Live From The Press Box - Sonics vs. Sacramento
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.
Huge Win
Posted at 10:20 p.m.
After a while, it’s hard to call any win the best of the season or anything like this, but tonight’s game is really meaningful. The Kings had all the motivation in the world coming into tonight, they played a brilliant game … but the Sonics were better. While the Sonics winning the season series probably won’t mean anything down the road, you never know, and it certainly can’t hurt. Incredible game for Rashard Lewis, who had 15 in the second half and every one meaningful. Antonio Daniels scored 14 points in the fourth quarter, providing a great lift by taking the ball to the basket. And Nick Collison? What can you say? Asked to step up in crunch time, Collison did more than you ever could have asked, coming up with eight points and three boards in the fourth quarter. I haven’t even mentioned Ray Allen, he of the game-high 34 points. It was that kind of night. When you add in the UW Huskies’ 95-88 overtime win at Oregon … there haven’t been a lot of nights of Seattle basketball better than this one.
Dallas Sunday
Posted at 10:16 p.m.
The Sonics are but one-third of the way through a sequence against three of the best teams the Western Conference has to offer. After playing at Phoenix tomorrow night, they’ll host Dallas on Sunday.
Get your tickets now!
Frightening Sequence
Posted at 10:13 p.m.
First, Mike Bibby got a contested three look against Vladimir Radmanovic (who had to play off because of the threat of the drive). Then Cuttino Mobley gets a wide-open look at a three in the scramble for the rebound. But both miss, and Antonio Daniels (who now has 18 points, 14 in the fourth quarter) hits two free throws for a 113-107 Sonics lead with 34.9 seconds left.
Time to Be an All-Star
Posted at 10:10 p.m.
As great as Ray Allen has been, because of the matchups, this is probably Rashard Lewis’ game for the Sonics on offense. He’s an All-Star, and this should be his time. How will he respond?
Sonics Take the Lead
Posted at 10:06 p.m.
Great sequence for the Sonics, as they get a pair of steals, both involving Chris Webber. Antonio Daniels takes one the distance for a fast-break dunk, and Rashard Lewis gets a three-point play on the other. Nick Collison playing fabulous basketball and the Sonics lead 105-103 with 1:47 to play.
Webber All Fired Up
Posted at 10:00 p.m.
Danny Fortson’s ejection may have woke up the Sonics crowd, but it also roused a slumbering giant in Chris Webber. Webber had been quiet through three and a half quarters, scoring 10 points, but he’s got seven points in a period of a little more than two minutes, including just his 11th three of the season, to give Sacramento a 101-98 lead with 4:23 left. Big time for the Sonics. Nick Collison is on the floor in place of Fortson and has rebounded well, but been unable to stop Webber (though who could?). Webber has muttered to himself coming back down the floor after his shots, and he’s clearly amped up to 11.
Scuffling
Posted at 9:52 p.m.
Even without Brad Miller in the lineup, there’s still some bad blood between these teams, and it just came to a head. After Danny Fortson was called for a foul trying to draw an offensive foul on Chris Webber (throwing his head into Fortson’s abdomen for reasons that aren’t particularly clear to me), the two jawed and drew a double technical. Then some pushing ensued on the inbounds, and Fortson was ejected from the game. A furious Fortson upended a chair on his way out. Webber scored on the possession to put Sacramento up five, but the Sonics have gone on a 6-0 run without the ball leaving their side of the court, Rashard Lewis coming up with a steal and Nick Collison an offensive board to produce multiple opportunities. Lewis’ three (giving him 20 points on the night) gives Seattle a 96-95 lead with 6:23 to play and draws a Rick Adelman timeout. The Key is rocking, as loud as it’s been all season.
The Wire
Posted at 9:42 p.m.
With 8:33 left on the clock, this definitely has the feel of a game that will go right down to the wire. Both teams have taken some pretty good shots from the other team, absorbed them and come back. Through three quarters, there were 16 lead changes and 11 ties, illustrating how close the game has been. It’s no different here in the fourth period as the Kings lead 90-88.
Squatch Love
Posted at 9:35 p.m.
Squatch, who earned one of SportsCenter’s “Top Plays” for his backwards half-court shot on Tuesday, entertains the fans with the Dunk Squad with some aerial acrobatics. 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.
To the Fourth
Posted at 9:33 p.m.
Sacramento scores on its last possession while the Sonics come up empty, and the result is an 81-77 Kings lead going to the fourth quarter. Particularly given their bench advantage, the Sonics are still in pretty good position, but it would be nice to see them start the fourth quarter with a run and get the crowd really into this game. Ray Allen with 28 through three.
