Seattle rides high in Texas

DALLAS – This time the Seattle SuperSonics relinquished all of their double-digit lead.

And they still won.

In what is an increasingly magical season, the Sonics continued on their blistering roll, defeating the Dallas Mavericks 107-102 at American Airlines Center Thursday night to complete a two-game sweep in Texas against a set of the better teams in the league.

A night after defeating the San Antonio Spurs, the Sonics won their fourth in a row with a similar formula of jumping to a big lead, withstanding a furious rally and then prevailing in the end because of more energy and better execution.

“This is like a high,” Danny Fortson said of the team’s winning. “You know what I mean, like once you start you can’t stop. The high feels so good that we don’t even want to think about losing right now.”

Rashard Lewis, playing before friends and family, hit two huge baskets in the final minutes and made two pressure free throws with 18.5 seconds left to put the finishing touches on a 25-point, nine-rebound outing that only bolstered his standing in this, his best season as a professional.

That, coupled with a missed 3-pointer by Michael Finley with 22.3 seconds left, sent the Sonics to a league-best 17-3 record, a half-game ahead of the idle Phoenix Suns (16-3).

Finley was in the perfect position to be a hero, returning for this game from a stint on the injured list with a sprained ankle. But his rustiness served the Sonics well in this season of serendipity.

On the plane ride to Dallas Tuesday afternoon, Ray Allen and Antonio Daniels were conversing on the plane, and Allen mentioned to Daniels that coming away with a split in Texas would be a good accomplishment.

“No,” Daniels told Allen. “We’re too good for a split. We want to win both games.”

They did, and now the Sonics are the talk of the NBA. Reporters from Sports Illustrated, ESPN the Magazine and USA Today are following the team. ESPN.com will feature them in a series of stories this week. They were a topic of discussion on television shows “Pardon the Interruption” and “Cold Pizza” on Thursday.

“They are a hot team right now,” Dallas coach Don Nelson said. “On back-to-back nights, to beat San Antonio one night and us the other is pretty strong credentials.”

The team is teetering between enjoying the accomplishment of the run and trying not to jinx what has become the second-best start in franchise history.

“It is exciting and we are happy we are winning ballgames,” Lewis said. “But we also know it can turn around in a week, and we don’t want that to happen.”

The Sonics now return home for the better part of the month, with one road game between now and Dec. 30. The Sonics are 9-0 at KeyArena, the only team in the league undefeated at home.

As they did against the Spurs, the Sonics jumped to a big first-half lead, getting ahead by 15 points primarily because the Mavericks failed to play much, if any, defense. Seattle’s 60 first-half points were the most allowed by the Mavericks this season.

As they did against the Spurs, the Sonics failed to hold the lead, allowing Dallas’ second-half intensity to cut into the lead.

Whereas the Sonics never gave up the lead Wednesday, the Mavericks (13-8) went ahead by one, 87-86, on two free throws by Jerry Stackhouse with 7 minutes left in the game.

But Lewis made a jump shot on Seattle’s ensuing possession, and the Sonics never trailed again.

That is not to say that the outcome was not tenuous. But Lewis carried the team in the final minutes.

With Seattle ahead 99-95, Lewis drove along the baseline and threw down a powerful dunk, extending the lead to six. Dallas scored five straight points to pull to 101-100.

That’s when Lewis lofted a 3-pointer from the left wing that was pure. As he ran down the court, he thumped his chest and screamed in visceral celebration.

“Rashard is playing like a man possessed,” Allen said. “He is on a mission. I think for too many years he has been the guy to sit back and watch other players and talk about other teams. And now he feels like it’s his turn.”

Seattle’s next four games are at home: Saturday against Boston; Tuesday against the Los Angeles Lakers; Dec. 17 against Phoenix; and Dec. 22 against Denver.