u/JeremyCorneliusBaby

The Los Angeles Clippers have experienced a troubled existence to say the least. Off the court shenanigans aside, success on the court has also constantly eluded the city’s red-headed stepchild. 

They once called Buffalo home, then San Diego, before finally planting roots in Los Angeles in 1984. Many big names have donned the blue jersey, whether it was Bob McAdoo in Buffalo, Bill Walton in San Diego, or any of the following that have passed through L.A in the 2010s: Blake Griffin, Chris Paul, Paul George, Kawhi Leonard…

Regardless of the fact that none of these stars brought the Clippers a championship, the latter group have brought legitimacy to a previously irrelevant franchise. Before 2012, the Clippers had won exactly 1 playoff series dating back to their days in San Diego. 

They were, quite frankly, a joke. 

But for a fleeting moment, they were on the right track. They stepped off the island of misfit toys. They looked weirdly… competent. 

This is the story of the 2006 Los Angeles Clippers. 

A rare moment of genius brings a budding star to Los Angeles

Elgin Baylor is quite remarkable in that not only is he one of the best players, but also one of the worst general managers in NBA history. In fact, the Lakers legend was so poor during his 22-year stint with the Clippers you’d think at any moment he’d Clark Kent-style rip off his shirt to reveal a purple and gold jersey.

But after being gifted the #2 overall pick in 2001, Baylor displayed a rare moment of shrewdness by selecting and trading Tyson Chandler to the Chicago Bulls for Elton Brand. 

Brand had been one of the few bright spots of a hapless Bulls team still trying to find their feet after Jerry Krause took a wrecking ball to their dynasty of the 1990s by averaging 20 points and 10 rebounds in both of his first seasons in Chicago. Unfortunately, this did not lead the Bulls to the playoffs, or even out of the basement of the Eastern Conference. 

And while Chandler would eventually develop into one of the better defensive players of his era, culminating in his winning of the Defensive Player of the Year award in 2012, he would never quite develop much beyond a rim-runner offensively. 

With Brand now leading the Clippers, they showed improvement, almost achieving a .500 record in ‘01-’02. And despite his scoring average dipping to a nick above 18 points per game, Brand even made his first All-Star appearance, becoming the Clippers’ first representative at the game since 1994. 

One way ticket to the middle of nowhere? 

Unfortunately for the Clippers, as often seemed to be the case in this era, they took one step forward and two steps back when they took Chris Wilcox of the National Championship-winning Maryland Terrapins with the 8th overall pick in the 2002 draft, overlooking both Amar’e Stoudemire and Caron Butler who were taken with the following two selections. 

To make matters worse, they slumped in the following season to a 27-55 record, bad enough to land the 6th overall pick in the 2003, but not quite lucky enough to land in the top 5 and have the opportunity to draft one of Lebron James, Carmelo Anthony, Chris Bosh or Dwyane Wade (though given we’re talking about the Clippers, they probably would’ve ended up with Darko Milicic). 

The 2003 off-season could’ve been a disaster for the Clippers, as both Lamar Odom and Brand approached restricted free agency. The notoriously stingy Donald Sterling splurged to match Miami’s 6-year, $82 million offer to Brand (by far the largest contract he had agreed to pay at this point). On the other hand, Odom would eventually land in South Florida.

Meanwhile in the coaching department, the Clippers would make another move when Mike Dunleavy became head coach. 

After ending his playing career as a player-assistant coach with Milwakuee Bucks, Dunleavy stepped straight into the fire by replacing the departing Pat Riley as head coach of the Lakers, even guiding them to the Finals in his first season where they were defeated by the Chicago Bulls. More recently, he had been at the helm of a formidable Portland squad that had come within a couple minutes of making the Finals in 2000. 

Dunleavy got the Clippers heading in the right direction once again, though they were still a non-factor in the grand scheme of things, posting records of 28-54 and 37-45 in ‘04 and ‘05 respectively. This did mean two things, however. One, they finished with a better record than the Lakers in ‘05 for the first time in over a decade, and two, that the Clippers would once again have an opportunity to draft some of the most promising talent entering the league.

