Live From The Press Box - Sonics vs. San Antonio (Game 6)
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Sad End to a Great Season
Posted at 10:32 p.m.
Ray Allen gets the ball on the left win and has a look at a game-winning 3-pointer over Tim Duncan. It actually catches rim but bounces off as the Spurs hold on for a 98-96 victory and a 4-2 series win. Even though this one did not go seven games, it was one of the best series I’ve ever seen. It was privilege to get to watch all six games in person. Two games came down to the final shot. Tip your cap to the San Antonio Spurs, who played an outstanding series. I think I would almost be surprised if the Spurs did not win the Championship, though I and everyone else will always wonder what if Rashard Lewis and Vladimir Radmanovic had been healthy for this series.
On the Sonics side, there is no question this has been a phenomenal ride. We’ll have much, much more breaking down the 2004-05 campaign over the next week or two on SUPERSONICS.COM, but for a team picked behind the Atlanta Hawks by ESPN.com at the start of the season to win the Northwest Division Championship and reach the Western Conference Semifinals is an incredible ride for everyone involved. In its own way, this is one of the most special seasons in Sonics history.
It’s just a shame it had to end tonight.
The KeyArena crowd, recognizing that, gave a nice hand to the Sonics at the conclusion of this game. Thanks to the fans for a season of support.
This is It
Posted at 10:26 p.m.
A whole season comes down to 14.4 seconds of basketball. Both teams’ benches and all the fans on their feet. It is loud in here. Manu Ginobili gets the ball near midcourt and holds for the last shot. He hits Tim Duncan, who banks it in off glass with 0.5 seconds left and points skyward. Utter silence in KeyArena, but this game is not over yet.
Tied Up
Posted at 10:25 p.m.
Antonio Daniels misses his first shot short. His second teases by bouncing around before falling in. We’re tied at 96 with 14.4 seconds left. Timeout San Antonio to set up a play for what presumably will be the last shot. You’ve got to think the Spurs are playing for overtime right now. Great move by the Sonics coaching staff to get Vitaly Potapenko in the game for this last defensive possession. Potapenko is a better defensive option against Tim Duncan than Nick Collison, though Collison has of course proved invaluable in other areas of the game.
He Makes Plays
Posted at 10:23 p.m.
Nick Collison tips in Antonio Daniels’ miss to make it 96-95. Spurs possession … Tim Duncan misses a free throw with Nick Collison in his face. Loose-ball foul on Robert Horry sends Antonio Daniels to the free-throw line with 14.4 seconds left. Absolute delirium at KeyArena, but they need to quiet it down for the free throws.
Within Two
Posted at 10:21 p.m.
Antonio Daniels goes right to the basket for a layup to make it a two-point game. Sonics need a stop, but Manu Ginobili draws a very late foul call from Dan Crawford on Jerome James (his sixth). I thought it was a foul from live action, but replays show Ginobili initiated the contact. He misses the first free throw but hits the second. 96-93 with just under a minute. Collison replaces James.
Let’s Go Sonics
Posted at 10:16 p.m.
Great time for the NBA posting system to go down. San Antonio 90, Seattle 89 at the last mandatory timeout with 1:59 to go. Sonics fans spontaneously start chanting “Let’s Go Sonics” during the timeout. Huge 3-pointer from Robert Horry, but Antonio Daniels answers with a two-pointer. Sonics need a stop. Tim Duncan fouled and the shot counts. Again, the Sonics fail to make the hard (but not flagrant) foul and avoid the 3-point play. Duncan misses the free throw, which is a break. Nate McMillan takes timeout. 95-91 San Antonio with 1:22 to go.
Ballplayers Making Plays
Posted at 10:11 p.m.
Tony Parker with a gorgeous floater in the lane to give the Spurs a four-point lead. Luke Ridnour and Nick Collison answer with a play that shows they’re just scratching the surface of what they can do together, as Collison hands off to Ridnour, screens and then goes to the bucket for an uncontested dunk. After a Spurs miss, Damien Wilkins with a 3 to give the Sonics the lead. Tony Parker travels and it’s Sonics ball up 89-88 with 3:02 to play. Wild, wild stuff. I need the media timeout to catch my breath.
