Thanks to the addition of a new expansion team, the New Orleans Jazz, I figured that it would be easier than ever for the Sonics to make the playoffs -- after all, the Jazz games would be some guaranteed wins, right? Well, in a fit of adolescent stupidity, I hadn't thought about the fact that the rest of the league would find them an easy target as well.

Luckily, the 1974-75 Sonics started the season off a bit smarter than I was. "The Dictator," Bill Russell, was working hard to improve the team. He sent sharp-shooter Dick Snyder to Cleveland, along with the Sonics' first-round pick, for the Cavs' own pick -- third in the draft. Russell coveted 7-2 center Tom Burleson, who, along with David Thompson, had just led N.C. State to the NCAA title. Russell saw potential in the big man. He hoped to mold him into the next great center.

Russell, thanks to the good scouting of assistant coach Bob Hopkins, also had success in the later rounds of the draft. In the second round he picked Leonard Gray, a prototypical power forward; in the third round he picked Tab Skinner, a high-energy small forward; a great leaper, skinny Dean Tolson in the 5th round; in the 6th round, Wardell Jackson, another small forward; and in the 10th round, Rod Derline, a shooting guard; all made the team and contributed. Russell was trying to shape the team toward his ideal, a sort of Celtics-style Green Team West, and all of these players, at least at the college level, had shown the kind of guts and ability that he was looking for.

Nine-year veteran Archie Clark came from the Bullets in exchange for Dick Gibbs and a draft pick. Clark had been a terrific penetrator and scorer, in addition to being a productive point guard. He was a proven star; plus, he had shown the self-motivation that Russell was looking for in a player.

Second-year player Bud Stallworth had not worked out; Russell gave him up to the expansion draft.

Star player Spencer Haywood, once Russell's favorite, became uncomfortable in that role, and the two became distant. Haywood reverted back to a more selfish style of play as well, and grew increasingly unhappy with just about everything. But a few things would remain the same: Russell's stress-out style of preseason camp, his poor communication skills, his great wit, his tendency to shuffle the lineup unpredictably, and an iron will. The team was bigger and better than the previous season, but they didn't show it until near the end of the season.

The Lineup:

Starting Center: Tom Burleson, a highly-paid and tall rookie (7-2 or more, 235 pounds) showed flashes of brilliance throughout the season. Unfortunately, as with many rookies, these great performances were intermixed with plenty of duds as well. The problem was that Burleson needed to be motivated to play well; Russell was not a great motivator. As he admitted in his book, "Second Wind", the Dictator did not understand players who weren't self-motivated. So while Russell spent time trying to develop Burleson's game, he didn't know how to motivate Burleson besides throwing money at him ($350,000 per year, a huge sum in those days.) But once Tom signed that big contract, what did he have to play for? The contract made him rich; even if they bought him out and drove him off the team like they did with McDaniels, he'd still be rich. Burleson played only 23 minutes a game that season, although his averages show he was productive in that time: 10.1 points, 7 rebounds, 1.4 assists, 0.8 steals, and 1.9 blocks (8th in the league.) However, his shooting percentages were lousy -- 41.7% from the field, 68.7% from the line. He greatly improved over the season, gradually getting more minutes and fewer fouls. His late-season performance was good enough to get him onto the NBA All-Rookie team. He was a monster in the playoffs; everyone was starting to think that Russell was correct -- Burleson could be the next great center.

Starting Forward/Center: 6-9 Spencer Haywood proved his versatility by once again playing power forward, sometimes center or small forward. His huge hands (with an extra joint on each finger) helped make him an excellent ball handler; he loved using spin moves and driving to dunk the ball or pulling up for a jumper. He missed 14 games early in the season because of viral pneumonia; during the time his weight plummeted to 209 pounds. Despite this early season setback, Haywood led the team in scoring (22.4 points, ninth best in the league) and rebounding (9.3 per game), though these averages were lower than the past few seasons. His asssists were way down (to 2.0 per game), but he continued to be a decent shot blocker (1.6 per game; 13th in the league) and shooter (45.9% field goals, 81.1% free throws.) He was voted to the NBA All-Star team and to the All-NBA 2nd team. But it was Haywood's last season in Seattle. As he described in his book, "Spencer Haywood: The Rise, the Fall, the Recovery," he was uncomfortable at being Russell's "pet," so he distanced himself from the coach; then, when rumors flew that the Knicks wanted him, he became angry that the Seattle fans didn't raise an outcry against the possibility of losing him. His bitterness festered as time went on. By the time the playoffs came, Haywood's game game was as bad as his mood. After the season was over, he lashed out against the team, the fans, and the city for how they had "mistreated" him. The fans ended up hating him after that -- he became one of the favorite players to boo in the Coliseum.

