In both Cleveland and Golden State, Karl's first two NBA coaching stops, he had started out with a bang and then seen his teams go backwards as players failed to respond to his unorthodox style. Critics wondered if something similar wasn't occurring in Seattle, and the calls for Karl's head were loud on sports talk radio.
However, at this time, Sonic GM Wally Walker was kind to Karl, not only allowing him to keep his job, but also doing a masterful job of replacing the whiners and malcontents who had hurt the Sonics in the playoffs with veterans who were happy playing roles. On the eve of the NBA Draft, Walker sent Kendall Gill to Charlotte (back where he had come from, amazingly) for guard Hersey Hawkins and forward David Wingate. Ironically, the Hornets had acquired Hawkins as part of the three-way deal in which they sent out Gill for precisely the same reasons the Sonics wanted him -- he was a consummate pro, willing to accept that he wasn't a star. In other words, everything Gill wasn't. However, the Hornets had wanted Hawkins to be a little more aggressive, and also wanted to get younger and taller in the backcourt, so they dispatched Hawkins.
Walker's other summer move was to send disgruntled backup shooting guard Sarunas Marciulionis -- along with Byron Houston, who had originally accompanied him to Seattle a year ago -- to Sacramento for veteran big man Frank Brickowski. "Brick", who had missed the entire previous season with injury, would provide the Sonics with a second big man off the bench and veteran leadership -- things they hadn't, as expected, gotten from Bill Cartwright, who retired after the 1995 playoffs. Also gone were Dontonio Wingfield, selected by Toronto in the expansion draft, and Rich King, whose rookie contract had expired and was never to play in the NBA again.
In a sense, Gary Payton regressed from the previous season, when he had truly emerged as one of the NBA's best players. However, he remained the Sonics' second offensive option, averaging 19.1 points per game. Defensively, "the Glove" was at his finest, winning the NBA's defensive player of the year. He also was a reserve on the All-Star team and second-team all-NBA.
His backcourt-mate, Hersey Hawkins, fit perfectly with the Sonic attack. Unlike Gill, Hawkins was content to only shoot a few times per night as the fourth option offensively. He also gave the Sonics an added outside-shooting presence, making 146 three-pointers. Defensively, Hawkins had long been considered a bit of a liability, but got with the Sonic program and recorded a career-high 149 steals, second only to Payton. He also provided veteran leadership.
After two seasons in Seattle, Detlef Schrempf finely attuned his game to that of the Sonics. With an improved group around him, Schrempf's scoring decreased to 17.1 ppg, but he remained arguably the NBA's best third option. Besides his contesting every call, the only negative for Schrempf was an injury which cost him a month and a half of play.
Shawn Kemp's maturation into man from man-child was complete by the close of 1996. He was a starter in the All-Star game and (with a little rounding) a 20-10 guy, one of the league's better rebounders. He worked on the flaws in his game, though inconsistency and foul troubles continued to plague him, and also added a little 15-foot jumper to make his offensive game all the more complete.
In his third year in the NBA, Ervin Johnson solidified his role as the Sonics' starting center The job requirements entailed him to play D and rebound, and stay the heck out of the way of the offense. Despite playing less than 20 minutes a night, Johnson grabbed over 5 boards per game and was second on the team in this category. He led the club with over a blocked shot and a half per. However, he still retained butter fingers when anybody did pass him the ball.
Sam Perkins was, as always, the Sonics' 'sixth starter', playing almost 30 minutes a night off the bench. By now, Perkins' transition from post scorer to perimeter shooter was complete. He was effective at forcing the opposition's center to cover him beyond the three-point arc, and did a solid job defensively and on the boards.