Collison Returns
Posted at 10:09 p.m.
After Luke Ridnour ties it with a jumper, Jerome James is called for his fifth foul. Tim Duncan somehow gets the shot to drop but misses the free throw. Nick Collison replaces James. A stoppage of play because of Damien Wilkins blood and the “SUPER-SONICS” chant gets started at the Key. Ray misses a 3 and the Sonics need a stop.
Duncan Back
Posted at 10:06 p.m.
Tim Duncan back in at the 5:37 mark. He replaces Nzr Mohammed, giving San Antonio a lineup of Parker/Ginobili/Bowen/Horry/Duncan. This is their finishing group. Ginobili splits two free throws and it’s 84-82 San Antonio.
Great Game
Posted at 10:03 p.m.
The under six minutes media timeout comes at the 5:49 mark with San Antonio leading 83-82. Tim Duncan just sat down for a brief rest and continues to walk around, trying to get his left foot to feel right. Manu Ginobili has returned for the Spurs, replacing Brent Barry, who fouled out of the game after hitting a 3-pointer to pout San Antonio on top. Nate McMillan has gone to a lineup of Luke Ridnour/Antonio Daniels/Ray Allen/Damien Wilkins/Jerome James. Yes, that’s really an undrafted rookie playing in the final six minutes of Game 6 of the Western Conference Semifinals. What a wild season this continues to be.
Collison Factor
Posted at 9:58 p.m.
Maybe the best-run play by the Sonics all season out of the timeout, as they run Ray Allen off several screens and the Spurs get so confused they leave Nick Collison alone under the basket for a dunk. On the other end, a close block/charge call goes against Collison, his fifth foul. He’s replaced by Reggie Evans. Tim Duncan, who slammed into Collison, is briefly down holding his left foot, but walks it off. Ray Allen gives the Sonics back the lead with a 3-pointer. You knew he wouldn’t keep missing those forever, didn’t you? Incidentally, Collison was in the “circle” on the block foul, but I believe - and I can’t stress
believe enough - the circle is irrelevant on that play because Duncan got the ball inside the 3-point line. I could be wrong there. A Duncan jumper ties it at 80, but Allen gives the Sonics back the lead with a jumper in the lane. He’s got 25. The stars are out right now.
Playoff Intensity
Posted at 9:55 p.m.
I don’t think words - at least not mine - can do justice to the intensity in this building during the fourth quarter. The playoffs have a feel to them, and it is in the building tonight. Both teams desperately want to win this ballgame, as do 17,072 partisans in the stands.
To the Fourth
Posted at 9:50 p.m.
Let’s quantify how great the Sonics defense was in the third quarter, shall we? San Antonio shot 6-for-19 from the field in the period and committed eight turnovers. At the same time, the Sonics did allow seven offensive rebounds, which is way too many. Tim Duncan finally gets his second field goal - he’s now 2-for-15 from the field - to give the Spurs the lead, but Damien Wilkins reclaims it with two free throws. Gregg Popovich is amazingly lucky not to get a technical foul for complaining. It says something that I’m stunned Brent Barry just hit a shot, his first of the night (he’s got five fouls somehow).
To the Fourth
Posted at 9:45 p.m.
73-72 Sonics as we head to the fourth quarter. 12 minutes stand between us and either Game 7 of this series or the Spurs advancing to the Western Conference Finals. That third quarter already felt like the late rounds of a heavyweight fight, and it’s difficult to imagine things possibly getting more intense during the final quarter. At the same time, I know they will.
Something I haven’t mentioned yet but should have: Led by guards for each team, there is enough bad acting out here that we might want to have soap opera talent scouts in the crowd alongside scouts for Phoenix and Dallas.
Sonics Lead
Posted at 9:40 p.m.