Backup Center/Forward: Jim Fox (6-10, 230) was a quality backup at center. He played 24 minutes per game and his stats rivaled Burleson's: 9 points, 6.5 rebounds, 1.8 assists, and 0.6 steals. However, his shot-blocking was practically nonexistent at 0.2 per game (he was not the jumpy type), but shot much better than Burleson did: 46.9% field goals and 80.2% free throws. He started early in the season, but by the time the playoffs came around Burleson was playing a lot and Fox saw only garbage time.

Starting Power Forward: At 6-7 and 255 pounds, Leonard Gray was a walking Atlas (actually, he was a farmer.) Russell liked the rookie's physical style and his excellent mobility; he looked like he was the steal of the draft. His main weakness was his bad temper. He played 30 minutes per game, averaged 11.5 points, 6.4 rebounds, and 2.2 assists. He shot well (48.9% from the field, 72.2% free throws) but fouled a ton (3.9 per game, fouling out 9 times in 75 games.)

Backup Small Forward: Talvin (Tab) Skinner (6-5, 210) was a third-round pick who contributed valuable defense off the bench. He averaged 22 minutes, 4.8 points, 4.7 rebounds, and 0.7 steals per game. His shooting was poor (40.9% field goals, 64.9% free throws.) He played little at first, but got more minutes as the season wore on.

Starting Shooting Guard: Finally, Fred Brown was able to play at his natural position. Along with the loss of Dick Snyder, Brown's offensive abilities were at last put on full display. He did not disappoint. His shooting percentage (48%) and scoring (21 points, 15th in the league) were both way up from the past season. Fans finally saw him unleash his potent offensive arsenal. He was also effective in rebounding (4.2), and in assists (3.5). He was, as Russell cringed to think, a soft defensive player. But his one strength on defense was his surprisingly quick hands, and he used them to his advantage. That season he averaged 2.3 steals per game, fifth best in the league. In other words, he was playing like an all-star scorer -- great shooting, good scoring, and getting his hands on the ball when he played defense (so he could shoot it, of course!) He was one of the rare players in league history who was more productive in the playoffs than in the regular season.

Starting Point Guard: Archie Clark had burned the Sonics many times when playing for the opposition. Now it was his turn to help them out. His career was winding down, and he could afford to be choosy in his shots given the presence of Brown and Haywood. He played 32 minutes a game, some as shooting guard, and averaged 13.9 points on 49.5% shooting from the field and 83.4% free throw shooting. He was the first player in the NBA to utilize the crossover dribble, which, combined with his good outside shot, made him a feared opponent -- he could use it to drive inside seemingly at will. He had slowed down a bit by the time he joined the Sonics. He added 3.1 rebounds and 5.6 assists per game, plus 1.4 steals.

Backup Point Guard: Slick Watts found an occassional start, but mostly he was a backup -- perhaps he would have been 6th man of the year if there had been such an award back then. Granted, Slick's game could be erratic, but he was improving. His field goal shooting had improved (to 42.1%) since he took fewer stupid shots. He continued to show his acrobatic skills with his pinball-type drives through the lane and his contortionist layups through a crowd of big men. Though he played only 25 minutes a game, he averaged 6.8 points, 3.2 rebounds, 6.1 assists (making him 7th highest in the league!), and 2.3 steals (4th highest in the league!). His game still had its weaknesses -- his outside shot was extremely erratic; he still held onto the ball too long; he fouled too much (3.1 per game, fouling out 7 times); he sometimes missed open teammates, instead he might drive into a crowded lane or force a pass to someone who wasn't open; and his free throw shooting was poor (60.8%). But he could wreak havoc on another team's defense; he'd often leave his own man -- and using his quickness sneak from behind the ball handler and steal it. It was not as risky a move as it might seem; the Sonic defense under Russell rotated a great deal, so someone usually picked up his man, and Slick had practiced his move so much that it worked a surprising number of times; plus they had a couple of shotblockers in case the ball went inside. When Slick "ran" the offense, they did a lot of running; in a half court offense, he tended to hold onto the ball until he saw a good shooter open (Brown or Haywood) rather than someone who might catch and pass to the shooter. Russell hated him dribbling so much, and Slick began to start passing it sooner.

