By Rich Myhre
Herald Writer
SEATTLE – Many of the 14,753 spectators at KeyArena on Sunday probably showed up to see Orlando Magic sensation Tracy McGrady.
They had to settle for a much-needed victory by the Seattle SuperSonics.
McGrady, one of the league’s brilliant young stars, left in the early minutes of Sunday night’s game with a strained lower back, not to return. With him went the Magic’s best chance of winning the finale of an arduous six-game road trip.
Behind the game-high 26 points of Gary Payton and five teammates in double figures, the Sonics went on top in the opening moments and never trailed as they breezed to a 114-91 win. Seattle allowed the visitors just one rally – Orlando trimmed a second-quarter deficit of 17 points to two points midway through the third period – before taking the game firmly in hand.
The 23-point final spread was Seattle’s largest of the season, and the win kept the Sonics from dropping a season-high six games below .500.
“It was pretty much a solid game by our guys the whole game, except for the second quarter,” said Sonics coach Nate McMillan. “Things were coming a little easy, and I thought we relaxed and allowed them to get back into the game. … But I thought in the second half we were able to tighten up and eventually pull away.”
Nearby, Magic coach Doc Rivers was taking the blowout loss with stoical good grace. Orlando, he noted, was playing its sixth game on the road in nine days.
“The last game of a long road trip, you knew it was gonna be a long night,” Rivers said. “Actually, I was kind of happy. Our guys fought back pretty hard … but I felt like I had a Band-Aid trying to hold down the Hoover Dam. You were just hoping it wouldn’t break.”
McGrady, who had averaged 36.0 points over his previous six games, was hurt when he fouled Barry in the key with 6:39 left in the first quarter. McGrady immediately went to the locker room for treatment, and for a time it seemed he might return. Late in the second period, though, and with Seattle already enjoying a large lead, the Magic announced he would not be back.
McGrady’s exit was vaguely reminiscent of a Nov. 30 game between Seattle and the Los Angeles Lakers. In that contest, LA’s Shaquille O’Neal was ejected in the first quarter, but the two-time defending NBA champion Lakers still had enough muscle to rout the Sonics.
Would history repeat itself? Would Orlando somehow surprise Seattle, even without McGrady?
“I thought about that,” McMillan said. “But Orlando doesn’t have the same players the Lakers have. They work hard and scrap, and they’re going to play 48 minutes. But when McGrady went out, they didn’t have a Kobe (Bryant) to step in and create opportunities.”
While Payton put up the best numbers for Seattle – he had nine rebounds and four assists to go with his 26 points – center Art Long also stepped forward with a surprisingly strong effort. In just his second start of the season on Seattle’s injury-depleted front line, the 6-foot-9 Long delivered 12 points and 12 rebounds (both career highs) in 24 minutes. It was an impressive outing for a guy who barely made the roster this season.
“When we were trying to make a decision on that 12th spot,” McMillan said, “he was a guy the staff liked. He did a good job in training camp, and he’s really been pretty solid whenever he’s had the opportunity. I thought this was by far his best game.”
Before the game, McMillan took Long aside “and I told him that I wanted him to be a monster on the boards. He did exactly what I asked. He dominated the boards for us.”
Vin Baker added nine rebounds and Brent Barry chipped in eight as the Sonics had a 50-39 edge in rebounds, their biggest margin of the season.
The Sonics, Rivers said, “play with great energy. I love the way they’re playing. I think Nate’s done a nice job of getting these guys together and getting them committed. Gary Payton looks like he’s reborn with all these young guys around him, and that’s kind of nice to see.”
In a classy gesture, the Sonics paid tribute to NBA official Mike Mathis during a timeout late in the game. Mathis, long one of the league’s better officials, is retiring later this month after 25 seasons in the league.
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