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January 28, 2007

The Answer Finally Comes To C@L (While I'm In The Country)

In which I finally see Allen Iverson play in C@L, albeit in the incorrect uniform

Even though they only won one out of two games (a great finish against the T-Wolves on Friday, following their Tuesday loss to the Nuggets), this was as good a week for the Sonics as they've had in a while. After losing (gulp) their first six games of calendar year 2007, the Supes have won four out of the past five, with their only loss coming in a tight game on Tuesday night against a focused Denver Nuggets team. Though they're still in last place in the Northwest Division (yikes) and nine games under .500, things are, er, sort of looking up? At least they're hustling every night and pretending to care; games have been a pleasure to attend of late, and I'm looking forward to my next trip to Key Arena.

This was also the week that I finally got to see Allen Iverson play in C@L. He was injured when the Sixers came through town last year, and then I was out of the country when he dropped 28 on the Sonics in a rare Sixers win in November. Though I would have preferred to see him in a Sixers uniform, it was still good to see the Answer in person; AI is compelling in person. You just get a much better sense of how much smaller he is than the rest of the dudes out there. Anyhoo, observations from my week with the Sonics:

The AI v BronBron Attendance Challenge: in terms of non-statistical derivations of which player is mas macho w/r/t being a road draw, the Cavs and Nuggets came to town on consecutive Tuesdays, and the Nuggets drew the much better crowd. The Nuggets game was a sellout (17,102) and the Cavs didn't break 16,000. Again, this is on consecutive Tuesdays in January. Thus we must not doubt the awesome marketing mojo of Allen Iverson. Also, for those who've been trying to tell me it was Carmelo Anthony that put those fannies in the seats, well, I'm not buying. Oh, you mean the guy who just came off his suspension for fighting? Yes. That's exactly what the families are there to see.

Speaking Of Melo: when did Carmelo Anthony become such a beast? Was he always this thick? He was a complete monster on the low blocks against the Sonics, pushing people around for his points (34 in total) and doing a pretty decent job of rebounding (9 boards). I had him pegged for more of a finesse/ skill guy, but he was banging in this game. As for how he played with AI, it looked like Iverson was content to let Melo have his shots...though AI managed to get his hands on the ball on most trips.

This Week's Other Superstar Visitor: so I think I finally get the whole "Kevin Garnett is going to strangle one of his teammates in the middle of a game" thing. A couple observations here: (1) while the NBA is filled with freaks of nature, I could be convinced that Garnett is a different species altogether; (2) KG is a unique player, and might not be selfish enough, especially considering (3) the rest of his team is farking horrible; (4) I hate to say this, but he deserves to be traded.

Is It The New (Old) Ball?: Ray Allen dropped 44 and 36 points, respectively, in the two games this week. He was borderline unstoppable against the Nuggets. The Nuggets knew he was getting it every time down in the fourth quarter, and it really didn't matter (22 fourth-quarter points, most of them with two guys' hands in his face). Complete virtuosity out there right now from Ray-Ray, AND YET THERE'S STILL A GOOD CHANCE HE WON'T MAKE THE ALL-STAR TEAM (expect to see that rant in a future posting). The release on his shot (especially from three) is insanely fast right now -- so quick you notice it. We could argue that it's the return of the new ball that's helping a shooter like Ray, but I think it's mostly that he so obviously needs to carry the team right now in Rashard's absence. I hate to be the standard C@L "The Rest Of The Country Doesn't Care About Us" fan, but people really don't get how good Ray Allen is. There. I'm done.

Jelly Belly in the Rookie Challenge: among the things I say every time I go to Key Arena is "I can't believe how skinny Gelabale's legs are." We're talking thin. Not necessarily Keon Clark skinny, but still. That plus the ridiculous hair and the French name, and well, he just doesn't look like a baller. But Jelly Belly (Mickael Gelabale) can play! And he keeps improving! Sonics house blathermonkey David Locke makes a case for including Jelly Belly in the All-Star Rookie Challenge, and I would have to agree (though he isn't the sort of name that gets people excited).

The Panning Out Of Nick Collison?: and I don't just say this because he's on one of my imaginary basketball teams, but Nick Collison is having an excellent month. He's finally getting signficant minutes, and he's responding well -- lots of banging inside, dirty rebounds, and putback points. Nick, you can make a career out of that. Rebounds are good. Keep doing that.

Andre Brown To Stay!: good for the ten-day-contract guy, he gets to hang around the bigs for the rest of the season. Of course, he was kind of a goober in his first game with the contract, but whatever. He's big and fast and hustles. The Sonics need that.

Happy Birthday Squatch: it's Squatch's birthday tonight at Key Arena against the Clippers. Huh. I guess Squatch has the same birthday as my mom.

My Favorite Thing About Key Arena Of Late: I can't get enough of item of the game at the Sonics Team Shop. Every night there's some gear on deep discount at the team store. I picked up a very cool hat this week for $6. I need to make that more of a habit. No comment in re: why they're doing this (maybe it'll be tougher to sell team merch that says C@L when you're based in Oklahoma?).

My Least Favortie Thing About Key Arena: so you cut off on the free roster sheets. Okay. Fine. But I don't remember the team cheaping out on the concession stands like this last year. At this point, unless it's a weekend game, half the concession stands on the second level are closed. On Tuesday night, a SELLOUT, this was extremely uncool. I waited half a quarter for a beer on a ridiculously long line. Someone needs to try a little harder.

Overall Sonics attendance record: 7-3.

Posted by thatkid at January 28, 2007 1:43 PM under Sonics

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