Karl Lashes Out At Supersoft Sonics Blazers Beat Up Seattle, 103-93

The Seattle SuperSonics have been called a lot of things during the uncertain journey that has been the last few years.

Just when you figured every description available had been used on this bunch, coach George Karl found a new one.

“We played soft,” Karl said after Portland beat the Sonics, 103-93, Sunday afternoon in front of 21,538 at the Rose Garden. “Like a bunch of wusses.”

That’s what Karl told the media, anyway.

“He wasn’t as gentle with us,” said guard Hersey Hawkins, who scored a game-high 29 points.

Maybe Karl simply thought the Sonics needed some roughing up after they seemed to avoid contact much of the day. They allowed Portland to dominate inside for 47 rebounds to Seattle’s 32.

There were legitimate excuses for the lack of rebounding and the loss. Seattle was without starting forward Detlef Schrempf, who is on the injured list, and reserve center Sam Perkins, who stayed home with a headache after he suffered a cut over his eye in Friday’s victory over New Jersey.

Karl had thought Perkins might fly down Sunday morning in time for the game.

“I was surprised he didn’t play today,” Karl said.

Even so, Karl wanted to hear excuses as much as he wants to hear another question about Kendall Gill.

“You can use undermanned as an excuse,” Karl said. “I like to use it as an opportunity, an excitement to get out there and overcome some problems.”

Particularly telling was the lack of production on the boards from forward Shawn Kemp (three rebounds in 36 minutes) and center Jim McIlvaine (one rebound in 18 minutes).

“When your power forward and starting center get (four rebounds) you aren’t going to win many games,” Karl said.

“He was justified in saying what he did,” Hawkins said. “Whenever you go into a game knowing that you are shorthanded, you have to gangrebound and be a lot more physical and they just pushed us around.”

Seattle now has lost two of three. Portland has won six in a row.

Trail Blazers 103, SuperSonics 93

FG FT Reb SEATTLE Min M-A M-A O-T A PF Pts Stewart 29 4-9 0-1 3-6 3 1 8 Kemp 36 5-10 6-10 1-3 7 5 16 McIlvaine 18 0-1 0-0 0-1 0 3 0 Payton 43 6-19 4-8 3-10 11 2 16 Hawkins 36 12-17 2-2 1-3 0 0 29 Cummings 33 6-11 0-0 4-8 2 5 12 McMillan 27 1-4 0-0 0-1 3 1 2 Wingate 16 3-6 0-0 0-0 0 4 7 Snow 1 0-0 0-0 0-0 1 0 0 Graham 1 1-1 0-0 0-0 0 0 3 Totals 240 38-78 12-21 12-32 27 21 93

Percentages: FG .487, FT .571. 3-Point Goals: 5-15, .333 (Hawkins 3-6, Wingate 1-3, Graham 1-1, Stewart 0-1, McMillan 0-1, Payton 0-3). Team Rebounds: 11. Blocked shots: 2 (Stewart, Kemp). Turnovers: 12 (Payton 5, Cummings 4, Kemp, Hawkins, Wingate). Steals: 10 (Wingate 3, Hawkins 2, Stewart, Kemp, Payton, Cummings, McMillan). Technical fouls: Payton, 8:53 second; illegal defense, 8:05 fourth. Flagrant fouls: Cummings, 4:17 third. Illegal defense: 1.

FG FT Reb PORTLAND Min M-A M-A O-T A PF Pts C.Robinson 41 4-15 4-6 1-4 3 3 14 Wallace 20 3-8 4-6 3-5 1 2 10 Sabonis 27 5-10 1-2 2-8 7 1 11 Anderson 42 6-14 1-2 1-4 8 2 16 Rider 42 9-14 4-4 3-7 5 3 25 Dudley 21 1-3 0-1 5-7 1 3 2 Trent 25 10-11 3-4 4-9 0 2 23 Augmon 13 0-2 2-4 2-3 1 1 2 R.Robinson 6 0-2 0-0 0-0 1 2 0 O’Neal 3 0-0 0-0 0-0 0 0 0 Totals 240 38-79 19-29 21-47 27 19 103

Percentages: FG .481, FT .655. 3-Point Goals: 8-22, .364 (Anderson 3-8, Rider 3-5, C.Robinson 2-7, Wallace 0-1, Sabonis 0-1). Team Rebounds: 10. Blocked shots: 5 (C.Robinson, Sabonis, Rider, Trent, Augmon). Turnovers: 14 (Rider 4, Sabonis 3, C.Robinson 2, Trent 2, Anderson 2, Wallace). Steals: 2 (C.Robinson, Sabonis). Technical fouls: Wallace, 4:06 third; C.Robinson 4:44 fourth. Illegal defense: 1.

Seattle 26 24 19 24 - 93 Portland 29 26 24 24 - 103

A-21,538 (21,500). T-2:17.