[Izulde]

One Step Away

The Sacramento Kings were down this road last year, when a swift remodel yielded a West Conference Finals date with the defending champion Phoenix Suns. Alas for their fans, the Kings lost to the Suns, who went on to repeat their title.

Now Sacramento's once more knocking on the door to the franchise's first-ever NBA Finals appearance and it's the surprising Seattle Supersonics standing in their way. The Sonics were one of the most unexpected success stories of the season and this battle for the West Conference crown promises to be an intriguing one.

Point Guard
Ray Fields vs. Andres Quarles
Fields has had an absolutely phenomenal postseason, racking up 16.6 points, 13.4 assists and 1.5 steals a game. In fact, he's probably the most adept floor general a GM Jestor-run team has ever had in the playoffs and that includes the Zelipe Gama years with the Nuggets. The deadline acquisition has been a much huger payoff than anyone could've anticipated.

33 year old Quarles is more suited to SG, his native position, and he's had some problems with shooting the ball during the playoffs, hovering around the 41% mark. Still, he's averaging 15.6 points and 7.6 assists, which isn't to be totally sneezed at. Not an exciting defender, but adequate.

Advantage: Kings

Shooting Guard
Nigel Abel vs. Vladimir Tupolev
Abel really bailed out the Kings in Game 4 against the Mavericks, scoring 39 points in Dallas to give Sacramento the 3 point win and the pivotal 3-1 series lead. He's been a godsend since William Tackett picked up a calf injury, averaging 14.4 points in just those 3 starts. A bad defender though, especially at 36, where he doesn't have the quickness needed to go up against younger players.

Younger players like Tupolev, the 21 year old Russian superstar in his third season. A brilliant scorer whose absolutely breathtaking to watch, he's averaging 19.2 points and 1.2 steals this postseason. Not anything more than an average defender, he's a respectable ballhandler and rebounder and with his scoring talents and size, he reminds a lot of people of a young Justin Richler. That's high praise and he should have a great series.

Advantage: Sonics

Small Forward
David Anyan vs. Russell Sims
Anyan is having the postseason of his life, shooting a record 52.9% for 22.9 points, 7.3 rebounds, 1.2 steals and 1.2 blocks. His defensive talents are going to come in handy going up against Sims and his offense is absolutely critical to countering Seattle's loaded weapon in Tupolev.

Sims, 20 and in his second season, is a stellar ballthief with great passing and handling skills for a forward. He's also a smart player with good rebounding instincts and a beautiful, accurate shot from all areas of the floor. Those talents have translated into playoff averages of 17.2 points, 8.4 rebounds, 4.3 assists and 1.4 steals. But there's an Achilles heel and that's that he can't stop anyone from scoring. That's not a good thing to have against a player like Anyan, who is a great defender on top of it.

Advantage: Draw

Power Forward
Jim Johnson vs. Freddie Tackett
Johnson started to get a little more aggressive in shooting against Dallas, but he needs to keep building on that. 8.1 points, 7.1 rebounds and 1.1 steals is still far too quiet from a starter, particularly one who isn't known for stellar defense.

He also draws his third straight high-scoring opposite this postseason in Tackett. While not the terror that Marcelino Augusto was, the late-blooming Freddie is still spearheading the Sonics surge, averaging a team-high 19.5 points on 61.6% shooting with 5.9 points, 1.6 steals and 1.4 blocks. His defense is underrated and the matchup's going to be interesting to watch.

Advantage: Sonics

Center
Terrence Howard vs. Scott Costello
Howard's had some advantageous matchups the first two rounds and he's used them to his benefit, turning in 18.8 points, 11.3 rebounds and 2.5 blocks as a steady, formidable inside presence who's been somewhat overshadowed by Anyan and Abel's performances.

Costello will be Howard's first real test, a defensive specialist who doesn't do much else. Averaging 7.5 points and 7.2 rebounds, the proliferation of scoring in the rest of Seattle's starting five means that Costello can just sit back and concentrate on shutting the opposing team's center on defense. That's a dangerous omen for Kings fans.

Advantage: Draw

Bench
William Tackett's 14.6 points, 4.6 assists and 1.4 blocks are somewhat misleading, as he's had the bulk of starts so far this postseason. He's still nursing a bruised calf and if he can get back to full health, he'll provide a marginal defensive upgrade over Abel against Tupolev. Mike Vines cooled off against the Mavericks, but still has averages of 7.6 points and 5.9 rebounds in addition to being one of the best defenders on the court and Jameel Williams keeps finding ways to contribute with 4 points and 4.5 assists in 13 minutes of playing time, as the bench floor general.

