polandprzem
05-18-2005, 01:25 PM
Lenny Wilkens -- May 16
Sonics Surge; Bowen Is Not A Dirty Defender
With the series tied at 2-2, the Sonics are playing great basketball and they could make it to the Western Conference Finals.
How have they bounced back to tie this series at two games apiece? First of all, the Sonics are going to be a little more comfortable playing in front of their home crowd. When they were down 2-0, they kind of had their backs to the wall.
So, they came out and played tough on their home court. I thought they were able to steal that first game because San Antonio was atrocious from the foul line. They only won the game by one point.
Now, they come back in the second game in Seattle and they are really feeling confident because a lot of the things they did, they were successful with. The screen-and-roll was very effective and they put pressure on San Antonio and made it really difficult for them. And, of course, Ray Allen is incredible. He set a fantastic pace for the team.
It is a huge confidence builder that they won without All-Star Rashard Lewis in Game 4. Seattle feels really good about this. They feel if Rashard comes back, it will make them that much stronger.
When a key player is out, sometimes that is a great opportunity for someone else to step up and guys did step up. They started Antonio Daniels and he played terrific out there. Luke Ridnour had a great game. He played very well. Damien Wilkins came in and brought a lot of energy for them. That said, the pace was set by Ray Allen and everybody fed off of it.
There are not a whole lot of things San Antonio can do differently in Game 5. They could start Manu Ginobili. That way, it forces Ray to focus on Ginobili, where I think, in Game 4, he did not have to worry about anything. He focused on his offense and that kind of set a tone for everybody. San Antonio has to get after Seattle right away. They cannot let Seattle set the pace of the game. They have to set it. But these are decisions that Coach Gregg Popovich will have to decide upon.
An interesting subplot to this series is all the talk about Bruce Bowen being a dirty player. I do not buy into that hype. He is a good defensive player. He is going to come out and make you work hard. He is not going to give you anything easy and that is the way it should be. You should have to earn everything you get. The guy plays hard and he knows the Spurs are dependant on him playing good defense. That is how he earned his minutes.
Seeing the fans excited again means a lot to mean, having played and coached in Seattle. This is a good sports town and it is great to see fans out there, enthusiastic and getting behind their team. It really helps the players.
These guys come out and they see that and all of a sudden they get a little bit of a lift out there on the floor. That is the way it should be. Seattle has always been a great sports town. It's now a best two out three series. There will be at least one more game returning to KeyArena.
Sonics Surge; Bowen Is Not A Dirty Defender
With the series tied at 2-2, the Sonics are playing great basketball and they could make it to the Western Conference Finals.
How have they bounced back to tie this series at two games apiece? First of all, the Sonics are going to be a little more comfortable playing in front of their home crowd. When they were down 2-0, they kind of had their backs to the wall.
So, they came out and played tough on their home court. I thought they were able to steal that first game because San Antonio was atrocious from the foul line. They only won the game by one point.
Now, they come back in the second game in Seattle and they are really feeling confident because a lot of the things they did, they were successful with. The screen-and-roll was very effective and they put pressure on San Antonio and made it really difficult for them. And, of course, Ray Allen is incredible. He set a fantastic pace for the team.
It is a huge confidence builder that they won without All-Star Rashard Lewis in Game 4. Seattle feels really good about this. They feel if Rashard comes back, it will make them that much stronger.
When a key player is out, sometimes that is a great opportunity for someone else to step up and guys did step up. They started Antonio Daniels and he played terrific out there. Luke Ridnour had a great game. He played very well. Damien Wilkins came in and brought a lot of energy for them. That said, the pace was set by Ray Allen and everybody fed off of it.
There are not a whole lot of things San Antonio can do differently in Game 5. They could start Manu Ginobili. That way, it forces Ray to focus on Ginobili, where I think, in Game 4, he did not have to worry about anything. He focused on his offense and that kind of set a tone for everybody. San Antonio has to get after Seattle right away. They cannot let Seattle set the pace of the game. They have to set it. But these are decisions that Coach Gregg Popovich will have to decide upon.
An interesting subplot to this series is all the talk about Bruce Bowen being a dirty player. I do not buy into that hype. He is a good defensive player. He is going to come out and make you work hard. He is not going to give you anything easy and that is the way it should be. You should have to earn everything you get. The guy plays hard and he knows the Spurs are dependant on him playing good defense. That is how he earned his minutes.
Seeing the fans excited again means a lot to mean, having played and coached in Seattle. This is a good sports town and it is great to see fans out there, enthusiastic and getting behind their team. It really helps the players.
These guys come out and they see that and all of a sudden they get a little bit of a lift out there on the floor. That is the way it should be. Seattle has always been a great sports town. It's now a best two out three series. There will be at least one more game returning to KeyArena.