From Nightmares To Sweet Dreams Sonics Let Themselves Dream As Possible Nba Title Nears

Sam Perkins has always been a dreamer, stemming from solitary days as a child shooting at the milk-carton basket that his grandmother put up in his Brooklyn backyard.

In those days, Perkins always made the game-winning shots.

These days, after he finishes another taxing practice session by putting up several hundred 3-pointers, he often reverts to childhood games. He’ll toss potential buzzer-beaters from 35 feet or toss the ball from half-court with his back to the basket.

His dreams these days are colored with an NBA championship hue. With each victory drawing the Seattle SuperSonics closer to their goal, he fades deeper into himself. He sleeps more, lounges on rhythm and blues, and sees himself playing against the Utah Jazz.

Perkins and his teammates insist they are focused on each upcoming game and their club-record eight-game playoff winning streak bears that out.

But as their championship quest builds momentum, they can’t repress their dreams.

“You dream and you think about what you’re doing now as opposed to what you did last year,” said the 6-foot-9 Perkins. “You realize that you could be on vacation, so when you play, you’re thinking about making the best of this opportunity.”

Now the buzz around the Sonics has changed from skepticism to a burgeoning belief, according to Perkins.

Swingman Nate McMillan is careful not to get caught up in the hype, yet he admits that his championship dream is unfolding.

“Of course, I wonder, ‘Are we going to play in June?”’ he said. “It’s not to say I don’t think about it. It’s just that I don’t want to hear what the press is saying or hear what the critics are saying on TV or hear what the players who aren’t in the playoffs are saying.

“I dream about what could happen, what could be. But most of my attention is about what happens next. The next game is always the most important. We’ve been able to make sure of that.”

Forward Detlef Schrempf is also careful about looking ahead.

“Obviously that (NBA championship) is what we’re playing for,” he said. “But we keep it in the back of our mind.”

Schrempf admits that the quest gained an urgency after the Sonics survived the first round.

“The first round was different,” he said. “We got through it, and ever since we’ve been playing with the same confidence we’ve had all year long.”

At 32, after 11 seasons in the league and in only his second appearance in a conference final, Schrempf knows he must seize the moment.

“You don’t get many chances,” he said. “You’ve got to make the best of what you’ve got and this, so far, is the best chance. … Sam and Nate and I have known for years that time is running out. We’ve been talking about it for years.”

Perkins, 34, said he accounts less for his advancing age than the knowledge that this is his best chance since 1993, when the Sonics reached the Western Conference finals and lost to Phoenix in seven games.

Amid the pressure and the mental and physical fatigue of playoff basketball, Perkins wants to enjoy the ride.

“It’s fun, too,” he said. “You have to look at the flip side. It’s fun to be watched by everybody. It’s hard out there, but we’re close enough to play through it, to stay together and to play with each other.”

According to Sonics coach George Karl, that process is still reaching its peak.

“We’re getting better at the end of May, which is the sign of a great basketball team,” he said. “The mentality of the team is to win a championship. And everybody’s focus now, wherever this ends, is that we’ll have given everything we can give.

“We’re excited about the opportunity to get out of the conference finals, but we know Utah is tough.”

The challenge presented by the Jazz has Sonics All-Star point guard Gary Payton tuned in.

“I’m not talking about a championship right now,” he said. “I’m thinking one game at a time. We need two more wins, then four more. When the championship happens, then I can go crazy.”

“We can’t release our excitement until it’s over,” Perkins said. “It’s like a 9 to 5 job. You think about it all day and let it all out afterward.”

Hendrickson visits Sonics

Washington State senior Mark Hendrickson worked out with the Sonics on Wednesday. Hendrickson is likely to be selected in the second round of the NBA draft on June 26. He has also worked out for the Portland Trail Blazers and Vancouver Grizzlies.

The 6-foot-9 left-hander said the Sonics work harder in practice than fans probably imagine and that plays that look effortless on television are actually executed against tremendous defensive pressure.

Hawkins hawks for Fila

Guard Hersey Hawkins filmed a Fila commercial on Wednesday. Hawkins was thrilled to make his first commercial, but dismayed by the timing. He would have preferred to go straight home from practice.