<div class="quote_poster">Quote:</div><div class="quote_post">They were better than we ever realized. Their final note was their sharpest. The final stand was their most impressive. After 82 regular-season games and two playoff series, it finally struck me how good the Sonics really were. Is it possible they could have won the whole thing? Never during the season or the playoffs did I think that was a possibility. Yet, on the night of their last loss, their potential beamed out of the arena. Every moment of this season was improbable. They rocked our world, shook our senses and blew up our foundation. Our preconceived notions of what they could or couldn't accomplish never allowed us to grasp how brilliant they really were. In defeat, they proved they were great. Without their second- and third-leading scorers, they put the San Antonio Spurs on the ropes. If not for a missed layup, one too many turnovers or one too few defensive rebounds, the Sonics would be playing Game 7 tomorrow. Playing without the only two small forwards on the roster, the coaching staff found combinations and systems that had the NBA's No. 1 defense flustered. A closing lineup of Luke Ridnour, Antonio Daniels, Ray Allen, Damien Wilkins and Nick Collison matched the Spurs, brilliant play for brilliant play. It was a fourth quarter with nine ties and five lead changes.</div> Source
"Playing without the only two small forwards on the roster, the coaching staff found combinations and systems that had the NBA's No. 1 defense flustered." THAT is why Nate should be coach of the year, he can still carry his team to victories even with 2 key scorers out. D Antoni lost Steve Nash for a while and his team was horrible..Nate should of been Coach of the Year.
