Live From The Press Box - Sonics vs. Sacramento (Game 5)
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SONICS WIN!
Posted at 10:30 p.m.
Mike Bibby 3-pointer misses, Rashard Lewis rebounds. Game, series - Seattle. Well-placed green streamers erupt in the aisles and the Sonics giddily congregate at center court for their typical huddle. Someone has brought Jerome James a trashbag to commemorate his tale of how he was cut by the Kings nearly five years ago. The Sonics are moving on to the Western Conference Semifinals for the first time since 1998. Three years ago today, the Sonics lost Game 5 of their last playoff series to the San Antonio Spurs, which really doesn’t have anything to do with anything, but I’m throwing it out there. (Well, maybe it does - the Spurs are one win away from being the Sonics first-round opponent.) Just an outstanding series all around. I thought this series was going to go the distance, but the Sonics took care of business and stole a win in Sacramento and then gritted out a win tonight despite a great effort by the Kings. Ray Allen obviously is the MVP, but Jerome James had an incredible series and Nick Collison is the unsung hero without whom the Sonics couldn’t have taken Games 4 and 5. It’s good to be back in the Semifinals. Stay tuned for tomorrow’s online-only presale for Games E and F of the Semifinals series.
Time Running Out
Posted at 10:25 p.m.
Terrific defense by Nick Collison, who forces Peja Stojakovic into a contested 3 with the clock running down. Antonio Daniels can’t corral the rebound before it trickles out of bounds, but the Kings have only 3.9 seconds left to score four points and it’s going to be very very tough. The Sonics absolutely cannot foul.
Not Over Yet
Posted at 10:22 p.m.
The Kings take over down only five with 49.6 seconds left to play. The Sonis have missed some free throws and left the door open. A la Game 1, a Peja Stojakovic 3-pointer makes this suddenly a two-point game with 34.8 seconds to left. The Kings will play defense and take their chances at stopping the Sonics. Ray Allen has other ideas, and his driving layup gives him 30 points for the third straight game and makes it 122-118 Sonics with 12.8 seconds left.
Rebounding
Posted at 10:15 p.m.
It somehow slipped my attention, but the Sonics have held a commanding 41-24 rebounding advantage in this game. Okay, commanding might be an understatement; that’s total annihilation. Sacramento’s inability to grab a defensive board is stopping their comeback effort in its track. Jerome James has a pair of offensive rebounds on the last two possessions, Rashard Lewis one and now Nick Collison one on the Sonics third possession. All three times the Sonics have ended up going to the free-throw line and earning points relatively easily. After Collison bricks his second try, the Kings still can’t corral a rebound and the Sonics get it back leading 117-11 with 1:45 to play.
Make It Nine!
Posted at 10:10 p.m.
Great defense by Rashard Lewis, who forced Peja Stojakovic into a difficult fadeaway that he missed. The Sonics came down and worked the ball to Lewis open at the top of the arc. He buried the 3-ball to make it 113-104 Sonics with 3:2 to play. Just a minute ago, I was noting that Lewis hadn’t scored in the fourth quarter. Now he’s got seven of his 21 points in the period. This hasn’t been a great series for Lewis, but he’s made the plays when he’s had to. Sacramento needs points and fast. The crowd is obviously working against them.
Sonics By Six
Posted at 10:08 p.m.
The Sonics get a key steal, but give it right back as Jerome James tries to get a little too fancy and throws over his back … and right into the scorer’s table. Huge superstar call in Peja Stojakovic’s favor as he doesn’t pick up his fifth foul, the foul instead given to Mike Bibby, who has only two. But Stojakovic draws his fifth with 3:51 to play and sends Rashard Lewis to the line for two shots. He hits both. The Sonics are now in the penalty themselves.
Sonics Basketball
Posted at 10:00 p.m.
The Kings have found an offensive rhythm, but the Sonics are executing to perfection on the offensive end of the court and have maintained their lead. On their last two possessions, the Sonics got a Vladimir Radmanovic driving layup (which he missed, but Jerome James was there to follow) and a Ray Allen layup when the Kings fronted Allen in the post. Bad news on the other end: Antonio Daniels’ foul was the Sonics fifth of the period, putting Sacramento in the penalty.
Sonics Defense
Posted at 9:55 p.m.
