Ah, is there anything finer in all of sports then one game where the winner advances and the loser goes home? It's the beauty of the NCAA Tournament and the Super Bowl, but neither of those events also are the culmination of two weeks of hard-fought battle between two teams who, by this point, don't like each other very much.

All the old cliches apply in a game five. "There is no tomorrow." "It all comes down to this." "This is for all the marbles." But there's a reason these phrases have become cliches -- they are the truth. Come game five, any concerns about saving players or resting them must be ignored. There is little question in my mind that Gary Payton will play 48 minutes tonight if the game is close; I would expect nothing different from Tim Duncan.

There's something unusual about this game for both Duncan and David Robinson. Neither has ever played in a game five before. San Antonio has not played a deciding game five since the 1985 playoffs, when they lost to the Denver Nuggets. In fact, the Spurs have not played a deciding game five or game seven in a later playoff series since 1990, when they lost to the Portland Trail Blazers 4-3 in the conference semis.

That seems a little odd to us Sonics fans, for whom game fives have become a downright regular thing. No need to even put that 'if necessary' on the schedule. 10 times during Gary Payton's 12-year career has he gone to the playoffs with the Sonics. Seven of those times the first round series has ended in a game five: 1991, 1993, 1994, 1997, 1998, 2000, and now 2002. Four of those times, the Sonics have had home court. They've won three of those. Three times they've gone on the road; they've lost all three. As well, Payton has played four game sevens during his career.

Payton, therefore, has plenty of game five experience. His teammates don't have nearly as much. Brent Barry and Vin Baker are the only two active players left from the Sonics' 2000 series with Utah now that Rashard Lewis has gone out with a dislocated sholder. Baker also was with the Sonics in 1998, when they beat Minnesota. That's it. Randy Livingston was a starter for Phoenix when they beat a Duncan-less Spurs during the 2000 playoffs, but that series obviously did not go five. Jerome James was on the roster of the 1999 Kings, who also took Utah five, but did not play.

On the other side, there is some deciding game experience, even if the team itself has not been involved. Steve Smith's Blazers lost the seventh game of the 2000 Western Conference Finals to the Lakers. In 1996, he and the Atlanta Hawks won game five in Indiana to advance to the second round, and they beat Detroit at home in the same situation the next year. Smith's last year in Atlanta saw the Hawks beat the Pistons again in a game five situation. Going back to his first NBA stop, Miami, Smith lost a deciding game five to his future team in 1994.

Amongst the other starters, rookie point Tony Parker will obviously be making his first appearance in a deciding game. But small forward Bruce Bowen spent the 2000 playoffs with a Miami team that went seven before losing to New York in the conference semis. Robinson's replacement for two games, relegated back to the bench, Malik Rose, has never seen a deciding game. Nor has top reserve Antonio Daniels, who has only played in the postseason with San Antonio.

However, the other three key players in reserve for the Spurs are battle-tested in the playoffs. Guard Terry Porter and center Mark Bryant both were key members of the Portland Trail Blazers during their glory days of the early-90's. Porter's deciding game experience includes two game fives -- 1991 and 1998 -- against the Sonics. However, he has only faced one other game five -- Miami's 1999 upset by New York -- and just one game seven. Like Porter, Bryant has already played two game fives against the Sonics, with his non- Portland appearence with Phoenix in 1997. Bryant was on the Dallas roster during their game five defeat of Utah last season, but did not play. Although reserve forward Danny Ferry saw many playoff appearences with the Cleveland Cavaliers, he played in only one game five and one game seven during that time.

Last night, we saw a pair of Eastern conference game five battles. New Jersey needed two overimes to hold off Indiana after a miraculous buzzer-beater (or did it?) by Reggie Miller tied things up at the end of regulation. Miller's clutch three and the play of Jason Kidd throughout the fourth quarter and both overtimes demonstrated anew what veteran players are supposed to do in such situations. And I have little doubt that Payton will hold up his end of the bargain if the Sonics are able to stay close. Let me say this -- if tonight's game is half as intense as Indiana-New Jersey, we will be in for a real treat regardless of the outcome.

Likewise, a seesaw affair between Detroit and Toronto went down to the final seconds. Unfortunately, we Sonics fans should note that it is something less than a coincidence that, in the face of adversity, the home team was able to triumph in both game fives.

With the knowledge now in hand that Duncan and Robinson will play, the San Antonio home crowd in the Alamaodome will be nuts to begin the game. It is absolutely imperative that the Sonics are able to weather this storm and maintain contact. Although Seattle was able to overcome a 14-point deficit after one quarter of game two, counting on a similar comeback would be foolish.

After the initial emotional rush, the Sonics must respond with a brief run of their own. I see this as bringing an eight-point deficit or so down to two or, hopefully, none, heading into the second quarter. I expect the second-quarter to be back and forth, with neither side capable of really sustaining any run or taking momentum. I also expect the game to slow down during quarter number two, much the same as last night's Indiana-New Jersey game. Optimistically, this will take the crowd out of the game. Just like games one and two, I expect game five to go to halftime tight.

The third quarter is where my crystal ball begins to lose its power. There are two divergent possibilities:

Optimistic scenario: While San Antonio repeatedly threatens to run away with the game behind a continued strong effort from a motivated Duncan, the Sonics are able to keep the game close. Vladimir Radmanovic provides a surprising offensive threat for the second straight game to complement Payton and make the Spurs think twice about double-teaming.

Pessimistic scenario: The crowd and Spurs are again fired up to start the second half. When Vin Baker and Jerome James prove incapable of defending Duncan one-on-one, the Sonics are forced to double- team in desperation. Tony Parker and Bruce Bowen, left alone on the perimeter, nail a series of three pointers that only serve to make the crowd louder. The Sonics, struggling to score, panic and began shooting too quickly. This allows the Spurs to get out on the break, with Parker displaying his phenomenal skill in the open court.

I can see either scenario. In my opinion, the third quarter is the most important one for the Sonics in determining whether this game is close or not. If the fourth quarter begins with the outcome in doubt, I feel this game will come down to the final minutes, if not the final seconds. The other possibility is . . . well, you watched games one and three, didn't you?

What happens in the closing moments of a close game is anyone's guess. Such a scenario is, I think, all the Sonics can realistically aspire to tonight -- having a shot to win at the end. Actually winning in that situation is gravy.

One thing that will benefit the Sonics is a timely and intelligent adjustment to the way the game is being refereed. While I personally feel that the comments of color commentators like Hubie Brown about the importance of this sometimes tend to give free reign to the referees, and take any blame out of their hands, taking advantage of indirect aspects of the game like this can make the difference between playing on or going home for the summer. I seriously doubt that the referees will permit much flopping in this game, similarly to game three. Mason, who drew three charges in game four, will have to play straight-up defense and not resort to the flop, or he risks foul trouble.

Emotions should also run high during game five. We saw a pair of skirmishes during game four, with a total of five technicals doled out and Bryant ejected from the game. Another fight during game four would come as no great surprise from me, and Seattle players must use their heads. For example, during the melee that precipitated Bryant's ejection, he and Mason were involved. If both get ejected, who benefits? The Spurs, despite their big man woes; Mason is far more valuable to his team. If a similar situation occurs in game five, the Sonics must avoid taking the bait.

In the end . . . San Antonio by 12.