# Next Round Opponent: Sac vs. Sea



## FreeMason Jr. (Jul 12, 2004)

vs.








Seattle win sereis 4-1

*Game 1:* at SEA
*SEA 87*, SAC 82 - Final
Recap | Box Score 
*Game 2:* at SEA
*SEA 105*, SAC 93 - Final
Recap | Box Score 

*Game 3:* at SAC
*SAC 116*, SEA 104 - Final
Recap | Box Score 
*Game 4:* at SAC
*SEA 115*, SAC 102 - Final
Recap | Box Score 

*Game 5:* at SEA
*SEA 122*, SAC 118 - Final
Recap | Box Score​


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## TheRoc5 (Mar 1, 2005)

i think this series will probaly go 7gms, winner seattle just b/c they have hca. before i say anything else i would like to say i want to beat the nuggets first then focus on this. but since were board with time waiting for tomrow at 7 i will post lol. we need seattle to win so we can play them in the second. if the kings win we will have to play the winner of the rockets series right? and if we did play the kings they have a better hc then seattle and they have experince. with there experince of guard play i would rather play seattle either way i say we win. 
we didnt play to hard vs seatle the first 2 times wich was bad, the last two times we realized what we had to do and beat them. i think we could beat them in 5 gms. seeing they have no real iinside presents duncan will be a main key in that. im going to watch this matchup tonight and see more about these teams in the post season and how they work.

props to ezealen on getting these stats


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## FreeMason Jr. (Jul 12, 2004)

TheRoc5 said:


> i think this series will probaly go 7gms, winner seattle just b/c they have hca. before i say anything else i would like to say i want to beat the nuggets first then focus on this. but since were board with time waiting for tomrow at 7 i will post lol. we need seattle to win so we can play them in the second. *if the kings win we will have to play the winner of the rockets series right?* and if we did play the kings they have a better hc then seattle and they have experince. with there experince of guard play i would rather play seattle either way i say we win.
> we didnt play to hard vs seatle the first 2 times wich was bad, the last two times we realized what we had to do and beat them. i think we could beat them in 5 gms. seeing they have no real iinside presents duncan will be a main key in that. im going to watch this matchup tonight and see more about these teams in the post season and how they work.
> 
> props to ezealen on getting these stats


Where did you hear that? We play the winner of this series, that's why I made this thread. And Why would us focusing on the nugz change anything? I agree that the Spurs should focus on the nugz before they focus on this series, but it really doesn't matter what we do.


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## TheRoc5 (Mar 1, 2005)

ezealen said:


> Where did you hear that? We play the winner of this series, that's why I made this thread. And Why would us focusing on the nugz change anything? I agree that the Spurs should focus on the nugz before they focus on this series, but it really doesn't matter what we do.


im not sure but i thought if the suns win there series and the kings win theirs they would face each other cause it would be the highest seed vs lowest seed. mybe not? anyway ya i think we can talk about this just reminding us not to foget about the nuggets.


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## FreeMason Jr. (Jul 12, 2004)

TheRoc5 said:


> im not sure but i thought if the suns win there series and the kings win theirs they would face each other cause it would be the highest seed vs lowest seed. mybe not? anyway ya i think we can talk about this just reminding us not to foget about the nuggets.


Nah, here's how it's set up

*1st round*
Sun vs Grizzlies

Mavs vs Rockets

Kings vs Sonics

Spurs vs Nuggets


*2nd round*
Suns/Grizzlies vs. Mavs/Rockets

Kings/Sonics vs. Spurs/Nuggets


And of course we won't forget the Nuggets. We haven't beaten them yet, and IMO they are better than the Sonics and the Kings.


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## texan (Jul 10, 2003)

Although Sacramento has the experience to win this series, and I hope they do b/c it provides us with an easier match-up, I think Seattle will win in 6. Also, if all there guys are healthy, they provide match-up problems for us, and are a much better team than Denver. I think ya'll underestimate Seattle a little bit.

First off, although they don't have a scoring inside presence, they do have toughness and rebouding provided inside by Fortson and James. Given, those guys don't match the talent of TD and Mohammed/Rasho, but they still are important to Seattle's success, and if you remember the 2 games they beat us, Fortson dominated inside. If we allow him to play well, then Seattle has a chance to beat us. Also, if Rashard Lewis is on, we have no one to stop him. They match-up very well against us, and I wouldn't be happy to meet them in the 2nd Round.


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## FreeMason Jr. (Jul 12, 2004)

I added a poll, so now even you lazy people can give your opinion!


