The Sonics and general manager Bob Whitsitt were obviously happy with the core of the returning club after the season, especially with only one significant free agent, reserve forward Vincent Askew. However, there were two positions that Whitsitt wished to upgrade at (after all, they don't call him Trader Bob for nothing). At shooting guard, Ricky Pierce was extremely capable, but heading on the downside of his career and not effective in the trapping, up-tempo style the Sonics wished to play. At small forward, Derrick McKey's inconsistency drove fans, coaches, and the front office nuts. In early September, Whitsitt added a dynamic young threat at the off guard position in Charlotte's Kendall Gill, who had worn out his welcome with the Hornets, in exchange for a pair of players disgruntled over playing time in Seattle, forward Eddie Johnson and guard Dana Barros. After the move was made, rumors floated about of a deal to bring former UW standout and current Pacer Detlef Schrempf back to Seattle to play small forward. When training camp began, it appeared no move would be made, but just prior to the season's tipoff, the Sonics dealt McKey and reserve forward Gerald Paddio to get Schrempf on November 1. The Sonics had added two starters while losing none, and now boasted one of the deepest teams in the NBA. In addition, Askew returned on a one year deal, and the Sonics drafted former New Orleans center Ervin Johnson with the 23rd pick, and Kansas guard Adonis Jordan with the 42nd.

The final roster:

Starters
PG Gary Payton -- in his fourth year in the NBA, Payton began to truly make good on the promise he had exuded entering the NBA, emerging as the Sonics' second best offensive option behind Shawn Kemp. He made the All-Star team for the first time, was named third team All-NBA, and first team all-defense.

SG Kendall Gill -- Gill's scoring average dropped from his Charlotte years to 14.3 ppg as the fourth option offensively, but he impressed defensively, teaming with Payton and Nate McMillan to give the Sonics three players with 150+ steals as they set a team record for steals with 1,053, the second most in NBA history.

SF Detlef Schrempf -- At times, Schrempf struggled with the transition to the Sonics, especially adjusting to the trapping defensive scheme. As a result, his numbers dropped virtually across the board. However, his consistency was essential to the Sonics' success.

PF Shawn Kemp -- During his fifth NBA season, at the age of 25, Kemp came into his own as a star. He lead the team in scoring for the first time at 18.1 ppg and rebounding with 10.8 rpg. He was named second team all-NBA and started the All-Star game for the first time.

C Sam Perkins -- Perkins continued the transformation he had made the previous season to a perimeter based game, freeing the interior for Kemp's postups. He proved adept at the role, hitting a team leading 99 three pointers.

The Bench
SG Ricky Pierce -- Though injuries and reduced playing time dropped Pierce from first to fourth on the team in scoring, he remained an extremely valuable offensive threat off the bench, providing 'instant offense' and finishing third in the NBA in free throw percentage (89.6%).

PG Nate McMillan -- Mr. Sonic had arguably his best season in 93-94, leading the NBA in steals at 2.96 spg despite not even starting. He was named second team All-Defense (a travesty that he was not first team) and finished second in voting for the 6th Man of the Year honor. Paired with Pierce, Sonic fans liked to joke that the team had one of the better backcourt duos in the league ... coming off the bench.

SF Vincent Askew -- With Johnson departed, Askew emerged as the primary backup at small forward and had his best season to date in the NBA, averaging 9 ppg and as many steals as the man in front of him (Schrempf).

C/F Michael Cage -- The third man in the Sonics' three man rotation up front, Cage backed up both Kemp and Perkins and provided his usual hustle and rebounding, finishing third on the team in the latter.

C Ervin Johnson -- Johnson played sparingly during his rookie season, but showed promise that he would soon be able to contribute defensively and on the glass, though perhaps never on the offensive end.

PF Steve Scheffler -- Schef enjoyed his second season as the Sonics' glorified 12th man, and really began to enjoy great popularity amongst the fans this season.

SF Chris King -- A second round pick in 1992 out of Wake Forest, King played overseas before joining the Sonics in 93-94. In limited action, he displayed great athleticism, leaping ability, and dunking prowess, but little else.

C Rich King -- Now the Sonics 'other' King, the fall continued for bust King in his third season, as he played just 27 games and scored only 41 points.

PG Alphonso Ford -- A rookie out of Mississippi Valley State, Ford joined the Sonics on a pair of 10-day contracts while Pierce was sidelined after surgery to remove bone chips in his elbow.

The Season

The Sonics set the tone for their season on the very first play. Hosting the downtrodden LA Lakers at the Seattle Center Colliseum, the Sonics won the tip. Payton then threw a lob which Kemp went high in the air to dunk home powerfully over an astonished -- and overmatched -- small college rookie forward. Certainly, Antonio Harvey had seen nothing like that from his opponents at Pfieffer College. The Sonics rolled to a 28 point victory on opening night behind the 30 and 14 of Kemp. It remains unclear whether Kemp licked his lips prior to feasting on Harvey.