The rest of the bench was a bit down from previous years, but still amongst the league's best. Vincent Askew was the primary backup for both Schrempf and Hawkins, providing his usual tough defense and adequate offense. Frank Brickowski was a revelation, providing the Sonics toughness that they had lacked. He was an enforcer, unafraid to knock down guards driving into the lane and playing through a broken nose suffered in practice. He also gave the Sonics a second three-point shooting big man, nailing a cool 41% from beyond the stripe. Injuries limited Nate McMillan to a career-low 55 games during the 1995-96 season. No longer quite as quick, McMillan's steal numbers were way down. However, his outside shooting continued to improve and he still fought with as much tenacity against the opposition on D. When McMillan couldn't go, Eric Snow, a second-round pick the Sonics traded for on draft night out of Michigan State, filled the role of backup point. Lightly regarded in college, Snow endeared himself to the Sonics with his tough defense and a steady-hand at the point. Unfortunately, he could barely shoot straight, something the Sonics hoped he would eventually learn to become McMillan's successor. David Wingate, a starter two years ago, was now happy to serve as the backup swingman in the absences of Schrempf and Askew. Wingate was like many others on the Sonic roster, a tenacious defender whose primary offensive skill was three-point shooting. First-round pick Sherell Ford played sparingly, and when he did showed little of the outside shooting skill (16% from three) he supposedly possessed. He already looked like a bust to fans. Steve Scheffler continued to ably serve his role as fan favorite/towel waver/human victory cigar.
Perhaps the best thing that could have happened to the Sonics in the pre-season was what did happen. The Seattle Mariners captured the town with their improbable run to the ALCS. That meant the Sonics opened training camp in relative obscurity, with only a handful of intrepid die-hards -- not even me, mind you, I was watching the M's play game one of the ALCS and rookie Bob Wolcott best veteran Dennis Martinez -- attended the annual Green and Gold scrimmage. This kept the sportswriters from writing about the team's problems. The Sonics also sported a literal new look, changing their logo after the season, and replacing gold as one of the primary colors with red. The use of the name SuperSonics was also de-emphasized as the Sonics hoped for a complete break with recent history as they moved into KeyArena, the renovated Seattle Center Coliseum.
Opening night found the Sonics with an arduous task, traveling to Salt Lake City to take on the always competitive Utah Jazz. Seattle lost by 18, and traveled home with heads hung low to christen the Key against the team that had ended their playoffs, the LA Lakers. The result was a fairly easy 14 point victory as the Sonics established a home court dominance they would have all season.
November was not kind to the Sonics, as their first home loss to the Indiana Pacers on a Reggie Miller game-winner gave them a record of 9-6 at month's end. However, they did record a huge victory. Michael Jordan and the Chicago Bulls, already setting the league afire en route to an NBA-record 72 wins, came to town on November 26. Clinging to a two-point lead, Payton stripped Jordan to preserve a 97-92 victory.
December was better to the Sonics, despite the loss of Schrempf to an injury late in a 106-97 victory over Portland. For the month, the Sonics went 11-2 and were undefeated at home to position themselves near the top of the Pacific Division along with the surprising Sacramento Kings. One of the month's two losses was at the expansion I-5 rival Vancouver Grizzlies, a huge disappointment, but the Sonics made amends by holding the Grizzlies to a club record for lowest opponent score, 68 points, two nights later.
The New Year began with a scheduled six-game road trip to the East Coast. However, the game on the 7th at New York was cancelled as a snowstorm him the eastern seaboard. Seattle went 3-2 on the slightly shortened trip, no embarrassment given the two losses were to the East's top two teams, Chicago and the Shaquille O'Neal-led Orlando Magic. The Sonics won nine of their next 10 games, losing their second home contest to New York, to finish January at 32-11. The record would hold up as the West's best, enabling Karl and company to coach the West's All-Star entry, which included Kemp as a starter and Payton as a reserve. Arguably the season's most dramatic victory came on the 26th against Utah. After a Kemp bucket gave the Sonics a perilous one point lead, Utah did not call timeout and worked the ball to Karl Malone, who missed as time expired. Fans rejoiced as the Sonics escaped with a 97-96 win.
