Monday, May 09, 2005
GAME 1: SPURS 103, SUPERSONICS 81
Spurs 103, SuperSonics 81 (San Antonio leads best-of-seven series 1-0)
Well, like I said after the series against Sacramento, I hope people have gotten the chance to enjoy this season for the Sonics. As I saw Vladimir Radmanovic lying on the floor in pain early in the second quarter, I saw the entire season flash before my eyes. That guy was the key, the x-factor who would give the Sonics their big chance to win this series. The bad ankle sprain to Radmanovic I'd have to say pretty much cost the Sonics their chance to advance. When Ray Allen tweaked his ankle and didn't come back to the game, I had thoughts about whether the Sonics would even win a single game in this series. They won't get anywhere without him. Taking Radmanovic out of the equation is bad enough, but when you take Allen out of it too, what you get left over is basically those last couple weeks of the Sonics' regular season. You get some early competitiveness, and then the other team pulls away. This game was no exception after Allen was done for the night. Rashard Lewis alone can only do so much. The best case scenario is that Lewis and Ron Murray go off at the same time, and Ron Murray's going to have to put up 30 shots to get 25 points. If Murray gets to the line, it's like sending Reggie Evans or Nick Collison to the line.
The point is, these Sonics can't afford to have too many pieces of the puzzle absent. If that happens, this series will be incredibly short. The Sonics' chances to vanquish the Spurs in this series were slim to none to begin with, but when Radmanovic and Allen sprained their ankles on consecutive plays, slim was seen boarding a Greyhound bus.
Still, the Sonics opened the game in an unsurprising way. Tony Parker made Luke Ridnour and the Sonics' (lack of) help defense his bitches, scoring the first seven points in San Antonio's opening 9-2 run, basically a bunch of drives to the glass for layups. The closest the Sonics got for the rest of the game was five points, when Allen went to the glass for a layup to make it 19-14 with 4:03 left in the first quarter. Combine this with the generally poor play and the fact that Tim Duncan was inexplicably hitting his free throws, and it had the makings of a long night. Of course, one would expect the requisite big Sonic run, since it's playoff basketball and all, and we saw what the Kings did to the Sonics. Not that the Kings are the Spurs, they're far from it.
Luke Ridnour's scoop shot and Vitaly Potapenko's jumphook were the first four points of the second quarter. Then the Spurs went on a 9-0 run. Play was stopped at the 8:26 mark when Radmanovic was writhing on the floor in pain for about ten seconds after suffering one mother of an ankle sprain. As Radmanovic was on a wheelchair being taken to the locker room, Allen drove to the basket and tweaked his ankle as well, hopping on one foot out of bounds. He went to the locker room not long after.
From this point, any game notes are moot. Nate McMillan got T'd a few minutes before halftime after Antonio Daniels drove into the lane and was plowed by Glenn Robinson, which went as a no-call. Nick Collison heaved a 70-footer to beat the clock at the end of the third quarter. Other than that, nothing. The Sonics trailed 35-22 after one, but trailed 62-35 at half. Collison's buzzer shot made it 75-57 after three.
The Sonics came within 18 a couple times in the second half, but that's really not important. The worst part is that Vladimir Radmanovic was the absolute key to solving the San Antonio defense, which I read somewhere was described as a reverse doughnut. They clog the middle, so if you can shoot over the middle with effectiveness, then good things happen. Granted, that would have depended on Radmanovic finding his shot and going nuts, but that was the Sonics' fighting chance. If they don't have that, then that takes away one vital weapon, since he has to drag a big man out to the perimeter with him.
PEEK AT THE BOXSCORE
starters
Rashard Lewis 19 pts/4 reb/3 stl (8-17 FG, 0-2 3pt, 3-4 free throws, 36 min), Luke Ridnour 8 pts/4 ast/2 stl (3-9 FG, 2-2 free throws, 35 min), Ray Allen 8 pts/2 reb (4-7 FG, 13 min), Reggie Evans 3 pts/7 reb/2 stl (1-1 FG, 18 min)
bench
Antonio Daniels 15 pts/3 ast (5-7 FG, 4-4 free throws, 30 min), Nick Collison 9 pts/7 reb (4-6 FG, 17 min), Ron Murray 6 pts/3 reb/2 ast (2-10 FG, 2-5 free throws, 22 min), Damien Wilkins 5 pts (2-6 FG, 0-2 3pt, 22 min), Vitaly Potapenko 4 pts/2 reb (2-3 FG, 9 min), Vladimir Radmanovic 0 pts/0 reb/1 stl/1 blk (0-2 FG, 0-2 3pt, 9 min), Danny Fortson 0 pts/2 reb (0-1 FG, 3 min)
Jerome James Watch
4 pts/2 reb (2-8 FG, 3 fouls, 19 min)
team
shot 33-for-77 (42.9%) from the floor, shot 2-for-10 (20%) from downtown, shot 13-for-18 (72.2%) from the line, were outrebounded 46-31, turned ball over 14 times (forced 19), beaten 15-6 on second-chance points, beaten 10-4 on the break
If they don't have Ray, they're dead. Simple as that. I hate to be that pessimistic about it, but that's the only thing I felt after I saw Vladimir bite it. Ray just made it worse.
