Are the Sonics Really This Good?

Discussion in 'Oklahoma City Thunder' started by Shard, Nov 11, 2004.

  1. Shard

    Shard Hi2u

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    I want to believe that our team is competitive this year so bad but there is a bitter side of me that says we will manage to go on a huge slide just like every year. There is a big difference this year though, the addition of a big man that gets the job done in the paint.

    The X-Factor is Luke Ridnour, and the point guard position in general. We have a flat-out scorer (Allen), a versatile 2nd option (Lewis), good rebounders (Fortson and Evans), and a fairly deep bench with Flip coming in along with AD, and Collison will hopefully find his form soon. This leaves Luke, who can make or break the team with his sophomore season IMO. A good court general to lead what has been placed around him will make the team that much better.

    To steal a word from the Cubs and Red Sox, are we cursed to eventually hit a huge losing skid that will demoralize the team...or is this Sonics team for real? I know it's VERY early in the season but what are some thoughts on the validity of the Supes' early success?
     
  2. Quyen

    Quyen JBB JustBBall Member

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    i hope i'm wrong, but i think they'll eventually break into a losing streak too...
     
  3. Sir Desmond

    Sir Desmond JBB Stig!

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    The difference between this hot start and last year and the year before, is we're doing it through great basketball on a whole, just not a few freak offensive performances. We're holding good teams to bad shooting nights, we're thrashing teams on the boards, we're keeping within a system and playing physical ball that is getting results. And, at the moment, we have an excellent rotation which is going to be interesting to see when Flip, and then Pot come back. Both worthy players of being in the rotation, but they'll have to prove that they can join in without breaking up team chemistry (which I'm sure they can).

    I'm expecting a drop-off at some point, but at the moment I'm just enjoying a very cohesive unit.
     
  4. RiverspoonJones

    RiverspoonJones JBB Sonic Death Monkey

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    I'm thinking when Flip comes back, Ray's minutes may be reduced to around 32 per (assuming no trades are done). Have him go nuts from the arc for said 32 minutes, then bring Flip's instant offense off the bench for little to no decline. Lovely.
     
  5. Iron Shiek

    Iron Shiek Maintain and Hold It Down

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    The thing about the Sonics is that we still aren't a very good defensive team. Danny Fortson, Reggie Evans, and Jerome James will not be able to continuously shut down the other front line players in the NBA. I think that we are surprising teams w/ our physical play, but this play is resulting into foul trouble. We are doing a great job on the glass, but our initial defense isn't as good as it really is appearing right now.

    Plus it is very hard to sustain the level of physicalness that the Sonics bigs have shown this year. Once the season wears on it will be more and more difficult to take on the constant pounding that our bigs have been giving and taking.

    We still do not have a player that we can give the ball to in the post and expect a bucket. Rashard Lewis is our best option right now, but I haven't seen him really get too much resistance in the post. Flip is a scoring option in the post as well, but everyone would prefer to have him on the perimeter.

    Injuries are a part of the game, but in this case, Flip's injury may be one of his biggest obstacles he has faced yet. He has gone over a month w/o really practicing, the Sonics are winning, and he now (in the minds of management/fans) has become expendable. I hope that the Sonics aren't short sighted enough to think that five games is a tell all sign of how this season is going to shape up. I hope that Flip is able to come back and contribute to the Supes w/o being accused as messing up the team chemistry. The Sonics long term success still rests in the hands of Flip.
     
  6. Casual

    Casual JBB First Team

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    Ha ha, Shieky, you never quit, do you? [​IMG]
     
  7. Jurassic

    Jurassic Trend Setter

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    I believe it was last year or the year before that we started out 9-2, then dropped to 16-16. Let's enjoy the wins, but not get to excited yet.
     
  8. AllBoutDaPacers

    AllBoutDaPacers JBB JustBBall Member

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    If you take a look back at past years, you will see that the sonics beat good teams and lose to bad teams. It is a fact. This year, the sonics will play more good teams than bad so the sonics may be able to make the playoffs.
     
  9. Sir Desmond

    Sir Desmond JBB Stig!

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    <div class="quote_poster">Quoting Jurassic:</div><div class="quote_post">I believe it was last year or the year before that we started out 9-2, then dropped to 16-16. Let's enjoy the wins, but not get to excited yet.</div>

    Last two seasons we've started hot, and faded. However the difference this season is the team is winning because they are playing defense (temporarily?!) and rebounding. The last two seasons, most of Seattle's early wins came from hot shooting - last season it was Flip's start that had us hot early.

    The difference between this season and the last couple is that I am confident that, if Ray and Lewis don't score a lot of points, we still have the system to win games; we're not relying on hot shooting nights to get our points and out-shoot the opposition. Whether it is sustained, as Shiek said, is the real issue here.
     
