After their fine play in the '91-'92 playoffs and after the hiring of George Karl, the Sonics expected to be amongst the NBA's best teams in '92-'93. However, they did not add a draft pick. Hometown boy Doug Christie, the Sonics' 17th pick out of Pepperdine University, did not come to terms with the Sonics prior to the season, and talks stalled after the season itself began.

The Roster:

The Starters:
G Gary Payton - In '92-'93, Payton upped his offensive game, averaging 13.5 points to give him double figures in scoring for the first time in his career. His defense also was recognized in the season as stellar, and he first earned the moniker "The Glove".

G Ricky Pierce - Pierce lead the team in scoring for the second straight season, with 18 points per ballgame. "Big Money Daddy" was also easily the Sonics' best player in the clutch.

F Derrick McKey - McKey's game declined for the third straight game, down to 15 points and 5 assists per ballgame. He did increase his three-point shooting, making 41 on the season.

F Shawn Kemp - Kemp truly became a star during the '92-'93 season. Kemp averaged 18 points per game and 11 rebounds per game, and was selected to the all-star game for the first time.

C Sam Perkins - Perkins came to the Sonics in a mid-season trade from the Lakers for disgruntled center Benoit Benjamin and unsigned draft pick Christie. He gave the team a real lift with both his fine play in the post and surprising three-point range. Perkins took the team to another level after his aquisition.

Key Bench Players
G Nate McMillan - McMillan continued to give the Sonics his heady play of the bench for the third straight season. His defense was a catalyst for the team's general defensive proficiency, and he finished fourth in the NBA in steals with 2.37.

G Dana Barros - Barros regressed a bit from the past season, playing less minutes thanks to the emergence of Payton and the fine play of McMillan. He began to be somewhat disgruntled with regards to playing time, but continued to provide stellar outside shooting.

F Eddie Johnson - Johnson's playing time dropped off a bit from the previous season, as did his offensive performance. He was still remarkably effective at producing instant offense off the bench.

F Vincent Askew - Askew was aquired a couple weeks into the season from the Sacramento Kings in exchange for a conditional second round draft pick. The move proved to be great for the Sonics and Askew. He contributed hustle, desire, and tough defense off the bench.

C Michael Cage - Cage's minutes were cut by the presence of Perkins, but he was effective nevertheless. His rebounding and toughness were especially valuable before Perkins' acquisition, as Benjamin's playing time was cut.

Deep Bench
F Gerald Paddio - Paddio was my '92-'93 pick for my favorite underrated player. He had some moments, including one fourth-quarter where he and some other reserves brought the Sonics back from a huge defecit to make a close game.

F Steve Scheffler - '92-'93 was the first season for Scheffler in Seattle, and he became an intstant fan favorite with his kneebands and scrappy style of play. He didn't see much playing time, and was released for a week after Askew's acquisition.

C Rich King - King continued to prove himself a bust, getting off the bench for but 3 games during the season.

The Season: The Sonics began the season hot by taking two games in Japan against the Houston Rockets, and stayed that way. The aquisition of Sam Perkins in early February took the Sonics' play up a notch, and they firmly established themselves as the second best team in the Western Conference. They finished the regular season with a 55-27 record, giving them the #3 seed, behind the Phoenix Suns, who at 62-20 were the best team in the NBA, and the Rockets, who won the Midwest Division with an identical 55-27 record.

In the first round of the playoffs, the Sonics had a rematch of their loss in the previous year's second round with the Utah Jazz. This year, the tables were turned, as the Sonics were now the team with the conference's second best record, and the Jazz were the 6 seed, having fallen to a 47-35 record. Game one saw the Sonics emerge victorious. In game 2, however, the Jazz showed that they would not go quietly, stealing a game in the Seattle Center Colliseum. Game 3 also went to the Jazz, and the Sonics were on the brink of ruining a productive regular season with playoff collapse (a theme that would soon become familiar to the team). Game 4 however, saw the Sonics play with a sense of urgency befitting the situation. In a particularly memorable play, Sam Perkins blocked Utah center Mike Brown and celebrated the play with a taunting point towards Brown, who was lying prone on the ground. The rare display of emotion from the usually stoic Big Smooth energized the Sonics, and they won the game going away to set up a decisive game 5 in Seattle. The Sonics began game 5 horribly, shooting horrendously, and trailed by double-digits at the half. I went next door to my grandmother's house during halftime and began shooting, frustrated about the impending close of the season. I ended up playing a bit after halftime concluded. By the time I returned, the momentum had turned and the Sonics had cut the lead to within double-digits. The hot shooting did not end until the series did. The Sonics amazingly managed to turn the halftime double-digit deficit to a double-digit victory.

Round 2 brought on the Rockets, who lost the home court advantage because of the Sonics' victory in the season series, sparked by the sweep in the land of the rising sun. In games 1 and 2, the Sonics held home court advantage. In game 2, the victory was sparked by an improbable 60-foot 3-pointer by Eddie Johnson at the 3rd quarter buzzer, which allowed the Sonics to gain momentum and win. Back in Houston, the Rockets took both of their home games as well. Games 5 and 6 found each team holding home serve again, meaining that the Sonics would for the second straight round face a decisive game at the Seattle Center Colliseum. Game 7 was close down the strech, going into overtime. Finally, the Sonics held on as a Kenny Smith 3 missed.

Then it was on to the Phoenix Suns and the Western Conference Finals, the showdown the Sonics had hoped for all playoffs long. For a time, it had seemed that the matchup might have been off, as the Lakers took the first two games of their first round series in Phoenix. Something had to give -- no #1 seed had ever lost a first round series to a #8 seed, but no team had ever come back from a 2 losses to open a series at home. The Suns took games 3 and 4 in LA, setting up another decisive game 5 the day after the Sonics advanced. The game went to overtime after LA had lead for most of regulation, and Phoenix pulled out the series behind fine play by rookie center Oliver Miller. In the second round, the Suns had defeated the San Antonio Spurs 4-1 on a decisive Charles Barkley jumper, and awaited the victor of the Sonic-Rocket series.

Game 1 went to Phoenix, with little of any consequence coming of the game. In game 2, however, the Suns were shocked by the Sonics. A Sam Perkins three-pointer gave the Sonics a 2-point win and, for the time, home court advantage. However, the Suns came right back and took game 3, a close game in the Colliseum. In game 4, the Sonics won a blowout over the Suns to tie the series. In game 5, Sun guard Dan Majerle lit up the Sonics backcourt to win a narrow one in Phoenix and return the game to Seattle. Game 6 saw the Sonics come out fired up and easily win to tie the series and send it back to Phoenix for their third consecutive series with a decisive game. Let me say now that I am no conspiracy theorist (although MJ winning the lottery is rather suspicious) and I disdain blaming refereeing for losses. That being said, game 7 of the Sonics-Suns series was one of the most suspicious games I have ever seen. The Suns shot 63 free throws in game 7, which is an unbelievable number for a playoff game. The Sonics were never in the game, despite my attempt to recreate game 5 of the Jazz series by heading to the playground at halftime. On the bright side, Eddie Johnson did have a phenomenal game. Nevertheless, it was a fantastic year for the Sonics which deserves remembrence as one of the best in Sonics history.

1992-93 stats