Live From the Press Box - Sonics vs. Houston (preseason)
Want to enjoy the electricity of at KeyArena 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 quotes, analysis and observations from the game. E-mail Kevin at sonicsconnection@sonics-storm.com. Make sure to keep coming back or refreshing so you get the latest content.
Sonics Fall to Rockets
Final: Houston 117, Sonics 94
The Houston Rockets come into the 2007-08 season with high expectations, and tonight they looked like a team that could compete with the elite in the Western Conference. On the Sonics side, we continue to see areas where the team is working to get better defensively. In particular, keeping opponents off the free-throw line has been a challenge through much of the preseason.
The Sonics have to feel good about getting Delonte West back in the lineup tonight after a three-game absence due to a lower back strain. West looked very good tonight, scoring 22 points and handing out seven assists.
We're back here Tuesday as the Sonics host the Golden State Warriors in their second and final preseason game at KeyArena. 
Tickets are still available for that game. Between now and then, make sure to check out SUPERSONICS.COM for all the latest on the Green and Gold.
KD
Fourth Quarter: Houston 117, Sonics 86
Kevin Durant finished his first game at KeyArena in style, hitting a three-pointer and taking a steal coast-to-coast for a dunk just before checking it out. You can see Durant, with his incredible wingspan, developing into something of a force in the passing lanes when he becomes more experienced. Durant had 25 points on 9-of-20 shooting, his best scoring output of the preseason.
Now both coaches have gone to their benches. The only Sonics not to play are Earl Watson and Chris Wilcox, both of whom got the night off from P.J. Carlesimo. No fewer than 15 Rockets have seen action tonight. (Postgame update: Wilcox's knees have been bothering him a little, apparently. While he could have played, there's no need to push it in the preseason.)
UO Point Guards Represent
Fourth Quarter: Houston 113, Sonics 76
Oregon has had just two regular starting point guards in the last seven years, and both of hem are on the floor at the moment. That's Luke Ridnour and Aaron Brooks, who both undoubtedly will be pleased to hear that their alma mater defeated UW 55-34 earlier this evening across town at Husky Stadium. As a UW alumnus, your humble blogger is not quite so pleased. Brooks has 10 points tonight on 4-of-5 shooting.
Swifty
Fourth Quarter: Houston 101, Sonics 67
Taking the KeyArena court for the first time since tearing his ACL last year during the preseason, Robert Swift has had a nice night. He's got 10 points and has been credited with three rebounds, though I think I saw a couple more. Swift's ability to play rotation minutes on Thursday and then again tonight has to be considered a good sign as he continues the process of coming back from the ACL tear.
On the other side of a May-December matchup with the young Sonics centers, ageless wonder Dikembe Mutombo evidently still has something left at age 41 (officially). Mutombo has gone to his trademark finger wave a couple of times tonight. He got Sonics rookie Kevin Durant for a block in the third quarter.
Teed Up
End Third Quarter: Houston 97, Sonics 61
P.J. Carlesimo has received the first technical foul of his Sonics head coaching career. He was unhappy with the call on a play where Steve Francis thought he was playing for the Texans and decided to head off tackle to the basket with a whole lot more contact than dribbling. Somehow, Kurt Thomas ended up getting called for the foul. I dunno if Carlesimo got any technicals as an assistant in San Antonio - this could have been his first in a while.
Fans got a chance to try to dunk off Squatch's trampoline during the timeout and Kiara nearly put one down in an impressive display of hops. She still got a big hand anyway.
Zoning
Third Quarter: Houston 85, Sonics 55
P.J. Carlesimo said yesterday that the Sonics would change up their approach from the plan to play a quarter or a half of zone each game to a more realistic regular-season-type mix of zone and man. Most of the night it seems like the Sonics have been zoning after misses and free throws, playing man off of made shots. We've seen Kevin Durant really use his length at the top of the zone during this second half. However, Shane Battier has found some gaps for five three-pointers tonight. He's got 19 points.
Struggling to Score
Third Quarter: Houston 77, Sonics 50
The Sonics, Delonte West aside, just can't seem to find an offensive flow tonight. Let's give a lot of credit to the Houston Rockets for that. Houston has been one of the league's best defensive teams in recent seasons. Last week, P.J. Carlesimo spoke about how the veteran scoring prowess of Wally Szczerbiak would help the Sonics avoid these kind of lulls, but Szczerbiak has had an off night, missing all four of his shots.
I'm liking Luis Scola. First, he had to be asked to back off during the pre-jump scrambling for position after a combined four Sonics and Rockets ended up on the ground battling for a loose ball. Then, when the Sonics showed hard against a pick-and-roll with McGrady, Scola slipped to the basket and, when the hep defense came, fed Yao Ming for a dunk. That's a savvy move.
At the Half
Halftime: Houston 59, Sonics 42
This was arguably the roughest offensive half the Sonics have had so far during the preseason. Who knows where the team would have been were it not for Delonte West, who scored 16 points on 8-for-8 shooting in his 16 minutes of action, primarily at the point. West also handed out three assists. Kevin Durant was the primary other source of offense, scoring 11 points on 4-for-11 shooting and getting a couple of chances to show off his silky-smooth jumper.
