Make It Or Break It Supersonics Face Rugged Run That Will Show Just How Good They Are
It’s show and tell time for the Seattle SuperSonics, owners of the NBA’s best record.
The SuperSonics (25-6), who lead the Pacific Division by one game over the Los Angeles Lakers, face a series of tough challenges this month.
Of Seattle’s 14 remaining games this month, 10 are against teams with winning records. That includes two games against former teammate Shawn Kemp and the Cleveland Cavaliers, a rematch with the defending champion Chicago Bulls and their first meeting of the season against Shaquille O’Neal and the Lakers.
The Sonics are 9-0 in the Pacific Division. They have two wins each against the lowly Sacramento Kings, Los Angeles Clippers and Golden State Warriors. They also have beaten the Portland Trail Blazers twice and own a win over the Phoenix Suns.
The Sonics are full of confidence.
“We’re a better executing team than we have been in the past,” Detlef Schrempf said. “We share the ball and the guy who is open gets it. That wasn’t always the case in the past.”
Ball movement has been a key to the Sonics’ offense, third-best in the league at 101.5 points per game behind the Lakers (105.3) and the Houston Rockets (102.0).
“When we’re doubled in the post, we get the ball to the perimeter and we have some great shooters from the perimeter,” Vin Baker, obtained during the off-season from Milwaukee, said. “That’s been the difference so far.”
Dale Ellis, acquired in an off-season trade with Denver, has connected on 22 of 25 3-point shots over the past six games. He has the most 3-pointers in NBA history.
Coach George Karl was encouraged after the Sonics held the Philadelphia 76ers to a season-low 73 points in a 90-73 victory Friday night. The win ended a stretch of 10 straight games in which the Sonics scored 100 or more points.
“I’d like to see us become more of an intense defensive team,” Karl said. “We’re one of the three or four best teams in the league. We’re playing excellent offensively, but we have room to get better.”
The Sonics travel to Vancouver to meet the Grizzlies today and return home to entertain the Charlotte Hornets Tuesday before embarking on a four-game road trip.
They open Thursday at Cleveland against Kemp and the Cavaliers. They play the Boston Celtics, New York Knicks and Chicago Bulls before returning home for games against the Miami Heat and Cavs.
Baker, a three-time All-Star and the team’s leading scorer and rebounder, is energized by his first experience on a winning NBA team.
“We’re playing great basketball as a team and that is what’s important to me,” he said. “I’d rather be home and have this record than go to the All-Star Game.”
MEMO: This sidebar appeared with the story: COMING UP Today: Seattle SuperSonics at Vancouver Grizzlies, 5:30 p.m.