Ground Control to Major Payton...

Opponent File
Seattle SuperSonics
The Sonics play in the Key Arena in Seattle, Sonics. Their 2001 - 2002 record was 45 - 37 (fourth in the Pacific). What did Joe and Champy have to say about the Blazers in their preseason previews? Read it here. Here is the Seattle SuperSonics Roster. Here is ESPN.com's Sonics vs. Nets stat comparison (the Nets best the Blazers in 20 of 34 stat categories).

Local Paper
Seattle Post-Intelligencer | Sonics
Seattle Times | Sonics/NBA
Team Pages:
CNNSI.com | Sonics
ESPN.com | Sonics
NBA.com | Sonics
The Sporting News | Sonics
Sportsline.com | Sonics

Head Coach: Nate McMillan
2002 Draft: Peter Fehse, PF (SV Halle, Germany), selected at #49.
New Players: Kenny Anderson, G (trade from Boston). Joseph Forte, G (trade from Boston). Vitaly Potapenko, C (trade from Boston).
Season Goal: Get the Glove a championship before he breaks down or retires.
Record vs. Nets: 0 - 0
Other Opponent Files

Projected Midwest Division Standing:
Chris Carrino: 5
Champagne: 7
Frank DiGraci: 5
Ian Eagle: 5
Joe Netsfan: 4

Seattle SuperSonics (9 - 8) - Sunday, December 1, 2002, 9:00pm EST - Key Arena
Space Oddity
Something strange going on near the Space Needle in Seattle? At least one of your hosts in this space, Champagne, cannot believe that the Sonics are competitive, let alone playing with a better than .500 record. Although, the Sonics, after opening the season winning 8 out of 10, like Joe thought, they have now lost 6 of their last 7, more like Champagne's pick. So which oddity will we see tonight? The winners, led by Gary "The Glove" Payton, Jason Kidd's one-time mentor, Rashard Lewis, Desmond Mason, and Brent Barry, or the losers, with folks like Kenny Anderson and Vitaly Potapenko, both acquired from Boston and banged up (Potapenko has yet to make his debut with the Sonics and is on injured reserve)? Can the Sonics take advantage of a tired and injured Net squad and send them screaming into outer space, or at least a loss? Or will the Nets play like Spiders from Mars and sting the reeling Seattle squad?

Medic Alert - Not a pretty sight last night, watching Kerry Kittles wincing in pain after having Jason Collins inadvertently fall backwards on to him. It wasn't his surgically repaired right knee, however, it was his left that was hurting (they're calling it a bruised knee, for now). Add Kittles to the pile of injured Nets - Dikembe Mutombo hurt his wrist in the Clippers game and sat out the win against Portland and Kenyon Martin is still suffering from the broken nose (although his game is suffering more because of the mask he has to wear more than anything else). This is where the Nets depth comes into play, so Lucious Harris, Jason Collins and Aaron Williams have to pick up the slack.

See You in Hell, Dolans: Tonight will be game number 15 lost to the Cablevision/YES mess. Do something about it: Click here.
- Joe

Seattle SuperSonics Cheat Sheet
The Story from Seattle: Even the mentor agrees the apprentice has surpassed him. According to Percy Allen (The Seattle Times), Payton, who was upset over the summer that talk of a "Jason Kidd to Seattle" movement was building thanks to Kidd's friendship with owner (and Starbucks head) Howard Schultz, agrees that Kidd is "one of the league's top guards", according to Allen, but he doubts that Kidd would cash in on that friendship and risk his twenty yea mutual respect for Payton. "Things are going good for him right now and he'd be crazy to leave that," says Payton of Kidd.
Pain Game: Jerome James, C is out 5 to 6 weeks(foot). Vitaly Potapenko, C (knee) is on injured reserve.
Controversy: Kenny "Bad Attitude" Anderson is not happy going from starter in Boston to back-up to Gary Payton in Seattle. Tough titties, says coach Nate McMillan. You wanna work, you stay. Payton himself is angry at owner Howard Schultz for not extending his contract beyond this season. Trouble at the PG.

Archive | Backlash | Bio | Calendar | Champagne's Blog | Diatribe | Game x Game | History | Home | Joe Netsfan's Blog | Media | Opponents | Players | Playoffs | Search | Specials