A Danny Fortson three-point play gives the Sonics the lead for the first time in the second half, 70-67. This arena is absolutely going nuts, and we might tear off the roof at this rate. Hard foul by Danny Fortson on Tim Duncan, but the two share a high five to clear the air after a foul. Late, the referees decide to change it to a flagrant. One guess how that decision is received by the KeyArena crowd. Frankly, as poorly as Duncan is shooting, maybe Fortson should have taken his chances. I don’t think tonight is a ‘make Duncan earn ‘em’ kind of night. This is the best defense the Sonics have played all year. They’re challenging everything and are incredibly active. They’re feeding off the crowd. A Ray Allen 3 makes it 73-69 as we’re inside the final minute of the third.
Tied Up
Posted at 9:37 p.m.
Ray Allen’s first basket since the middle of the second quarter is a 3-pointer off of a great screen (I’m afraid I don’t remember who set it) to tie the game at 67 apiece. The Sonics have held San Antonio to 15 points in this quarter despite being completely unable to get a defensive rebound. It’s an incredible effort.
Spurs Timeout
Posted at 9:33 p.m.
A Luke Ridnour jumper makes it 67-64 Spurs and draws a San Antonio timeout. KeyArena is electric right now, as the rally towels have come back out. The last 16 minutes of this game are going to be simply incredible. I hope people around the league appreciate what an awesome series this has been. Traveling on Nazr Mohammed and the momentum is still going for the Sonics.
Worth Noting
Posted at 9:30 p.m.
Ray Allen’s last score was at the 5:55 mark of the second quarter. The Sonics are getting clobbered on the defensive glass right now, and that is keeping them behind in the game. Nick Collison picks up a somewhat dubious fourth foul on a possession where the Spurs got two offensive boards. Wow, did I read that right? Tim Duncan is 1-for-11 from the field. That is unreal. Jerome James with the three-point play and the Sonics are back within five, 67-62.
New Resolve
Posted at 9:25 p.m.
Sonics doing it by sheer will right now. First, Jerome James backs his way to the basket with power and dunks. He would not be denied on that play. After a San Antonio turnover, Antonio Daniels gets to the free-throw line for two shots. Making them both, he brings the Sonics within four, 61-57. Daniels has a team-high 17 points and has been brilliant. The crowd is more into this game right now because of their problems with the refereeing.
Cavalcade of Boos
Posted at 9:20 p.m.
Wow … madness at KeyArena right now. Nate McMillan draws a technical after some contact is let go underneath the Sonics basket. The crowd is louder than I ever recall it being at this arena in terms of refereeing, first booing and then chanting something that won’t be repeated on a family Web site. PA Announcer Matt Pitman tried to read a statement reiterating the NBA’s policy for fan conduct after something was thrown on the floor, but you couldn’t hear him over the boos. Sonics Chairman Howard Schultz also seemed to be on the verge of a technical foul, screaming at a referee from his position on the sideline.
Very uneasy silence during this timeout. A Manu Ginobili 3-pointer has given the Spurs a 61-53 lead with 6:47 left in the third quarter, and this game could go either way right now. The Sonics need to regain their focus and ignore the refs, as I’m sure McMillan is telling them in the huddle.
Referees on the Brain?
Posted at 9:15 p.m.
After Antonio Daniels drew a technical foul early in this third quarter, it looks like the Sonics might be letting the referees get to them, something Nate McMillan frequently cautions against. There is no doubt whatsoever that the fans are preoccupied with the refereeing. For the Sonics, the evidence would be a couple of sloppy plays after a strong start to this half. The last possession ends in Reggie Evans taking a 15-footer. Nate McMillan wants his team to play in third options as well as first ones on offense, but an Evans jumper ranks much lower than that.
Halftime Stats
Posted at 9:08 p.m.
The thing that jumps out at me off the halftime box score: 0-for-2 from 3-point range for the Sonics. In the second quarter, they had 10 field goals, which is not a bad number, and shot almost 50% from the field without committing that many turnovers. But they also did not hit a 3 (obviously) and had only two free throws. As a result, their offense was subpar. The 3-pointer powered the Sonics offense throughout the regular season, but has been a complete non-factor in this series. Credit goes to the Spurs for defending the 3-point line so well, but obviously injuries to Rashard Lewis and Vladimir Radmanovic are also at work here. With Lewis and Radmanovic out of the lineup, the Sonics barely got any 3-pointers during the last few weeks of the regular season either.
