It is late, I've been busy, and the Ambien is starting to settle in.
On a serious note Happy Holidays to all of you. I feel pretty special to have an extended family of Sonics fans. I'm sorry I haven't been participating much lately but I'm trying to play catchup with my family and business both of which deserve some attention. Basketball is important but not everything.
So here is my question of the day: Do you go into every game expecting the team to lose?
I ask you that because a couple of weeks ago it was starting to become really, really obvious how long this season was going to become. We had started the year right around 2-12 and it was just brutal. I really braced myself for having no interest whatsoever despite the fact that the Sonics seemed to be playing hard and "in the game" pretty frequently.
Fast forward to today, the Sonics have won 3 of the last 5 or 4 of the last 7 whichever makes you happier. If you look at their remaining schedule matchups against the T-Wolves, Blazers, and 76ers give them a pretty legitimate shot of going .500 for the month of December. Honestly that is pretty spectacular.
I see a lot of grittier and tougher play than I have in seasons past. Despite the really tough start there are moments when you can see the plan. Watching the game with Scott today there was a moment in the second quarter when one of our men committed a hard foul as the Knicks drove to the basket. In addition to the tough foul Nick Collison jumped up and swatted the shot not just a deflection, but with a bit of nasty right back in his face. It was the second such tough, nasty play in a couple of minutes and I turned to Scott and said "this is what I'm talking about." The little stuff that doesn't show in the box score but wears them down. The Spurs do it constantly and now the Sonics do it a little too. "At some point" I said, "That type of play takes its toll." On the very next possession the Knicks came down and bricked an air ball.
So to answer my own question I don't really expect them to lose right now . I actually expect them to be pretty competitive and that is what holds my interest. That and Kevin Durant.
I posted a while back that LeBron James started something like 1-9 his rookie year and then fought to a respectable win total somewhere around 37 games. Durant, and this team are getting better. It's fun to be a part of.