[5-3] Back to Seattle | Not showing up to play for Mudiay?

[Kevin]

That MS Paint tho . Go sonics

[Lamrock]

SONICS GO 4-3 IN PRESEASON, LOSE CARTER FOR 2 MONTHS



October 26, 2014 - After splitting their first two pre-season games on the road, the Seattle SuperSonics went home to a packed Key Arena to face none other than the Oklahoma City Thunder. The Thunder were, fairly or unfairly booed incessantly over the course of the first half, but jumped out to a 44-39 halftime lead. However, CP3 and Blake Griffin sparked a 14-2 run midway through the third quarter to put the Sonics up four going into the second half. They would hold off the Thunder for a 99-90 win, but it came at a major cost: Vince Carter would miss two months with a broken nose.

With Carter out, the Sonics turned to Jared Dudley as their starting small forward, who was seldom used last season. He scored 20 points in his first start, a 101-88 win over the Bucks, but Seattle lost their next two games. Their pre-season finale saw the Sonics blow out the Dallas Mavericks 111-94, with rookie Shabazz Napier dazzling the home crowd with 17 points and 6 assists off the bench.

Vince Carter is not expected back until mid-December, but the Sonics showed signs of brilliance during pre-season, and Seattle is abuzz with two potential championship-winning sports teams in 2015. Seattle opens the season at home on October 30th, against Kevin Love and the Minnesota Timberwolves.

[Lamrock]

2014-15 SEATTLE SUPERSONICS OPENING NIGHT ROSTER



PG - Chris Paul | Wake Forest | Star | #3
SG - Danny Green | North Carolina | Starter | #4
SF - Jared Dudley | Boston College | Role Player | #9
PF - Blake Griffin | Oklahoma | Star | #32
C - DeAndre Jordan | Texas A&M | Starter | #6



SG - Jamal Crawford | Michigan | Sixth Man | #11
PF/C - Drew Gooden | Kansas | Role Player | #90
PG - Shabazz Napier | Connecticut | Role Player | #13
C - Nazr Mohammed | Kentucky | Bench Warmer | #48
SG - Sean Kilpatrick | Cincinnati | Prospect | #23
C - Kaleb Tarczewski | Arizona | Prospect | #35
PG - Jeremy Pargo | Gonzaga | Bench Warmer | #12



SF/SG - Vince Carter | North Carolina | Starter | #25 - INJURED - Out 4-6 Weeks
F - Steve Novak | Marquette | Bench Warmer | #16

[Lamrock]

Sonics Hold Off Wolves In Triumphant Return
Seattle 93, Minnesota 89 F

Jared Dudley's season high last season was 21 points. Tonight, in his Seattle SuperSonics debut, he scored 23.

In a game which saw Chris Paul struggle with turnovers and Blake Griffin with foul trouble, the heavily favored Sonics had a difficult time with the visiting Minnesota Timberwolves. Fortunately, the three-ball was falling and Kevin Love had a quiet game, allowing Seattle to hold them of down the stretch.

The starting lineups were announced to a standing ovation, and the Sonics responded with an 8-0 run to start the game. However, a well-timed timeout by Flip Saunders helped the Wolves get the game back within 1. Griffin picked up two quick fouls, but fortunately Drew Gooden was filling in admirably. Things went downhill when Nazr Mohammed came in for DeAndre Jordan, allowing Minny to take a 21-14 lead before Dudley sank back-to-back threes.

Kevin Love was unable to get going in the second quarter, but fortunately for them, Ricky Rubio was picking up the slack. Shabazz Napier showed promise in his debut, ultimately scoring 10 points and dishing 6 assists in 13 minutes of action. Sean Kilpatrick and Kaleb Tarczewski however did not see the floor. Thanks to Dudley's four made threes and some solid defense, the Sonics found themselves tied at the half, despite making plenty of errors.

Halftime Tweets

@SonicsBlog Tied at 43 at half, Dudley 16pts
@SonicsArena It's good to be back
@nellieball1940 4 3's for Dudley - could have been an all-star C in my system

Seattle's offense finally came alive in the third quarter. Blake Griffin got on track with a couple epic dunks, and scored 8 of his 11 points in the third, while Paul and Crawford also started to hit shots. Kevin Martin kept Minnesota in the game but the Clippers found themselves up 71-66 going into the fourth.