The Clippers had had a number of players audition for the lead guard spot in recent years. In ‘03 they had high hopes for “The Professor” Andre Miller, but he left after just 1 season. The following year, they had thought that Marko Jaric might have been able to step up and fill those shoes, but he would become more famous for his dating life and a lopsided trade for a key piece of the ‘06 squad than anything he did on the court. 

That’s why with the 4th pick in the 2004 draft the Clippers chose Shaun Livingston. Livingston would play on the ‘06 squad, and go on to have a long and successful career, especially with the Golden State Warriors. Unfortunately though, he would never reach his projected potential, mainly due to suffering one of the most devastating injuries ever on an NBA court in February 2007. In hindsight, the Clippers might have been better off by selecting the more NBA-ready Luol Deng, or even Livingston’s future teammate in Golden State, Andre Iguodala. By the same token, given it’s the Clippers, we should be thankful that they didn’t select Rafael Araujo. 

With Brand, a talented scorer in Corey Maggette and 2004-2005’s Most Improved Player Bobby Simmons leading the way, the Clippers had improved, but were now in a position where they were still a way off the playoffs, but not quite one of the league’s bottom feeders. 

This prevented them from acquiring another top selection, but instead the 12th pick in 2005. And while I will give Baylor some grace by admitting that the middle of the first round of the 2005 draft was as much of a crapshoot as any (Orlando selected Fran Vasquez 11th overall and he didn’t play a single game for Orlando or anyone else in the NBA for Christ’s sake!), he did manage to select someone who would only play in 34 NBA games (Yaroslav Korolev). 

A masterstroke trade brings together the ‘06 core

Draft day blunders aside, Baylor probably had his best offseason in charge of the Clippers in the summer of ‘06. Although it would turn out that they had bungled the ‘05 draft (to some degree), the Clippers would not only acquire some veteran leadership, but veterans that could actually still play. 

They were dealt a gut punch early July when Bobby Simmons decided to sign with the Milwaukee Bucks for approximately 5 years and $47 million.

In unlikely fashion though, the Clippers responded by signing the soon-to-be 30-year-old, Cuttino Mobley to a 5-year, $42 million contract in what was surely their biggest free agency move in decades. Mobley had played admirably in his first 6 seasons with the Houston Rockets, and to demonstrate his value, just a year earlier he had been included as one of the main pieces (along with Steve Francis) in a blockbuster trade for Tracy McGrady. 

However it was in August that Baylor made his finest move, swapping Jaric and Lionel Chalmers for Sam Cassell and a 2012 first round pick. 

Yes, Cassell was approaching his 36th birthday, and at that age, father time can hit you like a truck. But in 2004, Cassell had been named to his first All-Star game, as well as the All-NBA 2nd Team. As the Robin to Kevin Garnett’s Batman, Cassell and the Minnesota Timberwolves made it to that year’s Western Conference Finals. Whether or not you believe that Cassell’s ‘Big Balls’ celebration was the reason for his injury that led to him playing in just 4 hobbled games in that series or not, you can’t deny that had he been at 100%, there’s a strong possibility that the Wolves would’ve won that year’s championship. 

Of course had that happened, we might not be talking about Cassell, or this team 20 years later… 

‘04-’05 was a disaster for Minnesota, with Cassell playing in just 59 games and being unhappy at the team’s reluctance to reward him with a contract extension, Flip Saunders being fired mid-season, and the team missing the playoffs entirely. These events were the catalyst that led to Cassell’s arrival in L.A, and although I can’t say it was the right decision to part ways, it at least kind of made sense. 

What doesn’t make sense is not only Minnesota trading Cassell (and a future first round pick) for Marko Jaric, but in doing so agreeing to pay Jaric $40 million. Yes, Cassell was old. Yes, he wanted a contract extension. But Cassell on one leg (or with non-big balls?) was still better than Jaric ever was or ever would be. True, Jaric had achieved career highs in ‘04-’05, but even his career season pales in comparison to Cassell’s resume. Not to mention by the time that the draft pick the Wolves traded conveyed, they were 8 years into a 12 year playoff drought. The Clippers would eventually trade that pick as part of a deal for Chris Paul.