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## TheRoc5 (Mar 1, 2005)

texan said:


> Although Sacramento has the experience to win this series, and I hope they do b/c it provides us with an easier match-up, I think Seattle will win in 6. Also, if all there guys are healthy, they provide match-up problems for us, and are a much better team than Denver. I think ya'll underestimate Seattle a little bit.
> 
> First off, although they don't have a scoring inside presence, they do have toughness and rebouding provided inside by Fortson and James. Given, those guys don't match the talent of TD and Mohammed/Rasho, but they still are important to Seattle's success, and if you remember the 2 games they beat us, Fortson dominated inside. If we allow him to play well, then Seattle has a chance to beat us. Also, if Rashard Lewis is on, we have no one to stop him. They match-up very well against us, and I wouldn't be happy to meet them in the 2nd Round.


the sonics are like the suns and with an even worse inside presents, the jumpers will not always fall and without d they will not servive in the playoffs, the kings play a little bit more d and have a little bit inside presents and a better hc, so i would rather face seattle. seattle can win this series if they put out lots of injury but either way i like our chances to beat them.


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## texan (Jul 10, 2003)

TheRoc5 said:


> the sonics are like the suns and with an even worse inside presents, the jumpers will not always fall and without d they will not servive in the playoffs, the kings play a little bit more d and have a little bit inside presents and a better hc, so i would rather face seattle. seattle can win this series if they put out lots of injury but either way i like our chances to beat them.



We match-up great against Sacramento, whereas Seattle has quite a few mismatches on us. We have no one to guard Rashard Lewis, or Vlad Radmanovich. They also have Ray Allen, who is more dangerous than any player on Sacramento. They are deeper and overall a better team.

Also we went 2-2 against Seattle, and while we dominated them the last two games, we got dominated the first two, in which we were at full health. Against Sacramento we were 3-1 and barely lost to them. 

Another thing, Sacramento is not much better, if at all, at defense than Seattle is. They have more inside talent, but they don't have any mismatches that they can exploit. The Kings I'm confident we could sweep, whereas the Sonics would give us a run(barring injury) and take us to 6, possibly 7 games.


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## TheRoc5 (Mar 1, 2005)

texan said:


> We match-up great against Sacramento, whereas Seattle has quite a few mismatches on us. We have no one to guard Rashard Lewis, or Vlad Radmanovich. They also have Ray Allen, who is more dangerous than any player on Sacramento. They are deeper and overall a better team.
> 
> Also we went 2-2 against Seattle, and while we dominated them the last two games, we got dominated the first two, in which we were at full health. Against Sacramento we were 3-1 and barely lost to them.
> 
> Another thing, Sacramento is not much better, if at all, at defense than Seattle is. They have more inside talent, but they don't have any mismatches that they can exploit. The Kings I'm confident we could sweep, whereas the Sonics would give us a run(barring injury) and take us to 6, possibly 7 games.


the last two gms we played vs seattle we were dominent, and latly the sonics have no energy and have been inconsistant, kings have a better inside force with thomas and miller, thats a lot better then seattle


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## texan (Jul 10, 2003)

TheRoc5 said:


> the last two gms we played vs seattle we were dominent, and latly the sonics have no energy and have been inconsistant, kings have a better inside force with thomas and miller, thats a lot better then seattle



Lately the Sonics have had as many or more injuries than us. Go figure why they have been inconsistent and lack energy. Allen, Radmanovich, Lewis, Fortson, and I believe Daniels have missed games lately, therefore not allowing the Sonics to get into a rhythm like they were earlier in the season. 

If their guys are healthy, then they are a harder match-up for us. No one on the Kings provide a mismatch like Rashard Lewis does for Seattle. Danny Fortson is tougher than anyone Sacramento has inside, and toughness is something we don't always handle well inside. They also have an array of wing players to match our array of wing players, and have more talent and depth than the Kings. The Kings play just as bad of defense as the Sonics do, (statistically the SOnics rank higher), so this is a non-factor. Also the Kings rely on outside shooting even more than the Sonics. Peja, Bibby, and Mobley, their three wing player starters are primarily shooters, not slashers.


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## TheRoc5 (Mar 1, 2005)

i just watched the rockets gm. it was good and dallas lost, it shows that there d isnt as good as people say, they dont play great d. they only play good d through out the gm wich is a step up from not playing any at all but still this gives me confidence we can beat them if we face them in the wcf, and if its the rockets we can beat them with the weatherspoon and duncan matchup, so this is a good yr for us to win it. with beating the nuggz then we can beat a team that doesnt play good d after that play a team that we have the advantage, then we go in the finals. this is going to be a good time to win the championship. it is a formula for us, we just need to play our ball.


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## Sir Patchwork (Jan 12, 2005)

Yeah, the winner of the 1/8 always plays the winner of the 4/5. The winners of the 3/6 and 2/7 play each other. I think the Spurs would rather play the Kings, and I think the Kings will beat the Sonics.