The Sonics rolled out of the gate with a fast start matched by only team, the Houston Rockets. The Sonics took their first 10 games, including a one point victory over the Jordan-less Bulls in the Colliseum, before losing at Cleveland on November 27. Something less than demoralized, the Sonics rallied to win their next six in a row to give them a 16-1 record heading into a showdown with the Houston Rockets at the Summit, who had one-upped the Sonics by winning their first 15 games of the year. The Sonics dropped the game at Houston and one more to Phoenix before finishing 1993 with a record of 22-3, good for first place in the Pacific Division.

By the All-Star break, the Sonics had caught and passed Houston for the best record in the NBA, and their 35-10 mark made George Karl the head coach for the Western Conference squad. Just as it had most of his career, controversy followed Karl to Minneapolis, where Kemp was a starter and Payton a reserve. Though the All-Star game is not normally known for its defensive effort, Karl was not about to let up, even in a meaningless exibition. He installed a defense which double-teamed Orlando star Shaquille O'Neal, who shot just 2 of 12 and scored but 8 points. After the game, O'Neal was livid at what he perceived as unfair treatement. Nevertheless, the East won 127-118 as Kemp tallied 6 points and 12 rebounds, while Payton scored 6 points, handed out 9 assists, and grabbed 6 boards.

When Seattle returned to the regular season, they came out flat. After beating an awful Philadelphia team, the Sonics took it on the chin for their second three-game losing streak of the season, dropping them to 36-13.

For whatever reason, the streak ignited the Sonics, who went on an epic run. After splitting the next two games, the Sonics finished the season on a 26-5 tear, losing only once more at home. Included in the run were winning streaks of six and 10 games, the latter despite the absence of Pierce due to injury.

On April 10, with two weeks left to go in the season, the Sonics took on the Phoenix Suns at the Coliseum. Though the game carried little significance in and of itself -- other than the fact that it took place on my birthday, as I celebrated at the nationally NBC-televised game -- there were outside factors. With a win, Seattle could clinch the Pacific Division Championship, their second such championship in 27 years of Sonic basketball. Secondly, a win would mark the symbolic passing of the torch of Western Conference power from the Suns to the youthful Sonics.

It was an epic game that initially looked destined to be a blowout. The Sonics, running up and down the court in the essential George Karl style, took a double digit lead in the first quarter, and it seemed they would coast. However, within the Suns still beat the heart of a champion, and they came back to not only make it a close game but also take a double digit lead themselves within the third quarter. The momentum pendulum swung back to the Sonics, who took command of the game in the fourth quarter and withstood a late Phoenix hot streak from beyond the arc to win 110-108.

There remained only two more challenges for the Sonics -- clinching the best record in the West, and then the league's best regular season mark. With little to play for, the Sonics still dominated, finishing the season with a 6-1 run and beating I-5 rival Portland on the final day of the season to finish with a record of 63-19.

The 63 wins were a franchise record, as were 36 home victories and 27 road victories. As well, the 1993-94 Sonics set a club record with 1,053 steals, the second most in NBA history. The accolades rolled in, from selections to the All-NBA team to an NBA Executive of the Year award given to Whitsitt. They indeed held the best mark in the NBA, five games better than the Midwest Champion Rockets.

With the Sonics holding homecourt throughout the playoffs, and no Jordan as an obstacle, you could almost sense the team making plans for what their Championship rings would look like. In hindsight, perhaps more attention should have been paid to the Sonics' first round foe, the Denver Nuggets.

Denver was, in all respects, a mediocre team, finishing the season at 42-40. However, they possessed the unique home-court advantage of playing in the Mile-High city, which tended to leave opponents fatigued and increase the magnitude of the Nuggets' home/road disparity. They had won twice as many games at home as on the road. Additionally, Denver had played the Sonics rather well during the regular season. The Nuggets were one of three teams (Phoenix and Houston were the other, more obvious teams) to beat the Sonics twice during the season. Both losses, unsurprisingly, came in the unfriendly confines of McNichols Sports Arena.

If the Nuggets had a strength, they were a deep team with five solid starters. The leading scorer was point guard Mahmoud Abdul-Rauf, a deadeye free throw shooter who could also make the midrange jumper with ease and scored about 18 points per game. However, he was of little use as a distributor or a defender. Second year forward LaPhonso Ellis had solid 15-9 numbers as Denver's top post threat, and their counter to Kemp. Center Dikembe Mutombo wreaked defensive havoc with his 4 blocks and 12 rebounds a night, but wasn't an offensive threat. Veteran small forward Reggie Williams was a nice complementary scorer, and versatile defensive specialist Bryant Stith, also in his second year, rounded out the starting five. Off the bench, the Nuggets had talented but inconsistent Brian Williams, a big man who would later go on to be a starter for a number of years and change his name to Bison Dele. Undrafted Robert Pack had molded himself into a solid little player. Defensively solid, Pack also had added a nice outside game. Reserve forwards were rookie Rodney Rogers, who was still developing, and Tom Hammonds, a garbage-pail-type player.