Seattle's lead would swell to 12 in the fourth quarter, before the Wolves went on a 14-4 run. A timely three pointer by Paul swelled the lead to five, but a Nikola Pekovic dunk put the Wolves within three with 31.4 seconds remaining. Chris Paul dribbled the clock out for 20 seconds before kicking it out to Jamal Crawford who bricked a three. DeAndre Jordan got the rebound however and was immediately fouled. A dismal free throw shooter, he unsurprisingly bricked the first before sinking the second to make the score read 91-87. Ricky Rubio sank a quick layup with 3 seconds to go, but Jamal Crawford sank a pair of free throws to seal the victory.

Chris Paul scored 19 points and dished 7 assists, but his stat line was marred by six turnovers. Jared Dudley led the way for the Sonics with 23, while Ricky Rubio chipped in 18 for Minnesota, with Kevin Martin chipping in 15 as well. The Trail Blazers come to town on the first to renew the I-5 rivalry before the Sonics go on the road for the first time to face Kobe, Marcus Smart and the Lakers.

MIN 23 20 23 23 | 89 - Rubio: 18 pts, 8 asts, 4 rebs
SEA 22 21 28 22 | 93 - Dudley: 23 pts, 7 rebs, 3 asts, 9-14 FG, 5-9 3pt

RECORD: 1-0

[Lamrock]

Sonics' Check-In: Weeks 1-3

November 16, 2014 - The NBA season is two and a half weeks old, and after a slow start, the Sonics have won 3 straight to sit at 5-3. Blake Griffin and Chris Paul have been as dominant as ever, with Blake flirting with triple doubles on a regular basis, and Paul scoring like he did in New Orleans. Seattle was unable to defeat their northwest rival Trail Blazers, but will have two more chances at that later this month. They blew out the dismal Lakers before losing back-to-back games against Memphis and Utah. Despite that, Blake Griffin was rewarded for his efforts with the West player of the week award.

A three game home stand sees the Sonics currently on a short winning streak. Getting revenge against the Jazz in blowout fashion the day after losing at them was the most satisfying moment of the season thus far, with rookie Andrew Wiggins looking in disbelief as he loses his first NBA game. Seattle's home stand will continue against the Suns and Kings before they hit the road. Coach Mike Budenholzer quoted his favorite film "Lincoln" by saying "I like our chances now".

I-5 Rivalry Reignited As Portland Draws First Blood (RECORD: 1-1)
November 1, 2014 - Portland 98 @ Seattle 95
Matthews: 23 pts, 2 rebs, 2 asts; Paul: 27 pts, 6 asts

Sonics Punk Lakers Behind Griffin's 23 (RECORD: 2-1)
November 2, 2014 - Seattle 111 @ Los Angeles 95
Griffin: 23 pts, 8 rebs, 7 asts; Kaman: 17 pts, 15 rebs, 4 blks

Grizzlies Edge Sonics In Overtime (RECORD: 2-2)
November 5, 2014 - Memphis 107 @ Seattle 104 (OT)
Conley: 25 pts, 10 asts, 6 rebs; Griffin: 20 pts, 11 rebs, 9 asts

Jazz Stay Undefeated With Win Over Seattle (RECORD: 2-3)
November 8, 2014 - Seattle 107 @ Utah 121
Wiggins: 16 pts, 4 rebs, 4 asts; Crawford: 19 pts

Blake Griffin Wins West Player of the week!
11/2 - 11/8: SuperSonics: 1-2
Griffin's averages: 24 PPG, 11.3 RPG, 7 APG

Sonics Hand Jazz First Loss In Blowout (RECORD: 3-3)
November 9, 2014 - Utah 76 @ Seattle 97
Griffin: 18 pts, 11 rebs; Burks: 15 pts, 7 rebs, 4 asts

Sonics Exterminate Hornets (RECORD: 4-3)
November 13, 2014 - Charlotte 77 @ Seattle 110
Paul: 25 pts, 9 asts, 3 rebs; Walker: 24 pts, 4 asts

Seattle Blows Out Detroit (RECORD: 5-3)
November 15, 2014 - Detroit 99 @ Seattle 114
Jordan: 15 pts, 10 rebs, 6-7 FG; Josh Smith: 20 pts, 7 rebs, 7 asts

RECORD: 5-3