Monday, December 13, 2004
Sayson: To live and die by the three
By Homer Sayson
Second Overtime
CHICAGO - Even though they were a non-play off team last season, the Sonics were No.1 in the NBA in 3-point shots made, making 720 treys, which is 122 more than second-ranked Sacramento.
This season the Sonics are a much better team, more well rounded, with a quickness in the perimeter, versatility on offense and depth on the bench.
But the Sonics’ early season success remains anchored on their deadly 3-point shooting. Once again Seattle leads the league in that category with Ray Allen sinking trifectas at a 42.3 clip.
Two nights ago Seattle invaded Dallas and beat the Mavericks, 107-102, shooting 38-of-84 (45.3 percent) from the field and connecting 10-of-23 from beyond the arc.
Coming into yesterday’s game, the Sonics held a league-best 17-3 win-loss slate and were the only unbeaten team at home this season. But like the old saying goes, the Sonics, who have lived by the jump shot, die by the jump shot.
In a shocking 98-84 loss to the Celtics at the Key Arena yesterday, the Sonics connected just 5-of-26 from 3-point range. Allen finished with 16 points, six rebounds and five assists, but he missed all 10 attempts from three-land.
At the rate they are going, Seattle will have no problem making the post-season, but to become legitimate title contenders, coach Nate Mcmillan must find a way to generate points inside the paint, especially when the outside shots don’t get to fall.
Meanwhile, the Kings continued their road to recovery after a dismal 1-4 start. Led by Chris Webber’s 26 points and 10 rebounds, Sacramento won for the 13th time in 15 games, this time at the expense of the Indiana Pacers, 97-92, in overtime.
The Kings out-rebounded the Pacers, 47-44, and they nailed 39-of-84 field goals, sending Indiana to its seventh straight loss.
Austin Croshere led the host with 21 points, but it wasn’t nearly enough against a powerhouse Kings team that saw Mike Bibby score 21 points, grab six rebounds and issue five assists.
QUO VADIS, PEJA? Kristofer Adrian Go (reeyan_go@yahoo.com) wonders “what happened to Peja Stojakovic’s plea for a trade? Are there any other teams interested to get him?”
As soon as he realized that the Maloof brothers, who own the Kings, would never trade him, Peja did the smart thing and just went about his business, which is play ball. And play wonderful basketball he did.
After a dismal 1-4 start, when Peja couldn’t hit the ocean from the shore, Sacramento has since rebounded nicely. As of Saturday, the Kings have won 12 of their last 13 games, nibbling at the toes of surging Phoenix (16-3) for the Pacific Division leadership.
Although Chris Webber is having yet another MVP season, Peja remains a focal point of the Kings’ campaign. In 17 games thus far, Peja is leading the Kings in scoring (21 pts). He is also averaging 4.2 rebounds, 1.8 assists and 1.7 steals per game. Peja shoots 44.2 percent from the field, 36.9 from 3-point range and a ridiculous 94.1 from the free-throw line.
Peja has obviously recovered from the disappointment of seeing his pal Vlade Divac depart to LA. And while he is aware that many teams yearn for his services once he becomes a free agent, Peja is content being a King for now and chasing that ever-elusive NBA ring.
LAST WORD. From Glenn Lambujon of Balamban, Cebu City “Why is it that every Monday and Friday mornings here in the Philippines there are only few NBA games played compared to other days? Also, is it safe to say that Kobe is the next Michael Jordan, or should he eat more rice?”
The National Football League (NFL) plays almost all of its regular season games only on Sundays (Monday morning in Cebu). One Monday night and one Thursday night game are also featured weekly. Since the NFL playoffs beckon this time of year, the NBA has wisely avoided conflict of scheduling against America’s most popular sport.
Friday morning in Cebu is Thursday night here in the US, when Ted N. Turner (TNT) Network, a sister station of CNN, features a pair of NBA games that is televised nationally. Because of this national coverage, only few games are scheduled, methinks.
As for Kobe? He needs to buy another cellphone. So he can call someone who cares. (homsay(at)hotmail(dot)com)
(December 13, 2004 issue)
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