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## FreeMason Jr. (Jul 12, 2004)

Sir Patchwork said:


> I think the Spurs would rather play the Kings, and I think the Kings will beat the Sonics.


Same here


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## TheRoc5 (Mar 1, 2005)

right now the kings are struggling against the sonics lets see how this turns out


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## KokoTheMonkey (Aug 4, 2003)

Sonics in 5.


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## KokoTheMonkey (Aug 4, 2003)

Seattle squeezed one out. This was a surprisingly low scoring game with tons of misses, and it shows in the rebounding numbers from guys like Reggie Evans and Jerome James.


These two teams, Seattle in particular, completely crash the offensive boards, but the big problem I see out of both teams is that they love shooting jumpers too much.


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## XxMia_9xX (Oct 5, 2002)

i picked kings in 7... i think the kings will win this series. today the kings played really crappy but still manage to make it a game at the end. they were down as much as 21 points, 16 or so less offensive boards than sonics, and bibby went for like 1-10. they were able to cut the lead down by one point w/ 30 secs left. kings lost the game but i think at the end, the kings will win the series. 

i like the kings now compare to the old kings. now that vlade, pollard, christie is gone... i like them now, better than sonics. i'm not much of a ray allen fan. 
plus my teacher is a kings lover and i would really like the spurs to play them and beat them!


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## FreeMason Jr. (Jul 12, 2004)

That was actually the best game of the day, and it pretty much sucked until the end. I really thought Sac was going to win that one, especially win they got that three to bring them within 1.


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## TheRoc5 (Mar 1, 2005)

these teams look pretty much the same with small advantages, one has a little bit better jumpshooting and other has a bit of more post presents, either way there both jumpshooting no deffensive team, so this helps my confidence for the nxt round.


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## FreeMason Jr. (Jul 12, 2004)

I agree. The second round will alot easier than this one, but then we have the third round which will probably be the hardest round this year. Phoenix, Houston, and Dallas all have a pretty good shot at beating us.


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## TheRoc5 (Mar 1, 2005)

ezealen said:


> I agree. The second round will alot easier than this one, but then we have the third round which will probably be the hardest round this year. Phoenix, Houston, and Dallas all have a pretty good shot at beating us.


we play great against suns and we have hca vs. dallas and houston... im confident :biggrin:


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## FreeMason Jr. (Jul 12, 2004)

TheRoc5 said:


> we play great against suns and we have hca vs. dallas and houston... im confident :biggrin:


I didn't say we couldn't handle them. I was saying that the third round will probably be the toughest round for us.


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## texan (Jul 10, 2003)

ezealen said:


> I agree. The second round will alot easier than this one, but then we have the third round which will probably be the hardest round this year. Phoenix, Houston, and Dallas all have a pretty good shot at beating us.



I'm not so sure about how easy the 2nd Round will be. If we have to play Seattle, I could see it being as hard as this series, if not harder. The Nuggets have been playing great ball of late, but the playoffs are a whole different ball game, and Seattle is a better team when healthy.


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## KokoTheMonkey (Aug 4, 2003)

Next round opponent could be our first pre-season game of next year if we don't get things going.


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## SpursFan16 (Mar 29, 2005)

ezealen said:


> Same here


 I third that.


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## FreeMason Jr. (Jul 12, 2004)

KokoTheMonkey said:


> Next round opponent could be our first pre-season game of next year if we don't get things going.


Oh, Koko. Did you really have to bring that negative attitude to my thread too? :whatever: . Not that you're not rite though :biggrin:


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## G-Force (Jan 4, 2005)

ezealen said:


> That was actually the best game of the day, and it pretty much sucked until the end. I really thought Sac was going to win that one, especially win they got that three to bring them within 1.


Dude, that game did not "suck until the end" as you wrote. I know - I was there.

G-Force


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## TheRoc5 (Mar 1, 2005)

were lucky if we make it there


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## texan (Jul 10, 2003)

G-Force said:


> Dude, that game did not "suck until the end" as you wrote. I know - I was there.
> 
> G-Force



G-Force, you are a Sonics fan, are you not? How do you feel about many people underestimating what your team can do in the playoffs, if healthy? It seems as if I am the only one who thinks the Sonics pose a tougher threat than the Kings, and that they could give us a run for our money.


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## FreeMason Jr. (Jul 12, 2004)

G-Force said:


> Dude, that game did not "suck until the end" as you wrote. I know - I was there.
> 
> G-Force


As a Sonics fan, I can see where you're coming from. But as a fan for neither team, it was boring. The Sonics were just owning the Kings. I only thought the end was exciting because the Kings made a great come back.