David Thornton, the Sonics highest-scoring reserve at 7.9 points and 5.6 rebounds a game is hampered by a strained abdominal muscle, which spells bad news for Seattle, because he's the only big man reserve worth talking about. Ron Morant is the other Sonics sub to be noted, averaging 7 points and 4.9 assists as the top guard. Morant's one of Jestor's favorite players, but had trouble finding playing time in a crowded Nuggets backcourt and was traded as part of a package for Andy Sola and a slate of first round picks. He found his way to Seattle via free agency this offseason and has been a real life-saver for the Sonics. Morant's also the lone Sonic reserve who has any clue what defense is and how to play it.

Advantage: Kings

Final Thoughts
This is a very, very close matchup. Both teams bring balanced offenses, but it seems like Seattle has more players capable of lighting it up on any given night and we have doubts that Sacramento can match that, even with a deeper bench and better defenders. The Sonics continue their fairy tale season here and once again destroy the Kings' dreams.
Prediction: Seattle in 6

There's a lot of sense to what they say and as much as I hate to admit it, I could very easily see the series going down like that.

Game One
The first game of the series is a barnburner, with 27 lead changes and 20 ties as it was back and forth all night long. It was only in the later stages of the fourth quarter that one team finally started pulling away. David Anyan leads all scorers with 27 points, Jim Johnson pleasantly surprises with 16 points and 12 rebounds, Terrence Howard nearly matches Twizzler with 16 points and 11 rebounds and Ray Fields continues his sizzling postseason with 21 points and 11 assists. Mike Vine highlights the reserves with 11 bench points. For Seattle, Vladimir Tupolev scores 20, Freddie Tackett garners 15 points and 12 rebounds and Scott Costello muscles his way to 12 points and 13 rebounds. Despite Seattle's bench outperforming ours as a whole, we're the team that separates in the closing minutes of the game, riding all 5 Kings' starters with at least 16 points scored to a nice opening victory.
Final - Seattle 102 Sacramento 110

Game Two
The Sonics come out on fire in this one, racing out to a 29-18 first quarter lead. Freddie Tackett and Vladimir Tupolev finish the game with 24 points a piece and Andre Quarles just misses being a third 20 point scorer with 19. But we chip away at their lead the rest of the game and once again win going away in the fourth quarter. David Anyan scores 23, Terrence Howard rustles up 12 points and 12 rebounds and Mike Vines again leads the bench with 10 points. Yet, it's the Player of the Game who pleases me most. Jim "Twizzler" Johnson has his coming out party with 21 points, 10 rebounds, 5 assists, a block and 5 steals. What a fantastic outing and we take a 2-0 series lead on a victory that was much easier than the final scoreline indicates.
Final - Seattle 98 Sacramento 107

Game Three
The complexion of a series can change in a hurry with a change of venue and this time, the game's over by halftime as the Sonics stake out a 62-37 halftime lead and we simply can't catch up, no matter how hard we try. David Anyan was our lone highlight with 29 points and that wasn't going to do it on a night that saw Vladimir Tupolev bomb us for a Justin Richler-esque 38 points, Freddie Tackett score 26, Russell Sims accumulate 14 points and 12 rebounds and Andre Quarles look like a legit PG with 11 points and 12 assists. Like Game 2, the game was a lot more lopsided than the ending numbers.
Final - Sacramento 100 Seattle 116

Game Four
Needless to say, this is a key game in the series and everybody in the building knows it. Andre Miller tells the boys to just take it one possession and one shot at a time. Sound advice, but one that doesn't work when Vladimir Tupolev's hitting us for 27 points, Freddie Tackett's doubling for 15 points and 12 rebounds, Andre Quarles is getting 14 points and 10 assists and a newly healthy David Thornton is savaging us for 16 points. Damned frustrating loss as we waste Jim Johnson's excellent 23 point, 13 rebound game and William Tackett's 21 point effort. Our reserves get the blame on this one. Not only did they let Thornton run wild on them, they all shot for crap, best represented by Mike Vines going 3 for 13. Not the tie we wanted.
Final - Sacramento 92 Seattle 104

My only consolation is that the other series didn't end in a sweep. Nice to see the Celtics finally lose at least one game after bulldozing through the Bobcats and the Raptors.

