Herald Staff
Karl used to preach that playing hard was talent, just like shooting and ballhandling. He demanded that his athletes play hard, and he filled the end of his bench with gung-ho guys who could go in the game if the big-reputation starters failed to put out effort.
That is the same message McMillan is trying to convey.
“It doesn’t make a difference who you play, if you don’t play (hard) for 48 minutes, you will face defeat,” McMillan said. “I’m going to challenge (Seattle’s players) to work together and bring energy for 48 minutes. That’s all we can do. We play hard, we play together, and we execute offensively and defensively.
“If you don’t come with energy, I don’t care (what opponent) it is out there, you won’t win.”
Teammate Rashard Lewis was 10th in field goal percentage at .498 and 12th in 3-point percentage at .427. Lewis’ 41 total 3-pointers, meanwhile, are tied for second for players in the top 20 in percentage.
As a team, Seattle’s 98.7 points a game ranked third and the team’s 45.3 field goal percentage was tied for fifth. Of course, Seattle’s opponents’ scoring average of 99.5 ranks 27th among the league’s 29 teams.
Talk to us
> Give us your news tips.
> Send us a letter to the editor.
> More Herald contact information.