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## KokoTheMonkey (Aug 4, 2003)

The game didn't really "suck" until the end, but I will say it was closer to sucking then it was to being a great game, mainly due to the fact that two offensive teams were chunking up bricks left and right. It was a great finish though, and at least your (G-Force) team won.


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## G-Force (Jan 4, 2005)

ezealen said:


> As a Sonics fan, I can see where you're coming from. But as a fan for neither team, it was boring. The Sonics were just owning the Kings. I only thought the end was exciting because the Kings made a great come back.


Okay, I get you. Neither team was lighting it up and it was not the high-scoring game that many people expected. I attended the Sonics last two home playoff games three years ago when they lost in the first round to San Antonio. The following season, I bought season tickets and now I have been waiting three years to get back into the play-offs. Game 1 was extra special because of the long layoff, and the Seattle fans were really up for the game.

I would rather that the game had *not* been so exciting in the fianal minutes. Yes, close finishes are great, but watching a 20 point lead dwindle to one point is nerve racking.

G-Force


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## G-Force (Jan 4, 2005)

texan said:


> G-Force, you are a Sonics fan, are you not? How do you feel about many people underestimating what your team can do in the playoffs, if healthy? It seems as if I am the only one who thinks the Sonics pose a tougher threat than the Kings, and that they could give us a run for our money.


Yep, the Sonics are my team. I kinda feel how Nate feels about the Sonics being taken lightly - we do not mind being the underdogs despite having a pretty good regular season. Sure, we lack playoff experience and alot of folks think that all the Sonics do is run and shoot three's. But people who have followed the Sonics all season know that they actually play more efficiently at a slower pace - not a Detroit Pistons-like snail pace, but also not like the Suns or Kings at a track meet.

The Sonics beat the Spurs in San Antonio and had a better road record than home record - one of three or four teams to do so. Winning on the road sure helps in the play-offs. If the Sonics and Spurs meet in round two, we should have a competitive, entertaining series. I am hoping that Vladi is back darn near 100%. If he is not, and Timmy is back on top of his game, it may end up being a 5 or 6 game series win for San Antonio. Otherwise, that series could go to seven games. It kinda depends on how the Sonics win their first round series (if they do indeed win) and if they are not intimidated by SA's playoff experience and history. Right now, it seems like the Sonics are not too concerned about being a bunch of kids with practically no post-season experience. 

G-Force


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## FreeMason Jr. (Jul 12, 2004)

G-Force said:


> Okay, I get you. Neither team was lighting it up and it was not the high-scoring game that many people expected. I attended the Sonics last two home playoff games three years ago when they lost in the first round to San Antonio. The following season, I bought season tickets and now I have been waiting three years to get back into the play-offs. Game 1 was extra special because of the long layoff, and the Seattle fans were really up for the game.
> 
> I would rather that the game had *not* been so exciting in the fianal minutes. Yes, close finishes are great, but watching a 20 point lead dwindle to one point is nerve racking.
> 
> G-Force


True, very true. Congrats on the Sonics awesome season! This team will be one of the elite for atleast a couple more seasons so I'm sure you'll be seeing a couple more playoff games from them.


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## texan (Jul 10, 2003)

G-Force said:


> Yep, the Sonics are my team. I kinda feel how Nate feels about the Sonics being taken lightly - we do not mind being the underdogs despite having a pretty good regular season. Sure, we lack playoff experience and alot of folks think that all the Sonics do is run and shoot three's. But people who have followed the Sonics all season know that they actually play more efficiently at a slower pace - not a Detroit Pistons-like snail pace, but also not like the Suns or Kings at a track meet.
> 
> The Sonics beat the Spurs in San Antonio and had a better road record than home record - one of three or four teams to do so. Winning on the road sure helps in the play-offs. If the Sonics and Spurs meet in round two, we should have a competitive, entertaining series. I am hoping that Vladi is back darn near 100%. If he is not, and Timmy is back on top of his game, it may end up being a 5 or 6 game series win for San Antonio. Otherwise, that series could go to seven games. It kinda depends on how the Sonics win their first round series (if they do indeed win) and if they are not intimidated by SA's playoff experience and history. Right now, it seems like the Sonics are not too concerned about being a bunch of kids with practically no post-season experience.
> 
> G-Force


Sorry to keep badgering you with questions, but how are the injuries looking up there? In other words, which guys are out for the entire playoffs, are questionable for playoffs, and which guys have recently returned to playing? I know ya'll had a lot of injuries near the end of the year, but I haven't payed close enough attention to ya'll to know the specifics. I think ya'll will be a great 2nd Round opponent(if we get to the 2nd Round), if ya'll are at full health, or close to it.


