Ever try to play basketball in the Kingdome? The Sonics did. After putting up with the leaky roof of the Colliseum (Spencer Haywood had slipped on a rain puddle ON COURT and broken his leg in the early 70's; the leaks took that as a sign from God to be fruitful and multiply), the Sonics realized that they had the fan base to play in the dry cavernous Kingdome. And yes, it did echo when they played -- the cheers, the bounce of the ball against the hardwood floor on a quiet free throw attempt -- resounded through the huge place. Temporary stands were constructed in the middle of the football field (sitting there, feeling the rocking motion, I wondered if they might collapse), a hardwood floor was lain down, and that was it ... the Super Sonics were playing inside the Dome. Over 40,000 fans could attend. I certainly did, though on my budget I was so far up the players looked like little G.I. Joes playing on the other side of I-5. I wondered what the vastness of this place might do to a player's depth perception.

The previous season had been a nightmare -- injuries, Gus sitting out the year, retirements, bad trades ... you name it, the Sonics suffered through it. But now injury-plagued Paul Westphal was gone, Lonnie Shelton was healthy, and Gus Williams had signed a contract -- blessed news!

Even better, the Sonics started the season 12-0.

Center Jack Sikma (6-11) continued to score (19.6), rebound (12.7, second in the league and first in defensive rebounding), he shot well from the free throw line (over 85%), passed well (3.4 assists), and his blocks (1.3) and steals (1.2) were career highs. He went to the All Star game again, and was named to the NBA All-Defensive team. The Sonics had suddenly become the Gus Williams-Jack Sikma show, and it was fun watching him rebound and make a quick outlet pass to a streaking Gus, or see Gus' penetration and maybe a dish out to Sikma for a 20' jumper.

Power forward Lonnie Shelton (6-8) was back after missing nearly all of the previous year, now healthy and raring to go. This year he was the rock of the Sonics' defense, and the fans appreciated him - they voted him as a starter in the All-Star game, and like Sikma, Lonnie was named to the NBA All Defensive team. Shelton averaged nearly 33 minutes a game (a career high for him), "only" 3.9 fouls per game, and scored (14.9 pts), rebounded (6.3) and passed well (3.1 assists).

Because of old age and injuries, Johnny Johnson played in only 14 games, the last regular season games of his career. Wally Walker (6-6) was his replacement at small forward, and he averaged just under 10 points, with 4.4 rebounds and 3.1 assists. He shared time with several other players.

A variety of players saw time at shooting guard. The most consistent was old codger Fred Brown (6-3) who, in less than 22 minutes a game, still managed 11.2 points and 3 assists per game. His 3-point percentage was pathetic (for him) at 32.5%, possibly due to his needing glasses (my theory!) or perhaps the result of the wierd depth perception that players faced playing in the vast arena. With a vast gray emptiness behind each basket and the sidelines as close as in any arena, it was an adjustment each time you looked from the sideline to the basket.

Gus Williams (6-2) dominated offensively, averaging a career best 23.4 points, plus 6.9 assists, 2.1 steals, and an assist to turnover ratio that for the first time neared 3:1. Not surprisingly, he started in the All-Star game and was named to the All-NBA 1st team.

Second year players James Bailey and Vinnie Johnson were traded, and their replacements were small forward Greg Kelser (Magic Johnson's 6-7 teammate at Michigan State) and veteran Phil Smith (6-4), a decent shooter and ballhandler who happened to play great defense, and had won a championship as a Golden State Warrior. Unfortunately, Smith was part of what seemed to be a trend -- a former star had come to the Sonics, but was too injured to play much. He played in 26 games after joining the team in mid-season, averaging 8 points and a few assists.

Bill Hanzlik (6-7) spent time at both guard and forward; though his stats were unimpressive he truly hustled on court -- the second year man was a welcome energizer off the bench. By the end of the season, he was the starting small forward.

Danny Vranes, at 6-8, saw some time at small forward. The rookie did little offensively, but established himself quickly as an excellent defensive player--like the Sonic forwards of old, he played position defense rather than taking risks at blocking shots or going for steals. Steals were for perimeter guys, after all.

