In early August, the most likely move for the Sonics appeared to be with the Denver Nuggets for talented young forward Antonio McDyess, a two-year veteran who was the second pick of the 1995 NBA Draft. McDyess' first two years had demonstrated potential, with 18.3 points and 7.3 rebounds his 1996-97 averages. Talent-wise, McDyess was certainly a decent match for Kemp, but his rebounding left much to be desired. As well, there was concern about the fact that McDyess could be a free agent after the 1997-98 season, possibly leaving the Sonics high and dry. Personally, I was not a big McDyess fan, questioning if he would ever reach the level that Kemp had already attained. After it appeared briefly that a deal was imminent, talks cooled by late August.
Meanwhile, the Sonics had other, non-Kemp concerns. In the draft, for the second straight season, the Sonics eschewed their first-round pick, likely because of coach George Karl's dislike for rookies. They drafted Minnesota guard Bobby Jackson with the 23rd pick, but soon sent him to Denver for the Nuggets' 33rd pick, Long Beach State guard James Cotton, and a future second-round pick. With their own picks in the second round, the Sonics took a pair of college centers -- Georgia Tech's Eddie Elisma (#41) and Pitt's Mark Blount (#55).
After a busy summer of 1996 in free agency, the Sonics found themselves over the cap and without critical free agents a year later. The four Sonics not under contract were third-year point guard Eric Snow; veteran swingman David Wingate, who had found a role with the team as a backup; reserve forward Larry Stewart; and stretch-run addition Terry Cummings. Snow and Wingate were both considered likely to return and did, with Wingate returning for one year on August 21 and Snow coming back for two years on August 25. Cummings ended up heading to Philadelphia and Stewart to Golden State.
To replace them, the Sonics looked for some lower-tier free agents. With their million-dollar exception, the Sonics acquired a pair of young big men with potential, former Utah Jazz forward Stephen Howard and center Aaron Williams, late of the Vancouver Grizzlies. The two were expected to battle for Cummings' minutes as backup big men. Filling Cummings' leadership role of the bench would be veteran Jerome Kersey, who had bounced to first the Golden State Warriors and then the Los Angeles Lakers after a decade with the Portland Trail Blazers. Still looking to play for every Pacific Division team, Kersey signed a one-year deal at the veteran minimum with the Sonics on September 24.
By this point, the rumor mill was whispering that the Sonics might be ready to make a deal with the Milwaukee Bucks, who possessed one of the few power forwards in the NBA comparable in both production (21.0 ppg, 10.3 rpg) and salary (3.7 million) to Kemp, four-year veteran Vin Baker. Baker's rebounding, age, and having two years left on his contract made him a better fit than McDyess, and the Sonics suddenly pulled the trigger on September 25. I recall that I was rather shocked when the deal finally went down, finding out about it while watching Friends on a King 5 news update. It would have been hard for me to be happier with the outcome of the Kemp situation. Baker was in the same league as Kemp as a power forward but, more importantly, he wanted to be in Seattle.
General manager Wally Walker was not quite done yet. The one last area the Sonics felt they needed to improve to contend for a title was backup swingman. They thought they had that role filled when Washington native Craig Ehlo was brought in during the summer of 1996 as a free agent, but he proved to be a colossal flop, and Wingate inherited the position. Though he worked hard and played solid defense, Wingate was incapable of providing the firepower the Sonics desired from the position. To fill the hole, the Sonics turned to their past, dealing for a former Seattle superstar, veteran swingman Dale Ellis. Ellis came at a bargain-bin price from the Denver Nuggets, overstocked with swingmen, and the Sonics needed only give up deep reserve guard Greg Graham and fan-favorite Steve Scheffler, along with two second-round picks. Still Walker was not finished crafting the roster, as he added former Grizzly point guard Greg Anthony on October 9, after training camp had started. Anthony had been the starter in Vancouver the last two seasons, but was an odd man out after the Grizzlies drafted point guard Antonio Daniels with the fourth pick of the 1997 NBA Draft.
