SEATTLE – One week after opening their regular season with two games in Japan, the Seattle SuperSonics will tip off their KeyArena schedule tonight with a 7:30 p.m. game against the Portland Trail Blazers.
And if Sonics coach Nate McMillan gets his wish, it will be the first of many wins on the home hardwood in 2003-04.
“All along, I’ve talked about making KeyArena the special building it once was,” McMillan said. “This year, we want to try to do that.”
Since many NBA teams do little better than break even on the road, the trick to a successful season is usually a strong home record. The Sonics won over 30 home games the first three seasons at KeyArena, all under former coach George Karl, including a franchise-best mark of 38-3 in the inaugural 1995-96 season. Since the end of the Karl era, however, Seattle has been unable to win more than 26 home games in a single season.
A year ago, the Sonics were a mediocre 25-16 at KeyArena, including losses to such woeful opponents as Cleveland, Denver, Golden State, Washington and the Los Angeles Clippers. Those disappointing outcomes were a big reason Seattle missed the playoffs with a 40-42 overall record, breaking a string of 15 consecutive non-losing seasons that had been the NBA’s second-best ongoing mark.
This season, McMillan is counting on the team’s new up-tempo style to generate more victories in the standings and more customers in the seats. As he sees it, the two tie together, just as they did in Karl’s final three seasons, when the Sonics sold out every single game – 123 in all – at KeyArena.
Later, as the team slumped, so did the attendance.
The goal this season “is to bring our (fast-break) style to the floor,” he said. “That will get the fans into the game. And if you’re successful doing that, more people are going to show up.”
Seattle forward Rashard Lewis, who is coming off a 50-point effort vs. the Los Angeles Clippers in Japan, called the home opener “a special game. The fans get to see what we look like and what type of team we’re going to be this year. … We want a lot of energy in the arena because I think it does affect the team. Of course we’re going to try to bring (our own enthusiasm), but we’re going to need a little bit of help from our fans as well.”
For several Sonics, the other significance of tonight’s game is the chance to get back to a normal NBA lifestyle. The team, after all, jetted to Japan in late October for a one-week stay, flew back to Seattle last Sunday, and has spent the last four days practicing as other league teams were getting on with their schedules.
“It seems like we’ve been off about a month,” McMillan remarked wryly. “I really think we need a game.”
“We’re just looking forward to playing somebody,” agreed Sonics guard Brent Barry. “Having as many days off as we’ve had, we’ll have to shake the rust off early in the game and try to get our legs back as quick as possible. We feel like we’ve opened the season already, but now it’s time to do it here at home.”
Though NBA teams often respond with spirited performances in home openers, “I’ve seen it work both ways,” McMillan said. “Some teams come out flat, other teams come out sharp, and some teams even come out fast but finish the game slow. So I think what we want to do is make sure we’re consistent and steady with what we’re doing out there.
“I’m sure we’ll have some butterflies,” he said. “Early on, in the first few minutes or so, you may see some nervous energy. But once that game starts, our guys still have to play and I have to coach.”
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