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## G-Force (Jan 4, 2005)

The Sonics now have everybody back. Radman was the last to return, and we are yet to see what he can do. At least his leg is not hurting him, which is a good sign indeed. He was out for something like the last 19 games with a stress fracture in his right leg.

Rashard has tendonitis and also had a bone bruise in his right foot. He missed about eight games before returning for the final week of the regular season. AD's left knee has been bothering him - a damaged meniscus. Luke has been bothered by plantar fasciitis. Danny's shouldered was banged up, too. Ray was getting kinda worn out from playing all those minutes during the long season.

Now that the playoffs are here, there is alot of time between games to rest and continue to heal.

G-Force


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## TheRoc5 (Mar 1, 2005)

G-Force said:


> Now that the playoffs are here, there is alot of time between games to rest and continue to heal.
> 
> G-Force


you can say that again


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## G-Force (Jan 4, 2005)

It also gives me time to rest my vocal cords between games. I have been in training all season though, mostly yelling at the refs.


G-Force


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## FreeMason Jr. (Jul 12, 2004)

G-Force said:


> It also gives me time to rest my vocal cords between games. I have been in training all season though, mostly yelling at the refs.
> 
> 
> G-Force


lol I hear that


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## FreeMason Jr. (Jul 12, 2004)

*Just a reminder:* Don't forget to check my first post to see some updates on the series. Also, don't forget to post your own thoughts and comments here and vote who you think will win and in how many games. I also highly incourage fans of either team to post your thoughts and comments here. Just please, if it's possible, try to keep the homerism to a minimum. I know it's hard (Believe me I know) but you can do it! :biggrin:


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## KokoTheMonkey (Aug 4, 2003)

Seattle has been completely dominating Sacramento throughout game 2 as well, and doing it in pretty impressive fashion. Jerome James is playing like an All-Star through two games.


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## TheRoc5 (Mar 1, 2005)

ya the kings look beat up but with arco areana you never know and james looks good


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## texan (Jul 10, 2003)

This is the Sonics I was expecting, not the beat up team at the end of the year. And with the way the Sonics are playing right now, they should be a tough opponent in the 2nd Round.


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## SpursFan16 (Mar 29, 2005)

Yeah, while i hope the Kings completly turn it around, I don't think they will.

Sonics will be tough next round.


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## TheRoc5 (Mar 1, 2005)

i think it will be great to see barry vs his old team and out of dallas,rockets suns, and sonics i would rather play sonics no doubt, i think we are going to do very well against them, 

parker>ridnour
bowen<allen
barry<lewis
narz or rasho>evens
duncan>james

bench spurs> sonics

coach 
spurs> sonics

i can realy see us win this in 5 gms


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## Scholar (Mar 27, 2005)

TheRoc5 said:


> i think it will be great to see barry vs his old team and out of dallas,rockets suns, and sonics i would rather play sonics no doubt, i think we are going to do very well against them,
> 
> parker>ridnour
> bowen<allen
> ...


I am a Sonics fan but I really think your logic is flawed. Ginobili plays about more than 30 minutes a game so if you switch Barry with Ginobili you have something like this.

PG: Parker over Ridnour
SG: Allen over Ginobili
SF: Lewis over Bowen
PF: Mohammed/Nesterovic=Evans/Fortson
C: Duncan over James

Bench: Sonics over Spurs

Coach: Popovich over Adelman

I not saying were not the underdog just dont underestimate us. Our series is 2-2 and both your wins came when Allen was injured and when Lewis and Radmanovich were injured.


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## FreeMason Jr. (Jul 12, 2004)

Scholar said:


> I am a Sonics fan but I really think your logic is flawed. Ginobili plays about more than 30 minutes a game so if you switch Barry with Ginobili you have something like this.
> 
> PG: Parker over Ridnour
> SG: Allen over Ginobili
> ...


He put Barry there instead of Ginobilli because Ginobilli isn't a starter anymore. Barry is. And with Ginobilli on the bench, the Spurs' bench is better than the Sonics'.


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## KokoTheMonkey (Aug 4, 2003)

Scholar said:


> I am a Sonics fan but I really think your logic is flawed. Ginobili plays about more than 30 minutes a game so if you switch Barry with Ginobili you have something like this.
> 
> PG: Parker over Ridnour
> SG: Allen over Ginobili
> ...






Both of your wins against us came a long time ago. It works both ways. 




Nobody is "sleeping" on Seattle because we think we can beat them. I think we went through this stuff with Denver as well.


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## TheRoc5 (Mar 1, 2005)

bowen wouldnt guard lewis anyway he would guard allen, and i think were probaly deeper but i guess we will see soon


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## TheRoc5 (Mar 1, 2005)

if the spurs in sonics win there series in 5 gms when will they play gm 1? sunday? if so that would give us 3 days off i think thats great


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## Scinos (Jun 10, 2003)

Barring a huge upset, it looks like we're going to get a Spurs/Sonics matchup in the second round. I may end up regretting it later, but i'll be glad if that's the way it turns out (i'll explain).