Halftime
Posted at 8:53 p.m.
That was a championship quarter of basketball put together by the San Antonio Spurs. They outscore the Sonics by 10 to take a five-point lead to halftime, 52-47. Ray Allen had six points in the period for the Sonics, but San Antonio clamped down on the rest of the Seattle offense and got to the free-throw line 11 times in the period, making 10 of them. Bizarrely, the Spurs have shot free throws very well at times in this series despite losing Game 3 solely because of free throws. The rebounding advantage was also virtually erased in the second quarter; it’s now 18-14 Sonics on the boards. San Antonio with phenomenal balance - five players with eight points or more. Bench points 14-11 in San Antonio’s favor - that can’t happen for the Sonics to win.
Ray Allen with five turnovers in the first half. He’s struggling with the traps the Spurs are running at him.
The Beale Street Flippers entertain the crowd at halftime.
Momentum: Spurs
Posted at 8:43 p.m.
The Spurs have dominated the last three minutes of the game, and the Sonics haven’t been able to get the couple of scores they need to get the crowd going again. The KeyArena fans have turned rather restless with regards to the officiating in this period. The Spurs already have 10 free throw attempts in the quarter. They’ve taken a 47-41 lead with 2:57 left in the first half.
Big Shot Rob
Posted at 8:36 p.m.
The last two years, Robert Horry has played a critical role in deciding the Western Conference Semifinals series the Spurs were involved in. Unfortunately, he’s been on the losing end both times, with dismal shooting performances first with the Lakers against San Antonio and then for the Spurs against the Lakers. Tonight, he’s trying to end another series in six games, but this time by playing well. Horry has 11 points and has been critical off an otherwise punchless bench for San Antonio.
Two Bruce Bowen free throws have given the Spurs their first lead, 41-40. (It’s the first lead change since Game 3; the last two games were wire-to-wire victories.) Worse, the Sonics are in the penalty while San Antonio has but one team foul. With two fouls, Jerome James will go to the bench, replaced by Vitaly Potapenko.
Bruce Bowen, with six points, showing some surprising aggressiveness on offense.
Spurs Finding Some Holes
Posted at 8:31 p.m.
San Antonio is having some offensive success right now and has closed to within three points, 38-35. A key has been Nazr Mohammed, who has eight points on 4-for-5 shooting. After Mohammed’s playoff career high 18 points in Game 5, Nate McMillan said the reason was defensive breakdowns. I think that’s shorting Mohammed some credit he deserves; he’s a solid player who becomes very dangerous alongside Tim Duncan (though he’s doing this with Duncan getting a rest). I was scared of Mohammed before the series and remain so now.
On the Sonics side, they continue to get tremendous energy from Damien Wilkins. I know I’ve said it before, but the Sonics lineup right now includes two undrafted rookies they signed as free agents and Jerome James, who they signed out of their summer-league mini-camp. What a testament to the front office and Nate McMillan that these guys are leading the Spurs.
More Mariners cheers, this time for retired designated hitter Edgar Martinez.
Clicking In
Posted at 8:24 p.m.
San Antonio really does not seem to have an answer for the Sonics offense right now. The Sonics have rolled up 33 points by the under-nine-minutes timeout of the second quarter, which is outstanding against San Antonio’s tough defense. They lead it by eight.
Before the game, Nate McMillan argued ball movement was the Sonics problem on offense in Game 5. If that’s changed, it’s not readily apparent from the statistics; they had but two assists in the first quarter. This is one of many cases where the numbers don’t tell the whole story, and part of that is the Sonics getting to the free-throw line (no possibility of an assist) and exploiting mismatches with their passing without necessarily getting an assist. But it still does suggest there’s more to the Sonics offense than ball movement - taking it to the basket, for one. Ray Allen and Antonio Daniels have combined for 19 points, while the Sonics have held Tim Duncan without a field goal.