Peja Stojakovic delivers the Kings third and fourth points of this fourth quarter, now more than four minutes old, but the Sonics still lead by two. When the Sonics play tight defense, the Kings can’t get the easy shots they live on, and their frustration is evident. Brad Miller threw the ball away, followed by Mike Bibby almost doing the same on the next possession. It is huge for the Sonics to have this lineup (Daniels, Allen, Lewis, Collison, James) on the court. Ray Allen three gives the Sonics a five-point lead. He’s got 26 for the game.
All Square
Posted at 9:50 p.m.
The Sonics have come back to tie this game at 95 on a Nick Collison three-point play and the roof is coming off of KeyArena. Now Collison with a reverse alley-oop finish (well, sort of - he didn’t quite dunk the ball but laid it up) and the Sonics take a 97-95 lead. Rick Adelman takes timeout and this is what a playoff crowd is supposed to sound like, with Howard Schultz leading the cheers from his courtside seat. It’s hard to understate Nick’s impact on this game - he now has 15 points, which would be only one off his career high, playoffs or no. This is reminiscent of his role in the Sonics comeback win against Sacramento at KeyArena back in February. On the other side, Peja Stojakovic has started the fourth quarter by missing his first four shots. The Sonics have played some better defense, but might Stojakovic be tightening up a little bit?
To the Fourth
Posted at 9:40 p.m.
The cavalry is here. It’s the Sonics bench, which scored 21 points in the first half and helped open up a lead. A somewhat similar impact near the end of this third quarter, with the Sonics getting the last basket of the period (a dunk from Nick Collison, who now has 10 points) to get Sacramento’s lead down to three. Maurice Evans did bank in a 3-pointer from near halfcourt, but it came just after the buzzer. The Kings have the lead, but the Sonics have momentum, depth and the home crowd on their side. It should be a great fourth quarter. Mike Bibby and Peja Stojakovic are trying to will the Kings to victory, combining for 57 points through the first three periods. As for the Sonics, it’s as simple as playing defense (which is to say, simple in theory but much more difficult in execution). Sacramento has 69 points over the last two quarters, more than in the infamous first half of Game 4. But there’s still plenty of time. We’re 12 minutes away from the series ending or heading to Sacramento (or overtime?).
Big Play Reggie
Posted at 9:30 p.m.
Huge offensive rebound by Reggie Evans on the Sonics last play. To the crowd’s delight, he finishes and draws the foul on Kenny Thomas. It’s Thomas’ fourth, putting Darius Songaila - who hasn’t been real effective the last two games - in the game. It also pulls the Sonics within three. The comeback is officially on right now. Big break for Sacramento with a no call on contact on the Sonics possession leads to a turnover and a Kings runout score. Ray Allen answers with a jumper. This is a playoff game, truly.
Flagrant
Posted at 9:25 p.m.
After the Sonics pull within four on 3-pointers from Rashard Lewis and Ray Allen, a poorly-timed flagrant foul by Reggie Evans. The breakdown started when Mike Bibby, who now has 21 points, waltzed into the lane. With Jerome James drawn out of the paint by Brad Miller, that left only Reggie Evans to meet Bibby in the paint. Evans is not a shot-blocker, so he could only foul. He did so too hard, however, and drew the flagrant, a call the crowd, ahem, did not agree with. Really a nice move by Rick Adelman to call a timeout after Bibby’s free throws. Not only has it quieted the angry crowd, it gives him the chance to draw up a play so they can maximize the value of the flagrant and nip the Sonics run in the bud.
Packing
Posted at 9:20 p.m.
The Sonics can start packing for Sacramento if they don’t start committing to playing defense and right now. Since Ray Allen started off the second half with a 3, Sacramento is on a 19-3 run. Nate McMillan seems strangely content to stick with his starting lineup. Right now, Reggie Evans is a liability on the court, as he isn’t even rebounding.
Mobley Out?
Posted at 9:11 p.m.
Cuttino Mobley is neither in the lineup nor on the Kings bench. It looks like his evening might be over, though we haven’t heard anything official. Peja Stojakovic drills a 3 early in the second half to get Sacramento within one. He was left wide open, which is inexcusable. Stojakovic follows with a steal and finishes a fast break with a layup to give Sacramento a 64-63 lead. Nate McMillan wants a timeout. His players need to start playing some defense right now. We’re not far from the 68 points the Kings scored in the first half on Sunday. Stojakovic has 27 and could threaten Ray Allen’s 45 for the series high.
