Second Coming: A SuperSonics Return

[trekfan]

Sonics Survive Furious Fourth, Take Game 2

May 13th, 2016

By Vonny Lee



The Pelicans could not buy a lead in this game. Seattle, whom led from the first quarter onward, fought for their lead and held onto it all game, despite a lack shooting from both Jarrett Jack and Jeremy Lin, neither of the point guards able to get going with their shots (but dishing out a high number of assists).

The Sonics passed and passed and passed; the ball movement was crisp, despite 10 turnovers, and the team got big points from the bench in Jamal Crawford and "Bogdog" Bogdanovic, who combined for 22 points. Carl Landry was his usually efficient self, making the Pelicans regret leaving him open for pick-and-pop jumpers.

NOLA, for all their talents, continued to make critical and crucial errors in the worst moments. Despite 29 points on 11-of-18 shooting from Davis, 16 points and eight assists from Holiday, and 15 points and eight assists from Evans, the Pelican could not avoid critical turnovers and defensive lapses in the final minutes of the game.

Fouls also piled up fast in the fourth, particularly against Nerlens Noel. Noel, not a great free throw shooter by any means, has only shot 50 percent from the line during the playoffs but made all his shots in the fourth quarter when he traveled to the line on three successive possessions (two of them and-1s) and helped put the nail in the coffin for NOLA.

Noel was named player of the game for his efforts.



As Seattle gears up for their trip to Louisiana, the team is in good spirits. The pass-first mentality is netting them wins and flustering their younger counterparts.

But NOLA can still turn this thing around as neither of their losses have been blowouts. A few less mistakes and the Brow's squad could easily be up 2-0. Seattle has to be prepared for the fiercest fight of the playoffs when they take the floor for Game 3 as the Pelicans will be fighting for their lives.

[trekfan]

May 13th, 2016


The game was over and Max was making his way back to his office, his mind swimming with excitement. They were on their way to the Finals if they pulled out a win in Game 3 -- it was almost assured. All they had to do was play the game they had played the last two: smart passing, timely shots, and a commitment to the gameplan.

If they managed that, they'd be back in their first Finals since 1996. They could capture a title for a city that craved one in basketball more than anything else. If they got that title, in this year, with this team, they'd be legends.

He'd be a legend, one in Seattle and in the NBA. He'd be able to rub it in Bennett's face that they won a title before him, he'd be able to use it as proof that were always meant to be in the NBA and that their arrival back was destined to end in victory.

If they won a title, they could ensure the status of "unforgettable" for this team, something no Seattle team outside of Seattle was. Hardly anyone outside the state of Washington could name even a single starter on the '79 title team. The NBA had wiped them from existence, burying them.

No one would be able to bury this team. Not with Ray Allen on it. Not with Marcin Gortat. Not with Jeremy Lin, or Thomas Robinson, or Jamal Crawford. They were a team of youth, underdogs, and aging veterans that had hit the perfect combination of personalities to propel them to a 2-0 lead in the conference finals. It was a story that Max wouldn't dare write as it would just be too fantastical.

Yet, here he was, living that fantastic tale.

He approached his office door and attempted to open it, but found it locked. Stepping back from it he fumbled in his pocket for his keys but found them missing.

"Looking for these?"

Max turned to see Fredricka jingled his keys from her desk. He shot her a questioning look. "'Ricka?"

She stood and crossed her arms, cocking her head slightly to the side. "You're living in that office way too much. You're taking the next few days to go back to your house."

"Whoa, wait a minute -- " Max started but 'Ricka held up her hand and he didn't dare utter another syllable, not with the look she had on her face.

"You have a home that you don't even see, Max! You need to go there and unpack your boxes, set up you stuff, and live in it. Not here. This isn't healthy for you."

Max frowned at her. "I'm fine, really."

"You are not," she said with a wag of her finger. "You eat fast-food almost all the time, you look like hell, and you don't get much sleep." She gave him a look. "When someone's drinking four cups of coffee a day, they ain't sleeping, Max."

He had nothing to say to that. She was right, of course, he had been putting in more time at the office than he should have ... but the way the playoffs were going, he had to. Leaving here in the middle of their run felt like a decision that would bring bad luck on them all. "I don't want to go home, doesn't that matter?" he argued, hoping to sway her.