When healthy, I think the Sonics are the toughest matchup for the Spurs (even Popovich has said this). This Sonics team can really spread the floor with Allen/Lewis/Radman, yet still have a dominant rebounder on the court in Fortson/Evans and to a lesser extent Collison/James. The main difference between this team and others like the Kings, Mavs and Suns, is that the Sonics are a slow down, halfcourt offensive team and not a 'run and gun' team. 

The slow tempo of the game is just so vital with the Sonics. One of the radio analysts came up with some numbers during the regular season (and I can't remember them off the top of my head), but the Sonics were something like 18-2 in their 20 slowest paced games and mediocre (around .500) in their 20 fastest paced games. This has held true in the games against the Kings. We blew them out in a slow paced game one. We built up a huge lead in a slow paced first ~3 quarters in game 2, but they erased a large chunk of the lead when the game was played on roller skates in the 4th. The Kings won a fast paced game 3 easily, and they were rolling in the first half of game 4 when the tempo was fast. But once the game slowed drastically in the second half, the Sonics came back to win game 4. 

The Spurs have some tough individual matchups like Duncan and Parker, but they play at a much slower pace than the Nuggets. So i'd expect it to be a very tough series.

My :twocents:...


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## texan (Jul 10, 2003)

Scinos said:


> Barring a huge upset, it looks like we're going to get a Spurs/Sonics matchup in the second round. I may end up regretting it later, but i'll be glad if that's the way it turns out (i'll explain).
> 
> When healthy, I think the Sonics are the toughest matchup for the Spurs (even Popovich has said this). This Sonics team can really spread the floor with Allen/Lewis/Radman, yet still have a dominant rebounder on the court in Fortson/Evans and to a lesser extent Collison/James. The main difference between this team and others like the Kings, Mavs and Suns, is that the Sonics are a slow down, halfcourt offensive team and not a 'run and gun' team.
> 
> ...


I agree that the Sonics are our toughest match-up and the team I would least likely to see in the playoffs, especially when they are healthy. They spread the court really well and are very good at hitting 3's, which we struggle to defend sometimes. They also have some tough guys inside with Fortson, Evans, Collison and James. 

Also the Sonics are playing reallly well right now. James is having career numbers, Allen is ballin' it up, and their role players are playin' their roles. Lewis is a match-up problem for us, and with Allen on the floor for most of the game, that guarentees that we will be playing 4-on-5 on offense, b/c Bowen will be playing extended minutes.

The only think I question in your post is that it is an advantage that the Spurs play slow. The Sonics may be good in the half-court, but the Spurs are the best at the grind it out, half-court style of basketball(both offensively and defensively), and y'all would probably be better off running a little bit more. I don't doubt much that we would be able to beat y'all if you tried to slow down the pace and play mostly in the half-court.


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## KokoTheMonkey (Aug 4, 2003)

Seattle has officially won their series and is waiting for us. Sonics in 5.....I called it. 




Seattle is a tough matchup to the Spurs, mostly because of the slew of physical players, and the fact that we don't have anybody to guard Rashard Lewis. However, Seattle doesn't have anybody to keep Manu in check, and I think Parker is due for a big series. 



We still haven't won yet. Hopefully after the game on Wednesday I'll be able to talk about playing against Seattle without any concern about the current series.


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## Scholar (Mar 27, 2005)

ezealen said:


> He put Barry there instead of Ginobilli because Ginobilli isn't a starter anymore. Barry is. And with Ginobilli on the bench, the Spurs' bench is better than the Sonics'.



What I was trying to say is that Ginobili is better than Barry and he also plays more minutes therefor I paired with Allen and to me it really changes the comparisons.


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## Scinos (Jun 10, 2003)

KokoTheMonkey said:


> Seattle is a tough matchup to the Spurs, mostly because of the slew of physical players, and the fact that we don't have anybody to guard Rashard Lewis. *However, Seattle doesn't have anybody to keep Manu in check, and I think Parker is due for a big series.*
> 
> 
> 
> We still haven't won yet. Hopefully after the game on Wednesday I'll be able to talk about playing against Seattle without any concern about the current series.


