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There is still hope. At least that's what the Sonics believe. They know what people are saying about their playoff chances.
They hear the naysayers who believe their season ended three nights ago after
the overtime defeat in Portland, or three weeks ago after a six-game losing
skid.
And still they trekked toward Denver, where they meet the Nuggets at 6 tonight, confident they can recapture the magic of the past two weeks when they won seven straight games.
"If you all of a sudden just totally go away from what you have done in
the last week and half, I think the wrong message could be sent," coach
Nate McMillan said. "I won't do that. The rotation will pretty much be
the same at least for the next few games ... to try and get back to winning.
"If there is an opportunity in maybe a week or so to give (younger) guys
some minutes ... when we are out of it, totally out of it, and some people may
say you are now, then we'll look at that. But right now you continue to play
the way you've been playing."
With that decree, the Sonics won't stray from their veteran backcourt of Ray
Allen and Brent Barry in favor of rookie Luke Ridnour and second-year player
Ronald Murray.
Vitaly Potapenko will remain at center, with Jerome James, if healthy, as his
backup. Rashard Lewis is cemented at small forward, and Vladimir Radmanovic
continues to play as a reserve.
Five of the eight berths to the Western Conference playoffs have been clinched
and, mathematically, the Sonics are still alive at 34-39. They're chasing Portland,
Utah and Denver. Barring a collapse from Houston, only one of those four teams
will qualify for the postseason.
And barring a miracle, the Sonics will miss the playoffs for the third time
in the past four seasons. Still, McMillan refuses to give up on the playoffs
and look toward the future. "We all play to win and these guys don't want
to go through the motions as professional athletes," he said. "Preseason
is a time that that is accepted, but during the regular season you can send
a bad message to your club, to your players and to each other if you decide
to totally go away from what you normally do."
If Seattle's playoff dream hasn't died, then it has certainly been derailed.
To accomplish the near impossible, the Sonics would need to win at least eight
of their remaining nine games.
"You don't win games in bunches, you win them one at a time," Allen
said. "We've got to beat Denver and then we'll play teams that are hopefully
already comfortable with their playoff seeding and sit some guys down to rest
them up and allow us to win some games."
As daunting as the Sonics' remaining schedule appears — seven of their
final eight opponents are headed toward the playoffs — reports out of
Dallas and Houston suggest those teams may sit their starters during the final
week of the regular season to avoid injuries.
"We still talk like we have a lot of season left, like we're still playing
basketball," Allen said. "I think most people who are on the outside
looking in, look far ahead, and that's not something we have to do."
During their recent winning streak, the Sonics allowed just 87.9 points per
game, which is nearly 10 points below their season average of 97.6. They also
scored an average of 98.7, a slight increase above their 96.6 season average.
The difference, McMillan said, was that everyone has finally accepted his role.
Barry is recognized as the leader. Allen is the shooter. Potapenko is the physical
defender. Lewis is the slasher/three-point specialist. Reggie Evans is the rebounder,
and Murray and Radmanovic provide scoring from the bench.