For Sonics, It’s All About Confidence

Rudy Tomjanovich, the coach of the two-time NBA champion Houston Rockets, likened Saturday’s Rockets-Seattle SuperSonics’ matchup to a playoff atmosphere. And since Tomjanovich knows a little something about winning playoff games, the Sonics’ late-game execution in their 104-103 victory over Houston bodes well for the future.

While being upset in the first round of the playoffs the past two seasons, the Sonics struggled when the Denver Nuggets and the Los Angeles Lakers succeeded in slowing the game’s pace. An offense accustomed to scoring easy baskets off turnovers was suddenly forced to find a consistent way to score in half-court sets.

The Sonics lack of dominance on the boards limited their running opportunities to five fast-break points and poor shooting by both teams kept the scoring in the low 90s until overtime.

Yet the Sonics - who meet Houston again on Tuesday - prevailed with sharp passing, pick setting and movement without the ball.

In the overtime, Payton, Hawkins and Shawn Kemp each scored after catching the ball in a position to create a high percentage shot.Sonics coach George Karl rea soned that the Sonics’ improvement in their half-court offense in the late stages of close games centers on confidence.

“I feel more of a confidence with this team,” he said. “I think we’ll get the ball where we want to get it. … It’s knowing what we want to do a little better. And defensively we’re making stops so we know we don’t have to score every time.”

The Sonics’ defense smothered the Rockets late in the game on Saturday. The traps limited the Rockets’ options and the Sonics’ rotations were so precise that the Rockets weren’t able to take uncontested shots.

“Philosophically, we felt that last year we exerted energy early with our traps and didn’t have it at the end of games,” Karl said. “This year, we’re turning the traps on and off and we feel it’s better.

“In the first half (against Houston) we didn’t trap and in the second half we trapped nearly every other possession. I liked the game. In the first quarter, I told the guys, ‘You’re not making shots, but I like this game.’ Fortunately, we were able to come back from 13. And once we got back we had the confidence to win.”