Seattle (3) vs. San Antonio (2): Official Game Six Thread

Details:

When: Thursday, May 19th
Where: KeyArena, Seattle
Time (Seattle): 7:30 P.M.
TV: ESPN (sigh)

Projected Starters:

<font color="green">Seattle (2-3)
</font>
Luke Ridnour
Ray Allen
Rashard Lewis*
Reggie Evans
Jerome James

<font color="darkslategray">San Antonio (3-2)</font>

Tony Parker
Brent Barry
Bruce Bowen
Tim Duncan
Nazr Mohammed

Injury Troubles:

<font color="green">Seattle</font>

*Rashard Lewis: Sprained toe, game time decision.
Vlad Radmanovic: Sprained ankle, ruled out.

<font color="navy"><font color="darkslategray">San Antonio</font>
</font>
None.

Brief Notes:
<ul>
[*]Once again, the most important game of the year for the Supes. Win or go home is the slogan they use on the commercials and Seattle faces that reality tonight.
[/list]
<ul>
[*]Rashard Lewis is a game-time decision once again, he has yet to run with his injured toe.
[/list]* Useful playoff stat of the day: <font face="Verdana">With Ray Allen on the floor, the Sonics average 10 points more per 48 minutes than they do with Ray on the bench in the playoffs. On the reverse side of the spectrum, when Danny Fortson is on the floor, the Sonics lose 11 points per 48 minutes compared to when he is on the bench.
</font>
Quotable: "As much as you talk about what we did last game, tonight was a night we missed him, because we did need that scoring from another angle. It's one thing to play without him for one game, but to keep playing without him ? I missed him out there tonight."-- Ray Allen on Rashard Lewis

Random Family Guy Quote

(Brian and Stewie come up to the crowd around the well.)
Man: There's a little girl stuck in that well. Unfortunately no one's arms are long enough to reach her except for that one guy, but he's helping that woman tickle a midget in a tree.

All predictions, analysis and discussion relating directly to the game, both before, during and after, to be posted in this thread.

 

They looked pretty loose at practice yesterday. Must've been that team outing to see Star Wars.

This series looks like it's different guys every game on both teams making the difference - Parker, Allen, Ridnour, Wilkins, Ginobli, Muhammed in consecutive games.

Maybe that's the adjustments in playoff basketball - you do this we take away that, you take away that we do this.

Interesting to see what we get from whom in the literally the biggest game of the year.

 

I haven't been this excited about a Sonics game in a long time. It feels like something big is going to happen. Hopefully, that's a good thing.

 

Must win this game...

 

What channel is this on in the US?

 

Espn

 

Halftime.

The defense sagged in the second quarter. We'll have to pick it up if we want to win the game. The offense is also getting slow.

Will Conroy and Jamal Crawford were courtside.

Bowen elbowed Ray a little when the refs weren't looking.

Please please please please please please please please please please please please please please please please please please please please please please please please please please please please please please please please please please please please please please please please please please please please please please please please please please please please please please please please please please please please please please please please please please please please please please please please please please please please

 

<u>Halftime Update</u>
<font size="4">
SPURS- 52</font>
<font size="4"><font color="Green">SONICS- 47</font></font>
<u><font size="4">
<font color="Green">SONICS</font></font></u>
Leading Scorer: Ray Allen
Leading Rebounder: Reggie Evans
<font size="4"><u>
SPURS</u></font>
Leading Scorer: Robert Horry
Leading Rebounder: Robert Horry

 

67-64.

I love the way we're playing. Win or lose it's great to watch the effort and 'no-quit' in this team.

This is huge for our young guys.

Ray Allen hasn't scored yet in the 3rd - an ominous reminder of Game 5. C'mon Ray you're second team All-NBA. And we have some foul trouble.

I'm watching FSN - and suffering through another night of Ehlo - which usually guarantees a win

 

Great game. Some missed opportunities but we left it all out on the floor.

I think Luke was late on his rotation on that last shot by Duncan - looked like Pot was forcing him that way so he could help on Ginobli.

Oh well.

Ray thanked all the guys at center court - he said something like 'wouldn't want to have it any other way' and something like 'no matter what happens I love you guys'.

So that was kind of depressing.

 

I think the late 3rd was the killer for the Sonics, they had an opportunity to put some space between them & the Spurs going into the 4th. But that last 6 minutes even tho the Sonics took the lead during that time of the 3rd was a killer, Damien Wilkens got called for the offensive foul driving to the hoop on a fastbreak against Giniobli. Nick Collison missed a wide open layup on the fastbreak when his kness didnt give him any lift. If you put those baskets on the board then the Sonics end up going into the 4th with a little room to work with. Plus the tech in that period of time as well, the Sonics had their opportunites still to win after that but they will have to look back at that last 6 minutes of the third.

 

I felt myself almost getting choked up after this game.

We were capable of beating the Spurs and we didn't. I'm too upset right now to look retrospectively on the season. Why was a unloose Pot guarding Tim Duncan down the stretch of this game? You can do that with 2 seconds remaining in the game, not 14. Why wasn't Fortson playing more, especially when he is our best screener and there is only .5 seconds to go in the game?Why can't AD make both free throws? Fu*k!!!

This is the last time we are ever going to see this group together. This feels just as bad as almost all of my personal playing/coaching losses. I've grown with this team, and I know that we were capable of advancing.

Thanks to all members of this forum for making this Sonics season a season to remember. There is no one I rather talk basketball with.

 

And for the record, I'm done with Sweet Lew.

He may be hurting, but to not suit up and give it a chance in an elimination game officially makes him a bitch. All-Star my ass. More like a pop star--soft ass muthaf*cka.