Almost no one gave Denver a chance of holding serve with mighty Seattle, and neither side did anything to change this opinion in Game One, as the Sonics won running away, 106-82. I attended this game, having won free tickets through a KJR radio promotion, and honestly there was nothing exceptional about it at all. The Sonics simply outplayed the Nuggets in all aspects of the game; what they were expected to do.

Game Two was not so neat. The Sonics played decently, but simply couldn't shake Denver. Thanks to the homecourt, they won down the stretch, 97-87. It was not, however, a great game for the Sonics' confidence. Only later did we fans know how bad it had really gotten; at halftime of the game, Payton and Pierce had been involved in a scuffle. I still don't think I have any clue what the melee was all about -- my guess would be Pierce didn't feel he was getting enough shots (but then again, I'm not sure Ricky Pierce ever thought he was getting enough shots). Either way, the damage was done.

The Sonics headed to Denver needing only one game to send the Nuggets home to the summer and turn their thoughts to more important things; namely, the Utah Jazz, their likely second round opponent. Or perhaps they had already turned their thoughts to Utah, because the Sonics were run off the court by Denver in Game Three. The domination was not so significant as the Sonics' in Game One, but suffice it to say that the Sonics were never particularly in the game. It was a throwaway outing; the Sonics still had one game to get things done in Denver.

Game Four came down to the wire. It seemed the Sonics might have the series won when Shawn Kemp went to the line late in the game with the Sonics up three. If he hit one free throw, the Sonics were in very good shape. Two, and the game -- and series -- were probably over. Kemp was a 74% regular season free throw shooter. The odds of missing both were only about 7%. Nonetheless, Kemp stepped to the line and clanked the first free throw. No problem; he still had one more. Clank. The Nuggets were alive. They hit a three, the game went to overtime, and the Sonics never had a chance. With the momentum and an understandably raucous home crowd behind them, Denver would not be denied. The Nuggets went on to win by nine, 94-85.

Now, Sonic fans -- and probably the team too -- were starting to get antsy. This was an excellent team -- but excellent teams don't drop two straight to number eight seeds. However, the Sonics were coming home to the Coliseum. They'd won two such 'do-or-die' games at home the previous playoffs, and knew the power of the homecourt. Things were just taking a bit longer than was planned. Right?

If you believe in omens, note that Game Five was played under bright sunshine in the Pacific Northwest. It was a beautiful Saturday afternoon as I watched the game at the home of one of my mom's friends in Wenatchee.

The first half was a struggle. Denver's Mutombo got into foul trouble, picking up his third personal with eight minutes left in the half, but Denver was not deterred. Brian Williams replaced him, and was a monster on the boards. Williams grabbed 10 rebounds in the first half alone, en route to a double-double. At halftime, the Sonics led by just three.

In the third quarter, the Sonics started to play their brand of basketball again, foring turnovers, running fast breaks, and extending the lead as far as 11. Again, the Nuggets had an answer, who was Pack. Not good enough to be amongst the 54 players selected in the 1991 Draft out of USC, Pack had a career-making Series. After only making six three-pointers all season long, he made six -- in 10 attempts -- in the Series. At the end of the third quarter, Pack was sending in daggers from the outside and driving the lane as well, catalyzing a 13-2 Nugget run that gave them the lead early into the fourth quarter.

Still, I, as a fan, wasn't worried. The Sonics didn't lose at home. They didn't lose down the stretch with the home crowd behind them. They'd pull it out. Only they didn't. Denver kept on playing like what they were -- a loose team with nothing to lose. The Sonics, on the other hand, tightened up. They had everything on the line. The Finals, the Championship rings, for goodness' sakes, the ticker-tape parade! And Denver, of all teams, was going to ruin this?

They maintained the lead throughout the quarter, extending it to eight several times. With just over three minutes left, a Bryant Stith free throw gave Denver a seven point lead. It seemed the game was over. I recall heading upstairs to listen to the game on the radio, tired of seeing Denver -- tired of seeing the Sonics, as well -- tired of listening to the NBC announcers praise the upstart Nuggets. Then, the Sonics turned up the pressure on the defensive end. They forced two consecutive 24-second shot clock violations, and converted on offense both times to cut the lead to two with a minute and a half left. Ellis made a hook shot from the left side, but Kemp answered with a putback of his own shot, blocked by Mutombo. With 54 seconds left, Denver had possession and a two-point lead.