"No." She took a keychain off his keys and tossed it at him. "There's your car key and your house key. Go home. Stay there. Don't come back here for a few days or so help me I will call your mother." She gave him a playful smile. "And you know she wouldn't like what you've been doing."

Knowing that he was beat -- and tired as hell from the game -- Max nodded in agreement. Truth be told, he couldn't remember the last time he had visited his house. He essentially lived in his office, clothes and suits and everything ... it was designed for him to use in that way, at least for the short term.

"Is there any way I can negotiate for my laptop in there?"

'Ricka fished it out from under her desk, along with its charger. "Done. Now go."

With a chuckle, he took his things and left his office.

He half-suspected he could have called the building manager and gotten another key for his office, but bothering someone about that at this point in the night was just stupid.

He did have a home and, frankly, he needed to work on it. The Sonics were as good as they were going to be at this point -- there was nothing else for him to do except plan for the offseason.

Going home would help with that, actually. He always did think better sitting in his pajamas.

[Number999]

This is officially the best dynasty currently going on in Operation Sports!!!

Finally got a chance to catch up and man was that some sweet revenge on OKC. I can only imagine how sweet Seattle's fans must have felt. Closing out Anthony Davis if though you're up 2-0 certainly won't be easy though, so best of luck!

[trekfan]

Quote: Originally Posted by Number999

This is officially the best dynasty currently going on in Operation Sports!!! Finally got a chance to catch up and man was that some sweet revenge on OKC. I can only imagine how sweet Seattle's fans must have felt. Closing out Anthony Davis if though you're up 2-0 certainly won't be easy though, so best of luck!

^Dude, just finished Game 3 and that statement has never been truer. Recap in the morning.

Thank you for the very high praise, I hope to keep it up as we go on ... the playoffs have gone on far longer than I anticipated, but the dream season still lives on. I've already got one storyline sussed out for next season and have in mind a few more as we go on.

Year 1 has been really good, I can't wait to see how Year 2 looks ... assuming I ever get there, lol.

[unkram]

Just too fantastical is right! If you weren't actually playing the games, I'd petition to move this out of the dynasty board and onto some fantasy, not-in-a-million-years site!

Nerlens stepped up BIG for you. I'm starting to believe that he can be a superstar you can mold a team around.

Welcome back; you, Max, and the whole gang were missed.

[trekfan]

Quote: Originally Posted by unkram

Just too fantastical is right! If you weren't actually playing the games, I'd petition to move this out of the dynasty board and onto some fantasy, not-in-a-million-years site! Nerlens stepped up BIG for you. I'm starting to believe that he can be a superstar you can mold a team around. Welcome back; you, Max, and the whole gang were missed.

I have always believed in Noel; dude was a beast for me in 2K13 as a CAP draft guy and he continues to be that in this game. He and RHJ are my centerpieces for the future.

Game 3 recap on the way, then to Game 4.

[trekfan]

Sonics Squeak Out Win on Road

May 15th, 2016

By Vonny Lee



In the closest game the Sonics have played since the series with OKC, NOLA almost pulled out a critical win. The game started off with Anthony Davis establishing himself early and often, thanks in part to the better spacing afforded to him by having Alexis Ajinca start next to him instead of Asik.

Alvin Gentry made the move and it paid early dividends; Ajinca's mid-range game is vastly superior to Asik and his early scoring proved it, knocking down two wide-open mid-range shots that Asik would have missed. As such, the Sonics had to adjust and stick a man on the towering big from France.

That opened up the lane for Davis and allowed him to go to work. The first quarter was one where he piled up 14 of his team's 32 points and made the Sonics remember why everyone crowned him the successor to LeBron as best all-around player in the NBA and the next-generation superstar.

With Davis going to work, that let Evans and Quincy Pondexter (mostly silent in this series) space the floor with their shooting. The first half was all Pelicans as NOLA opened up a 62-49 lead.

"We weren't playing our game," said Coach Hollins after the battle. "That half we were playing their game: they dictated the pace and they got us going faster than we'd like. We needed to calm down and reset, which is exactly what we did."

