Super Returns to the Sonics

Being a professional sports fan in the Pacific Northwest over the past few years has been rough. The political equivalent of being a Democrat in Texas. Losing was the expectation. This past season was a prime example.

The Seahawks continue to have playoff woes, their last win coming over 20 years ago. The Mariners finished 36 games below .500. And we won't even mention the debacle that is the Portland Trailblazers. The only highlight for fans was Ichiro's breaking of George Sisler's single-season hit mark.

In the Sonics' first game this year, they looked to be continuing the same miserable trend. They went down to Los Angeles and proceeded to get drubbed by the Clippers, losing 114-84. Yet, the Sonics have turned their play around, and given hope to fans with little else to be hopeful for.

Nearing the halfway point of this NBA season, the Seattle Sonics find themselves in first place in the Northwest, leading the Minnesota Timberwolves by eight games. At 26-9, they are on pace for a 50-plus win season, and have a good chance at making the playoffs. They own the third best record in the league, trailing the Phoenix Suns and the San Antonio Spurs. And against those three teams, the Sonics are an impressive 2-1. They beat San Antonio, with the loss coming in the most exciting game of the year against Phoenix.

Even more surprising is that this is largely the same team as last year's that went 37-45. The only significant changes were the loss of fan favorite Brent Barry and the addition of Danny Fortson. While the fans hammered the organization over the offseason for not doing more to improve the team, it seems the management knew the talent and potential of their the team. So, other than Ray Allen, what do the Sonics have?

The first key piece the Sonics needed was a legitimate scorer other than Allen. They have one in Rashard Lewis. Lewis has stepped his game up immensely this year. He's averaging almost 40 minutes a game and scoring almost 21 points per, both of which are career highs. His points are good enough for 22nd among all scorers. Opposing defenses still clamp down on Allen, but that has freed up Lewis. Against the Mavericks on December 9th, while Dallas doubled Allen, Lewis scored 25, leading them to victory. A few days later, while everyone anticipated a Kobe-Ray shootout, Lewis quietly put up 37, outscoring both of them, and the Sonics won again.

But the Sonics' success is not due just to the play of the first and second leading scorers. The rest of the starters and the bench have contributed, as well. In fact, their bench is third in the league in scoring. They are getting impressive contributions from their second-year point guard and U of O alum, Luke Ridnour. His comfort level seems much higher this year, and his assists have improved from 2.4 to 6.5 per game. Along with Ridnour, Nick Collison, taken two draft picks later, is getting his first taste of decent playing time, having spent all of his rookie year injured after having surgery on both shoulders.

Perhaps the greatest addition this year has been Danny Fortson. Acquired from the Mavericks in a trade for Calvin Booth, Fortson has been a tremendous inside presence for the Sonics. While his numbers, 9.5 ppg and 6.4 rbg, aren't that impressive, his play has been. His impact on the team was best demonstrated in their two games against the Heat. In the first victory against Miami, Fortson contributed 15 points and 10 boards. In the second, he scored 18 with 9 rebounds, but more importantly, frustrated Shaq with constant pick and rolls, forcing the big man away from the basket and opening up lanes for the guards.

Finally, the play of Reggie Evans on the boards, Antonio Daniels at the point, and Vladimir Radmanovic from behind the arc has also contributed to the Sonics' startling turnaround.

With such improved play, the question now is can this team make the playoffs?

Yes. Can they win it all?

No.

The Sonics' form of basketball is dependent on the three ball. They trail only the Phoenix Suns in both three-point field goal percentage and three-pointers attempted. But as the season heads into March, teams that rely on the three tend to fade, while those with a dominant inside game tend to emerge. And while the Suns have Amare Stoudamire in the paint, the Sonics lack a presence on the inside. They rank 26th in the league in rebounding. That number, however, doesn't mean as much as it appears. While the Sonics don't rebound the ball much, their opponents don't, either, and only Utah is better at keeping their opponents off the glass.

The Sonics' style of play has been compared to the Europeans, where teamwork and the ability to shoot outside are more important than a prolific scorer in the middle. Unfortunately, that style hasn't done so well in the playoffs recently. With the exception of last year's Detroit Pistons, and the Michael Jordan-lead Bulls, all the NBA champions have had a high-scoring presence down low.

But fans have reason to hope. As mentioned earlier, against San Antonio and Tim Duncan this year, the Sonics are 2-0, and against Shaquille O'Neal and the Miami Heat, they are also 2-0. Only facing the Suns and Stoudamire have they lost to a team with a dominant big man.

Regardless of how far the Sonics go this year, they will have greatly exceeded almost all of their expectations. Especially those of their fans. So sit back and enjoy watching fast-paced, freewheeling basketball. And hope the Sonics sign Ray Allen to a contract extension.