http://www.insidehoops.com/forum/showthread.php?t=94278
also:
check out this thread from nov 2006 regarding sonic tribute
http://www.insidehoops.com/forum/showthread.php?t=16822
on my 1000th post, i would like to present
some thoughts for your consideration
i discovered these ish forums this past july and have found them to be a
good diversion from work. many of you who post are very impressive in your knowledge of the nba.
i had described myself in one thread as a
"nba purist". what i mean by that is i enjoy
the game for what it is and all that it offers:
the construction of teams for chemistry and how individual skills relate to the good of the club; the physical nature of the game and the incredible athleticism of the players; the simple beauty of a 3-2 or 2-1 fastbreak run well; the high-flying glide of a slamdunk; a well executed crossover, give and go or pick and roll; the mano a mano confrontations on the court; the related drama of good rivals-- especially in the playoffs; the last minutes of a closely fought game; the thrill of a last second shot; the emotions of the fans as well as the players; the glorious feeling when your team walks away a winner.
some
things that i dislike about the nba: selfish play and the eilitism of some players; how money has negatively affected some guys allegiance to their teams; the nba trying to "market" the game and improve its own reputation primarily for financial purposes; owners who disregard communities/cities for their own bottom line; off court distractions such as gun incidents, rape charges, other off court violence
as you can guess,
i am an old school fan. as one of the few here at ish over 40, i kind of enjoy sharing what i have seen from the 70s, 80s and 90s as a way of giving some
historical perspective to various topics. i enjoy reading the discussions comparing players/teams--- especially hall of famers. although i am not the smartest guy in the world, nor am i one-third the stats man that many of you are, i think i have a good handle on the nba and what it is about.
i am an unabashed homer for the seattle supersonics
i grew up with them in seattle and hoops formed me as fan. i also follow the knicks because i thought clyde frazier was just the coolest player back in the day. i follow too and cheer for the clippers since 1985 when i moved to los angeles and couldnt get/afford laker tickets.
but i have always been and always will be a supersonics fan-- no matter where they play!!
Ode to the Sonics
the sonics this year celebrate our 40th anniversary in the league. hopefully, ownership and management can work together to keep the sonics in the seattle area. why cant all those microsoft millionaires step in and work a deal in bellevue/redmond area? i know you are reading this mr gates!
this past sunday, the
sonics honored a number of men who played for the sonics in the past. here is
my take on some of them (in alphabetical order):
ray allen
even though its only been three years, i have enjoyed watching him put up the perfect jumper. next to spencer haywood, we havent had a guy put up points like jesus shuttlesworth and i wish he could put up 30 shots a game
freddy brown
when i was 11 years old, i remember going crazy in front of the tv as freddy scored 30 point by halftime against the warriors. i just kept pacing the living room saying, "i cant believe he has 30 already, i cant believe it" i am sure my folks thought i was nuts. he scored 58 that night and it is still our record. before the three point line existed in the nba, i could swear that there were times when freddy would jack up shots near the hash mark. that is why he i "downtown freddy brown" to us old schoolers
dale ellis
was known as "3D" and was another long range favorite from the late 80s. still is 3rd overall in 3 pters in nba history. with "x-man" and chambers we had some fine clubs in the late 80s. all three put up 20+ ppg. unfortunately, the lakers ruled the west; swept us in the west. conf finals one year
spencer haywood
as a kid, we all wanted to imitate spencer's turnaround jumper from the baseline-- it was just money. he paved the way for players to jump to the nba early with the "hardship rule" from the courts. he was our first real superstar averaging 25/12 a game. i was so disappointed in 1974 when bob lanier got the all star game mvp when spencers numbers from the game were comparable.
dennis johnson
tough, tough defender as well as overall guard in some of our best years 1977-1979 and the mvp of the championship year 1979 and he redeemed himself after going 0-14 from the field in game 7 of the finals, in seattle, in 1978. oh the scars are deep from that game...
shawn kemp
many of you here remember well the "reign man". gave us some of the most vicious dunks recorded. if not for the popularity of mj, shawn was the mvp of the 1996 finals series (to me at least)
rashard lewis
stay in seattle shard--PLEASE-- we want you to retire in the emerald city. quiet, unassuming, gets the job done. like shawn, we have witnessed the maturation of him since he was a kid
xavier mcdaniel
the original "X" (sorry dmx); 20+ scorer and intimidator with a capital I. no one messed with the x-man
nate mcmillan
nate set the rookie record for assists in a game-- 25 in 1987. "mr sonic" showed gp how the game is played in the nba. his leadership was extremely valuable for the sonics over his 12 year career. i still think that if he were fully healthy during the 1996 finals, it would have been a different outcome
gary payton
my favorite all time sonic. gp brought a brashness and take no prisoner attitude to the club in the 90s. favorite moment: 1996 finals, gp picks mj's pocket, streaks down the court and JAMS it through the hoops with mj looking on. i still have that poster. gp is our sure thing hof-er
detlef schrempf
i remember watching him play for centralia h.s. in the state playoffs as the beat odea. we knew he was going to be special. starred with the huskies and indiana. his versatility was an important part of his role as a sonic-- mr dependable
jack sikma
seven year all star for us and his inside pivot was a great pet move (i dont know why more guys dont learn it). we couldnt have won the championship with him. set the league's toughest picks
slick watts
my all time sentimental favorite!! as kids we used to hang outside the coliseum and wait for the players to sign autographs. slick would sign every single one of them and hang around and joke with the crowd. led the league in 1976 in steals and assists. the originator of the headband and bald head look in the nba. we all had headbands in the seattle youth leagues in the mid 70s. slick still lives in seattle and does community appearances
lenny wilkins
i dont remember him as a player (even i was too young!!), just as our championship year coach. calm, unassuming, confident and had the respect of all the players after he turned the team around in 1978 after a 2-17 start under bob hopkins to the nba finals against the bullets. hof-er as a player and a coach
gus williams
"the wizard" was awesome and was the leading scorer on the championship club. one of the scoring point guards from the 70s. we could rely on gus to score when we needed it; averaged 28.6 ppg in the finals
well my friends, there you have some of my nba and sonic thoughts. i hope you enjoyed this 1000th post thread of mine.
i would be interested in hearing your comments-- positive or negative about my own opinions about the nba or the sonics.
i will add an addendum to this thread probably on saturday after a business trip to chicago
peace,
rainier beach = best hood in seattle
poet = believer in the power of words
ps-- do visit the sonic forum and give us a few posts, seems like glove20 and i are the only regulars there.
pss-- i had to remove many pics of some of the sonic players 'cause ish limited me to only ten pics here
Favorite Sonics memories?