Mariners star Ichiro was introduced at the last timeout to boisterous applause.
Sonics Up After One
Posted at 8:14 p.m.
With a Reggie Evans dunk closing out the scoring, the Sonics will take a 25-20 lead to the second quarter. Strong effort for the home team, which got nine points from an aggressive Antonio Daniels. Nice performance by Robert Horry off the San Antonio bench, as he scored seven points and hit a big 3-pointer.
The most important stat of the first quarter - the Sonics outrebounded San Antonio 11-5. That’s taking care of business on the backboards. Also worth noting - 10 free throws to the Spurs six.
Foul Trouble
Posted at 8:09 p.m.
The foul bug has bit Nick Collison during this series, and it’s been extra problematic tonight. Collison just picked up his third foul of this first quarter and was replaced by Reggie Evans. It could be a long stint on the bench for Collison; we may not see him again before halftime. Evans was shown by ESPN riding the exercise bike behind the Sonics bench and may be experiencing some soreness in his back, which bothered him a week ago today here at KeyArena. Given the situation, it’s important for Danny Fortson to stay out of foul trouble. Of course, when you’re defending Tim Duncan, that’s much easier said than done.
Storm in the House
Posted at 8:06 p.m.
It’s a busy weekend for the Seattle Sonics & Storm organization (yours truly included). While the Sonics are hoping to force a Game 7 in San Antonio on Sunday, the defending WNBA Champion Storm tip off the defense of their crown on Saturday at KeyArena against the Los Angeles Sparks at 1:00, with ceremonies including players receiving their championship rings and the Storm’s banner being raised to the KeyArena rafters. Tickets are still available - check out
storm.wnba.com for more info.
The Storm players are at tonight’s game and spent the last timeout hurling t-shirts into the crowd.
More Blogging
Posted at 8:03 p.m.
Want a little more blog action from tonight’s game? Be sure to check out David Locke’s analysis at the
Locked On Sports Blog. In addition to his in-game analysis, Locke has some great info on the +/- ratings for both teams during this series.
More on Lewis
Posted at 7:58 p.m.
While Nate McMillan didn’t have a great deal to add to
what he said this morning about Rashard Lewis’ condition, we did find out a little bit more before tonight’s game. It’s been reported that Lewis is finished for this series, but McMillan reiterated that this is not the case. Lewis is a game-time decision for Game 7 if it’s necessary on Sunday.
“The plan is for him to each day do a little bit more,” said McMillan.
Lewis was walking on the treadmill in the Sonics weight room before the game, and he’s making improvement. Unfortunately, that improvement isn’t coming as quickly as the Sonics would like.
Momentum Still Going
Posted at 7:52 p.m.
The Spurs have gotten on the scoreboard - six times, in fact - but the energy is still in KeyArena and the Sonics still hold a 14-6 lead after two Reggie Evans free throws. What’s really encouraging about the Sonics fast start is that their bench had its way with the San Antonio reserves in Game 5 with Manu Ginobili in the starting lineup. Brent Barry has really struggled in this series. He’s in now for the Spurs, replacing Ginobili, along with Robert Horry.
Timeout Spurs
Posted at 7:46 p.m.
In Game 5, the Spurs posted the first six points of the game as the Sonics struggled with their shooting. Tonight, it’s exactly the opposite. A little over three minutes into the game, the Sonics lead 6-0, forcing Gregg Popovich to call a 20-second timeout. Antonio Daniels has been aggressive and has four points in the early going.
Signing On
Posted at 7:40 p.m.
It’s truly Win Or Go Home tonight at KeyArena as the Sonics look to force a deciding Game 7 on Sunday by winning tonight’s Game 6 of their Western Conference Semifinals series with the San Antonio Spurs. It will be a loud, crowded house tonight at KeyArena, which should work to the Sonics favor as they look to overcome the absence of forward Rashard Lewis and pick up a huge win. Stay with us all night long for what should be a dandy.