If this were to be the Sonics' final run -- and it looked like it might be, despite the acquisition of Baker -- they would not go out quietly.
With 16 guaranteed contracts now in the fold after the acquisition of Anthony, the Sonics had a decision to make after completing training camp and the exhibition season. In the end, Ehlo's disappointing Sonic career ended after just one season, as he was cut.
An underlying message in the Shawn Kemp fiasco was that this was now Gary Payton's team. Nevertheless, Payton actually declined from 21.8 points per game to 19.2 points per game. In addition to shooting slightly less, Payton did not shot as well, making 45%. However, he did a better job of setting up his teammates, setting a career-high with 679 assists -- 8.3 per game. He made the All-Star team for the fifth straight year and was first-team All-NBA.
In his third year as a Sonic, Hersey Hawkins continued an offensive slide, dropping from 13.9 points per game to only 10.5 per night. Hawkins' role was decreased by the presence of Ellis, who occasionally would finish games at the off guard position. Hawkins continued to make the three, however, shooting it at 41.5%.
Small forward Detlef Schrempf continued to be a steady and consistent performer for the Sonics at age 35, providing 16 points and seven rebounds per game. With Kemp gone, Schrempf actually stepped up his production on the glass, though the presence of Ellis reduced his offensive role slightly. Most importantly, after missing 40 games total over the previous two seasons, Schrempf was able to stay healthy, missing just four games all season.
The transition from star on an also-ran team to key player on a championship contender was no problem for Vin Baker. Seamlessly integrating himself into the Seattle offense, Baker had perhaps the best offensive season of his career, making 54% from the field and averaging 19 points per game. He did have some difficulty adjusting to rebounding in the Karl trapping defense, dropping to 8.0 per game, but more than made up for this with a pair of buzzer-beating game-winners. Baker was named to his fourth straight All-Star game. About the only problem was his 59% free-throw shooting.
As disappointing as Jim McIlvaine's 1996-97 season was for fans and management, he was even worse in 1997-98. With more options available to Karl, McIlvaine dropped to just over 15 minutes per game and shot just 45% from the field. As usual, all McIlvaine did was block shots, and he was a complete liability offensively. And he was getting paid pretty well for the privilege.
Dale Ellis turned out to be exactly what the Sonics needed, taking over as the Sonics' sixth man and actually outscoring Hawkins with almost 12 points per game. He led the team -- and the NBA -- with 46% shooting from three-point range, providing a lethal outside touch. Ellis dramatically increased the productivity of the Sonics' bench, and had none of the trouble he had in his first stint in Seattle.
With Sam Perkins aging -- now 36-years-old -- and more alternatives available up front, Perkins' minutes decreased and he had statistically his worst season in the NBA. Perkins' scoring average dropped to just 7.2 per game, and Ellis took over his position as the Sonics' main threat off the bench.
After a slow start, Greg Anthony found his niche as the Sonics' backup point guard in the second half, providing a solid 10-15 minutes per game and strong defense. Anthony was an important factor because long-time Sonic Nate McMillan struggled with injuries throughout his final season as an NBA player. He missed the season's first 51 games while recovering from knee surgery, and only played about once every other game thereafter, finishing with just 18 games. Statistically, McMillan was a non-factor, providing only three points per game and shooting 34%, but his heady play and leadership was critical for the Sonics when he was on the court.
Injuries also plagued Jerome Kersey, who suffered first through a stress fracture in his right knee and later a separated shoulder, missing a total of 44 games. When healthy, Kersey was not a major contributor, adding six points and two boards per game. Aaron Williams was a fairly significant part of the Sonics' rotation early in the season, displaying great athleticism and a physical attitude in the lane, but fell out of favor as the season went on.