On the other end of the court, a familiar theme. The Sonics limited Houston to just 42.6% shooting, but were hurt by fouls (19 free throws). The Rockets also did a great job of taking care of the basketball with just five turnovers. Tracy McGrady powered the Houston offense, finishing the half with 23 points on 8-of-14 shooting.
Evaluating the Rockets
Second Quarter: Houston 50, Sonics 34
New Houston Head Coach Rick Adelman still hasn't used half the players on his 20-man roster, but it has been interesting to get a look at the team ESPN Insider's John Hollinger is picking to win the NBA Championship. In particular, I've been watching rookie power forward Luis Scola, the talented Argentine long regarded as one of the top NBA prospects in Europe. An off-season trade with San Antonio brought Scola to Houston and he started tonight. He's displayed good touch and hasn't been afraid to mix it up. He was in the wrong place on a play a moment ago, but made up for it by scrapping and nearly getting the offensive rebound.
Fans had the opportunity to select the music for this timeout and the overwhelming choice was "Get Up Offa That Thing" by James Brown, the late, great Godfather of Soul. The Sonics Dance Team dances along.
Defending the Stars
Second Quarter: Houston 40, Sonics 30
Houston owns a pair of the NBA's top stars and both Tracy McGrady and Yao Ming have seen extensive playing time tonight. McGrady seems to be in regular-season form, scoring 13 points on 5-of-10 shooting and displaying his usual effortless touch from the perimeter. The Sonics have done a good job against Yao, who is 1-of-5 from the field with four points. It was interesting to see Robert Swift use his newfound strength to battle with Yao. He drew a three-second violation when Yao ended up on the ground (the Rockets wanted a foul, but did not get one).
A loose ball was headed our direction before ricocheting off the head of a photographer in front of us. "Way to use your head, baby," jokes someone from the Rockets bench. He's fine and even got a laugh out of that comment.
Homecoming
Second Quarter: Houston 32, Sonics 23
Seattle native and Franklin High product Aaron Brooks is getting some good run for the Rockets at the point in his first trip back to his hometown as a pro. He's got five points so far, drawing loud applause from a cheering section of friends and family in attendance. Brooks was Houston's first-round pick and impressed in the NBA Summer League, winning MVP honors, though he figures to do a lot of watching and learning as a rookie thanks to a deep Rockets backcourt.
One guy who's glad to see Brooks in a Rockets uniform: University of Washington Head Coach Lorenzo Romar, who is sitting in the row just behind the press. Romar's Huskies are practicing for the 2007-08 season, which begins with an exhibition matchup against SPU on Nov. 5. UW then plays in the NIT Season Tip-Off starting Nov. 13.
Fan Favorite
End First Quarter: Houston 26, Sonics 17
Delonte West wastes no time making an impression on the hometown crowd. Late in the first quarter, he went up to stuff Yao Ming from behind. For the record, Yao is listed at 7-6, West at 6-3. That's a mere 15-inch differential. The fans in attendance just loved it. West already got a great reaction at the community practice two weeks ago tonight and has all the makings of a fan favorite.
Chuck Hayes beats the first-quarter buzzer to give the Rockets a nine-point advantage after one.
Going West
First Quarter: Houston 22, Sonics 13
Delonte West has checked in for his KeyArena debut and his first preseason action since the Sonics opened the exhibition season in Sacramento a week and a half ago. He's quickly in the books with a runner and an assist as the Sonics offense, after a very slow start, has begun to find some traction. It didn't help that the Sonics had a couple of early buckets taken away by charges called against them.
Signs this is preseason for everyone: Tracy McGrady goes to the basket and is hit by a Sonics defender. The shot is off, the Sonics corral the rebound .. and finally a foul is called. That will get quicker when they start counting.
Chatter
First Quarter: Houston 13, Sonics 5
I've got a different vantage point tonight. I decided not to do stats for the radio broadcast this season because it had become difficult to balance that and blogging, so after a season (and a Storm season) of sitting near the top of the lower bowl, tonight I'm courtside on the baseline. One of the neat things about this vantage point is the opportunity to hear everything said by the visiting bench. There's going to be a lot of talk tonight because the Rockets have a whopping 20 players on their roster right now. You'll see teams start camp with 20, but they're usually well below that by this point. Houston is evaluating a lot of players and possibly looking to trade some guys who don't fit into their deep roster. In the meantime, that means a bunch of guys sitting in front of the media table - and, briefly, blocking our view before Houston made its first basket and they sat down.
Signing On
Pregame
The 2007-08 preseason at KeyArena tips off tonight as the Sonics host the Houston Rockets. After Damien Wilkins took the microphone to welcome the crowd to the Key tonight, we're about ready to go. Luke Ridnour, Kevin Durant, Wilkins, Nick Collison and Kurt Thomas will get the start for the Sonics.