February started slowly, as the Sonics lost 103-100 at Dallas. Two nights later, they emerged Texas with a split by beating the two-time defending NBA champion Houston Rockets by one in overtime. A Payton three with 7.6 seconds left won the game by a 104-103 final. The Sonics would not lose again the rest of the month, setting a team record by winning 14 in a row. The streak was bookended by dramatic games, as it took the Sonics two overtimes to dispatch a tough Cleveland squad on the road for the 14th straight win. Out of gas the next night, the Sonics lost 99-89 at Washington to end the streak. By that point, however, they had already established themselves, at 46-13, as the West's top team.
March 10 saw the Sonics drop their final home loss of the year, 100-99 to San Antonio. All told, their three losses in KeyArena history had come by a total of five points, one in overtime. It looked, however, like they'd drop a second straight home game three nights later. In the third quarter against Orlando, Payton was ejected for headbutting Magic guard Anthony Bowie. With McMillan out, and Karl afraid to use the rookie Snow against one of the league’s toughest opponents, Askew took over at the point. He too was injured, leaving with a strained groin and the Sonics down six with under a minute to go. In came Snow, and the comeback was on. A steal and layup by Hawkins with five seconds left proved the game-winner in a stunning comeback after Dennis Scott missed at the buzzer. The win clinched the Sonics a playoff berth. Two days later, Payton was suspended by the NBA as the Sonics took on Dallas at home. Snow started and the team didn't skip a beat, winning by 23 as Snow handed out 13 assists.
On March 24, the Sonics again won in dramatic fashion at Sacramento. The game was tied with under 10 seconds left when Payton stole the ball and got a layup to seal a 112-110 victory. On April 3, the Sonics beat Houston 118-103 to sweep the season series against the Rockets for the second straight season. The Sonics had won nine straight matchups with Houston. On April 19, the Sonics won their 64th game overall and 38th at the Key, beating Minnesota 94-86, to set two records. Two days later, they closed the season at Denver. With nothing to play for, the starters played little, but it was too long for Kemp. He and Tom Hammonds were involved in an altercation and both thrown out. While the league could only suspend Hammonds for next year's opener -- the Nuggets did not make the playoffs -- Kemp had to miss the first game of the Sonics' first round series with Sacramento as fans cried unfair.
The 1995-96 Kings got off to a fast start to the season, but came back to earth in the second half. Still, they laid claim to the eighth seed for their first playoff appearance in several seasons. High-scoring outside shooter Mitch Richmond was the key guy for the Kings. He was complemented by small forward Billy Owens, acquired from Miami at the deadline and still trying to make good on the promise he showed when the Kings drafted him third overall and traded him for Richmond. Rookie Tyus Edney, out of UCLA, was the point man, with Olden Polynice in the middle and Brian Grant at power forward, having a bit of a sophomore slump after a fantastic rookie season.
The series opened on a Friday night, and, despite the loss of Kemp, the Sonics rolled, 97-85, behind 29 points from Payton. On Sunday, there were articles in the Seattle Times suggesting that perhaps the Sonics were better off without Kemp. He provided ammunition for this criticism when the Sonics lost to the Kings that evening despite Kemp's 21 points. With the series tied 1-1 heading to Sacramento, I and everyone else in the city began to think, "Oh, no. Not again."
Playing in front of a boisterous home crowd, the Kings came out playing at peak performance in game three, leading most of the way. Halfway through the fourth quarter, the Sonics were down 10 when they miraculously began to rally. Brickowski, playing his old team, hit a threeball as the Sonics grabbed momentum and eventually the lead. They hung on to win, 96-89, putting them one win away from finally escaping the first round. In game four, the Sonics were not to be denied. They held control of the game all evening, and put away the Kings down the stretch to win easily, 105-87. Karl told reporters after the game that the monkey was finally off his back. The same night, Houston finished off the LA Lakers at home and the second round matchup was set -- the Sonics would have to go through the Champs.
