Remembering The Sonics
Posted on April 22, 2008 - Filed Under Basketball, Sonics, Sports
The 1990’s were heaven if you were a Sonics fan.
The 94-95 team was amazing with Gary Payton, Shawn Kemp, Detlef Schrempf, Sam Perkins, Hersey Hawkins and Nate McMillan. This is the group that finished the regular season with a 64-14 record and lost to Michael Jordan and the Bulls in six games.
It felt like every game was a highlight reel during those years. It was a time when a dish from Payton to Kemp for a massive dunk could swing momentum in the Sonics favor, often making it a game changing moment.
If Payton and Kemp were not getting it done you could always count on the rest of the team. Sam Perkins would hit a 3-point shot when it counted. Detlef Schrempf would nail the mid range jumper on demand. Hawkins would hit shots from just about anywhere and keep people busy. When it was time for some defense Nate McMillan would come in and shut down opposing players with his frustrating D.
When things got rough, Frank Brickowski would come off the bench and get physical, usually ending in a shoving match, a technical foul and possible bench clearing altercation.
When the team had a huge lead Steve Scheffler would come off the bench to the delight of Seattle fans. Scheffler was a favorite because he always worked his butt off knowing full well he would ride the pine most of the time. His work ethic is something that fans admired and that’s why we would scream so loud when he entered the game.
The rest of the bench consisted of Sherell Ford, Vince Askew, Eric Snow, David Wingate and Ervin Johnson. This was a solid but not spectacular group of players that you could count on to keep the Sonics in the game no matter what the situation was.
This was NBA bliss. 1995 was the year NBA Commissioner David Stern praised the City of Seattle for it’s renovation of Key Arena, saying that we were a model for the rest of the NBA.
Skip ahead…
Today being a Sonics fan means knowing that the team will be leaving either this year or two years from now. It means we wont get to watch the team grow with it’s exciting new and future rookie players who are sure to make an impact with the team a few years down the road. It means not being able to take share my joy in the game of basketball with my new son unless I make the drive down to Portland to catch a Trailblazers game.
With the exception of the fans, there is blood on the hands of everyone involved in the Sonics leaving town.
Howard Schultz is guilty of selling the team to an out of town owner.
Clay Bennett is guilty of being a liar when it came to making a “good faith effort” to keep the team in the Seattle area, and his buddy NBA commissioner David Stern for letting him get away with it.
The City of Seattle for it’s unwillingness to negotiate a new lease for Key Arena the past few years. It is a horrible lease agreement and one that should have been changed a long time ago. I hope Seattle has a fun time trying to find enough events to replace the Sonics home games, and the revenue that all of the people coming to those games brought into the area.
The Governor of Washington State, Chris Gregoire, for not taking action when a new ownership group came to the table with an offer. Her lack of leadership on this issue has been appalling. When you have a weathly group of local investors willing to pay 75% renovation for Key Arena (a Seattle owned building) YOU JUMP AT THE CHANCE to have this done. You just don’t turn an offer like that down.
See ya Seattle Sonics, it’s been a great ride.
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