All that aside, what’s important is that Baylor had finally found his point guard.

Stepping out of big brother’s shadow 

Baylor’s astute offseason moves meant that on opening night, the Clippers were trotting out a starting 5 of Sam Cassell, Cuttino Mobley, Quinton Ross, Elton Brand and Chris Kaman, and they were still waiting on Corey Maggette to return from a hamstring injury. This didn’t look like a championship squad, sure, but it was certainly the best that the Clippers had looked in years - maybe ever. 

Still, this is the Clippers, so no one seemed to give a rat’s ass about them.

They avoided mention in most season previews, but Bleacher Report did predict that they might be able to fight for an 8th seed - whoopie doo. What was impressive was Bill Simmons pencilling them in for 45-47 wins (the Clippers would finish with 47). 

The Clippers announced their intentions in that first game in Seattle, taking down last season’s surprise package Sonics 101-93. The story of the game was undoubtedly Cassell dropping 35 points and 11 assists in his Clippers debut. 

They followed this by handily dispatching of the Atlanta Hawks before a double header against Minnesota. The first, at STAPLES Center may not have been the Cassell-Jaric showdown (Cassell in particular struggled, going 5-for-19 from the field), but was a nailbiter, the Clippers winning by 1 in overtime. Two days later in Minnesota, it wasn’t so close, Cassell (again) and Mobley both struggling, and the Clippers going down by 15 despite Brand’s 26 points.

With Maggette’s return the following night in Washington though, the Clippers surged, winning 6 of their next 7 games. Most notable during this stretch was perhaps the first meeting between the Clippers and the Lakers, led by the returning Phil Jackson. Lakers star Kobe Bryant led all scorers with 36 points, but the Clippers held him to just 12 makes from 35 attempts as they ran out 97-91 winners. 

Their momentum continued into December, splitting 2 games with Cleveland and the rapidly ascending Lebron James, as well as beating the eventual champions, the Miami Heat, who were missing Shaquille O’Neal. Brand continued his impressive start in this game, scoring 37 points, grabbing 12 rebounds and rejecting 6 shots. Unfortunately, after injuring his foot in the 3rd quarter in South Florida, Maggette would not play again until March. In his 13 games up to this point, Maggette had proved vital, averaging almost 22 points per game, including 30-point bombs against both Toronto and Minnesota. 

The omission of Maggette would be felt as 2005 drew to a close, as the Clippers not only won just 4 of their 11 games to finish the year, but only broke 100 points twice during this stretch (compared to 8 times during Maggette’s 13 game run). After Bryant dropped 50 in a revenge game which saw the game slip away from the Clippers in the final seconds, they slumped to a 17-14 record. 

Luckily, they were able to stop the skid by utterly destroying both Orlando and Seattle to kick off a massive run from January 10 to February 7 where they won 12 of their next 15 games. The veteran Cassell played like a man possessed during this stretch, scoring at least 20 points in 10 of these, including 27 points and 13 assists in an overtime win in Toronto. 

Meanwhile Brand would secure his second All-Star appearance after a now customary 25 against the Knicks on February 7.

What was concerning for the Clippers though, was their tendency to drop games to the truly elite. The only games they lost during this 15 game romp were against Dallas and Miami (who would make that year’s Finals), and the Phoenix Suns (who would eventually eliminate the Clippers from the playoffs). 

Even more concerning was the 7 game skid they suffered following a victory over the New York Knicks where they would lose 6. Other than a win over the Grizzlies (who would win 49 games that year), teams the Clippers lost to included Detroit, Houston (twice) and Dallas - all playoff teams.

Notably during this period, the team made a move at the forward spot when they swapped Chris Wilcox for Vladimir Radmanović of Seattle. Despite having not much in the way of depth in the frontcourt, Wilcox had been used sparingly by L.A. to this point (13.7 minutes per game across 47 contests). 