 

After I've had some time to calm myself and after watching Ray Allen's press conference I have a few thoughts...

We have to sign Ray Allen this offseason. His performance in the playoffs and judging from his emotion after the game, this team will be nowhere close to the same without him. Ray Allen is the best shooter in the NBA and one of the most reliable players. The fact that the last second shot rimmed out is amazing because of the pressure and degree of difficulty that it encompassed.

It really really sucks to see this season slip away but the fact that the Sonics gave the Spurs such a run for their money after being written-off by just about everyone outside the circle of fans is pretty damn impressive. We heard it all season how the Supes "live and die by the three" or how they'd eventually "fizzle out". But the Sonics defied everyone's expectations and kept winning.

We watched the emergence of our no-name bigs, our underrated young guys, Sweet Lew turn into an all-star, and a Sonics legend nearly take home Coach of the Year. All of this from a team expected to dwell at the bottom of the Northwest division.

Tough loss to end the season, but if this team hasn't showed you something about sticking together, defying expectations, and doing whatever it takes to win then you are blind. It was a pleasure having the privilege to watch these guys play basketball this season...truely one I won't forget soon.

It was great talking about the peaks and falls of this club all season with you guys...hopefully you will all stick around this offseason and we can do this all over again next year.

 

This game hurts. We did have opportuntities to win, but it didnt quite happen. Like Ray Allen said after the game thats basketball. Overall, I think we played great and im glad we lost playing great. They gave everything they had to the Spurs and it just wasnt quite enough. As previously stated though its time to start thinking about the future. This season was amazing and absolutely awesome to be a fan of....we need this team back. I dont expect 14 players back identical from last year but the majority of this team needs to be back. Ray, Antonio, and even Damien Wilkens are must signs this summer (obviously the 1st 2 more so). Also I have to atleast agree with Shiek some about Rashard. I mean I geniunely avoid trashing players for missing games because its so hard to tell what they are feeling but honestly it is a toe injury..yes you use your toe but I find it hard to believe that it couldnt have been fought through. Of course I think Wilkens (aside from a few rookie mistakes) played better then Rashard would have (not better then Rashard is capable of but better then he would have). Oveall hats off to all our guys and I look forward to bringing most of them back...and I wish I could shake all of there hands for what they did this year. especially the guys like Flip Murray who for all the things i said about him I truly cant thing of a better player on our team to show as representation of what this team was. Truly unselfish and more into the team spirit then about their personal stats. Now....


Who should we draft???

 

My heart is bleeding, fam.

This forum was really a microcosm of this team's year. We had our differences and disputes in the beginning, but when push came to shove we pulled together and f**ked the Lakers. Hopefully we can get some of the band back together next year, and go even further.

Until then, look after yourselves... and eachother.

 

Man...the what if's abound...what if the fouls had been called fairly at both ends of the floor, what if people had hit their free throws, what if Nick had hit that layup (I think Luke may have passed it a bit too early, or Nick was just too tired,) what if the Spurs had shot their average from the line, what if Horry or Barry missed those 4th quarter 3's, what if the Sonics had gotten one of those second chance rebounds away from the Spurs.

2 points and it is all over.

Boy what a ride!!! Now the sweating over the off-season moves begins.

 

Couple post humous thoughts, after the morning paper and post game interviews.

- Ray was really emotional post game. He was reminiscing about the whole season, how close the guys were and how they 'genuinely liked eachother'. I think that's what made the team so fun to watch and follow. Even though he said his goal was to be back in Seattle next season (which he's been saying all year), it really felt like a goodbye. Maybe I'm just in a depressed, pessimistic mood right now after the loss.

- Pop and Duncan were classy as always - praising our team effort, acknowledging that we were undermanned, Timmy mentioned guys by name like Luke and AD and had some kind words for our bigs and how physical we were and tight with our rotations. Unlike that Spurs forum that pwn3d! linked to in a previous thread - man they despised our physical play and I heard the words 'thugs' repeated over and over to describe our guys. Some even said they've never hated a city or team more than Seattle.

- I thought our defense was really good, we had a good scheme and the Spurs just made some plays. I like how we had guys shutting off penetration and forced the extra pass, sometimes 2. We could have rebounded better in the 4th and gave up a couple crucial extra possesions.

- Jerome James played very good defense on Duncan. I think he showed can guard almost any 4-5 in the league when motivated. He was getting in the chair and taking away the first move.

- As far as Rashard, yeah I'm disappointed he didn't play as well (see the 'Bench Rashard' thread). Maybe he was thinking of Grant Hill playing on a broken ankle and ruining his career, I don't know. Maybe he physically couldn't run, today's MRI said 'tissue damage and a bruised bone'. He has a lot to prove (to me at least) next year re: his heart and toughness.

- As far as management goes obviously I hope the key guys are back but in a few months it'll be back to running a business and I suspect Howard and Wally will look at the books and make some tough, unpopular decisions. I have no confidence in them, unfortunately.

- As far as who should we draft? I assume it's low 1st round. Given a reasonable selection (I mean Marvin Williams, Chris Paul, Bogut et al are out of the question ) I doubt Martell will drop to us but he'd be a nice 6-6 shooter to add to the mix. I like Hakeem Warrick a lot and think he'd fit in nicely with what we're trying to do. Basically I'd like to see us get an athletic 2 or 3 with some skills - a Josh Howard, Joe Johnson type.

But who knows? We might have an entirely new coaching staff and style of play next year...

Lastly, thanks for the forum! I enjoyed bantering and discussing and glad I stumbled across it earlier this year. Enjoy the offseason!