Opponent: Los Angeles Lakers
When: 7:30 p.m.
Where: KeyArena, Seattle
TV: KONG (Ch. 6/16)
Radio: KJR (950 AM)
Probable starters: For Seattle – forwards Rashard Lewis (6 feet, 10 inches) and Reggie Evans (6-8), center Vitaly Potapenko (6-10), guards Brent Barry (6-6) and Ray Allen (6-5). For Los Angeles – forwards Rick Fox (6-7) and Karl Malone (6-9), center Shaquille O’Neal (7-1), guards Kobe Bryant (6-7) and Gary Payton (6-4).
Next game: New Orleans at Seattle, 6 p.m. Sunday.
The last time Gary Payton visited KeyArena, he had not spoken to his friend and former coach Nate McMillan since being traded to Milwaukee last season, a period of nearly one year.
A reunion occurred that night, and since then Payton and McMillan have had other conversations, most recently after a March 5 game between the Sonics and Lakers, Payton’s current team, in Los Angeles. That night, Payton waited for McMillan by the Seattle bus and the two men spoke for several minutes before the Sonics departed for the airport and their return flight to Seattle.
“We talked about him being in Los Angeles and we basically put things behind,” McMillan said, referring to Payton’s obvious anger after the trade. “I understand his feelings. It was tough at the time, I think, for everyone involved. But it’s behind him and it’s behind us. He has moved on, just as everyone up here has done.”
Today, McMillan went on, “everything is fine with (Payton). He’s happy with where he is with the Lakers. His family is doing well. They enjoy Los Angeles. Everything is good with them.
“His focus, during our conversation, was about a (championship) ring. Again, he likes where he’s at. I think he’s a Hollywood guy anyway. That life down there, that’s G.P.”
This will be the fourth and final meeting between Seattle and L.A. this season. The Sonics had a 111-109 victory in the first game on Jan. 2, which was overshadowed by the drama of Payton’s return. The Lakers won the next two contests, both in L.A., 96-82 on Jan. 28 and 99-91 on March 5.
Even without the fanfare of his previous visit, this should still be an emotional night for Payton.
“He’s done well for those guys and I’m sure he’s looking to play a better game and to win the game, so it should be exciting,” McMillan said. “Once everyone laid eyes on him for the first time (in KeyArena on Jan. 2), all of that drama was pretty much over. But it’ll still be somewhat strange to see him back in the building in a different uniform.”
Turning it on: Though the Lakers have dealt with many distractions this season – most notably, guard Kobe Bryant’s ongoing sexual assault case in Colorado and injuries to key players – the team is hitting a late-season stride. L.A. has won nine straight games and 20 of its last 24.
No one, of course, is all that surprised.
In recent years the Lakers have sometimes slumped at midseason, then finished with a flurry. L.A. won three straight championships before yielding the throne to San Antonio last season.
“There’s a lot of talent on that team,” McMillan said. “I think for everybody there, the expectations are different than the majority of the teams in the league. They brought two very good players (Payton and Karl Malone) on board and the whole focus for those two players is the same as (for everybody in) that organization. That is, to win a championship.
“That’s a very mature team and they understand that you want to have a rhythm going into the playoffs. ” … They’re flipping that switch. They’re a team that has done that in the past, in March and April, flipping that switch on to win a title.”
Rich Myhre
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