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.
Celebration!
Posted at 9:46 p.m.
Your Seattle SuperSonics are champions of the Northwest Division, a claim no other NBA team can make. It’s an extra-happy huddle at center court for the Sonics, with high fives all around before hand. The Northwest Division Championship banner - the ninth Sonics banner hanging in the KeyArena rafters, just for the record - is unfurled on the East side of the building. Rookies Damien Wilkins and Robert Swift were selected by their teammates to serve as spokesmen, and both take the mic to thank fans for their support. The Sonics Dance Team and Squatch are launching T-shirts and Frisbees celebrating the Northwest Division Championship into the crowd, while Reggie Evans launches his shoes (look out!) The Sonics have done it. For their words discussing winning the division, be sure to check out The New SUPERSONICS.COM later this evening. That’s it for Live From The Press Box, but we’ll be back with plenty of excitement in the playoffs.
The Playoffs are Coming …
Posted at 9:40 p.m.
There is no experience like the NBA Playoffs. Make sure you’re here as they return to KeyArena. Tickets for Game A and Game B of the Sonics first-round series are on sale and going fast.
Get your tickets now!
Out Of Hand
Posted at 9:35 p.m.
A little 10-0 Sonics run has pushed their lead to 28 points, 89-61, with 4:19 to go. This blowout is exactly the tonic the Sonics needed. Ray Allen has 30 points, his last three on a 3-pointer that was one of those, “I’m Ray Allen and you’re not” plays - he dribbled into it with his defender just standing there helpless.
A special shoutout to former Storm guard Tully Bevilaqua, who is in attendance tonight en route to Indiana for training camp. Asking me my favorite players to cover would be like asking a parent to rank their favorite children, but Bevilaqua certainly belongs in that group. Good luck in Indiana (except when you play the Storm), Tully!
Playoff Watch
Posted at 9:28 p.m.
So now that we can feel fairly safe in saying the Sonics are going to be the third seed in the playoffs, who are they going to play?
The 2005 Sonics Playoff Watch has the most up-to-date answers for you. Make sure to check it regularly as the picture becomes clearer in the next few days.
12 Minutes Away From The Division …
Posted at 9:18 p.m.
Really not a lot new to report as we go to the fourth quarter. Bostjan Nachbar hit a 3-pointer to get New Orleans within 15, but Ray Allen followed with two free throws at the other end to make it 73-56 going to the fourth. The Sonics are 12 minutes away from winning the Northwest Division in the first season of its existence. Did you expect we’d be saying that at the start of the season?
Sonics Cruising
Posted at 9:12 p.m.
The Hornets made a brief dent into the lead at the start of this half, but since then it’s been all Sonics, who took their first 20-poitn lead a minute ago. At the under-three minute timeout of the third quarter, it’s 67-49 Sonics. While there is still plenty of time left, the Sonics have shown few signs of letdown. Rashard Lewis’ shooting continues to be something of a concern; Lewis is now 1-for-11 from the field and has looked hesitant to shoot recently. But the Sonics have locked down on New Orleans defensively, surrendering just 26 points over the last 21 minutes.
Major mutual respect between Sonics Coach Nate McMillan and the KeyArena crowd when McMillan’s tribute to the fans played at the last timeout. Truly he is Mr. Sonic.
Rashard
Posted at 8:58 p.m.
Six points for Rashard Lewis in the first half, but he shot just 1-for-9 from the field. Lewis talked briefly with reporters in the locker room before the game, the first he’s really talked about his condition since returning to the lineup. Pertinent here is his discussion of his occasional shooting woes on Wednesday in his first game back.
“The shots felt comfortable, they felt good, but they just weren’t falling,” he said. Lewis also pointed out that having to come out after he had made several shots in a row, “messed my rhythm up.”
“I’m just going to have to play with the pain,” Lewis said when asked where he expected to feel better the rest of the season.
“The only thing I can do is get treatment and rest on days off.”
Halftime
Posted at 8:38 p.m.
The Hornets get some points the best way they know how - at the free-throw line - but it’s still 53-39 Sonics at the break. Ray Allen is up to 14 points, enjoying working against the Hornets defense as compared to David Wesley and Josh Howard the last two games. Beyond that, balanced scoring for the Sonics. Tonight’s halftime entertainment should be fun - a game of dodgeball between Softy and six KJR listeners and Eric Powers and six KUBE listeners. Alas, work calls for me.
The Out-of-Town Scoreboard …
Posted at 8:35 p.m.
The Denver Nuggets stay hot, beating the Memphis Grizzlies 111-102 at home. In Utah, the Timberwolves overcome an early deficit to beat the Jazz 100-84. Why does that second score matter, you ask? In addition to the Nuggets not clinching the division for the Sonics, they also kept the Grizzlies from clinching a playoff berth. That means Minnesota is still alive and will have something to play for when the Sonics play in Minnesota on Sunday.
Knock On Wood
Posted at 8:29 p.m.
I hate to get ahead of myself, but the Sonics are starting to roll a little bit right now. At the under-three minute timeout, the Sonics lead by 15, 47-32. New Orleans has posted only nine points in this period thus far. The battle of the boards continues to be all Sonics - they’re outrebounding the Hornets 21-11. New Orleans has seven turnovers and has dropped to 37.9% from the field. The Sonics smell a victory, and they’ll be ruthless in going after it.
Bench Balling
Posted at 8:22 p.m.
