<div class="quote_poster">Quote:</div><div class="quote_post">While Ray Allen returned from All-Star weekend as the Game's career three-point leader, Rashard Lewis came back with much more. The Sonics forward, who attended the Las Vegas festivities as a spectator and partygoer, returned with a new agent, a renewed sense of purpose and a invigorated belief that the Sonics can make a playoff push in the final 30 games. "Just being around All-Stars makes you want to be one," said Lewis, a one-time All-Star who missed 22 games this season because of a hand injury. "As for the team, I couldn't wait to get back here so we could get that hunger back and get that rhythm back. "I know personally, I think the All-Star break came at a bad time for me and for the team also." In the four games preceding the break, the Sonics snapped a 15-game road losing streak with a victory at Indiana, split home-and-home games with Sacramento and blew out Phoenix 114-90 for their most lopsided win of the season. "We were playing some of our best basketball of the year and then bam!" Lewis said, smacking his hands together. "You get the break. So that's not good. Obviously, everybody takes a couple of steps back when you take days off." The road ahead looks appealing for the Sonics. Nine of their next 10 games are against teams with losing records, beginning tonight with Memphis (14-40) at KeyArena. A year ago after the break, the Sonics were nearly in the same spot that they are today. They had a 20-33 record at last season's break -- 6 ? games out of a playoff spot -- and finished 35-47, including a 14-11 mark over the final 25 games. This season, they're 20-32, five games behind the last playoff spot. "We really didn't have much of a chance at the playoffs last year, but this year maybe," coach Bob Hill said. "I don't think there will be any trades. I don't know. But we got what we got. We know what we got. We don't have to make any adjustments or change anything or teach anybody anything."</div> Source
I find it hard to believe Rashard said anything with enough vigor that it required an exclamation point.