Meanwhile, ‘Vlad Rad’, who’s eccentric style both basketball and hair-wise I recently covered in my review of the ‘05 Sonics, was a completely different profile to Wilcox. While Wilcox would shoot almost exclusively within close range of the basket, Radmanović would shoot 5.3 of his 8.6 attempts in his 30 games with L.A. this season from 3-point range - and he would do this very efficiently (41.8%). 

Despite the addition of Vlad Rad, and eventually the return of Magettee in March, the Clippers were not able to pick up the momentum they had earlier in the season. They still remained with an above .500 record in their remaining 32 games, but only just, winning 17 games. 

Again, they struggled against playoff opposition, winning 9 of their remaining 20 contests post-All-Star break against teams of this group. However, it must be noted that despite Maggette clearly not being back at 100%, playing just 26.5 minutes per game, and averaging just 15 points in the 19 games he played during this stretch, when he did play, the Clippers went 12-7. 

Still, the end of the season wasn’t without big moments for the Clippers. First, they once again beat the Lakers despite 39 points from Bryant thanks to 32 from Brand, 22 from Mobley and 19 from new addition Radmanović. 

Then, on March 7, they defeated the defending champions, the San Antonio Spurs at STAPLES Center behind another 30-piece from Brand. 

They also got a couple of much-needed victories over Denver and Phoenix, the win against the Suns off the back of another stellar Brand performance (34 points, 15 rebounds). 

Finally, on April 8, the Clippers secured their first post-season birth since 1997 after New Orelans were defeated by Dallas. And on April 14, a 101-97 victory (their 46th of the season) in Seattle meant that the Clippers had had their best season since 1975, when the franchise was still playing in Buffalo. They finished the regular season with a 47-35 record after travelling to Dallas to whoop a Dirk Nowitzki-less Mavericks. 

Although Brand was (rightly so) the star of the show, having by far his career best season with averages of 24.7 points, 10 rebounds and 2.5 blocks per game and being named to the All-NBA Second Team, the Clippers had finally put together a solid team around him as well. 

Now fully healthy, Cassell had a renaissance in Los Angeles, averaging 17.2 points and 6.3 assists per contest. 

Mobley also did his bit, chipping in with just shy of 15 points per game, and Kaman continued to improve, posting a near double-double (11.9 points, 9.6 rebounds). 

This meant that even without their second leading scorer in Maggette for more than half of the season, the Clippers were firmly in the playoffs - and Maggette would indeed return for the postseason. 

Even though they had the 5th best record in the Western Conference that season, divisional rules meant that the Clippers were bumped to the 6th seed, though this may have actually been a better result for the Clippers. Had the standings been based on their record, they would’ve matched up against the 49-33 Memphis Grizzlies (who you can read about here). Instead, L.A. would play against the winners of the comparatively-poor Northwest Division, the 44-38 Denver Nuggets. 

The Nuggets were heavily reliant on a 3rd year Carmelo Anthony, who had just finished 8th in the league in scoring (26.5 points per game) and would eventually be named to the All-NBA Third Team. However, they had rounded out their lineup with some solid veterans, namely former Clipper Andre Miller, and rugged defensive players in the frontcourt in Kenyon Martin and Marcus Camby. 

Clippers break new ground, Brand goes nuclear in Arizona

Game 1 in Los Angeles was the most tense all series, the Clippers leading for the vast majority of it before Andre Miller tied the game at 87 apiece with just over a minute left. A pair of Radmanović free throws technically secured the game, but Brand also came up with a huge block on Anthony, who would miss 3 consecutive baskets leading to the Clippers holding on for a 89-87 victory. 

Game 2 was a lot more comfortable, with the Clippers leading by 23 points early in the 4th quarter. A late Denver rally brought the final score back to 98-87, but it was never really in doubt, as Mobley led all scorers with 21 points. The story of the game perhaps, was the absence of Kenyon Martin in the 2nd half, who following a bust up with Coach George Karl would play no further part in the series. 