In attendance tonight: Bill Bradley, who is sitting courtside with Sonics Chairman Howard Schultz. Credit to ESPN.com’s Eric Neel (check out his forthcoming ESPN the Magazine piece on the Sonics, Suns and Wizards) for spotting Bradley (how I missed him, I’m not sure). Neel reports he nearly went to work for Bradley during the 2000 Election.
Play of the Season?
Posted at 9:26 p.m.
Incredible play by the duo of Luke Ridnour and Jerome James a couple of plays ago. Ridnour, driving the lane, saw James (how I’ll never now) and went behind his back to the streaking James, who finished with a powerful one-hand flush. Sacramento leads 74-73 after a Cat Mobley three.
It’s a Game
Posted at 9:19 p.m.
The Kings pushed their lead as large as 11 points here in the second half, starting the half on a 14-1 run, but the Sonics have answered with a little 9-2 spurt of their own and we officially have a game on our hands here, with the crowd getting into it. The rest of this quarter should be fun - though Rick Adelman apparently isn’t enjoying himself and takes a timeout.
During the “Kiss the Girl” segment during the last timeout, TNT analysts Steve Kerr and Doug Collins were thrown up on the screen. Both chuckled, and Kerr blew a kiss at Collins (the older man).
Bad Start
Posted at 9:10 p.m.
If you’re the Sonics, you couldn’t really have drawn up a much worse start to the second half without including injuries or foul trouble. Sacramento has opened the second half on an 8-0 run and completely quieted the KeyArena crowd. Give the Kings credit for coming out and playing great to start this half, but the Sonics starting lineup hasn’t had a great deal of energy when it’s been in the game together tonight.
Missing Miller?
Posted at 9:05 p.m.
Even for the star-deep Sacramento Kings, losing an All-Star center should be a big deal. But you couldn’t really convince Sonics Coach Nate McMillan that his team would benefit a great deal from Miller’s absence.
“They’ve got guys that can fill in,” said McMillan during pregame media availability. “They’re very capable of going small and playing Webber at the five.”
“I can’t predict what Rick (Adelman) will do.”
McMillan did suggest that his players ought to be more aggressive in driving to the basket tonight, as foul trouble could be more costly for the Kings with one less big man in the lineup. Foul trouble hasn’t been a huge issue thus far, but all three Sacramento bigs - Chris Webber, Greg Ostertag and Darius Songaila - have two fouls, so a couple of quick ones here in the fourth quarter could become an issue. And, of course, the Sonics did benefit from getting 15 free throws in the first half.
Halftime Stats
Posted at 9:00 p.m.
It’s not often that a team leads at the half when it’s being outshot from the field 52.5% to 41.9% and from three-point range 45.5% to 36.4%, but that’s the situation we find ourselves in right now. How have the Sonics done it? Well, first let’s talk about defensive rebounding. Sacramento has as many first-half offensive boards as I do - zero. The Sonics are a perfect 20-for-20 in defensive rebounding opportunities, and while they haven’t done much on the offensive glass themselves (Reggie Evans has three offensive boards, everyone else just one), they’re still dominating this area of the game. Secondly, the Sonics have committed just three turnovers, none of them by point guards Antonio Daniels and Luke Ridnour in a combined 28 minutes of action. Third, the Sonics have gotten to the free-throw line 15 times to Sacramento’s six and are a nearly-perfect 14-for-15 once there. Add it up, and if the Sonics start making some more shots and holding Sacramento more in check, they have the opportunity to take control of this game.
At the Half
Posted at 8:45 p.m.
A nice little run by the Sonics at the end of the first half has given them a 54-52 lead heading to the locker room. They took possession with 3.1 seconds left at three-quarters court (after forcing a 24-second violation by the Kings) and tried to extend the lead by throwing to Rashard Lewis behind the three-point line, who pitched to Luke Ridnour near the sideline for a three-point attempt - a la Bryce Drew’s famous game-winner in the 1998 NCAA Tournament. Ridnour’s cast looked good, but it missed the mark and the Sonics will settle for leading by two. Ray Allen is the only Sonics player really scoring in bunches in the first half - he’s got 19 - and Cuttino Mobley (14) and Peja Stojakovic (11) have led the Kings.
Nice Quarter for Backup Bigs
Posted at 8:35 p.m.
On both sides, we’ve seen some exemplary performance by young backup big men. For the Sonics, that’s Nick Collison, who just checked out after a nice 10-minute run that saw him score six points on 3-for-4 shooting. Darius Songaila on the other side continues to bedevil the Sonics, scoring eight points on 4-for-4 shooting. The Kings have to feel good about where they are right now, up one (47-46) shortly after getting their starters back in there. The Sacramento backups did a fine job of holding down the fort.
Lookalikes
Posted at 8:28 p.m.