Yeah, we have trouble with great slashers like Manu and Parker. Our best defense against a guy like Manu is to try and sap his energy on the other end. He'll either be chasing Ray through a multitude of picks (and Evans/Fortson screens are nasty), or have to contend with Lewis backing him down in the post. Judging by your avatar, Denver is doing a nice job of roughing him up for us...:laugh: J/K

As for Parker, I guess we'll just have to back off him, let him shoot his streaky jumper and hope he misses. I don't think Luke and a gimpy AD really have any other choice. :no:


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## DaUnbreakableKinG (Jun 28, 2003)

Scinos said:


> Yeah, we have trouble with great slashers like Manu and Parker. Our best defense against a guy like Manu is to try and sap his energy on the other end. He'll either be chasing Ray through a multitude of picks (and Evans/Fortson screens are nasty), or have to contend with Lewis backing him down in the post. *Judging by your avatar, Denver is doing a nice job of roughing him up for us*...:laugh: J/K
> 
> As for Parker, I guess we'll just have to back off him, let him shoot his streaky jumper and hope he misses. I don't think Luke and a gimpy AD really have any other choice. :no:


:laugh: 

:greatjob:


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## TheRoc5 (Mar 1, 2005)

Scinos said:


> Yeah, we have trouble with great slashers like Manu and Parker. Our best defense against a guy like Manu is to try and sap his energy on the other end. He'll either be chasing Ray through a multitude of picks (and Evans/Fortson screens are nasty), or have to contend with Lewis backing him down in the post. Judging by your avatar, Denver is doing a nice job of roughing him up for us...:laugh: J/K
> 
> As for Parker, I guess we'll just have to back off him, let him shoot his streaky jumper and hope he misses. I don't think Luke and a gimpy AD really have any other choice. :no:


to bad manu wont be guarding ray for most of the time. bowen will


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## texan (Jul 10, 2003)

Scholar said:


> What I was trying to say is that Ginobili is better than Barry and he also plays more minutes therefor I paired with Allen and to me it really changes the comparisons.



You cannot compare teams like this. It is not player vs player match-ups, but the team as a whole that wins games. Sure Ray Allen is better than Bruce Bowen(which is who he will be guarded by), but that doesn't mean that Bruce can't make Allen ineffective this series. I just used that as an example as to why you just simply can't use inequality signs to compare teams. 

Oh and btw, the Spurs bench may be better than y'alls. You have a good bench w/ Radman, Murray, Daniels, Collison and Fortson, but the Spurs have an equally good, if not better, one. Our bench consists of Manu Ginobili, Beno Udrih, Robert Horry, Rasho Nesterovic, Devin Brown(if healthy), and Glenn Robinson. Also let me point out that Fortson, the guy that was killing us when yall beat us, is rarely playing these days. 

I'm not saying that the Sonics can't win this series, b/c frankly I think they could(not easily) and at least will make it an intersting series, but to compare teams with inequality signs is just ludicrous.


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## FreeMason Jr. (Jul 12, 2004)

Scinos said:


> Yeah, we have trouble with great slashers like Manu and Parker. Our best defense against a guy like Manu is to try and sap his energy on the other end. He'll either be chasing Ray through a multitude of picks (and Evans/Fortson screens are nasty), or have to contend with Lewis backing him down in the post.* Judging by your avatar, Denver is doing a nice job of roughing him up for us...:laugh: J/K*
> 
> As for Parker, I guess we'll just have to back off him, let him shoot his streaky jumper and hope he misses. I don't think Luke and a gimpy AD really have any other choice. :no:


You're being sarcastic rite? That thing's not real. And if anything they woke Ginobilli up.


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## FreeMason Jr. (Jul 12, 2004)

I up dated the first post with the results and shtuff of each game in the series. I'll make one for the series against our possible third round opponents if ya'll want me to. But only if people want me to, because I don't want to waste my time making another one that no one will read.


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## TheRoc5 (Mar 1, 2005)

ezealen said:


> I up dated the first post with the results and shtuff of each game in the series. I'll make one for the series against our possible third round opponents if ya'll want me to. But only if people want me to, because I don't want to waste my time making another one that no one will read.


ya make it for the 3rd round plz


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## Scinos (Jun 10, 2003)

TheRoc5 said:


> to bad manu wont be guarding ray for most of the time. bowen will


In that case, Manu will be guarding Lewis. A 6'10 player with a great post up game. The Spurs will probably have to send a double team on Lewis every time he looks to post up.



ezealen said:


> *You're being sarcastic rite?* That thing's not real. And if anything they woke Ginobilli up.


Yes, I was.


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## XxMia_9xX (Oct 5, 2002)

i'm kinda excited for this series. the only thing i can hate about this is series is that i know for sure the ray allen is gonna be b****ing about bowen's defense. then people would come out and will keep saying bowen is the dirtiest player of all the time.. blah blah blah. people would scruitinize bowen's defense, the refs and so on....


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## ballstorm (Nov 30, 2003)

Somehow I doubt that jerome James will average 17 pts 9 rbds against the spurs . We have to dominate inside .