James Donaldson (a 7-2 behemoth) improved as Sikma's backup, and saw 20+ minutes per game, averaging 8 points, over 6 rebounds, and 1.7 blocks per game.

Frankly speaking, the backups did not impress me. They each had their strengths -- defense, hustle, size, etc., but I didn't see a dominant player of the future among them. No one to shoot the lights out at shooting guard or excel at small forward. No one to replace Lonnie at power forward if he was hurt again. Yet the Sonics ended up 52-30, second in the Pacific and only five games behind the Lakers. On the road, the Sonics beat the lesser teams and lost to the good ones. But the homecourt continued to be an advantage, and the Sonics were 31-10 at home.

The team was decent in terms of scoring, and their ballhandling was stronger than ever (all their starters averaged at least 3 assists per game, and the team was sixth lowest in turnovers out of 23 teams), their rebounding remained strong (seventh) and their defense was still awesome (fifth in points allowed, first in field goal percentage allowed.) When you came to the Sonics house, you had to be prepared for 30,000 screaming fans and some very nutty depth perception. It was very tough to score in the face of Sonic Mania. I'm sure several visiting players must have run screaming to the locker room after going 0 for whatever in the Dome.

The first round of the playoffs were against a Houston team that, though they were only 46-36, looked downright scary. They had been to the Finals the previous year, and boasted a front line of Moses Malone (31 points, 14.7 rebounds, 1.5 blocks, 52% field goal percentage), Elvin Hayes (another potent scorer and offensive rebounder who'd won a ring with Washington), and Robert Reid (he could and did play every position), plus guards Calvin Murphy (tiny but extremely tough; this 5-8 guy was not someone you wanted to pick a fight with), Allen Leavell (a good ballhandler), and Tom Henderson (another good ballhandler who had played for the old champs Washington Bullets). In fact, the Rockets boasted 4 regulars that could play the point, and some great rebounding.

Seattle had won the regular season series 3-2, but Houston reminded me a bit of the old Sonics, and more, with Moses' scoring. Furthermore, it was a best of three series, so anything could happen.

As it turned out, each game was a blowout -- every time, the home team annihilated the visitors. Lucky for the Sonics that they had the homecourt advantage! There were few turnovers on either side -- turnovers had been the Sonics' bane for years. But what truly won it for the Sonics was in Game Three, in Seattle, the Sonics defense simply shut the Rockets down. Houston scored only 10 points in the second quarter, and Seattle cruised to win 104-83.

Moses Malone was great on the boards as usual, averaging 17 rebounds per game, but his 24 points per contest were 7 points below his average. Thanks Sikma! And old timer Elvin Hayes averaged 10 rebounds and 14 points against Shelton, nothing spectacular. The rest of the Rockets did very little. The Sonic defense was on fire -- Hanzlik, Gus, Lonnie, Jack, and even Downtown Freddie were as tenacious as badgers. Offensively for the Sonics, Gus and Jack dominated the show, scoring about half the Sonics' points. No one played badly, it seemed. At that point I thought, hey, maybe they'd be heading to the Western finals to meet the Lakers. All they had to do was win one more series.

The second round was against the 48-34 San Antonio Spurs. The Sonics had lost the regular season series 4-1, getting blasted by the combination of NBA legend George "Ice Man" Gervin, and his small forward sidekick, Mike Mitchell. On the positive side, the Spurs' shot blocker, George T. Johnson, was out with injuries.

Gervin and Company were tired of losing playoff games. Ironically, given the opposition, the games were actually low scoring for that era (most scores in the series were in the 90's). But the playoff series matched the regular season, and San Antonio won, 4-1. Mitchell and Gervin combined for well over 50 points per game. Basically, the series was extremely frustrating to watch for a diehard Sonic fan. Seattle couldn't stop either of those guys when it counted--it seemed like they were just waiting for the right time to put the Supes away. The first three Sonic losses were each by 2 points, the last by 6 points -- close losses, and lots of frustration. Seattle did manage a runaway win early on to tie the series 1-1. Gus Williams could not be contained.

But overall it was a good year. The Sonics were great to watch at home -- a dominant team, in fact.