Sonics claim Northwest title
SEATTLE – Two weeks of frustration and anticipation finally ended for the Seattle SuperSonics with All-Stars Rashard Lewis and Ray Allen autographing their shoes and throwing them into the frenzied sellout crowd while coach Nate McMillan got doused with Gatorade.
Expected to be among the worst teams in the NBA at the beginning of the season, the Sonics are headed to the playoffs as Northwest Division champs after a 97-72 win over the lowly New Orleans Hornets on Friday night.
Allen scored 32 points as Seattle (51-28) snapped a six-game losing streak. Immediately after the game ended, the Sonics unveiled the Northwest Division banner in the rafters of KeyArena. It’s the first division title for Seattle since winning the Pacific Division in 1998.
“A lot of people doubted the team this year and that was OK. We went out and played the game the right way all season long,” McMillan said. “And they finished this last home game the right way.”
Allen shot 12 of 19 in what may have been his final regular season home game with the Sonics. Allen will be a free agent in the off-season.
“Being an All-Star doesn’t mean anything, it’s so individual and you really can’t celebrate,” Allen said. “But when you win the division, the conference or a championship, words can’t describe it.”
Seattle had not won since April 1 against Portland. During their losing streak, the SuperSonics averaged just 93 points, allowed more than 107 and were hampered by injuries for the first time this season. Lewis, Antonio Daniels and Danny Fortson all missed time during the losing skid, Lewis missing eight games with a bone bruise in his right foot.
Friday was the second game back for all three, and the SuperSonics regained some rhythm.
“It’s great to get the win here and not have to worry about somebody beating Denver,” said Daniels, who added 13 points. “Guys were very focused and everybody in here realized how big of a game this was.”
Ahead 25-23 after one quarter, the SuperSonics started the second on an 11-0 run to build a 36-23 lead, highlighted by Daniels’ driving three-point play and a dunk from Nick Collison. The Hornets (18-61) never got within 10 points.
Seattle outscored New Orleans 28-16 in the second quarter as the Hornets missed their first six shots of the quarter and settled for 3-pointers and long jump shots.
The Sonics led 53-39 at halftime and led by as many as 30 in the fourth.
Seattle was considered an afterthought before the season, playing in a division with last year’s conference runner-up Minnesota, and teams in Denver and Utah that many felt had improved in the offseason.
But the Sonics went 22-6 in the first two months of the season, and built a double-digit lead in the division that held up despite the recent skid and Denver winning 24 of its last 26.
SuperSonics 97, Hornets 72
| FG | FT | Reb | |||||
| NEWORLEANS | Min | M-A | M-A | O-T | A | PF | PTS |
| Nailon | 28 | 5-7 | 5-6 | 1-4 | 3 | 4 | 15 |
| Vroman | 27 | 1-3 | 2-2 | 0-5 | 3 | 2 | 4 |
| Brown | 28 | 2-5 | 3-4 | 2-6 | 1 | 2 | 7 |
| Dickau | 36 | 3-10 | 2-2 | 0-1 | 6 | 2 | 8 |
| JSmith | 37 | 2-15 | 3-4 | 0-4 | 1 | 3 | 7 |
| Jacobsen | 23 | 3-5 | 0-0 | 0-2 | 1 | 1 | 6 |
| West | 21 | 3-9 | 1-1 | 1-5 | 0 | 2 | 8 |
| Lampe | 20 | 3-5 | 0-0 | 2-3 | 2 | 2 | 6 |
| Nachbar | 20 | 4-11 | 0-0 | 1-1 | 0 | 3 | 11 |
| Totals | 240 | 26-70 | 16-19 | 7-31 | 17 | 21 | 72 |
Percentages: FG .371, FT .842.
3-Point Goals: 4-10, .400 (Nachbar 3-6, West 1-1, Dickau 0-1, J.Smith 0-2).
Team Rebounds: 9. Team Turnovers: 16 (22 PTS).
Blocked Shots: 3 (West, Lampe, Nailon).
Turnovers: 15 (Nailon 4, Jacobsen 2, Nachbar 2, Vroman 2, Dickau 2, Brown, West, J.Smith).
Steals: 4 (Brown, West, Vroman, Nailon).
Technical Fouls: Defensive Three Second, 9:27 fourth.
| FG | FT | Reb | |||||
| SEATTLE | Min | M-A | M-A | O-T | A | PF | PTS |
| Evans | 20 | 2-4 | 0-0 | 3-7 | 0 | 3 | 4 |
| Lewis | 34 | 1-12 | 3-4 | 0-4 | 2 | 2 | 6 |
| James | 17 | 2-6 | 0-0 | 3-6 | 0 | 2 | 4 |
| Allen | 39 | 12-19 | 4-4 | 0-0 | 7 | 3 | 32 |
| Ridnour | 25 | 3-9 | 3-3 | 0-4 | 5 | 1 | 10 |
| Wilkins | 13 | 2-5 | 1-2 | 0-1 | 0 | 3 | 5 |
| Collison | 26 | 3-5 | 2-4 | 3-10 | 1 | 1 | 8 |
| Daniels | 23 | 3-5 | 6-6 | 0-2 | 4 | 0 | 13 |
| Fortson | 15 | 2-3 | 1-2 | 2-4 | 0 | 3 | 5 |
| Murray | 25 | 4-9 | 0-0 | 0-6 | 1 | 2 | 10 |
| Cleaves | 3 | 0-1 | 0-0 | 0-0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Totals | 240 | 34-78 | 20-25 | 11-44 | 21 | 20 | 97 |
Percentages: FG .436, FT .800.
3-Point Goals: 9-23, .391 (Allen 4-9, Murray 2-3, Daniels 1-1, Ridnour 1-2, Lewis 1-6, Wilkins 0-2).
Team Rebounds: 12. Team Turnovers: 11 (10 PTS).
Blocked Shots: 7 (James 2, Collison 2, Lewis, Murray, Fortson).
Turnovers: 11 (Ridnour 3, Daniels 2, Fortson 2, Lewis, James, Allen, Collison).
Steals: 7 (Lewis 2, Allen 2, James, Evans, Wilkins).
Technical Fouls: None.
| New Orleans | 23 | 16 | 17 | 16—72 |
| Seattle | 25 | 28 | 20 | 24—97 |
A—17,072 (17,072). T—2:04.