By Rich Myhre
Herald Writer
SEATTLE – The Seattle SuperSonics had their best outside shooter home with the flu.
So naturally they got off to their best shooting start of the season.
The finish? It was equally fine.
Before a raucous sellout crowd of 17,072 at KeyArena, Seattle shot down the high-flying Minnesota Timberwolves on Tuesday night, 97-83. The Sonics did it with an eye-popping 8-for-8 barrage from the field to open the game, and they capped the victory with a gallant defensive effort down the stretch.
Proving they can hold on to win close contests at home – a team shortcoming of late – the Sonics were decisive winners of the final period. Leading by one point midway through the closing quarter, the Sonics buried Minnesota over the final seven minutes with a 16-3 scoring advantage.
With the outcome in hand in the waning moments, overjoyed Seattle owner Howard Schultz was on his feet at courtside, flapping his arms to exhort an already giddy crowd.
Among the Sonics, the boss wasn’t the only one with a smile.
“I thought it was an unbelievable game,” said coach Nate McMillan. “We won with solid defense and good execution on the offensive end of the floor. This (Seattle) team has been faced with a lot of obstacles all season long, such as injuries and youth. But tonight guys stepped up, played together and beat a very good Minnesota team.”
“We played hard and everybody contributed, from the starters to the bench,” added Seattle’s Desmond Mason. “Everybody picked up the defense in the second half, which is something we haven’t been doing – making big plays down the stretch.”
The win was the sixth in the past seven games for the Sonics, lifting them to a season-high seven games over .500.
Seattle, which was without sharp shooting guard Brent Barry – he called in sick earlier in the day – started the game with a flourish by converting its first eight attempts from the field. Even when guard Gary Payton finally bounced a reverse layin off the rim, teammate Vlade Radmanovic was there for an easy tip-in. Not until Peja Drobnjak missed an 18-foot try from left of the key with 6:40 left did Seattle fail to score on an offensive possession.
Radmanovic would go on to probably his best game of the season, converting nine of 12 chances from the field for 21 points in 41 minutes. The Yugoslavian rookie made his first six attempts from the field, including one 3-pointer, and finished with career highs for points, field goals and minutes.
“I thought the player of the game was Radmanovic,” McMillan said. “He really made up the difference of missing Brent. He was the perimeter guy that basically carried us.”
“Vladimir played an excellent game,” echoed Seattle’s Desmond Mason. “It was by far his best game of the year.”
The Sonics were already short-handed before the game and they saw their casualty list increase by one late in the first quarter. Guard Earl Watson was decked by an illegal screen set by Minnesota’s Kevin Garnett and suffered a separated left shoulder. Watson returned briefly, but left the game for good in the period’s closing seconds. He will be re-evaluated today to determine how much time he might miss.
The game was not without some spirited and unusual moments. In the late seconds of the first half, after Minnesota’s Anthony Peeler delivered a hard foul to Payton, the two exchanged some less-than-friendly words. Peeler seemed intent on inciting Payton, and it worked when official Michael Smith blew his whistle and announced a double-technical foul.
Problem was, Payton had earlier received a technical for squawking about a foul called on teammate Jerome James. Smith seemed to realize immediately that Payton would be ejected for a second technical and promptly waved off Payton’s penalty – and the Timberwolves went berserk. Garnett leaped in protest and T-wolves coach Flip Saunders stalked the sidelines before slamming his palm against the scorer’s table.
Payton, with the trace of a smile, went to the free throw line and sank the free throw on Peeler’s technical.
Just before halftime, Minnesota’s Wally Sczcerbiak spun Payton with a hard foul to prevent a fastbreak layin. Payton glared at Sczcerbiak, but managed to hold his tongue. Payback came moments later when Seattle’s Shammond Williams clobbered Sczcerbiak from behind on a breakaway, prompting a flagrant foul but no doubt some satisfaction on the Seattle bench.
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