Two holdovers from the previous season, Kennedy McIntosh and John Hummer played little. John Brisker played in 21 games that year, until Russell managed to get rid of him on the basis of a breach of contract. Rookie Wardell Jackson (6-7, 200) proved to be a valuable backup at small forward, except for his poor shooting. Dean Tolson (6-8, 195) often found himself in Russell's doghouse and played in only 19 games that year. Rod Derline (6-1, 175) saw 12+ minutes per game at guard and contributed in scoring and stealing the ball.

The Season:

Attendance continued to be the second-highest in the league (12,800 per game).

The Sonic offense was capable but not any better than average. They averaged 103 points per game and 45.6% field goal shooting. Strangely for a Russell team, they were 15th (out of 18 teams) in rebounding. They had an aggressive defense, and were 3rd highest in steals. Defensive numbers were a mirror -- opponents scored an average amount (104) on average shooting (45.9%), turned the ball over a lot and rebounded well.

The Sonics finished the season with a 43-39 record and finished second in the Pacific behind Golden State (48-34). They were 24-17 at home and a respectable 19-22 on the road. Better yet, for the first time they earned a playoff spot.

October led to a decent 4-3 record; November (7-9) and December (5-7) were worse (Haywood missed three weeks in that time, I'm not sure exactly when.) But the new year brought better play. On January 4, 1975, New Orleans came to town led by the legendary Pete Maravich. The Sonics held them to a record low 20 points in the first half. Watts always got more fired up (if that were possible) when playing Maravich; he shut the Pistol down in the first half. Unfortunately, Maravich and the rest of the Jazz scored 69 points in the second half; still, the Sonics won 111-89.

In January the Sonics went 7-7, in February 7-8, but they didn't turn up their game until March came -- they went 9-5, and in April 4-0. They finished the season with a seven game winning streak -- what impressed me most was that finally they were moving the ball consistently, like Russell wanted. Their offense was executing quickly and their defense was more aggressive than ever -- stealing the ball, rotating, and blocking shots. Their victims included powerful Golden State (twice), led by Rick Barry, Jamaal Wilkes, Phil Smith, and former Sonic Butch Beard. In fact, Seattle beat the Warriors twice in San Francisco during the regular season, which no other team managed. So it was with confidence that Seattle met the Warriors in the second round of the playoffs, after defeating Detroit in a best of 3 series.

Playoffs:

Through the playoffs, the Sonics used mostly the following players:
Center: Tom Burleson (40 minutes per game)
Forward: Spencer Haywood (37 minutes)
Forward: Leonard Gray (29 minutes)
Backup Forward: Tab Skinner (23 minutes)
Shooting Guard: Fred Brown (30 minutes)
Guard: Archie Clark (30 minutes)
Point Guard: Slick Watts (31 minutes)
Others saw very little playing time.

1st round: Detroit (40-42) vs. Seattle (43-39)
Seattle had only 51 free throw attempts in the series -- that's an average of only 17 per game. The Pistons' big center, Bob Lanier, averaged 20 points and under 11 rebounds during the series, not as good as his regular season averages. Point guard Dave Bing averaged 16 points and 10 assists, and three other Pistons (Curtis Rowe, Howard Porter, and John Trapp) averaged double figure scoring in the series, but none were dominant.

Game 1. Seattle 90, Detroit 77. Lanier and Bing were both off their games; the Sonics' defense was aggressive and Detroit could not adjust.
Game 2. Detroit 122, Seattle 106. The Pistons adjusted to the Sonics' style of play; they scored 45 points more than the previous game! Again, the main offensive weapons for the Pistons were Lanier and Bing. Haywood and Brown led the Sonics.
Game 3. Seattle 100, Detroit 93. This game was closer than the other two; both teams had managed to adjust their games, and this one was for all the marbles. The home court advantage was a help for the Sonics, as they won the series 2-1.