For the second straight season, the Sonics got out of the gate quickly with strong November play despite an embarrassing upset when the offense stalled in the home opener against a bad Dallas team, an 89-81 loss. After a loss at Utah on the 14th, the Sonics closed the month with seven straight wins and a 13-3 record. The big game was against the Chicago Bulls two days prior to Thanksgiving, despite the fact that the Bulls were struggling without injured Scottie Pippen. The game was close, with Baker nailing a game-winner with three seconds left for a 91-90 win.
After a slow east-coast road trip in which they went just 2-3, the Sonics finished the month of December strong, winning eight of their final nine games. Seattle found their groove amongst a number of lesser teams, winning most of their games handily. They then came back from winter break strong, finishing off an eight-game winning streak that would be their longest of the season and peaking at a 29-6 record, putting them on a 68-win pace. Karl was named Coach of the Month for December for his work.
The Sonics came back down to earth hard, losing two straight games for the first time all season. First, an Ellis jumper with 2.4 seconds left fell off and the Sonics fell to the Knicks in the Garden, 92-91. Two days later, they dropped one to Jordan and the Bulls by a 91-81 count.
January 17 was a date that had been circled on many Sonic fans' calendars for quite some time. It was the return of Kemp to the KeyArena, where he had grown from child to man and All-Star. Kemp brought in a Cleveland team that, despite giving heavy playing time to four rookies, had surprised many and was headed to the playoffs. Still, the game was secondary for many fans to giving Kemp a piece of their mind. Personally, I had always felt that Kemp was misunderstood in Seattle and that more of his problem with the Sonic organization was due to Karl than had been let on. So, unlike most Sonics fans, I was not planning to boo Kemp, and instead cheered his return. At least about three-fourths of the crowd, however, booed him, not only when he was introduced as a starter but every time he touched the ball. With 17 points, Kemp was nothing special but his team played tough, eventually losing 99-91.
After beating Houston, the Sonics dropped their second game of the season to the lowly Mavs, in the midst of a 20-62 season. Nevertheless, a win over their toughest competitors in the Pacific Division, the Los Angeles Lakers, clinched the Sonics the best record in the Western Conference at the All-Star break, putting Karl and his staff in the game for the third time in five seasons.
They went into the game happy, with a four-game winning streak in hand and two players, Payton and Baker, on the roster, not to mention a 37-10 record.
Right out of the All-Star break, the Sonics faced a tough three-game stretch against other West contenders, all on the road. They lost at Houston by 14, but proved that they were a team to be reckoned with by recovering the next day to beat a reinvigorated San Antonio team, the winning basket a buzzer-beater by Baker for the second time in his first year as a Sonic. They followed it up with an overtime victory in the Forum against the Lakers.
The post-Laker euphoria was short-lived; the Sonics headed home and split a four-game homestand. The losses were not pretty -- a 20-point blowout by Utah and an embarrassing upset by the Boston Celtics, led by newly acquired point guard Kenny Anderson.
Following a brief four-game winning streak, the team headed east for their last major east-coast trip. They started out well, beating the Heat in overtime, but then dropped back-to-back games to Orlando and Charlotte before closing the trip with a second overtime win, by one point over Minnesota.
Seattle then returned home for a four-game homestand with the chance to clinch a playoff berth, which they did in beating the Toronto Raptors, 111-93. They celebrated by sweeping the remaining three games, including their third straight victory in the season over the Lakers, giving them a four-game lead over LA.
However, they then went on the road and dropped a pair to Pacific rivals, by 13 to the Lakers and seven at Phoenix. The losses spurred on the Sonics, and they would go on to win seven of their next eight -- including a critical Western Conference battle with the Utah Jazz in the Key, with an 88-86 finish -- to put them at 57 wins and establish themselves as the team to beat in not only the Pacific, but the Western Conference.
After the strong early-April run, the Sonics struggled to the finish line of the season, winning only four of their final seven games. Included were a pair of losses to the San Antonio Spurs, sneaking up on the pack at the top of the West. Despite their struggles, the Sonics finished off their third consecutive Pacific Divsion with a victory in the Rose Garden on the season's final day, 90-82.
