Preview Details: Who: (20-20) vs (17-24) Where: Key Arena When: Thurs, Jan 22th, 7pm TV: KONG, NBALP Projected Lineups: PG: Brent Barry/Antonio Daniels/Luke Ridnour SG: Ray Allen/Ronald Murray/Richie Frahm SF: Rashard Lewis/Vladimir Radmanovic PF: Vladimir Radmanovic/Reggie Evans/Calvin Booth C: Jerome James/Calvin Booth/Vitaly Potapenko Coached by Nate McMillan PG: Craig Claxton/Avery Johnson SG: Jason Richardson/Calbert Cheaney/Mickael Pietrus SF: Mike Dunleavy/Calbert Cheaney/Brian Cardinal PF: Clifford Robinson/Brian Cardinal/Popeye Jones C: Erick Dampier/Adonal Foyle Coached by Eric Musselman Injury List: Nick Collison: shoulder, season. Ansu Sesay: left ring finger sprain, on IL. 76er Injury List Evan Eschmeyer: knee surgery, on IL. Troy Murphy: bruised right ankle, on IL. Nick Van Exel: knee inflammation, on IL. Analysis: Home sweet home. The popular cliche applies here, as Seattle return from a torrid four game road trip in the East, posting an unenviable 1-3 record. Golden State haven't fared much better this season, reaching the halfway point of their season with a 17-24, as they have slowly tumbled out of the playoff race in the last few weeks. Can they turn it around? Seattle are currently 1-6 in their last seven games, all against teams with records below .500, and these are the games they need to win if they want to play post season basketball. These two teams met a couple of weeks ago, with Golden State taking an overtime win after forward Clifford Robinson nailed six treys. Can they do the same in Seattle, or are the Sonics angry enough to play to the best of their abilities. They have the firepower, but do they have the heart? Long Range Threat: Evergreen veteran Cliff Robinson had a night out last time these teams met, hitting six treys, his last sealing the deal in overtime, as he scored 28 points and led the Warriors to a 113-110 victory. [quoteright]"We're certainly disappointed with the way we played on the road trip. We're 40 games into the season and there's a lot more to be done. The games we've won shows us there is something in us that will allow us to be on that level again. We just have to find it." - Brent Barry reflects on Seattle's season thus far.[/QUOTERIGHT] Key Factors: - Crash the boards. While Golden State have had their big men stocks decimated by injury, they are still a better rebounding team than Seattle, who languish near the bottom of the rankings in that category. Not giving up second chance points will be a key, especially to Erick Dampier, who feasts on the glass at both ends. - Rotate on defense. Last time around, the Sonics were caught short in this area and it allowed Robinson to get open numerous times, which was the straw that broke the donkey's back, so to speak. Even without Nick Van Exel, Golden State can be a dangerous team from the perimeter, and Seattle must be on their guard defensively. - Starting. Seattle are notoriously slow starters, and if a team like Golden State get hot early it could spell trouble, despite their average record. The Sonics need to be focused from the opening tip; they do not want to be playing catch-up ball. (By Rudeezy) This is very simple: the Warriors must get more consistent on the road. Forget about being consistent, they must win A game on the road. They let one slip away last night against a beatable Clippers team. Dampier has been a beast on the boards, once again. He must continue to gather rebounds and give the Warriors second chance opportunities if they expect to come out of Seatle with a W. The Warriors have not gone to the offensive glass on the road, that must change. Richardson has to play good D on Ray Allen. Allen almost beat the Warriors by himself in the last meeting. J-Rich is not going to shut him out, but as the saying goes, he must contain him. It is no secrete that the Sonics like to shoot the 3 ball. Every shot must be contended. The more 3's the Sonics shoot the better, as long as they are missing. Key Matchup: Ray Allen vs Jason Richardson Arguably the best shooter in the game against arguably the best dunker, but both can switch roles quite easily. Defense is neither's strong point, so expect to see a free-flowing contest here with plenty of excitement. Allen, as always, will look to shoot the ball, and if he gets hot early then there isn't a lot Richardson can do. He also can't afford to play Allen too closely, or Ray will beat him off the dribble; thus making him such a tough prospect to guard. Richardson on the other hand is well on his way to making his mark as one of the best shooting guards in the league. His shooting stroke has improved, but it is his off-ball movement which makes him so hard to guard, result in many dunks and open shots. His rebounding is also exceptional for a guard, meaning Allen will need to be wide awake defensively. X-Factors: Antonio Daniels - his tough nosed approach off the bench will be needed here, as Seattle look to see off the Warriors. Golden State can play scrappy basketball when needed, and Daniels will need to control the tempo and play his usual tough brand of defense when he comes into the game. Calbert Cheaney - his defensive effort on Allen was a key factor last time these teams met, and he will surely be given that job again in the minutes he does play. His scoring ability is also underrated, and he remains a valuable member of Golden State's bench. <font size="1">Player photos and logo images courtesy of NBA.com </font>
<div class="quote_poster">Quoting anadagirlballer4strt:</div><div class="quote_post">uhh...I think you messed up on the format from the 6ers game..good preview anyways...</div> Whereabouts?
<div class="quote_poster">Quoting Sir Desmond:</div><div class="quote_post">Whereabouts?</div> I meant u messed up in some parts of the preview of THIS GAME, because you said it was 6ers...while you meant the Warriors....i.e. Ray Allen vs. Allen Iverson, etc?
Sonics won...yippee...103-87 (my favorite #, btw...Lakers also lost by that #, but that's not the pt...) um yeah...Antonio Daniels coming off the bench scores 18 pts. leading the Sonics [and the bench], 3 rebs, and 3 asts. Brent Barry coming pretty close to a triple double: 17 pts., 6, and 7...Ray Allen didn't get the shots quite down, but still played great: 13 pts., 9, and 5...Rashard Lewis scored 13, and 5. "Flip" Murray came out of the shadows and put down: 13, and 4.
Seattle 103 Golden State 87 Seattle finally got solid efforts from players not named Ray and Rashard, and the results were overwhelmingly good. Spurred on from a big first quarter from much-maligned Jerome James, and an invaluable scoring punch off the bench from Antonio Daniels and Ron Murray, the Sonics opened up a big lead early and never let it go for a 103-87 win. James, who had a season high of 10 rebounds, grabbed nine in the first period as Seattle opened up an early double digit lead. Rashard Lewis and Brent Barry also came out firing early, and both were allowed the luxury of sitting late in the game with 13 and 17 points respectively. Barry continued his fine all round play with six rebounds and seven assists. Seattle's backcourt really overwhelmed Golden State's. Already without Nick Van Exel, the Warriors couldn't do without the struggles of star Jason Richardson, who had only three points on 1-11 shooting, in only 20 minutes. Speedy Claxton did his best to keep Golden State afloat, but the performances of Ray Allen (13 points, 9 rebounds, 5 assists), Murray (13 points) and Antonio Daniels (18 points) meant that Seattle had too much firepower. Defensively, this was also Seattle's game, in a performance which will have Nate McMillan tearing his hair out wondering why they can't do it more often. Golden State only shot 36% from the field, only managed seven offensive boards (39 overall) while Calvin Booth and Jerome James both blocked four shots apiece. Golden State were never allowed to mount a serious comeback, while the Sonics continued to frustrate fans, showing them what they are capable of, but only do occasionally. <font size="1">Box Score courtesy of ESPN.</font> Next game: vs Clippers, Saturday Jan 24th
good review...aw I failed to mention the rebs & blocks...grr...yeah it was a pretty good game for us Sonics fans...haha not interesting...but good...
