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‘Supposed to be our shine': former Sonics one game away from NBA finals

By Ashli Blow

Left: Kevin Durant #35 when on Sonics reacts during LA Lakers game on Nov. 27, 2007 (Photo: Stephen Dunn/Getty Images). Right:  Durant #35 of the OKC Thunder reacts against Golden State Warriors in May (Photo: Ronald Martinez/Getty Images). 

By Ashli Blow

As the former Seattle SuperSonics are one game away from the NBA finals, many fans in the northwest are thinking about what could have been for the Emerald City.

Users on social media are taking to Twitter to share their frustration about the former Sonics/current Oklahoma City Thunder’s success in the playoff series against four-time champions Golden State Warriors.

The former Sonics lead the Warriors in the Western Conference.

In the game Sunday, Kevin Durant, Russell Westbrook and the Thunder gave the Warriors as complete a beating as they have experienced during their record-setting season.

Statistician Nate Silver of FiveThirtyEight wrote on Tuesday that the Sonics/Thunder franchise history has hit a high point. A graph based on Elo ratings -- a simple measure of strength based on game-by-game results – shows the ups and downs of the franchise since its first game in 1967.

>> See photos from the Sonics 1979 NBA championship game here. 

From 1993 to 1994, the Sonics had a league-best 63-19 record and the top seed in the West.

Behind third-season head coach George Karl and All-Stars Gary Payton and Shawn Kemp, Seattle scored an average of 105.9 points per game. With the retirement of Michael Jordan prior to the 1993-1994 season, the Sonics were a favorite to win the championship.

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Facing the Denver Nuggets and Hall of Famer Dikembe Mutombo in the first round, the Sonics lost in five games. The Nuggets were the first eight seed to win a playoff series. They lost to the Utah Jazz in the next round.

The SuperSonics left Seattle for Oklahoma City in the summer of 2008.

But the Sonics fan base stays strong in hopes for getting its own team again.

Unfortunately for fans, that vision became a bit blurry after the Seattle City Council voted against a major stepping-stone to a possible arena in the SoDo neighborhood.

By a 5-4 vote, the Seattle City Council rejected arena developer Chris Hansen's request to sell him the part of Occidental Avenue South he needed for the arena.

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Fans energized since Hansen proposed the plan four years ago were shocked.

“I think it's going to be another 20 years now,” said a dejected fan Jason Billingsley.

Maritime unions and the Port of Seattle opposed further encroachment on industrial land in SODO and said arena traffic would slow down Port operations.

Though fans will still don their Sonics jerseys this season, it doesn’t mean their rooting for the OKC’s path to victory.

The Warriors, who took home the championship title last season, could be a flop in this year’s playoff. They must win Game 5 on Thursday in Oakland to keep their season alive.

The Associated Press contributed to this story

Cox Media Group

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