With a 61-21 record, the Sonics won the tiebreaker over the Los Angeles Lakers to win the Pacific and finish with the second seed behind the 62-20 Utah Jazz, with the Lakers the third seed and the 60-22 San Antonio Spurs the fourth team with homecourt. As a reward for their efforts, the Sonics faced a first-round matchup with the youthful 45-37 Minnesota Timberwolves.
After a slow start to their franchise's history, the Timberwolves were making their second straight playoff appearence after being swept by the Houston Rockets the previous year. The catalyst for Minnesota's turnaround was "Da Kid", Kevin Garnett, who became the first player to be drafted out of high school in 20 years when the Timberwolves selected him with the fifth pick of the 1995 Draft. Garnett developed quickly into one of the league's premier young stars, averaging a rounded 19 points and 10 rebounds during the 1997-98 season.
A year later, Garnett was joined by another prodigious youngster, Georgia Tech guard Stephon Marbury, selected by Milwaukee with the third pick and subsequently traded to Minnesota. The ultra-athletic Marbury solidified a weak point guard position for the Timberwolves, leading them to the playoffs in his rookie season and averaging 18 points and nearly nine assists during his second season.
Predating Garnett and Marbury in Minnesota was small forward Tom Gugliotta, a versatile and well-rounded player similar to Detlef Schrempf without three-point ability. Gugliotta provided the Wolves a third star-caliber player, but was injured midway through the 1997-98 season and would not be healthy for the playoffs. Also injured for Minnesota were both of their primary centers, talented but overweight Stanley Roberts and young but modestly talented Cherokee Parks.
In place of Gugliotta and Parks, the Timberwolves started the series with a pair of gritty veterans in the starting lineup -- Sam Mitchell, an original Wolf who had adjusted to a reserve role nicely, and Tom Hammonds, an undersized big man who would carved out a decent career off the bench after flopping as a lottery pick. Completing the starting five was shooting guard Anthony Peeler, acquired at midseason from the Vancouver Grizzlies for Doug West, another original Wolf who had been rendered unnecessary by the team's younger players. Peeler provided the team's best outside threat as a 45% three-point shooter.
Off the depleted bench, Minnesota was now led by veteran Terry Porter, who had become a savvy reserve after leading a series of successful Portland teams from the point guard position early in his career. Beyond him, there was Michael Williams, a veteran guard who was struggling to return from injuries, and big man Bill Curley, who had done little in his NBA career to date.
With Minnesota ravaged by injuries, and the Sonics having taken the season series 3-1, this looked like a mismatch. However, as Sonic fans, we knew better than to take anything for granted in late April and early May.
In game one, any concern about the series appeared unfounded, as Seattle crushed the Timberwolves by a 108-83 final. The big story was Baker, who broke the playoff hymen (phrase borrowed from Legalize Kemp of the SonicsCentral boards) in a big way, scoring 25 points, grabbing 12 rebounds, and generally dominating the paint against the smallish Minnesota lineup. For game two, Minnesota coach Flip Saunders adjusted in a completely unexpected manner: He went small, inserting Porter into the starting lineup in place of Hammonds to go with a three-guard lineup. The change worked beautifully; Baker was harassed all night by aggressive double-teams and scored only eight points. On the other end, the Timberwolves were too quick; Marbury scored 25, Porter 21, and Mitchell 18 as Minnesota hung tough down the stretch to pull out their first-ever playoff victory by a 98-93 final.
As usual, the question marks set in for Sonics fans. The Karl-era Sonics had always had trouble in the first round, and also struggled with smallball despite their own playoff lineup change, inserting Kersey at center in place of McIlvaine. Could they pull out a win in Minneapolis to bring things back to Seattle for game five? I wasn't so sure.
In game three, Baker adjusted to the Minnesota defense, scoring 17 points and grabbing 12 boards. But his teammates -- especially on the perimeter -- did not give him enough help in a 98-90 Wolves victory that was built on the back of three-pointers. The Wolves made 10 of 21, the Sonics just four of 19. For the second straight year, Seattle would face an elimination game on the road in the first round.
