The Sonics, to no one’s surprise, are having fun this season. At practice and in the locker room before and after games, smiles abound.
That stands to reason, of course. Seattle has enjoyed one of the league’s best records from the outset, and as coach Nate McMillan noted, “Any time you’re winning it feels better to come to work.”
In part, practices are more enjoyable because they are shorter, less tedious. Some of that is a reward for the team’s shiny record. But the other reason everyone is upbeat is that the Sonics simply look forward to being in the gym.
“These guys should feel good,” McMillan said. “They’re doing some good things, they’re winning some games. I think they’re enjoying the way we’re playing. And hopefully they’re believing in what we’re doing.”
For McMillan, the good times are mitigated by the ongoing need to prepare for the next game.
“After the game, if we win, I enjoy it,” he said. “But the next day I have to go to work. After a loss, it takes a little longer (to forget), but I still have to go back to work. And the reality is we’re only in December. Nobody makes the playoffs or wins titles in December. We have a ways to go.”
Seen him before: Phoenix center Amare Stoudamire, who is 6-10 and 22 years old, reminds McMillan of a onetime teammate who was also 6-10, young and athletic. The look-alike is former Seattle forward Shawn Kemp, who teamed with McMillan for eight seasons from the late 1980s to the mid-’90s.
“Amare reminds me a lot of Shawn,” McMillan said.
Season for giving: With just one game in the week of Christmas, the Sonics coaches and players will have plenty of time for holiday activities. For Ray Allen and Rashard Lewis, some of that time will be used for charitable events.
From 2-4 p.m. today, Allen hosts his second-annual “giving Tree” at the Factoria Square Mall, with proceeds to benefit Rise-n-Shine (a non-profit organization that provides emotional support and advocacy to children affected by HIV and AIDS), the Seattle Public Schools ‘Family Support’ program, and the Salvation Army. With the purchase of a gift from one of three “Giving Trees,” fans will receive an autographed poster of Allen as well as Sonics game tickets (while supplies last).
From 2-4 p.m. Tuesday, Lewis hosts a holiday shopping trip to the Northgate Toys ‘R’ Us for children stay at Seattle’s Ronald McDonald House. The children will ride with Lewis in a limousine, then have the opportunity to select a toy of his or her choice.
That’s a fact: Against Phoenix, the Sonics used a lineup – guards Allen and Luke Ridnour, center Jerome James, and forwards Lewis and Reggie Evans – that has started all 23 games this season. Last season, Seattle used 20 different lineups and had already used several different lineups by this point of the season.
Rich Myhre, Herald writer
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