Grrr...Aargh

Game 6: Key Arena
I'm sure you could hear me scream in anguish over some of the calls last night. Example, Nick Collison picked up 3 fouls in 2 minutes in the first quarter. Gawd, it was horrible. And from my viewpoint, only 1 of those fouls was *really* a foul. Let's just say that I was not pleased with the officiating. Granted, my spot in Key Arena did not lend itself to close examination of those plays but it seemed to me and the rest of the crowed that many of the calls were *incorrect.* That said, the Sonics didn't lose the game because of the officiating - they had plenty of missed opportunities. I'm over being upset by the calls, although I must say that I think traveling was called 3 times last night which has to be new NBA record. The boos that rained down on Tim Duncan last night after he rolled his ankle were completely uncalled for and in poor sportsmanship. I don't care how upset you are that your team is losing or how bad you think the officiating is. You don't boo a guy that's been hurt. Tim Duncan is not the kind of guy to 'fake' an injury in the hopes of getting a foul called. If he's lying on the ground, it's because something hurts. It was awful and it says nothing good about some of the fans in Seattle. Duncan has never been anything but a consummate professional, and from what I can tell an all around good guy. In the postgame photos of him with Ray Allen and his former teammate, Antonio Daniels, it's obvious to me that he cares. It could be complete bs but that's not what I see in those photos.

I did say on Wednesday that this was going to be an upbeat commentary/love letter. Perhaps not as gushing as it would have been had they won, but I do love this team. Everytime I try to name my favorite player I run into trouble because I like them all...(some more than others, Ray, Rashard, AD, Young Master Luke, Nick and Vlade). I confess that I *might* like Nick the best - he's not flashy, but he rarely makes a mistake, plays defense, can find his way to the basket and generally makes the Sonics a better team when he's on the floor (particularly in the Spurs series). The Sonics were a great team to watch. They played hard, they cared about each other and they all appear to be good human beings. And they won games. You can't ask for much more than that in a professional sports franchise. Sure, a championship would be nice. I think we'll get there soon. Ah, what a season. I can't remember the last time I had so much fun watching a pro basketball team. I'm just hoping ownership makes the right moves in the offseason and keeps some of our free agents. And here's hoping that the NBA and the player's union can reach an agreement on the new collective bargaining agreement. It will be a long cruel summer if there's a lockout.

No Love for the Sonics

Game 5: San Antonio

I was eagerly anticipating writing my glowing review of Ray Allen, Antonio Daniels, Luke Ridnour and the smart, gritty play of the bench (Nick Collison). Sadly, the lack of defense on Ginobli and Mohammed in the 3rd quarter in particular, combined with the defensive effort by the Spurs on Ray Allen means that the upbeat commentary/love letter is shelved until Thursday night. That's right, the Sonics will win on Thursday. They haven't lost a playoff game at home. Key Arena will be LOUD. Ray Allen will not have two poor shooting games in a row. I could go on with the reasons why there will be a Game 7 in San Antonio, but I won't.

The Sonics should be encouraged that they managed to stay in the game despite the lack of offensive output from their All-Star guard. The Spurs' aggressive play at the start of the 3rd quarter was their undoing. I'm not sure what was worse, watching the Spurs go ahead or listening to the crack commentating team on TNT discuss how Reggie Evans was not an offensive presence last night. Apparently, they haven't noticed that he is rarely, if ever, an offensive presence. That said, I prefer TNT coverage to ESPN/ABC coverage, woe are NBA fans when the finals are broadcast on ABC. I'm not sure anything compares to Ernie Johnson, Kenny Smith and Charles Barkely. And I mean that in a good way. They are amusing, insightful, crass at times, and merciless at others. You have to appreciate their honesty even if they are tearing apart your favorite player or team.

Time for work and to studiously avoid all negative articles about the Sonics. I like the bubble I live in and I'm going to keep it that way for another couple of days...