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## Dissonance (Jul 21, 2004)

XxMia_9xX said:


> i'm kinda excited for this series. the only thing i can hate about this is series is that i know for sure the ray allen is gonna be b****ing about bowen's defense. then people would come out and will keep saying bowen is the dirtiest player of all the time.. blah blah blah. people would scruitinize bowen's defense, the refs and so on....


Ray won't be *****ing if he's scoring on him. And you don't know for sure Bowen will shut him down either.


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## KokoTheMonkey (Aug 4, 2003)

dissonance19 said:


> Ray won't be *****ing if he's scoring on him. And you don't know for sure Bowen will shut him down either.





And he won't be dropping 45 points either.


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## kfranco (Apr 22, 2005)

Im taking Seattle to advance. However, the Spurs will be too much for them. I c SA going to the finals and then losing to the Pistons.


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## G-Force (Jan 4, 2005)

XxMia_9xX said:


> i'm kinda excited for this series. the only thing i can hate about this is series is that i know for sure the ray allen is gonna be b****ing about bowen's defense. then people would come out and will keep saying bowen is the dirtiest player of all the time.. blah blah blah. people would scruitinize bowen's defense, the refs and so on....


No, you do not know that for sure. Just ask the writers not to make a big deal about what happened earlier this season and it should not be an issue. 

G-Force


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## G-Force (Jan 4, 2005)

KokoTheMonkey said:


> And he won't be dropping 45 points either.


No, but I'll settle for a couple of 30 point games and a 25+ point per game average.

:biggrin: 

I'd also like to see Rashard have a big series. And no, nobody is expecting J'rome to match his first round performance in this series.

G-Force


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## TheRoc5 (Mar 1, 2005)

i think that pop will come out with a great plan to double lewis so im not real worried about it, should be an intresting series


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## Dissonance (Jul 21, 2004)

KokoTheMonkey said:


> And he won't be dropping 45 points either.


Yeah, I agree. That would be a stretch. Unless you let him get his and decide to shut everyone else down.


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## G-Force (Jan 4, 2005)

TheRoc5 said:


> i think that pop will come out with a great plan to double lewis so im not real worried about it, should be an intresting series


If you double-team Rashard, that leaves somebody open - likely either J'rome or one of our outside shooteres, and we have a few guys who can knock down shots from the outside, including three-pointers. The Sonics are gonna get theri shots. What they need to due is turn up their defensive intensity.


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## TheRoc5 (Mar 1, 2005)

G-Force said:


> If you double-team Rashard, that leaves somebody open - likely either J'rome or one of our outside shooteres, and we have a few guys who can knock down shots from the outside, including three-pointers. The Sonics are gonna get theri shots. What they need to due is turn up their defensive intensity.


he doesnt have to double the whole gm i mean something like where hes going to the basket


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## Tooeasy (Nov 4, 2003)

TheRoc5 said:


> he doesnt have to double the whole gm i mean something like where hes going to the basket


 rashard does an excellent job of posting up with his back against the basket, getting the ball and backin in the defender a few feet, then using a fallaway jumper that is very effective. rashard has a 4-5 inch height advantage if you factor in his long arms, and hes gonna be able to shoot over manu with ease, which will really make it difficult for man to man coverage to be effective. 

And with the way ray is playing, theres no reason to think he still wont average 27 ppg during this series, maurice evans played some of the most solid D on allen in the series during that 5th game, and ray ray was just rising up and getting a shot off over him in a millisecond. The guy is attacking the rim like I havent seen in some time, He is definately leaving everything on the court this year. I think spriggan pointed out that he went like 8 for 8 on layups during that 45 point performance, and some were pretty crazy circus shots.

I am a little surprised that someone in the beginning of this thread stated that the kings and sonics defensive capabilities were essentially equal, because that is pretty far from the truth. We have a very solid, physical frontline, with plenty of capable bigs, and we really had collison step up that last series, which was a very delightful surprise. This guys played in a national championship game and really has the poise of an experienced NBA player, its crazy to think that this has been his rookie campaign.

Another thing that could be a possibility, is the entrnace of Damien Wilkins into the rotation. He didn't see any burn during the sacto series, but he is a very solid wing defender and could come in for 2-3 minute stints and try "containing" ginobili, as our bigs really have a time rotation over to help when slashing guards get a clear path to the basket. Its something to look out for, whether or not it actually materializes into anything will be interesting though.


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## FreeMason Jr. (Jul 12, 2004)

Scinos said:


> Yes, I was.


Ok. Sorry for being so ignorant. It's just hard to tell when someone's being sarcastic in thier writing.

Wow so much discussion over the sonics/spurs series and this thread isn't even about them. I can't wait to see what the sonics/spurs series thread.


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