It is probably something less than a coincidence that the Sonics have taken control of this game with their bench on the court. It’s been a good effort so far for the Sonics subs. Antonio Daniels has scored seven points, Danny Fortson has five points and four rebounds, Nick Collison has four points and four rebounds, Flip Murray has four points and Damien Wilkins has three points. Add it up, and that’s 23 of the Sonics 41 points coming from their reserves, an encouraging sign given the key role the bench played in the Sonics ascent to the top of the Northwest Division.
Vlade Update
Posted at 8:15 p.m.
Four weeks out from being diagnosed with a stress fracture in his right fibula, Vladimir Radmanovic got out of his boot yesterday and is walking around normally. At yesterday’s practice, he was riding the bicycle on the sideline while his teammates worked. (This should have clicked with me as something strange, but I didn’t put two and two together until Nate McMillan mentioned it tonight.)
For now, riding the bike is about all Vlade can do in terms of conditioning. He’s still not cleared for any load-bearing exercises on the foot, though McMillan is hopeful he can begin running by Monday or Tuesday. From the sounds of the discussion, having Radmanovic back in the lineup for Game 1 of the playoffs might be a bit optimistic, though there is plenty of time for that to change between now and then.
New Orleans has gone gold and the Sonics have started the second quarter on an 11-0 run to take a 36-23 lead. Byron Scott, finally showing some signs of life on the bench, takes timeout.
Through One Quarter
Posted at 8:07 p.m.
To the chagrin of the more nervous amongst us - and yes, that’s a group I count myself amongst - the Hornets are proving surprisingly feisty tonight. They’ve got 23 points in the first quarter, including seven from the bench. As a result, the Sonics, after leading by as many as seven, take only a two-point lead to the second quarter. The Sonics have been great on the boards (11-6 advantage) and have gotten to the line seven times, but the Hornets are shooting 53.3%.
The between-quarter contestant in “One-on-One With Rashard Lewis” throws in the backwards free throw to win $1,000 and Sonics playoff tickets. Nice shooting!
No Ordinary Rookies
Posted at 7:57 p.m.
If you want one play to illustrate that Sonics rookies Nick Collison (after four years at Kansas and one on the Sonics sidelines) and Damien Wilkins (son of Gerald, nephew of Dominique, five years in college) aren’t average in terms of their basketball IQ, how about the last offensive play for the Sonics? After Wilkins missed from the perimeter, Collison corralled the rebound and fired it right back to Wilkins, who had cut directly to the basket. A Wilkins lineup gave the Sonics a four-point lead. Seven points early for Ray Allen, but the Sonics need to get out on Lee Nailon, who has eight points.
Memories at the Hardwood
Posted at 7:52 p.m.
A highlight video during this timeout celebrates some of the top moments Live at the Hardwood in KeyArena this season. I’ve got to say that one of my top memories will be from tonight: A certain Sonics beat writer who shall go nameless (but let’s just say his paper is dynamite) rocking the blue pastel suit over a white sweater. My first instinct was to ask where Phillip Michael Thomas was, but Ray Allen went in a different direction, remarking, “Dang, Cab Calloway!” upon seeing the suit.
A Luke Ridnour three-point play makes it 15-10 Sonics. Rashard Lewis has headed to the bench after six and a half minutes of work to get some rest.
Sonics Lead It
Posted at 7:45 p.m.
9-6 in favor of the Sonics a little less than five minutes in after Lee Nailon answers a Jerome James thunder dunk with a jumper. Nate McMillan asked about his team’s mindset coming into this game, answered, “How we look, how we feel doesn’t make a difference; we’ve just got to play.” It does seem like guys might be trying to be a little too perfect right now. There seems to be a nervous energy in the crowd, but maybe that’s just a nervous energy amongst ME.
Injury Update
Posted at 7:35 p.m.
For the Sonics, who will again be at relatively full strength (dressing 12 men, though Vladimir Radmanovic remains on the injured list), the only thing we have to note is that Rashard Lewis will play, “between 25 and 35 minutes tonight,” according to Nate McMillan. Noting McMillan exceeded his limit on Lewis’ minutes Wednesday in his return to the lineup, one scribe jokingly asked McMillan whether that really meant 45 minutes. McMillan laughed, but note for the record that he did not answer.
On the New Orleans side, forward George Lynch and centers Chris Andersen and Jamaal Magloire will all miss tonight’s game. Dan Dickau is back in the lineup after sitting out Wednesday at Denver. The Hornets will have nine players in uniform, and I was only half-joking when I suggested any fan who can name their four active reserves should win playoff tickets.
As part of the Sonics season-ending celebration, both teams’ entire rosters were announced. Alas, the response to the New Orleans reserves was silence at best. (Dickau, a Washington native, did draw plenty of cheers.) I’m disappointed no love for Andersen, aka The Birdman. No playing or dunk attempts for Andersen, who is sporting a black undershirt underneath an open dress shirt on the bench.
Incidentally, the Hornets reserves are Casey Jacobsen, Maciej Lampe, Bostjan Nachbar and David West. Seek help if you knew that.
Signing On
Posted at 7:30 p.m.
It was 23 weeks ago today that we kicked off this little Live From The Press Box experiement when the Sonics hosted the Atlanta Hawks on Opening Night. 39 home games later (minus one I missed against the Denver Nuggets because of vacation), here we are. The Sonics host the New Orleans Hornets tonight in their final regular-season home game. While we know we'll be back here at least two more times and hopefully many more for the playoffs, there's still something special about tonight as the Sonics celebrate a phenomenal regular season that has resulted in 50 wins, and, with one more, a Northwest Divison championship. That's the goal tonight, so stay tuned throughout the evening for updates from KeyArena and make sure you're hitting refresh to get the latest.