Despite his absence, however, the Nuggets took the first of 2 games at Pepsi Center, 94-87 behind Anthony’s 24 points. Unfortunately for Denver, game 4 put the Clippers within a single victory of claiming the series, as despite Brand, Cassell and Mobley’s struggles, Maggette came off the bench to lead all scorers with 19 as they won 100-86. 

In the series-deciding game 5, Maggette was instrumental once again, tying Brand’s 23 points to lead all scorers, as the Clippers effectively ended the game early in the 4th quarter. 

It was a momentous occasion for the Clippers, having won their first playoff series since leaving Buffalo. 

But their opponents in the Western Conference Semifinals would prove to be much more difficult to beat.

Even with Amar’e Stoudemire missing practically the entire season, the Phoenix Suns had won 54 games. And for being the lynchpin of the ‘7 seconds or less’ Suns, Steve Nash would receive his 2nd of back-to-back MVP awards. He had led Phoenix past Bryant and the Lakers in the first round, whom many thought was more deserving of the award after bringing the Lakers back to the playoffs while averaging an incredible 35.4 points per game. 

Regardless of Nash winning MVP, I would be doing a disservice by not mentioning some of the key members of this brilliant Suns team. 

Shawn Marion, ‘The Matrix’ was incredible. His athleticism meant that despite being 6’7 he could play either the 3 or the 4, averaging just a shade under 22 points per game and a remarkable 11.8 rebounds, 2 steals and 1.7 blocks, making the All-NBA Third Team in ‘06. 

Another key piece on the Suns was Raja Bell. A staunch defensive player and excellent 3-point shooter (44.2% on 5.6 attempts per game in ‘06), Bell was often given the task of slowing down Byrant (and other top tier scorers around the league). 

Perhaps the most unique piece though was Boris Diaw, who had broken out to become winner of the Most Improved Player award. He was somewhat undersized compared to this era, though was not only an incredible athlete but also one of the smartest players in the league in terms of basketball IQ. In the 7 games against the Lakers, he averaged 18 points, 6 rebounds and 6 assists per game. 

It would prove to be an incredible matchup.

Game 1 in Phoenix should’ve been known as the Elton Brand game, as the Clippers star scored an incredible 40 points on 18-of-22 shooting, but the MVP Nash put on a showcase game of his own with 31 points and 12 assists to lead the Suns to victory.

Game 2 wasn’t close at all though, as the Clippers blew out the Suns 122-97 to secure a vital road win. Brand led all scorers again with 27, but Cassell and Mobley also had great games, each scoring 23. 

Unfortunately, the Clippers weren’t able to take the advantage in game 3 at STAPLES Center. Even in his worst shooting game of the series so far, Brand managed to score a near-triple double with 20 points, 9 rebounds and 8 assists (and 5 blocks), but it was Nash who would ice the game. The Clippers had brought it back to within a single point with 28 seconds remaining before the MVP showed his nerve, draining the shot clock before hitting a mid-range shot over Maggette with just under 4 seconds left. Vlad Rad was unable to hit the game-tying 3-pointer, and the Suns took a 2-1 series lead. 

The Clippers fought back in game 4. Brand was instrumental once again with an astonishing 30-point, 9 rebound, 8 assist performance, while Cassell almost secured a triple double with 28 points, 11 rebounds and 9 assists. Also, for the first time, Maggette was inserted into the starting lineup, and had a strong game of his own, with 18 points and 15 rebounds. Despite Bell’s 33, Nash struggled, and the Clippers were able to bring the series back to 2-2 with a 114-107 victory.

Even though the Clippers were able to bring it within 1 point with less than 90 seconds remaining in game 5 back on the road, the Suns were able to hold out for a crucial 125-118 victory. Marion led all scorers and rebounders with a monstrous 36 point, 20 rebound showout, nearly matched by Brand’s 33 points, 15 rebounds, 5 assists and 5 blocks. Cassell also had another strong showing, with 32 points. 