Houston was, as throughout the '90's, led by center Hakeem Olajuwon, a dominant force at both ends in the middle. Former University of Houston teammate Clyde Drexler was in his first full season with the Rockets, and provided them a second star player for when Olajuwon slumped. Beyond them were complementary players, many of them outside shooters who could break down double teams. Mario Elie, a CBA vet, played the three, with Robert Horry, a shot-blocker and three-point specialist at the four. Sam Cassell and veteran Kenny Smith split time at the point, with Cassell the more creative of the two and Smith steadier.
It was a bright and sunny Saturday afternoon as the Houston-Seattle series opened. In the first quarter, the Sonics struggled from the field while Houston was on fire. However, the Sonics still were close, giving fans like me, watching at home, hope. The shooting, as it is apt to do, reversed, and the Sonics destroyed the Rockets the rest of the way, winning by 33, 108-75. In game two, both teams came out afire from beyond the arc. The Sonics hit an unconscious 20 of 27 from three point range, while Houston kept it close by hitting 13 of 27 themselves. In the end, the Sonics' home court advantage was too much, and they won 105-101 to go to Houston up 2-0. Records for both single-team three pointers in the playoffs and combined three pointers in the playoffs were shattered, along with the Rockets' hopes of taking a game in Seattle.
Game three was a nail-biter, but the Sonics held on down the stretch for a 115-112 victory, giving them a chance to sweep the defending champs out of the playoffs. Game four came on Mother's Day, and the Sonics gave moms throughout the Puget Sound a present. They outlasted a Houston team playing its championship heart out, winning 114-107 in overtime to return to the Western Conference Finals for the second time in four years.
Their opponent would be the Utah Jazz. Just as they had been three years earlier, when the teams faced off in the first round, Utah was led by the Malone-Stockton combination. This time, however, it could be argued that the Sonics held an advantage at each position with Payton and Kemp. Jeff Hornacek had been added from Philadelphia to give the Jazz a third top player and a deadeye outside shooter. Small forward was an unsettled position -- Chris Morris had been signed the previous summer away from New Jersey, David Benoit started all season long, and Bryon Russell had suddenly laid claim to time with a solid playoff performance. At center, Greg Ostertag, a gawky white player out of Kansas who blocked shots and rebounded, started. Antoine Carr, an undersized veteran, played down the stretch.
The series started on a Saturday, two weeks after the Houston blowout that kicked off a sweep. With five days of rest, the Sonics again came out slowly and kicked it into gear in the second quarter. Again, it led to a blowout, as the Sonics won by 30. Game two was different, a slowdown affair, but the homecourt proved to be enough as the Sonics won 91-87. Seattle headed to Salt Lake winners of all four road playoff games they'd played, but was never in a 20-point loss in game three. Game four was the second close affair of the series. The Sonics overcame the loud Delta Center crowd to win 88-86. They headed home needing only one win to secure a date with the Chicago Bulls in the NBA Finals.
Of course, it wasn't that easy. Game five went right down to the wire. Neither team could convert in their final possession of regulation, forcing overtime. In the extra session, the Sonics fell apart, turning the ball over and missing easy shots. Trailing by three, they had several chances to force a second overtime or win in the closing seconds but continually came up empty, and Utah survived -- the correct term -- 98-95. Carrying the momentum, Utah whipped the Sonics in game six by 35 points, the worst playoff defeat the Sonics had ever suffered. It set up a deciding game seven.
The Sonics led most of the way, but Utah -- with no tomorrow -- would not go away. Their final run almost put them over the top. Malone -- perhaps distracted by the fans' countdown of 10 seconds on his lengthy free-throw attempts -- missed a pair from the line. Kemp made his free throws and the Sonics lived to play another day by a 90-86 final.