The Sonics forced a turnover, and Payton converted a fast break layup to tie the game and send the hometown crowd into a frenzy. After two straight Denver timeouts (they were unable to bring the ball in at first), the Nuggets worked the ball into Ellis, who had a mismatch in the post against Payton. Payton knocked the ball away, but Ellis recovered and made a difficult fadeaway with 15 seconds left. After a timeout of their own, the Sonics, needing a score to force overtime, went to Schrempf. He was forced into the corner in a double-team, nearly turning the ball over before the Sonics took their final timeout. With seven seconds left, the Sonics went to Payton, who drove the lane and got a decent look from the left baseline. Thanks to the defense of Mutombo, the shot was way short, but Gill was there to use the shot as an ally-oop and lay the ball up and in with five-tenths of a second left. After another Denver timeout, Mutombo made a turnaround jumper, but was ruled to have not released until after the buzzer.

Overtime? At the Coliseum? There was no way in my 12-year old mind that the Sonics could possibly blow this one.

The defensive intensity the Sonics displayed down the stretch was maintained, as the Sonics forced shot clock violations on Denver's first two possessions. The Sonics led most of the way, but Ellis changed that with an improbable three-point play just inside the two-minute mark. That put Denver up 96-94, and also put into motion a series of Sonic offensive miscues. The team turned the ball over three straight times down, but also shut down the Nuggets by forcing two more shot clock violations. With 18 seconds left, Pack was fouled intentionally. He made both to give Denver a 98-94 lead. Following a timeout, Perkins missed a fadeaway three-pointer, Gill couldn't connect on a hook in the lane, and McMillan's despeartion three was short. Mutombo latched onto the ball for dear life as the time ran out, and Denver had done the impossible, slayed the dragon.

The Finals, the TV cameras, the rings, the parade. They were all gone from my mind, replaced instead by the haunting image of an overwhelmed Mutombo flat on his back on the Coliseum floor, cradling the ball in his hands as his teammates surrounded him.

The depression that hit me -- and, I'm quite sure, many other Sonic fans -- after that game seems rather sad to me today. How could my life have been so tied up in a basketball team? But it was. And things weren't the same. I no longer wore the "Division Champs" hat I had received for my birthday. More shockingly, I went essentially the entire summer without so much as picking up a basketball and shooting. Whatever meager skill I did have was lost to disuse.

Things would never again be the same for me, the city of Seattle's basketball fans, even the Sonics. I don't think I can ever truly love a basketball team like I did the 1994 Sonics. It leaves you too emotionally vulnerable. I'm getting a bit choked up even writing this now, almost eight years after the fact. The city of Seattle wanted desperately to rally behind the Sonics, but they failed the city. Instead, it was the Mariners' magical run of 1995 that captured the hearts of the city and ensured that they received a new stadium. The Sonics too would never have the same innocence about the organization. There was anger and distrust within it. To all that, add the fact that it was the last game ever played in the Coliseum, so to speak. The bulldozers came soon after, as the Sonics spent a year away as the Coliseum became KeyArena. While it is still the same building in the same location, KeyArena can never replicate the college-like atmosphere of the Coliseum, which was perhaps the loudest building in the NBA. Even the cheap seats, like the standing room only ones I frequently enjoyed, felt close to the action. In a sense, perhaps this was an oddly accurate metaphor. As the fans and team grew more distant after the loss in a theoretical sense, the same shift happened literally. At the Tacoma Dome, you weren't even sure you were at a basketball game. People just happened to be playing basketball. And while KeyArena is more intimate than most of the behemoth stadiums that populate today's NBA, it's nowhere near as cozy as was the Coliseum.

In the end, we were all right about one thing. The path was wide open for a Western Conference team to fill the Jordan vacuum. If the Sonics had met the Houston Rockets, I'm quite certain they would have prevailed, in no small part thanks to the home court advantage. Yet it was Olajuwon and his Rockets who were in a Finals that I can imagine I wasn't the only Sonic fan who couldn't bear to watch, it was they who got the rings and the parade, while we were left with that damned image of Mutombo, ceaselessly replaying itself during a dull moment, killing the joy that the Sonics used to bring.

I guess the Mutombo picture wasn't alone. There were also questions, by the dozen. Had Karl finally lost the team, as he had Cleveland and Golden State? Was the Sonics' chemistry all wrong? Were Kemp and Payton incapable of leading an NBA champion? Could Pierce return after the playoff bitterness and after the team had proven it could win without him? Who would Trader Bob pull out of his hat next?

In a sense, there was some optimism. After all, the Sonics were going to be returning their core intact, barring trades. Not only that, but the Sonics held a lottery pick, number nine overall, thanks to the previous summer's Gill trade. It was a summer of tumult that not even the best of psychics could have predicted. . . .

1993-94 stats