Live From The Press Box - Sonics vs. New Orleans
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.
Sonics 20 Games Above .500!
Posted at 9:25 p.m.
The 108-91 final doesn’t make this look like a real blowout, but make no mistake, the Sonics were never threatened in the fourth quarter of this game. They came out and took care of business, just as they needed to, and are now well-positioned going into a tough three-game stretch that sees them play Sacramento, at Phoenix, then Dallas. If you left early and didn’t see the Sonics bench desperately hoping Robert Swift would hit a free throw - he did hit his second of two - you really missed out. His teammates really love this guy, as does the crowd, and it was great to see him and everyone else on the roster score tonight. The Sonics are 20 games above .500 for the first time in nearly seven years (the end of the 1997-98 season was the last time). That’s pretty impressive.
Sacramento Thursday
Posted at 9:20 p.m.
The Sacramento Kings come to town Thursday in a showdown nationally televised on TNT. The Kings will be hungry for revenge after losing two games to the Sonics this season so far.
Get your tickets now!
The Redhead!
Posted at 9:15 p.m.
Was it the biggest cheer of the night that greeted Robert Swift’s substitution into the game with just under three minutes to play? If not, it was very close.
Keeping My Promise
Posted at 9:13 p.m.
I said earlier I’d keep tabs on the New Orleans bench and haven’t yet provided an update. The main thing I’ve noticed is how quiet the Hornets are. It hasn’t exactly been a great bunch of teams I’ve watched from courtside this season - the Golden State Warriors are amongst the group - but they were much louder than the Hornets, who probably act as an 8-39 team should. The one exception is injured starter Lee Nailon, who has worn a slightly bemused smile most of the evening and has had some banter with the referees. Byron Scott has also been notably quiet, though he wasted his breath arguing about an over-and-back call trailing by 20 a minute ago. J.R. Smith, I should note, has been impressive tonight. He’s got 15 points and has displayed athleticism and shooting both.
Thank Goodness for Small Things
Posted at 9:07 p.m.
It’s the little things that make me laugh. The Hornets have employed so many different players this season - a franchise-record 22, to be exact - that their stats cannot fit on the same page as the Sonics, as is the custom. They have to have a page all to themselves. Remarkable.
Potapenko Playing
Posted at 9:02 p.m.
Vitaly Potapenko, who has not seen action in the Sonics last four games, will get a chance to get some run here in the fourth quarter with the Sonics lead bloated all the way to 20 points. This should be a nice opportunity to get Potapenko some minutes to keep him sharp in case he’s needed in the near future. Ray Allen departed a minute ago, hopefully completing his evening of work.
Lewis an All-Star
Posted at 8:57 p.m.
How exactly could Nate McMillan have broken the news to his forward Rashard Lewis that he had failed to make the All-Star team?
“I thought about it all last night, but what I came back to is there was no way in my mind he couldn’t make the team,” said McMillan.
“It would have been really difficult telling the team Ray Allen made it, and then saying nothing about Rashard.
“I would have had to become a doctor real fast.”
Fortunately, that wasn’t the scenario. Instead, McMillan got to deliver the joyous news that Lewis had indeed made the team for the first time. Afterwards, McMillan recalled, Lewis was excited to call his mother and tell her the news.
McMillan had maintained all along that Lewis deserved to make the All-Star team if coaches examined his performance fairly, and his tone did not change today.
“He’s been poised, he’s been efficient, consistent with his effort,” McMillan said, explaining how Lewis has improved. “He’s been more poised with the ball.”
McMillan had a couple of requests of Lewis. One was that he not be satisfied with one All-Star appearance, but work to make the team again. The other is that he be comfortable and confident during the game. McMillan recalled that his old teammate Xavier McDaniel, who appeared in one All-Star Game, had seemed out of place in that appearance. He doesn’t expect the same from Lewis.
Reserve guard Antonio Daniels had the line of the night about the All-Star selections.
“Everybody was so happy for him,” Daniels said, referring to Lewis. “Nobody cares about Ray.”
That’s because Allen’s selection - his fifth in the last six seasons and second in as many full seasons with the Sonics - is something of a formality. Lewis’ is special, and that’s what’s made it so exciting for everyone.
Sonics Lead After Three
Posted at 8:50 p.m.
The last two Sonics scores of the third quarter were three-pointers by Vladimir Radmanovic, and they’ve given this game a decidedly different feel as we head to the final period. The Sonics hold a 79-64 lead, and seem to be cruising much more than they did when they led by 10 before Vlade’s threes (there was a New Orleans free throw in the middle). An early run here in the fourth might convince the Hornets, who play at Portland tomorrow, to pack it in. Big quarter for Ray Allen, who scored 13 of his game-high 24 points. The Sonics had 30 as a team.
No Control
Posted at 8:42 p.m.
This has been a strange third quarter, as neither team can take control of the momentum. After the Sonics run, the Hornets put together a couple of baskets, but the Sonics answered with some threes and got the lead as high as 15 points. Now, a New Orleans run has cut the lead back within 10. (Actually, it would more accurately be described as a Casey Jacobsen run; the Hornets reserve has five points in a short span here in the third.)