I asked Jinkies of he'd ever sprained two ankles on two plays. His reply: What the MEOW are you talking about?!"
Well, like I said after the series against Sacramento, I hope people have gotten the chance to enjoy this season for the Sonics. As I saw Vladimir Radmanovic lying on the floor in pain early in the second quarter, I saw the entire season flash before my eyes. That guy was the key, the x-factor who would give the Sonics their big chance to win this series. The bad ankle sprain to Radmanovic I'd have to say pretty much cost the Sonics their chance to advance. When Ray Allen tweaked his ankle and didn't come back to the game, I had thoughts about whether the Sonics would even win a single game in this series. They won't get anywhere without him. Taking Radmanovic out of the equation is bad enough, but when you take Allen out of it too, what you get left over is basically those last couple weeks of the Sonics' regular season. You get some early competitiveness, and then the other team pulls away. This game was no exception after Allen was done for the night. Rashard Lewis alone can only do so much. The best case scenario is that Lewis and Ron Murray go off at the same time, and Ron Murray's going to have to put up 30 shots to get 25 points. If Murray gets to the line, it's like sending Reggie Evans or Nick Collison to the line.
The point is, these Sonics can't afford to have too many pieces of the puzzle absent. If that happens, this series will be incredibly short. The Sonics' chances to vanquish the Spurs in this series were slim to none to begin with, but when Radmanovic and Allen sprained their ankles on consecutive plays, slim was seen boarding a Greyhound bus.
Still, the Sonics opened the game in an unsurprising way. Tony Parker made Luke Ridnour and the Sonics' (lack of) help defense his bitches, scoring the first seven points in San Antonio's opening 9-2 run, basically a bunch of drives to the glass for layups. The closest the Sonics got for the rest of the game was five points, when Allen went to the glass for a layup to make it 19-14 with 4:03 left in the first quarter. Combine this with the generally poor play and the fact that Tim Duncan was inexplicably hitting his free throws, and it had the makings of a long night. Of course, one would expect the requisite big Sonic run, since it's playoff basketball and all, and we saw what the Kings did to the Sonics. Not that the Kings are the Spurs, they're far from it.
Luke Ridnour's scoop shot and Vitaly Potapenko's jumphook were the first four points of the second quarter. Then the Spurs went on a 9-0 run. Play was stopped at the 8:26 mark when Radmanovic was writhing on the floor in pain for about ten seconds after suffering one mother of an ankle sprain. As Radmanovic was on a wheelchair being taken to the locker room, Allen drove to the basket and tweaked his ankle as well, hopping on one foot out of bounds. He went to the locker room not long after.
From this point, any game notes are moot. Nate McMillan got T'd a few minutes before halftime after Antonio Daniels drove into the lane and was plowed by Glenn Robinson, which went as a no-call. Nick Collison heaved a 70-footer to beat the clock at the end of the third quarter. Other than that, nothing. The Sonics trailed 35-22 after one, but trailed 62-35 at half. Collison's buzzer shot made it 75-57 after three.
The Sonics came within 18 a couple times in the second half, but that's really not important. The worst part is that Vladimir Radmanovic was the absolute key to solving the San Antonio defense, which I read somewhere was described as a reverse doughnut. They clog the middle, so if you can shoot over the middle with effectiveness, then good things happen. Granted, that would have depended on Radmanovic finding his shot and going nuts, but that was the Sonics' fighting chance. If they don't have that, then that takes away one vital weapon, since he has to drag a big man out to the perimeter with him.
PEEK AT THE BOXSCORE
starters
Rashard Lewis 19 pts/4 reb/3 stl (8-17 FG, 0-2 3pt, 3-4 free throws, 36 min), Luke Ridnour 8 pts/4 ast/2 stl (3-9 FG, 2-2 free throws, 35 min), Ray Allen 8 pts/2 reb (4-7 FG, 13 min), Reggie Evans 3 pts/7 reb/2 stl (1-1 FG, 18 min)
bench
Antonio Daniels 15 pts/3 ast (5-7 FG, 4-4 free throws, 30 min), Nick Collison 9 pts/7 reb (4-6 FG, 17 min), Ron Murray 6 pts/3 reb/2 ast (2-10 FG, 2-5 free throws, 22 min), Damien Wilkins 5 pts (2-6 FG, 0-2 3pt, 22 min), Vitaly Potapenko 4 pts/2 reb (2-3 FG, 9 min), Vladimir Radmanovic 0 pts/0 reb/1 stl/1 blk (0-2 FG, 0-2 3pt, 9 min), Danny Fortson 0 pts/2 reb (0-1 FG, 3 min)
Jerome James Watch
4 pts/2 reb (2-8 FG, 3 fouls, 19 min)
team
shot 33-for-77 (42.9%) from the floor, shot 2-for-10 (20%) from downtown, shot 13-for-18 (72.2%) from the line, were outrebounded 46-31, turned ball over 14 times (forced 19), beaten 15-6 on second-chance points, beaten 10-4 on the break
If they don't have Ray, they're dead. Simple as that. I hate to be that pessimistic about it, but that's the only thing I felt after I saw Vladimir bite it. Ray just made it worse.
I asked Jinkies of he'd ever sprained two ankles on two plays. His reply: What the MEOW are you talking about?!"
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