredibly lucky to be where I am in terms of seats – the auxiliary media in Dallas is located above the 300 level. That’s way up.
Audio-wise, they have the rims miked way, way up here, meaning you can tell without looking whether a shot is in or out. It is louder than ever overall sitting courtside.
Dateline: Dallas
Posted at 7:37 p.m.
Fresh off an impressive win over the San Antonio Spurs in the SBC Center, your Seattle SuperSonics are in Dallas, looking to complete a sweep of the so-called Texas Two-Step. Again, Live From The Press Box is in attendance, and it’s the best seats we’ve had all season, in the third row courtside near center court (maybe even close enough to be seen on the Fox Sports Net broadcast). We should have a lot of fun notes to share, so keep reading.