Game Five
I know I say this just about every Game 5, but we need to win here. We haven't proven we can take a game in Seattle, so we need the safety net, badly. It's a tight game, especially when Freddie Tackett has 17 points and 10 rebounds, Scott Costello grabs 16 points and 12 rebounds, Andre Quarles scores 20 and David Thornton picks up 11 bench points. It's made even tighter when David Anyan has a forgettable 3 for 10 night. But then Jim Johnson chips in 16 points and 14 rebounds, Ray Fields finds his way to 21 points and 11 assists, Nigel Abel is a rapid-fire gunner with 15 points in 11 minutes and William Tackett explodes for 31 points to lead us to the victory and the 3-2 edge. What a sensational showing for the guy who's spent his first two years in the league proving 16 other teams were complete idiots for passing on him!
Final - Seattle 101 Sacramento 111

Boston lost a game, but only one, as they once again send Oswaldo Apolonario home short of an NBA Finals berth, beating the Hawks in 5 games. I really feel for the guy. Arguably the best center since Jonte Jones and he keeps getting stymied.

Game Six
But no time to commiserate with Apolonario. We've got history to write. Hopefully in Seattle. Unfortunately, it's history of the wrong kind, as Game 6 goes a lot like Game 3. 67-51 halftime Supersonics lead and we can't come back from that. Vladimir Tupolev singlehandedly destroys us with 36 points, though I suppose I should give a nod to Andre Quarles (10 points, 14 assists) and David Thornton (18 bench points) as well. We just didn't have the firepower to match, not even with David Anyan's 21 points and Nigel Abel's 12 bench points on a perfect 6 for 6 outing in 12 minutes. And now, we have to go to the death match.
Final - Sacramento 97 Seattle 115

Game Seven
The stands are full almost an hour and a half before the game starts. Everybody and I mean everybody is nervous and the tension is so heavy, not even a gaggle of Victoria's Secret models could alleviate it. It's hard for me to watch this game myself, because the hearts and hopes of an entire city, maybe even region, rest on this contest. And that tension is what kills us. We play our worst game of the postseason at the worst possible time. Seattle wins all four quarters. Freddie Tackett leads the way with 23 points, 11 rebounds, 6 assists, 4 blocks and a steal while Andre Quarles scores 26 and David Thornton keys the bench with 12 points. Our only statistically significant performance? Mike Vines's heroic 10 points and 8 rebounds off the bench as the old Kings hero tries futiley to will us to victory. What a heartbreaking way to end it all.
Final - Seattle 111 Sacramento 74

I'm going to numb myself by posting the regular season leaders.

Points
1. Justin Richler (TOR) - 30.9
2. Filip Mikulic (HOU) - 28.4
3. Marcelino Augusto (DAL) - 25.4

Assists
1. Ameirin Qipani (SA) - 13.6
2. Kenny Graham (CLE) - 12.8
3. Branko Starcevic (MIN) - 11.8
T7. William Tackett (SAC) - 10.2

Rebounds
1. Dontay Williamson (DEN) - 14.5
2. Oswaldo Apolonario (ATL) - 13.9
3. Charlie Joseph (POR) - 11.6
6. Terrence Howard (SAC) - 10.8

Blocks
1. Sonny Boxler (POR) - 3.5
2. Dontay Williamson (DEN) - 3.1
3. James Bellairs (IND) - 3.0

Steals
1. David Johnson (IND) - 2.1
T2. Curtis Wilkerson (ATL) - 1.9
T2. David Cormier (NO) - 1.9

Rookies Leaders

Points
1. Vladimir Raschupchin (MIA) - 17.2
2. Dorien Fletcher (NO) - 9.9
3. Billy Barrett (GS) - 9.6

I think that's a record for scoring for a rookie since I've joined the league. Wow.

Assists
1. John Nixon (ORL) - 3.7
2. Vladimir Raschupchin - 2.8
3. Nyah Boyce (ATL) - 2.2

Rebounds
1. Billy Barrett (GS) - 5.9
2. Ron Echols (POR) - 5.2
3. Ireneusz Kawczynski (HOU) - 4.7

Blocks
1. James Williams (DAL) - 1.2
T2. Dorien Fletcher (NO) - 0.8
T2. Ireneusz Kawczynski (HOU) - 0.8

Steals
1. Vladimir Raschupchin (MIA) - 1.1
2. Ireneusz Kawczynski (HOU) - 1.0
3. Billy Barrett (GS) - 0.8

Still bummed about the loss, but there's always next year.