2nd round: Golden State (48-34) vs. Seattle (45-40)
The Warriors had a team that was similar to the Sonics in many ways. The Warriors had edged the Sonics only 4-3 in the regular season. They had good shooters in Rick Barry, Jeff Mullins and Jamaal Wilkes, a shot blocker in George Johnson, big tough forwards in Cliff Ray and Derrick Dickey, and guys who could steal the ball (Barry, Beard, and Charles Johnson). One difference from the Sonics was that they had better man to man defense, as played by Wilkes, and rookie Phil Smith. Plus, they had more depth. That proved to be enough as the Warriors won the series 4-2. The Warriors went on to beat Chicago and then swept Washington to win the NBA championship.

In this series, Fred Brown distinguished himself with his great shooting, while Slick Watts stole the ball 18 times in the series (outdone only by Rick Barry, who had 19 steals in the series; both were playoff series highs.)

Game 1. Golden State 123, Seattle 96. Ouch. Golden State had 22 steals (Barry had 8) while the Sonics had 13 steals.
Game 2. Seattle 100, Golden State 99. This game went down to the last second. I don't remember who sank the winning shot for the Sonics. Seattle had 18 steals and Golden State 14. Another rare loss at home for the Warriors.
Game 3. Golden State 105, Seattle 96.
Game 4. Seattle 111, Golden State 94. Fred Brown was unstopppable, scoring 17 points in the first quarter; he ended up with 37 as the Sonics kept the Warriors at bay from the beginning. Burleson also had a good game (19 points) and Slick Watts had a then playoff high of 11 whole points. The series was tied 2-2 and it looked like the Sonics had a chance to win the series.
Game 5. Golden State 124, Seattle 100. The Warriors--especially Rick Barry -- were the unstoppable ones this time. A Sonic nightmare, the game probably shook the Sonics' confidence. Watts shot a lot of desperation shots to try to spark a rally that didn't come.
Game 6. Golden State 105, Seattle 96. This was in Seattle, but the crowd wasn't enough to stop Rick Barry in his pursuit of a championship ring.

Barry went for over 30 several times in the series as I recall, plus decent rebounding and about 6 assists per contest. Jamaal Wilkes also had a good series in scoring and rebounding. Cliff Ray generally rebounded in double figures and George T. Johnson blocked about 3 shots a game and grabbed over 9 rebounds in only 20 minutes per contest.

I don't have the Sonics' stats broken down by game or by series, but the overall trends were pretty clear. Through both playoff series, Fred Brown matched his season stats almost perfectly, but he shot slightly better (50% from the field.) Tom Burleson averaged almost 40 minutes per game, 21 points and 11 rebounds, never fouled out, and blocked 2 shots per game. He shot over 51% from the field and 75% from the line, both of which were dramatically better than in the regular season. In the playoffs he looked like he could become the foundation of a a perrennial playoff team. Slick Watts saw more playing time (31 minutes per game) and likewise stepped up his production: 11 points, 7 assists, and 3 steals per game on 46% shooting from the field (compared to 42% in the regular season.) Archie Clark played as much at shooting guard as at point guard, and struggled a bit; he averaged 11 points, 3.6 rebounds, only 3.4 assists, and a mere 43.6% shooting. And worse, Spencer Haywood seemed to let his negative mood (see his profile above) hurt his play. He shot only 36% from the field, averaged less than 16 points, and rebounded 9 per contest. It looked like his head just wasn't in the games.

From what I had seen in the playoffs, Brown, Burleson and Watts looked like keepers. I hoped Haywood's playoff funk was just temporary; but then, not long after the playoffs, he heaped a barrage of criticism on the Seattle fans, city, team, and organization. After that he seemed quite expendable to me.

The Sonics' playoff performance was enough to convince me that Russell was on the right track in rebuilding the team. But next season a problem arose. By the end of next season, even Russell had serious doubts about whether he was going to be of any more help to the Sonics.