You know, the “Lookalikes” on the Sonics Arenavision are usually fairly predictable - Shaquille O’Neal and Shrek, for example. But I certainly did not see Rick Adelman being compared to
actor John Hillerman (in the context of characters from Magnum, P.I.). Give that photo a look and then think about Adelman dealing iwht any of the Kings playoff losses. Yeah, you can see the similarity.
Momentum: Sonics
Posted at 8:20 p.m.
The second quarter, thus far, has largely belonged to the Sonics, who have outscored Sacramento 8-4 with Vladimir Radmanovic headed to the free-throw line for two shots after the Kings were forced to foul on the fast break. Ray Allen has six of the Sonics eight points on a pair of three-pointers and he’s up to 15 points for the evening. Does this guy love the cameras or what? We’ll see if they can keep the momentum going with Chris Webber out of the lineup.
28-26 After One
Posted at 8:12 p.m.
The Sonics had a chance to tie the game on their final possession of the quarter, but Antonio Daniels’ try was off and it’s 28-26 Sacramento 12 minutes in. This is the first time I’ve seen the Kings play at full strength since the Doug Christie-Cuttino Mobley trade went down, and they are downright scary at this point. Who do you leave open from the starting lineup? Mobley has bee n the answer a lot so far, and he responded with a team-high eight points. The Kings are dramatically outshooting the Sonics at the moment, but Seattle seems to be winning the hustle plays.
Also, Todd - better luck next time on the three-point shooting contest with Rashard Lewis. (This time, he drew some boos and a chuckle from a referee. Not good times. Bad times.)
Interesting Contrast
Posted at 8:06 p.m.
Both teams are used to timeouts of regular length, so they have about 15-20 extra seconds after the coach is done drawing up a play to do whatever. After the last timeout, the Sonics huddled up, while the Kings dispersed to various locations near the bench. There’s a little of the Sonics teamwork in evidence. The Kings briefly went up seven on Cuttino Mobley’s second three of the quarter, but the Sonics have answered with five straight points to get back within two as the first quarter winds down.
Rebounding Zone
Posted at 8:02 p.m.
I don’t know that I’ve ever heard of it before, but Reggie Evans is in the zone as a rebounder. His 21 rebounds Saturday against Charlotte, viewed in that context, look not to be his peak, but the start of something bigger. Evans just pulled down his eight rebound, and we’ve still got three minutes left in the first quarter. But the Sonics offense has been struggling somewhat, giving the Kings the transition buckets they thrive on. Vladimir Radmanovic drives to the hole for a layup and the foul to get the Sonics within 19-16, pending the free throw, and bring us to the under-three minutes timeout.
An In-Game Blogger’s Best Friend
Posted at 7:59 p.m.
TV timeouts. They might seem somewhat interminable to the fans, but they give me a chance to get a lot of posting done and still watch the game. (Not that anyone else but me cares.)
Putting the Gold in Green and Gold
Posted at 7:52 p.m.
For the sixth time this season and the second here at KeyArena, the Sonics have broken out their gold alternate jerseys. (Don’t be alarmed to see the Kings where their home whites; technically, the golds are road jerseys.) The Sonics are 4-1 this season wearing gold, and Rashard Lewis has decided to accerorize with gold-bottomed shoes. They’re nice enough that rookie center Robert Swift asked in the locker room if Lewis had a pair in size 19.
Kings Fans
Posted at 7:44 p.m.
I must confess I’d forgotten the kind of strength with which Kings fans traditionally come out at KeyArena. You probably could have counted the Sacramento fans in the stands with one hand a decade ago, but the Kings have built up a surprisingly rabid fanbase over the seven years they’ve now been a playoff team in the West, and the fact that they’ve had a relatively quiet season hasn’t prevented them from turning out tonight. Still, they’re sure to be overwhelmed by the Green and Gold faithful.
Miller Out
Posted at 7:37 p.m.
In case you’ve missed it, Sacramento center Brad Miller, a two-time All-Star, will not be playing tonight because of a league suspension imposed on him after his furious reaction to Amare Stoudemire not being called for goaltending when Stoudemire blocked Miller’s shot at the buzzer of the Sacramento-Phoenix game two nights ago. Greg Ostertag replaces Miller in the starting lineup, and that should be a big advantage for the Sonics.
Signing On
Posted at 7:35 p.m.
There’s a certain buzz in KeyArena tonight. Marv Albert, Doug Collins and Steve Kerr are in the house, broadcasting tonight’s matchup with the Sacramento Kings on TNT. With All-Stars recently announced, there’s a great storyline, as the Sonics came up with a pair of All-Stars, Sacramento none. And the Sonics have beaten Sacramento in both head-to-head matchups this season. It should add up to an outstanding game, so stay tuned all night long and make sure to hit refresh so you’re getting the latest.
