Seattle Supersonics Information

It's a new era in Seattle with NBA journeyman Bob Weiss at the helm of the Supersonics. The core of last year's playoff team is still hanging out at the Key Arena. Ray Allen is dropping three-pointers in record fashion. Rashad Lewis is continuing his rise to elite status, and gritty point guard Luke Ridnour is rapidly becoming a favorite of Supersonics ticket holders. That threesome is looking to put the Super back in Sonics and add to the storied history of NBA basketball in Seattle.

The Seattle Supersonics entered the NBA as an expansion team in 1967. Like most new teams entering the NBA, the Supersonics took awhile to get their feet planted firmly. In fact, it wasn't until 1975 that Seattle would find itself in the NBA Playoffs. That first trip into the post-season started well, with the Supersonics besting the Detroit Pistons in three straight games, but the foray into the NBA afterlife ended in the second round with the Supersonics falling to the Golden State Warriors who went on to win the NBA Championship.

Things got cooking for Seattle in 1977. The Supersonics underwent a massive overhaul for the 1977-78 season. First, Bob Hopkins was installed as the new head coach. The Seattle brain trust then signed a slew of new players in Paul Silas, Gus Williams, and Marvin Webster. The Supersonics failed to perform as expected and Hopkins lasted only 22 games into the season. After Larry Wilkens was hired to replace Hopkins, the Supersonics took off like the Concorde. Putting together a six game winning streak and going 12-1 under Wilkens, the Supersonics made the playoffs and took the NBA by surprise. The first victim was the Los Angeles Lakers whom Seattle dispatched in just three games. The defending NBA Champion Portland Trail Blazers were next. Although Portland pushed the series to six games, Seattle knocked them off with a 105-94 win to move on to the Western Conference Finals pitted against the Denver Nuggets. Six games later, Seattle was in the NBA Finals. The Washington Bullets ended the Supersonics hopes by claiming the NBA Title after a hotly fought seven game series.

Back again the next year, Seattle notched a division championship with a 52-30 record. After knocking off the Lakers again, the Supersonics had to rebound from a Game 5 loss that put them down 3-2 in the series. In Game 6 they did just that, stealing a 106-105 win and sending the series back to Seattle for a decisive 7th game. Gaining an early lead and holding it gave Seattle the western Conference Championship and sent the Supersonics on to the NBA Finals and a rematch with the Washington Bullets. It was a different story this year as the Supersonics closed out the series in Seattle after five games to win their first NBA Championship.

When will the next championship banner be hung in the Key Arena? If Allen, Lewis and Ridnout have any say in the matter, it will be sooner than later. But first the Sonics must prove to NBA that they can compete with the elite teams like the San Antonio Spurs and Detroit Pistons of the league. It starts in the tough Northwest Division of the Western Conference, where Weiss' talented bunch will have to deal with Kevin Garnett and the Minnesota Timeberwolves and Carmelo Anthony and the exciting Denver Nuggets.