Again though, the Clippers refused to be defeated. Back in L.A. for an elimination game, Brand and Maggette (now returned to the bench) put on a show with 30 points, 12 rebounds and 5 blocks for Brand and 25 points on just 8 shots for Maggette. Despite another strong game by Marion (34 points), the Clippers kept Phoenix at arm’s length for the entire 2nd half. This meant everything would come down to the deciding game 7…

Game 7 Heartbreak and injury struggles set the Clippers back another 5 years

Elton Brand was relentless once again in Arizona, scoring 36 points, but after halftime the Clippers barely laid a glove on the Suns, who won comfortably, 127-107. He had had a remarkable regular season, but an even more unbelievable series, finishing the 7 games with averages of 30.9 points, 10.4 rebounds, 4.3 assists and 3.1 blocks on 59.1% FG shooting. 

Although they’d fallen in the Western Conference Semifinals, the ‘05-’06 season represented progress for the Clippers. They’d finally put together not only a respectable team, but one that was close to being a contender. 

Who knows, if Maggette had been healthy for the entire season, maybe things could’ve turned out a little differently. 

They had understandably high hopes heading into ‘07, but unfortunately, would miss the playoffs yet again after posting a 40-42 record. 

Brand regressed to his usual 20 point territory, Cassell missed an extended period of time, and while Livingston looked like he might be able to step up and takeover, he suffered an excruciating injury that would cause him to miss the entire ‘08 season, and play just 12 games in ‘09 and 36 in 2010. 

Brand himself would rupture his achilles tendon in the summer of 2007, and after him playing in only 8 games that year, the Clippers would regress to just 23 wins. 

The 2008 offseason would begin in promising fashion for the Clippers, drafting Eric Gordon with the 7th overall pick, and DeAndre Jordan in the 2nd round. 

Their biggest move, and the biggest in franchise history, came on July 10. After buying out Cassell from his contract mid-season, allowing him to sign with the eventual ‘08 championship winning-Boston Celtics, the Clippers signed Baron Davis to a 5-year, $65 million contract. 

Davis was signing to play with Brand, but Brand had other ideas. 

After 7 years with the franchise, Brand decided to sign with the Philadelphia 76ers, penning a 5-year, $82 million deal. 

Another dreadful season in ‘09 followed, made even worse by the Lakers winning their first of back-to-back titles. 

The Clippers would not make it back to the playoffs until 2012, by which point they had won the #1 pick in the ‘09 draft, selected Blake Griffin, lost him his entire rookie year to injury, and traded for Chris Paul (a story for the ages in itself). It was a long road back, but they had finally put together a winning team once again. I’m sure lady luck wouldn’t find a way to screw this up the Clippers…

Closing Thoughts

Although I would be disingenuous to suggest the ‘06 Clippers could’ve won that year’s title, you could argue that the season finally put the Clippers on the path to becoming more than a punchline.

Yes, they didn’t make the playoffs for 6 years following this. 

Yes, they still haven’t won a championship. 

But they’re now not only a consistently good team, but routinely receive serious consideration from some of the NBA’s biggest stars. 

They've had a winning record each season since 2011, only missing the playoffs on 3 occasions during this period, and although it hasn’t been plain sailing (far from it in fact), the 2006 Clippers set them on the way to becoming a serious NBA franchise.

The Los Angeles Clippers have experienced a troubled existence to say the least. Off the court shenanigans aside, success on the court has also constantly eluded the city’s red-headed stepchild. 

They once called Buffalo home, then San Diego, before finally planting roots in Los Angeles in 1984. Many big names have donned the blue jersey, whether it was Bob McAdoo in Buffalo, Bill Walton in San Diego, or any of the following that have passed through L.A in the 2010s: Blake Griffin, Chris Paul, Paul George, Kawhi Leonard…

Regardless of the fact that none of these stars brought the Clippers a championship, the latter group have brought legitimacy to a previously irrelevant franchise. Before 2012, the Clippers had won exactly 1 playoff series dating back to their days in San Diego. 

They were, quite frankly, a joke. 

But for a fleeting moment, they were on the right track. They stepped off the island of misfit toys. They looked weirdly… competent. 

This is the story of the 2006 Los Angeles Clippers. 