The only consistent tonight has been the performance on the glass of Reggie Evans, who has 14 rebounds, giving him a combined three-game total of 50. that’s pretty darn good.
McMillan’s Tone
Posted at 8:32 p.m.
Nate McMillan is back, and he’s not going to let his charges forget it. Great timeout by Nate after a bizarre play in which Luke Ridnour let the ball bounce in front of him on an inbound pass and saw it picked off by Dan Dickau, who converted a layup. Nate reminded his players to bear down, and they responded with three offensive fouls on their next possession, capped by a Luke Ridnour triple. Ray Allen drove to the basket for a layup on the Sonics next possession, extending the Sonics lead to 60-49 (their largest of the game). Now, Byron Scott has taken a timeout of his own.
Dickau Update
Posted at 8:27 p.m.
During his third season in the NBA, Dan Dickau has finally gotten a chance to show the skills that made him a star at Gonzaga. It took four trades for Dickau to find that opportunity, and he reflected on all the moving and a career that surely has seemed longer than three years for reporters from Olympia (Dickau grew up in Southwest Washington) and Spokane (where Dickau finished college, at Gonzaga) in his return to Seattle, where he started college at UW.
“The most disappointing trade by far was the one from Portland, because that’s home,” said Dickau. Getting traded to Portland was exciting, naturally, and he didn’t have enough time with Golden State (where he was merely on the roster, getting acquired and dealt during the summer) or Dallas to miss them. Dickau knew his days in Portland were numbered when the Blazers drafted Sebastian Telfair out of high school with their lottery pick last June.
“You can tell obviously they’re drafting this guy because they think he has a future,” he said.
After going from Golden State to Dallas merely to make salaries work in the sign-and-trade that sent Erick Dampier to the Warriors, Dickau found a crowd at guard. The mavericks had drafted Devin Harris, traded for Jason Terry, and re-signed young combo guard Marquis Daniels.
“Dallas was up front and honest with me from day one,” said Dickau.
Dickau says all he needed was a chance to show what he can do, and playing regularly has helped him.
“I’m comfortable on the floor,” he said. Looking at his performance, including an average of 16.6 points per game over his last five games, that’s quite obvious.
Halftime Analysis
Posted at 8:22 p.m.
The Hornets continued their typically frigid shooting during the second quarter, finishing the first half at 39.0% from the field and 2-for-9 (22.2%) from three-point range. So how can the Sonics shut them down even more than they have? First, they need to start forcing turnovers. Five turnovers in 43 possessions is way too few, especially against a team playing without a backup point guard. Secondly, the Sonics need to keep the Hornets off the free-throw line. While 11 free throws is hardly an excessive half total, the Hornets have shot the ball so poorly that giving them uncontested shots is an especially bad idea. The Sonics have been hot (they’re shooting 55.3%), but have landed just one three-pointer. Reggie Evans is again a force on the boards, pulling down eight first-half rebounds in 14 minutes.
At the Half
Posted at 8:07 p.m.
With Luke Ridnour splitting two free throws with 3.1 seconds left, the Sonics go into the locker room with a 49-43 lead. The conclusion is the same as it was after one quarter: The Sonics haven’t played poorly, and they’ve shown focus, but they’ve failed to make the Hornets think there’s no way they can win this game. My memory of the mid-90s Sonics teams I grew up watching is that they would regularly put it on teams they knew they should beat coming out of halftime. I don’t know whether this is accurate or not, but let’s see if they can do it tonight.
Surprising
Posted at 7:58 p.m.
After Rodney Rogers scored and was fouled a second ago, I looked up at the scoreboard to see how many points he had, not really remembering him doing anything. Lo and behold, Rogers has a game-high 13 points, the only player on either team in double-figures. Who knew? That discovery was followed by a loud crash from the stands. Everyone - including the players - looked over to find Squatch having fallen over, his stilts apparently not safe for the stairs. He seems okay, fortunately.
After Reggie Evans pushed off going for a rebound a second ago, George Lynch, the player he was battling, was called for a foul. “He pushed me!” Lynch responded, incredulous. Apparently, it was merely a case of pointing the wrong way, as Evans did get called for the foul.
Squatch Love
Posted at 7:53 p.m.
To the delight of Sonics fans, Squatch on stilts (say that 10 times fast) nailed a halfcourt shot with his back turned to the basket during the last timeout. That’s not easy. You can say “I Love You” with Squatch this Valentine’s Day by booking Squatch to visit your loved one for photos, autographs and more.
Click here for more details.
Whoa!
Posted at 7:50 p.m.
It’s been a season of impressive accomplishments for the Sonics, including Rashard Lewis’ selection to the All-Star team today. But you could argue that there has been nothing more surprising than Danny Fortson getting called for offensive basket interference a moment ago. It may not have counted, but he actually dunked!