The Sonics were saved by their backcourt. Hawkins, breaking out of a series-long slump, and Payton each had 24 points and Hawkins made key free throws down the stretch as the Sonics ingored a raucous Target Center crowd to close out a narrow 92-88 victory. By that point, things had gotten testy between the teams -- Hammonds received a technical in a second-quarter skirmish that would prove costly when Minnesota's Williams came slightly onto the court from the bench, drawing an automatic suspension for game five, and even the normally mild-mannered Hawkins received a technical.
So, for the second straight year and the fourth time in the Karl era, the Sonics would face a decisive game five in KeyArena. Back home, I felt confident about the Sonics' chances. Minnesota had played a fantastic series, but their time seemed to be up.
After the first half, I was no longer quite as confident. Behind sharp outside shooting by Peeler, earning his current nickname -- 'Seattle Slew' -- with five three-pointers in the first half en route to 28 for the game, the Timberwolves come out strong and took a three-point lead to halftime. In a decisive third quarter, the Sonics answered with outside shooting of their own. Hawkins, finishing with 24 for the second straight game, made three consecutive triples in the period as the Sonics built a seven-point lead by quarter's end. His backcourt-mate, Payton, was spectacular, scoring 29 points on 10 of 17 shooting. They youthful Wolves could not answer, with Garnett and Marbury combining for 14 points on five of 21 from the field. In the end, the Sonics were too good and too experienced, finishing off pesky Minnesota with a 97-84 victory.
Next up for the Sonics would be the Los Angeles Lakers, who posed the unique challenge of a lineup which included not one, not two, not three, but four All-Stars. The true center of attention was, of course, Shaquille O'Neal, in his second season as a Laker. O'Neal missed 22 regular-season games because of an abdominal muscle injury, but was still his dominant self when playing, bringing better than 28 points and 11 rebounds a night. O'Neal's right-hand man was shooting guard Eddie Jones, an all-NBA quality defender who added 17 points a night on the other end. And then there was the chosen one. In his second season out of high school, Kobe Bryant scored 15 points per game as a reserve swingman and was the West's starting shooting guard in the All-Star game -- starting ahead of the player, Jones, he backed up in games that counted. In the game itself, Bryant created controversy by trying to dominate the ball, scoring 18 points but irking veterans like Utah's Karl Malone. The final All-Star was point guard Nick Van Exel, a reduced part of the Los Angeles offense who continued to provide 14 points and seven assists per night. Rounding out the starting five for the Lakers were small forward Rick Fox, a strong defender brought in from Boston as a free agent, and power forward Robert Horry, a part of Houston's two championship runs who was generally a rebounder and defender for the Lakers.
Off the bench, the Lakers had two others besides Bryant to round out their eight-man rotation. Rookie point guard Derek Fisher started 36 games in Van Exel's absence, providing solid playmaking and strong three-point shooting. Veteran underachiever Elden Campbell capably backed up on the inside, scoring double-figures and grabbing nearly six boards in 22 minutes per game.
It was a formidable crew, but the Sonics had been successful against the Lakers, beating them three times out of four, a feat that would allow them home-court advantage in the series. The key was not holding Shaq in check; the Big Fella had averaged 30 a game against the Sonics and had extra motivation to beat them ever since Karl had angered him with double- and triple-teams during the 1994 All-Star game. None of the Lakers' other key players, however, matched their regular-season average in scoring against the Sonics.
Game one was tight heading to the fourth quarter, when the Sonics, buoyed by a boisterous home crowd, completely dominated to get an easy 106-92 victory. The Seattle backcourt continued its strong play from the end of the Minnesota series, with Hawkins scoring 20 points and Payton 25. O'Neal had 27, but had little help from his teammates. Bryant, with just four points, particularly struggled as the Sonics took a 1-0 lead in the best-of-seven.
