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They say that the camera adds 15 pounds. Well, it also brings out the best in the Seattle SuperSonics.
Playing on national television for the first time all season, the Sonics demonstrated to a TBS audience that they can play with the big boys by dispatching the Minnesota Timberwolves, 97-83, in KeyArena this evening. Perhaps more aptly, they survived two major scares -- a near-ejection of superstar guard Gary Payton, and a nightmarish second quarter which saw the team outscored 28-10. Both threatened sure defeat. Near the close of the first quarter, it seemed that Payton would be ejected from the game when he and Minnesota guard Anthony Peeler were whistled for an apparent double technical foul for jawing with each other. Payton, who had picked up a technical foul just three and a half minutes into the game for angrily arguing a call, would be forced out if the technical stuck, a fact of which he quickly informed official Michael Smith. After a referee huddle, the decision was changed, with Peeler being assessed a technical, and Payton's rescinded. The decision naturally infuriated the visitors, causing star Timberwolves forward Kevin Garnett to leap in the air and coach Flip Saunders to live up to his nickname, pounding the scorer's table in frustration. Payton's absence is no minor factor in a typical game, but tonight the Sonics needed him more than ever due to a sudden rash of injuries at the guard position. Starting shooting guard Brent Barry missed the game with the flu, and reserve point guard Earl Watson already lost for the night -- and likely much longer -- with a separated shoulder. Payton's ejection would have left Seattle coach Nate McMillan in a bind, with only two natural guards, Shammond Williams, who started in Barry's place, and Desmond Mason, along with only eight healthy players. Despite the protests of the Timberwolves, Payton continued to play. For a while, it wasn't quite clear whether that was a good thing or a bad thing. On the fiery right hands of Payton and rookie Vladimir Radmanovic, who established a new career-high with 21 points, the Sonics dominated the first six minutes of the game, leading by as much as a 21-5 count. Predictably, the shooting reversed course afterwards, but the Sonics maintained a 10 point lead entering the second quarter. That's when things went south, with the Wolves opening the quarter on a 9-0 run and taking the lead at 40-39 before half the period had expired. Again, the Sonics' fate was largely attributable to Payton, who shot a miserable 6 of 24 from the field and scored just two points in the second and third quarters. Seattle was confounded by the Minnesota zone defense, a curious result given that the Sonics are normally quite adept from the perimeter and are the NBA's best three-point shooting team. Whatever the reason, the Sonics could not get anything going on offense in the 10-point second quarter, just a bucket off their worst scoring quarter in team history. On the other end, the Sonics were burned by a proficient Minnesota bench, led by the always-tough Anthony Peeler, who is such a noted Sonic-killer that Saunders calls him 'Seattle Slew'. Rarely has he been hotter than he was in the first half, making 7 of 8 shots and scoring 20 points to single-handedly revitalize the Timberwolves' offense. It allowed the Timberwolves to take a lead of eight, 53-45, to the locker room, and when the teams returned, little had changed, with the Sonics again strugling to find an offensive rhythm, allowing the deficit to get as large as 11 points. Midway through the third quarter, Seattle began to turn the game around with defense. Trailing by nine, they got a three pointer from Rashard Lewis, two stops, and another score to cut the lead to four. The KeyArena crowd, dormant for the past quarter and a half, suddenly shook to life, rocking the arena as Minnesota called timeout. A significant difference was that the Sonics finally defended Peeler, confining him to just two attempts -- both misses -- and no points in the second half. On offense, they began to attack the defense, finding the lane for easier baskets and setting up open perimeter jumpers. Payton finally got going with a short jumper from the baseline inside the final minute of the third quarter that tied the game at 66 apiece, and a Radmanovic triple -- one of three on the night -- gave the Sonics a lead of 69-68 entering the final period. Seattle has struggled lately in winning close games at home, odd, given that they are so successful in such situations on the road, and the challenge seemed to increase exponentially when Payton left the game with the Sonics still up one and 11 minutes left. A Sonic lineup that included only one real starter, Rashard Lewis, would have to guard against a shift in momentum. The group was surprisingly effective, improving the lead to as many as six before the Timberwolves rallied. Payton returned with around seven minutes left and the Sonics still up one. They would not look back from that point, as an ensuing Radmanovic steal and layup sparked an 11-0 run that put the game in the bag. Center Jerome 'Freight Train' James added an emphatic exclamation point to the insurmountable lead with a powerful put-back dunk of a Payton miss that made it 94-82 with four minutes left. From that point out, both offenses struggled as the Sonics closed out their second home victory over Minnesota of the season.
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