Update: It’s official. Mobley will not return.
Halftime Stats
Posted at 9:05 p.m.
Some really incredible shooting numbers on both sides. The Sonics were at 57.9% in the first half, Sacramento 53.2%. On two-pointers, the Kings shot 22-for-33 (66.7%). Mike Bibby missed all four of shis 3-pointers, Cuttino Mobley and Bobby Jackson two apiece. The Sonics outrebounded Sacramento 22-13, and that’s not due to missed shots discrepancy in changes; they just outrebounded them. Four rebounds from Luke Ridnour is a nice (and surprising) help. 16 assists and only three turnovers for the Kings. The Sonics need to force more turnovers; they’re doing a pretty solid job of holding on to the ball themselves. 24 minutes to go. …
Halftime
Posted at 8:52 p.m.
After getting a stop on Sacramento’s final possession of the first half, the Sonics take a 60-57 lead to the locker room. This back-and-forth, up-and-down basketball is nerve-wracking for those at KeyArena, but it’s also an incredibly entertaining brand of basketball. I hope some fans on the East Coast have stayed up to watch this series, which hasn’t started before 10:30 p.m. Eastern yet. The Sonics got a lift down the stretch from Nick Collison after Jerome James picked up his third foul. Collison has seven points and six boards in the first half and had a great slam dunk follow of a missed shot just after passing another offensive rebound to Rashard Lewis, who finished with a dunk of his own. The prospect of having James and Collison in the lineup together in the fourth quarter if James can avoid foul trouble is an exciting one. On the other side, it’s the Peja Stojakovic and Mike Bibby show: They’ve combined for 36 of Sacramento’s 57 points. Stojakovic is an unreal 9-for-10 from the field n the first half. The Sonics will really have to tighten up their defense against him.
Mobley Injured
Posted at 8:47 p.m.
Sacramento guard Cuttino Mobley has a sprained right foot. His return is questionable; he’ll be re-evaluated at halftime. Maurice Evans has replaced him in the game. Via his blog, David Locke reminds me of an interesting little play: Vladimir Radmanovic beat Peja Stojakovic in the post, scoring with a one-handed shot. Not only was it a matchup of countrymen, it was a solid post move by Radmanovic, who may see more action there in the future if he stays with the Sonics. I should also point out after watching it again that words can’t do justice to the Ridnour-Lewis play.
Top Play
Posted at 8:42 p.m.
You’ll be seeing the Sonics last score in the highlights for some time. In improbable fashion, Luke Ridnour plucked the ball out of traffic and fired it ahead behind his back to Rashard Lewis, who finished with a dunk all by himself. Right now, we’ve hit one of those portions of this series where both teams are basically scoring at will. That’s good news for the Sonics to the extent that they started this stretch off with a lead and still have it. But one team will step up and play defense, and that team will be in great shape. Peja Stojakovic has been simply phenomenal tonight, scoring 17 points. For all the talk of what a playoff choker Stojakovic is, he’s really had a very good series.
Bizarro Game 2
Posted at 8:32 p.m.
For the Sacramento Kings, tonight is the bizarre Game 2. (Up is down! Left is right! Black is white!) Why? Because in that game, the starters had no energy whatsoever and the bench came in and got the Kings back in the game. Tonight, the Sacramento starters have been very good, but the bench was simply awful. As soon as Rick Adelman got 4/5 of his starting 5 back in there, the Kings scored on their next four possessions. Fortunately, the Sonics have kept it going at the other end and still lead 42-34. Nice effort off the bench by Antonio Daniels, who scored eight points and has been aggressive going to the basket.
Double the Point Guards, Double the Fun
Posted at 8:24 p.m.
The Sonics pair of point guards, Antonio Daniels and Luke Ridnour, have sparked them early in the second quarter. After Daniels hit a 20-foot jumper, Ridnour had a great running rebound in traffic that immediately turned into a fast-break going the other direction. He dished the ball to Daniels, who finished with a layup to put the Sonics up nine, 33-24. Rick Adelman has responded by calling timeout and putting his starting guards back in the game. If the lineup I think I’m seeing in their huddle is correct, the Kings are going Tiny with a capital T: Kenny Thomas at center, Maurice Evans at power forward. Not even George Karl would go for a lineup like that.
(Okay, it’s not: Brad Miller just didn’t take off his warm-ups.)