Two days later, the Lakers demonstrated that they could make the critical adjustments. Playing without Bryant, ill with the flu, Los Angeles went big and frustrated an inept Sonic offense in a game that was never close. Seattle set a franchise playoff record for least points scored with 68, the fifth-lowest total to date of any NBA playoff game. After shooting 48% in the first quarter, the Sonics were abysmal, making only a quarter of their shots in allowing the Lakers to claim the home-court advantage.
In game three, the Sonics successfully adjusted on offense, but failed to concoct a defense that could slow O'Neal and company. The result? A 119-103 shootout victory by the Lakers. Three Sonics had at least 20 points -- Schrempf (26), Payton (22), and Baker (20) -- but it was not enough firepower. O'Neal continued his domination of McIlvaine and Baker, powering through double-teams for 30 points and 10 rebounds. When he couldn't score, he kicked it out to Jones (29 points), Van Exel (22), or Horry (17). As a team, Los Angeles made seven threes and was lethal from the perimeter in putting the Sonics down 2-1 for the third straight playoff series (Phoenix and Houston in '97, Minnesota the round before).
By this point, I wasn't real optimistic about the Sonics' chances, but hoped they could quickly make the necessary adjustments and take game four to reclaim home-court. It didn't happen. The Sonics thought about switching to single-coverage against Shaq, but decided to continue doubling him, to little effect. O'Neal still had 39 points, making an astounding 15 of 20 shots. When the double came, Jones was wide open on the perimeter to better his game three with 32 points on 12 of 21 from the field. The Lakers didn't run away and hide during the game, but the Sonics never were quite able to get within a couple of possessions or have a chance to win.
So they headed home down 3-1 and on the verge of elimination, bruised and battered both mentally and physically, having lost three straight games for the first time all season. As a fan, my only hope at this point was that the Sonics would at least force the series back to Los Angeles and avoid being eliminated at home, with me in attendance. A game seven seemed entirely too much to ask, though the previous year the Sonics had managed to force win despite falling behind 3-1 to Houston. The domination was nowhere near as complete in that series, however.
Even avoiding elimination at home, however, was too much to ask for the Sonics. The Lakers stormed out of the gate in the first quarter, leading 29-13. The Sonics got to within three in the second quarter, getting the crowd back into the game, but could never get over the hump and limped through the final half of their season. A 110-95 final made the end of the season -- and perhaps an era -- apparent.
There were surely positives to be taken from the season. The Sonics had won 61 games and their third straight Pacific Division championship, all the while integrating Vin Baker into the system. But the disappointing end to the season had, as usual, left more questions than answers. The big question mark entering the off-season was coach George Karl, whose contract had expired with the final buzzer of game five. Karl's battle with Wally Walker had escalated throughout the past years, and it was questionable whether Walker would bring back the coach with the best winning percentage in franchise history.
Changes were also in store on the court. Nate McMillan had long since announced that his 12-year NBA career was over, with a possible transition from player to coach awaiting. I personally felt he should become coach if Karl left, a possibility that did not leave me entirely disappointed. After all, though the Sonics had been successful, they had suddenly become one of the league's oldest teams, with little apparent prospect for the future aside from their youthful stars, Payton and Baker. Baker too had raised questions, blamed by many for the Sonics' failings against the Lakers. Despite 28 points in game five, Baker ended the playoffs third on the team in scoring with a 15.8 average that was a far cry from his regular season performance. On the other end of the floor, he had been thrown around like a rag doll by O'Neal.
The Sonics had seven impending free agents -- Greg Anthony, James Cotton, Stephen Howard, Jerome Kersey, Sam Perkins, Aaron Williams, and David Wingate. The Sonics' core would likely return intact with or without Karl, but the bench would almost certainly have an entirely different look.
The first question was resolved soon after the season ended. On May 26, Walker announced that Karl's contract would not be renewed. It wasn't quite firing Karl . . . but it was close.
1997-98 stats