Hollins message at halftime was simple: stick to what got us here. With that message firmly in the Sonics mind, Seattle came out and began to run their pick and roll game, but with a twist: Carl Landry was give the third quarter start to help space the floor and draw Davis out of the paint. The strategy change worked as Landry set screens, got the ball, and knocked down the mid-range shots.

On defense, the Sonics hustled after the ball, getting a frenetic defensive effort from Hollis-Jefferson, who wasn't statistically dominant but had a hand in the face of many of the Pelicans shooters in the second-half.

"Coach said to focus on what got us here and what got me here, as a player, was defense: I do that, we do good," said Jefferson.

The third quarter was all Seattle as they outscored the Pelicans 31-18. Deadlocked at 80 all entering the fourth, the game hung in the balance.

Cue Ray Allen, whom caught fire in the fourth and could not be stopped. Allen had been contained for the large majority of the game but Landry's work in the third helped loosen the defense around him the fourth, allowing Allen to sink 3-of-4 in that quarter alone from beyond the arc, as well as converting inside.

Allen catching fire ignited the other Sonics starters, namely Jack and Gortat, and the team traded blow after blow with Davis and co. Eventually, it came down to a crucial set of free throws from Landry, who calmly sunk them in the town he once called home.

"I've shot from that line in that arena before on the other side. It was nothing special," said Landry.

Despite a monster night from Davis (36 points on 15-of-27 shooting, along with 14 boards) and Evans (25 points on 11-of-16 shooting and six assists), the Pelicans fell once more.

"We're down 3-0. That's a fact. Time to move on," said Coach Gentry after the game.

The Pelicans may indeed be ready to move on -- right out of the playoffs if they can't stave off elimination in Game 4.

[trekfan]

Sonics Clip Pelicans in Game 4 Win

May 17th, 2016

By Vonny Lee



And so ends the season for the New Orleans Pelicans. Despite a playoff-best performance for Anthony Davis (44 points, 15 boards, and four assists on 16-of-20 shooting), the Pelicans could not survive the Sonics.

Seattle started the game by getting out to a large lead and not looking back, pounding the ball inside and setting up Ray Allen for shot after shot in the first half. Seattle's shots were falling, especially for the starters, and they took a 12-point lead into halftime.

In the second-half, Anthony Davis revved up, scoring 30 of his 44 in that half alone as the Pelicans attempted to mount a comeback. In the first few minutes of the third, they went on a 7-0 run and narrowed the gap to five. Things got more interesting as the quarter went on, as Seattle's usually reliable bench unit could not hit a shot to save their life. Lin and Landry, in particular, struggled on wide open looks and only managed to remain effective thanks to the free-throw line.

Seattle managed to secure an eight-point lead heading into the fourth, but Davis was still eating them alive from inside and Lionel Hollins made a switch, putting Hollis-Jefferson on Davis, sending Allen to SF and Lin to SG, with Jack and Gortat out there playing the one and the five.

The move didn't slow Davis down much, but gave Jefferson a much needed boost offensively and he let loose, scoring eight of his 18 points in the fourth alone, a dynamo off-ball cutter to the hoop.

NOLA got into foul trouble early because of it and the fouls would doom them, as Seattle went inside and got the calls, got to the line, and hit enough of their free-throws to keep the Pelicans in check. Davis managed to get a little help from Holiday (15 points, eight dimes) and Evans (a disappointing 12 points) but their bench did them no favors and the question of whom to start beside him -- Asik or Ajinca -- has yet to fully be answered. Though Ajinca again got the start, he was ineffective at stopping Gortat, especially in the fourth, and his play in the series will be one of the many things NOLA has to look at in the offseason.

Jefferson was named player of the game for his clutch play in the fourth.



For the Pelicans, their season has ended and ended in one of the most devastating ways possible: watching another team celebrate a conference championship on their own floor.





For Seattle, this result was the best they could have hoped for. After the last two rounds, both of which have been difficult in their own ways, they are now the first team to make the Finals. They're only four wins away from taking home Seattle's first title since 1979 and making new owner Max Newman look like a genius. Whatever the result of the next series, this season has been better than anyone could have predicted.