  10. tradebark

    tradebark JBB JustBBall Member

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    What we're seeing right now though is the equivalent of cherry-picking teams. I mean Denver, Atlanta, and Sacramento were playing horrible ball. Against the spurs we managed to get TD on the one day he wasn't on his game.. Raptors aren't a playoff team and a win here doesn't prove too much either.

    Saying that the Sonics are playing within a system etc? Hoooold your horses. We haven't played a legit game so far if you ask me. We're not winning because of defense, or rebounding, or Fortson/Ridnour, sorry. We're winning because the teams we've played haven't played well. And as much as I'd love to say it was because of the Sonics? I know better..

    That said, I'm still enjoying the Sonics minus Potapenko. Makes them so much more fun to watch [​IMG]
     
  11. Sir Desmond

    Sir Desmond JBB Stig!

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    You sound like an opposition coach, tradebark.

    Of course a team isn't playing well if they get beat by 20 or 30, but that doesn't automatically gift the winners the victory. You've still got to be doing a lot of things right.
     
  12. Casual

    Casual JBB First Team

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    No, he's right. It's the only explanation. Must be. Gotta be. We definitely suck.
     
  13. tradebark

    tradebark JBB JustBBall Member

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    Hey not like I'm new to this stuff :]

    I know better than to get my hopes up this early in the season. After all, as mentioned before this isn't the first time we've done well at the start of the season..

    I mean around this time last year we were in convulsions at the thought of having found a star in Murray (and the thought of him and Ray leading us to the playoffs).. And man we all know how that turned out [​IMG]

    BTW, on the subject of 'freak offensive performances'; i'd lump Lewis' ~25ppg through the first 4 or 5 games as just that. Last year he was around the league leaders til about 10 games in thanks to the Japan games; we all know he won't put up 20 a game all year cus he's shown no interest in working on his offensive game.
     
  14. Sir Desmond

    Sir Desmond JBB Stig!

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    Fair enough, but I think there is a difference between this hot start and the last couple of seasons. We're not relying on having a hot shooting night to win, because our physical play in the paint and much improved perimeter defending means that teams no longer are getting easy shots. When they get past the perimeter, last season they'd get an easy lay-up, this year they run into a Fortson, or an Evans. Even Jerome is clogging up the paint, even if it doesn't show on the stats. Today we shot the ball very poorly, but we didn't let Toronto take high percentage shots either. Vince got past the perimeter defense on the last play, and instead of having a decent look, he was hounded and couldn't get up a clear shot.

    I know it's early days, but I'm liking this team at the moment at both ends of the floor, not just from the perimeter. Whether it lasts is a different matter.
     
  15. Mr. Sonic

    Mr. Sonic JBB JustBBall Member

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    This team has been winning games in an impressive fashion, blowing teams out by 20(except last night). Is this the early succes that we have become used to or are we for real?

    I agree with Supersonic it's the way that they are winning games that has me thinking that they can keep this up. We are playing physical defense down low and solid perimeter D.

    We are getting good play from our pg's as well. Rid dishing the rock and AD putting up points.

    One pleasent suprise has been Rashard Lewis. He has been putting consistent numbers and has been aserting himself offensively(finally). Can he finally become a star?

    Danny Fortson and Reggie Evans have become quite the duo. They have been pushing people of the block, shutting down some big names(held TD to only 17), grabbing boards, and even putting up some points.

    And you can't forget that we still don't have Flip' back.

    I think we will be able to sustain this streak for a little while and then we will see a drop off, but hopefully not a big one. This quick start has certainly got my hopes up, but I've been fooled before.
     
  16. Oneinpower

    Oneinpower JBB JustBBall Member

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    I think the new rule helps teams like the Sonics
    When you have a Bruce Bowen not able to play phyiscal because of the new rules
    and you have guys that can shoot like Allen and Lewis that can hurt any team

    just shoot it from the outside all day.
     
  17. Shard

    Shard Hi2u

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    <div class="quote_poster">Quoting Oneinpower:</div><div class="quote_post">I think the new rule helps teams like the Sonics
    When you have a Bruce Bowen not able to play phyiscal because of the new rules
    and you have guys that can shoot like Allen and Lewis that can hurt any team

    just shoot it from the outside all day.</div>
    Danny Fortson and Reggie Evans have been playing physical too and they seem to be doing just fine.
     
  18. Jurassic

    Jurassic Trend Setter

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    True, although sometimes I wonder if Reggie Evans is actually being physical or if he is just clumsy.
     
  19. Sir Desmond

    Sir Desmond JBB Stig!

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    If being clumsy nets him 10 boards a night and pissing off his opposition match-up, I'll take that clumsiness.
     
  20. bbwtrench

    bbwtrench BBW Member

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    I hope they are. I'm riding the #1 on spot in my league because of Allen and Fortson!
     

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