I haven’t mentioned it, but Flip Murray is in the Sonics rotation tonight - something Dwane Casey hinted at doing Saturday, but which didn’t come to fruition. Murray pulls the cord on a jumper and has four points as the Sonics lead 39-33.
Swifty Sighting
Posted at 7:47 p.m.
Before tonight’s game, the Sonics activated rookie center Robert Swift from the injured list and placed Mateen Cleaves on IL with a sprained thumb. Swift has been impressive lately in practices (the topic of a future SUPERSONICS.COM feature, though not one I’ve yet had time to write), and we’ll see whether the Sonics can sneak him any time in games to come as he continues the development process.
Who’s the Point Guard?
Posted at 7:42 p.m.
With Baron Davis expected back as early as Friday, the Hornets didn’t want to pay Junior Harrington for another full ten days, so they let his previous 10-day contract expire. For the next two nights, that leaves New Orleans without a backup point guard. Dan Dickau recently checked out for the first time tonight, and Casey Jacobsen is the Hornets point guard defensively, checking Luke Ridnour (who gives up six inches to Jacobsen). Still, it hasn’t seemed to hurt New Orleans, which has gotten a Jacobsen layup, a J.R. Smith three-point play, and now Smith is going to the free-throw line.
After One Quarter
Posted at 7:37 p.m.
A Danny Fortson layup gives the Sonics a 26-22 lead after one quarter. Things could be much worse, but the Hornets have to like where they are right now, which is well within striking distance. After a slow start, the Hornets scored 12 points in something like the last four and a half minutes of the quarter. Still, they’re shooting 40.9% from the field right now, the Sonics 57.9%. So how is New Orleans in the game? I would be lying if I said I could figure out; somehow the Hornets have three more shots despite being outrebounded. I’m going to have to think about this a little bit.
Fat Tuesday
Posted at 7:32 p.m.
It’s only fitting that the Hornets are here on this quintessential New Orleans holiday. The Sonics Dance Team’s latest routine involved some distribution of beads to the crowd, and one of the lucky recipients was on press row. For his sake and mine, I won’t name the reporter.
Monster Rejection
Posted at 7:28 p.m.
A fine block by Rashard Lewis on the Hornets last possession, coming from the weak side to deny Dan Dickau’s attempt. Since getting a rousing round of applause when the starting lineups were introduced, Dickau has struggled to get going. He has yet to score, he’s missed all four of his shot attempts. The Sonics have played well on defense, but they still lead just 15-12. Make that, 15-14, as Dickau takes a steal and goes coast to coast. Nate McMillan can’t like seeing the Hornets hang around.
(Je)Rome is Burning
Posted at 7:22 p.m.
Sonics center Jerome James has a pretty massive size advantage on New Orleans’ P.J. Brown. To steal a line from former Atlanta executive Pete Babcock, Brown isn’t a center, he just plays one on TV. Brown is considered on the slighter side for a power forward, and James has a lot of beef on him. James has responded, adding six points to his early block. After a sluggish start, the Sonics offense has gotten rolling lately, and they lead 11-10 as we near the midway point of the first quarter.
Almost Famous
Posted at 7:16 p.m.
My courtside seat was this close to making me part of the game a second ago. When Jerome James blocked P.J. Brown’s seat, it bounced towards press row dangerously. Alas, the reporter to me right, John Blanchette of the
Spokane Spokesman-Review, made the two-hand save before I had the chance. “I had to protect my computer,” he casually said afterwards.
Team Chemistry
Posted at 7:12 p.m.
It’s an interesting night to be sitting about 20 feet from the visiting bench. The New Orleans Hornets are the NBA’s “newest” team; of the 11 players on the active roster, five have been acquired in trades during the season, and another four were not here last year. That’s right, the only active Hornets players who played for New Orleans last year are starters P.J. Brown and George Lynch. And, of course, the Hornets also have a new coach in Byron Scott. That isn’t exactly conducive to team chemistry. So we’ll keep an eye on the New Orleans bench.
One early note: P.J. Brown counseling his backup, rookie Jackson Vroman, as the Sonics starters were being introduced.
Allen’s and Lewis’ Reaction
Posted at 7:08 p.m.
…
…
…
… there is none, at least not yet. The two Sonics players named All-Stars this morning were curiously absent from the Sonics locker room before tonight’s game, at least during media availability. About a dozen different reporters staked out the locker room at various times, but Lewis and Allen never did show. We’ll have some reaction from Nate McMillan later, and check out SUPERSONICS.COM tomorrow when Allen and Lewis presumably will speak on their selections after practice.
Signing On
Posted at 6:57 p.m.
For the fourth time this season, I’m courtside as the New Orleans Hornets invade KeyArena to take on the Sonics. At 8-39, the Hornets own the NBA’s worst record, but they have been competitive since the New Year, thanks in large part to the emergence of guard Dan Dickau, a Northwest native who played collegiately at Gonzaga. Sonics guard Ray Allen and forward Rashard Lewis are celebrating their selections to the Western Conference All-Star team today, so it should be a good one. Stay tuned and keep hitting refresh as we bring you content from KeyArena all night long.