The best team ever? To ascend to that level, the Bulls would certainly have to pass through Seattle, but their 72-10 regular season record, the most wins ever, was intact. Chicago was led by Michael Jordan, arguably the greatest player to ever set foot on a basketball court. Though past his prime, Jordan had refined his game. As one of the smartest players in the league, Jordan knew all the angles and had developed an unstoppable fadeaway jumper, even if he wasn't a high-flier anymore. After carrying the load for a year and a half, Scottie Pippen made for a more than capable Robin to Jordan's Batman, scoring, passing, defending, and rebounding. Dennis Rodman, the volatile bad boy acquired before the season in a trade, did only one thing -- rebound -- but he did it far better than anyone else in the League. At center, former lottery pick Luc Longley had developed into a nice complementary player. Ron Harper, once compared to Jordan as an athletic youngster in Cleveland, now played alongside him. Harper's knees were shot, meaning he couldn't keep up with many players, and he wasn't a point guard, but his smart and determined play made him a perfect Bull. Off the bench, Toni Kukoc -- once the 'European Michael Jordan' -- provided scoring and rebounding, if not toughness. Steve Kerr was arguably the league's best three-point shooter, and feasted off the double teams Jordan created. Coach Phil Jackson had become the league's most respected coach. Yes, the talent in Chicago was more than evident, but little things like keeping Rodman in line made him the best. All in all, it looked like a team without weakness.
Despite Kemp's playoff-high 32 points, the Bulls showed the nervous Sonics how it was done in a 17 point victory during Wednesday night's game one. Two nights later, Seattle proved it could play with -- if not beat -- da Bulls. It seemed most of the fourth quarter that the Sonics were one momentum play away from taking control of the game, but that play never came. Instead, a huge Kukoc three kept Chicago just far enough ahead for a 92-88 win and a 2-0 lead.
The Sonics returned to a still-giddy Seattle knowing they needed to win two out of three games just to send the series back to the Windy City. The last thing they needed was a loss in game three, yet that's exactly what they got. The Sonics were outmatched, as Jordan put on a vintage performance in three quarters while the Bulls built a huge lead. Rodman got into the head of Brickowski, who was ejected, and the greatest drama of the fourth quarter was who Rodman would toss his jersey to after the game. Chicago won by 22.
Three days later, the Sonics came out with their backs against the wall. Motivation came from two surprising sources. First, there was Mr. Sonic, Nate McMillan. He had been forced to sit out the first three losses with injury, a huge blow to the Sonic bench. Additionally, NBC commentator Peter Vecsey -- who would later in the week be charged with starting an altercation in a Toys 'R Us -- reported on the air that McMillan's absence was somehow related to his contract status, erroneously claiming that McMillan could be a free agent after the season. Second, the NBA had run a drill with the Chicago players early in the day preparing for a trophy presentation on the KeyArena floor, the last thing the Sonics wanted and a bit premature.
The Sonics were impassioned and played perhaps their finest game of the season. The Bulls never had any momentum after McMillan walked onto the court in the first quarter to the chant of his name, and the Sonics cruised, winning by 19. Game five, two days later, was more of the same. Chicago, playing up to their billing, kept the game close but did not have enough, losing 89-78.
After losing only 10 times all season, Chicago had lost two times in three days, and seemed to be somewhat on the ropes. However, they returned to the United Center for game six. It was the first Father's Day game for Jordan since his return, and also since the murder of his father, James, during the summer of 1993. As a result, he played with a fire even greater than his usual competitive spirit. As well, McMillan was again lost to the Sonics during the second quarter, leaving them short on players. During the series, Karl had become upset with a pair of key players, Johnson and Askew, and had refused to play them. (Askew had unexcusedly missed a practice before the game, picking a bad time to complain about playing time.) That left a bench of Brickowski, Wingate, and rookies. Just as in game two, the Sonics were never out of it, always seeming on the verge of a run to capture momentum and the lead, but it never came. Chicago won the game and the Championship, 95-87.
After a down year, the Sonics had returned to the NBA's upper echelon, but that did not mean that questions did not abound entering a short summer. Johnson, a free agent, was as good as gone, and Askew was sure to be traded. Perhaps more importantly, Payton, who had emerged as one of the NBA's top five point guards, was a free agent. After July 1996, nothing would ever be the same. . . .
1995-96 stats