Sonics Up After One
Posted at 8:18 p.m.
The way the Kings responded to the Sonics initial surge by coming back to take a brief lead at 23-22, I can’t help but feel that tonight’s game is going to be a dogfight. Sacramento is showing some scrap and some hustle and Peja Stojakovic has been outstanding tonight, with 11 points on 5-for-6 shooting. But I also love the way the Sonics responded and closed the quarter with a nice little run to take a 29-24 lead. Great defensive sequence on Sacramento’s last full possession. Vladimir Radmanovic switched out on Bobby Jackson and trapped him to perfection, eventually handing off to Nick Collison, who forced Jackson into a missed 3-pointer. Rick Adelman went to five reserves to finish the period, a dramatic departure from his 8-man rotation in Game 4. I haven’t heard anything about it, but might Adelman have felt his starters wore down after logging heavy minutes in Game 4?
Dueling Blogs
Posted at 8:10 p.m.
For those lonely minutes in between Live From The Press Box updates, why don’t you surf on over to
lockedonsports.blogspot.com and check out David Locke’s blog? The KJR 950 AM pre- and post-game show host has a courtside view of the action and a slightly different perspective than yours truly, and you don’t really know the game unless you’ve read both accounts (but maybe hit refresh on this one a little bit more).
Timeout Sonics
Posted at 8:06 p.m.
A lightning-strike 7-0 run by the Kings pulls them within one and prompts a Nate McMillan timeout. I kind of wish Nate would have played through that one, showing a little more faith in his team. The Kings got a couple of fast-break scores, but one was off of a near-offensive rebound by Nick Collison that was nothing but luck.
Squatch uses the timeout to kick a couple of Kings fans out of their seats behind media row courtside and put two rabid Sonics fans upgraded from the 200 level in their rightful place.
Ball Movement
Posted at 8:02 p.m.
You’ve got to love the way the Sonics are moving the basketball early in this game. Reggie Evans has six points so far, and it’s not because Reggie is creating his own offense in the post. He’s been left open under the basket, and the Sonics have found him. Ray Allen has seven points, but he’s not forcing the issue when Sacramento has come with the double-team. Bill Bradley, the former Knicks legend (not to mention Congressman) sitting courtside alongside good friend Howard Schultz, would be proud.
The Sonics main weakness thus far has been the defensive glass, a problem in this series. Perhaps Nick Collison, who checks in for Jerome James (two fouls) will help. Collison instantly gets a layup off of a screen-and-role and then, lo and behold, a defensive board. 19-12 Sonics with Evans heading to the free-throw line (he disproved me by getting there off a post-up).
Sonics Mindset
Posted at 7:58 p.m.
We’ve heard from Rick Adelman; now, let’s go to the other coach for his take on what his team needs to do to counteract Sacramento’s do-or-die situation.
“The thing we want to do is not wait to see how this team will come out,” said McMillan. “We know they will fight.”
McMillan called defense “the key” to this series, and you can characterize it as the classic “team that plays defense first wins” series. The Sonics did that in Games 2 and 4, Sacramento in Game 3, and each team won those games. The Sonics defense has been outstanding so far, and they lead it 15-8 a little more than five minutes in.
Kings Mindset
Posted at 7:50 p.m.
The biggest question entering tonight’s game, according to most experts, is what mindset the Sacramento Kings come out with trailing 3-1 in this series. Count Rick Adelman amongst that group.
“You’re looking at this group and seeing who they are,” Adelman said before the game. By contrast, with the old Kings core - Doug Christie, Vlade Divac and Chris Webber are all gone from last year’s team - Adelman knew his team would respond in a situation like this.
Who wins the early portion of this game may be key. So far, it’s the Sonics, who hold a 7-2 lead. Make it 9-2 after a Ray Allen layup. Adelman wants timeout and the crowd erupts.
Signing On
Posted at 7:30 p.m.
The clock is counting down towards Game 5 and the excitement is palpable at KeyArena, as the crowd comes to its feet for the final minute before the beginning of the national anthem and starting lineups. After taking Game 4 in Sacramento on Sunday, the Sonics have a chance to finish off this series and the Sacramento Kings tonight. It’s an incredible opportunity, as Nate McMillan has described it, and one we haven’t enjoyed in Seattle in a little while. It should be a blast, so stay with us all night and make sure you hit refresh to get the latest.
