|
|||
|
The Seattle SuperSonics have been searching all season long for a hero to step up in the final minutes of
close games, as the team has struggled down the stretch, especially at home. Tonight, they found two
unlikely heroes in beating the Charlotte Hornets 92-89 in overtime at KeyArena.
The first looked more likely to be a goat than a savior. Desmond Mason struggled all night long both physically and mentally. In addition to making just one of his six tries from the field, the normally mild- mannered Mason committed a potentially costly flagrant foul early into the fourth quarter and was involved in a mini-skirmish with Charlotte's Jamaal Magloire that resulted in a double foul and a double technical foul, nearly costing the Sonics a critical possession inside the final two minutes. All of that was forgotten with seven seconds left when the Sonics trailed by just two with possession. Seattle appeared to try to run an inbounds play which would lead to a Mason dunk which they used successfully several times last season. When this was foiled, Gary Payton took the ball and tried to create. He forced an off-balance three that bounded off the rim, but Mason positioned himself for the rebound and tipped it home with his left hand simultaneously with the buzzer. Tie game. Overtime. Which was basically just another chance for another player who started the game on the bench. If you would have tried to describe before the week the process which would hae resulted in Shammond Williams ending up a key stretch contributor by tonight's game, a few calculus equations might have been required. As it turned out, the necessary formula involved an injury to Earl Watson on Tuesday night against Minnesota, an twisted ankle by Vladimir Radmanovic down the stretch of the game, and Brent Barry fouling out. All that left Williams, who had played only 368 minutes in the season to date, on the court for overtime. With the score tied under a minute, Williams got the call, responding with a drive into the lane and a six-foot floater to give the Sonics they would not relinquish, thanks in no small part to Williams making three of four free throws in the final 15 seconds. With three minutes left in regulation, all the stars were wearing Charlotte jerseys. After the Sonics had held the lead and control of the game throughout, they relinquished it in the fourth quarter, while remaining in contact. However, Charlotte continued to pour it on as the Sonic offense stalled, and a Baron Davis layup gave the Hornets their largest lead of the game -- 10 points, 85-75. In nine minutes, the Sonic offense had produced but three baskets, leaving them perilously close to the team's record low for points scored in a quarter. From there, the Sonics found their second gear and cut into the lead. First, Barry drove the lane and missed his first try in the lane, but kept battling and was fouled on a second attempt, making both tries. After Jamaal Magloire was unable to convert a pair of chances inside the lane, one a missed dunk, the Sonics took momentum when Barry drove coast-to-coast for a layin in traffic that cut the lead to six. The Sonic crowd, noticeably absent most of the game, as if sitting on their hands waiting for something worth cheering, roared to life while Charlotte coach Paul Silas took timeout. The Hornets inbounded to Davis, who faced the full defensive sound and fury of Payton, drawing the latter a quick personal foul which was not his plan. Davis missed the first attempt, then bricked the second. As the Sonics recovered, a tussle developed between Mason and Magloire, who were fighting for position. The referees instantly attempted to intervene by calling a double foul, but the two combatants, forgetting the situation's import, jawed at each other, drawing a double technical. The significant result for the Sonics was that their defensive board was nullified, with Rashard Lewis and Magloire instead facing off in a jumpball at centercourt. Lewis, a better jumper than the also 6-10 Magloire, won the tip, but pushed the ball too hard towards where owner Howard Schultz is typically seated on the sideline. Enter Radmanovic, who threw himself with reckless abandon, saving the ball but coming down limping with an apparently sprained ankle (x-rays will be taken tomorrow to determine the injury's severity). The teams traded misses, with the clock -- Charlotte's biggest ally -- ticking under a minute with the Sonics still down six and the hopes of comeback looking remote at best. Eschewing a three-point attempt, Payton drove the lane and was fouled. However, he missed one of the shots, leaving Seattle down five and desperately clinging to life. They received their first break when Williams was able to pry a loose ball away from Charlotte. Lewis got free momentarily in the corner, but after mishandling the pass had a hand in his face when he made a three to cut the lead to two, 85-83. Suddenly, the game was very interesting. The Sonics' second break came when Davis, an All-Star despite his meager free throw shooting ability, clanked both attempts for the second straight time at the line, giving the Sonics not only a chance to tie, but an opportunity to win in regulation. After Mason's tip made the most of that opportunity, the game stalled in overtime, with neither defense giving an each and the referees allowing for more physical play. Nearly two minutes in, Jamal Mashburn, who was the focal point of the Hornet offense throughout the fourth quarter and overtime, made a lengthy jumper to give Charlotte the lead. Seattle answered with two Payton free throws, and Williams finished it out with his drive -- the Sonics' only field goal in a victorious overtime -- and three free throws, giving the Sonics back-to-back home wins for the first time since mid-January.
|