A rare moment of genius brings a budding star to Los Angeles

Elgin Baylor is quite remarkable in that not only is he one of the best players, but also one of the worst general managers in NBA history. In fact, the Lakers legend was so poor during his 22-year stint with the Clippers you’d think at any moment he’d Clark Kent-style rip off his shirt to reveal a purple and gold jersey.

But after being gifted the #2 overall pick in 2001, Baylor displayed a rare moment of shrewdness by selecting and trading Tyson Chandler to the Chicago Bulls for Elton Brand. 

Brand had been one of the few bright spots of a hapless Bulls team still trying to find their feet after Jerry Krause took a wrecking ball to their dynasty of the 1990s by averaging 20 points and 10 rebounds in both of his first seasons in Chicago. Unfortunately, this did not lead the Bulls to the playoffs, or even out of the basement of the Eastern Conference. 

And while Chandler would eventually develop into one of the better defensive players of his era, culminating in his winning of the Defensive Player of the Year award in 2012, he would never quite develop much beyond a rim-runner offensively. 

With Brand now leading the Clippers, they showed improvement, almost achieving a .500 record in ‘01-’02. And despite his scoring average dipping to a nick above 18 points per game, Brand even made his first All-Star appearance, becoming the Clippers’ first representative at the game since 1994. 

One way ticket to the middle of nowhere? 

Unfortunately for the Clippers, as often seemed to be the case in this era, they took one step forward and two steps back when they took Chris Wilcox of the National Championship-winning Maryland Terrapins with the 8th overall pick in the 2002 draft, overlooking both Amar’e Stoudemire and Caron Butler who were taken with the following two selections. 

To make matters worse, they slumped in the following season to a 27-55 record, bad enough to land the 6th overall pick in the 2003, but not quite lucky enough to land in the top 5 and have the opportunity to draft one of Lebron James, Carmelo Anthony, Chris Bosh or Dwyane Wade (though given we’re talking about the Clippers, they probably would’ve ended up with Darko Milicic). 

The 2003 off-season could’ve been a disaster for the Clippers, as both Lamar Odom and Brand approached restricted free agency. The notoriously stingy Donald Sterling splurged to match Miami’s 6-year, $82 million offer to Brand (by far the largest contract he had agreed to pay at this point). On the other hand, Odom would eventually land in South Florida.

Meanwhile in the coaching department, the Clippers would make another move when Mike Dunleavy became head coach. 

After ending his playing career as a player-assistant coach with Milwakuee Bucks, Dunleavy stepped straight into the fire by replacing the departing Pat Riley as head coach of the Lakers, even guiding them to the Finals in his first season where they were defeated by the Chicago Bulls. More recently, he had been at the helm of a formidable Portland squad that had come within a couple minutes of making the Finals in 2000. 

Dunleavy got the Clippers heading in the right direction once again, though they were still a non-factor in the grand scheme of things, posting records of 28-54 and 37-45 in ‘04 and ‘05 respectively. This did mean two things, however. One, they finished with a better record than the Lakers in ‘05 for the first time in over a decade, and two, that the Clippers would once again have an opportunity to draft some of the most promising talent entering the league.

The Clippers had had a number of players audition for the lead guard spot in recent years. In ‘03 they had high hopes for “The Professor” Andre Miller, but he left after just 1 season. The following year, they had thought that Marko Jaric might have been able to step up and fill those shoes, but he would become more famous for his dating life and a lopsided trade for a key piece of the ‘06 squad than anything he did on the court. 

That’s why with the 4th pick in the 2004 draft the Clippers chose Shaun Livingston. Livingston would play on the ‘06 squad, and go on to have a long and successful career, especially with the Golden State Warriors. Unfortunately though, he would never reach his projected potential, mainly due to suffering one of the most devastating injuries ever on an NBA court in February 2007. In hindsight, the Clippers might have been better off by selecting the more NBA-ready Luol Deng, or even Livingston’s future teammate in Golden State, Andre Iguodala. By the same token, given it’s the Clippers, we should be thankful that they didn’t select Rafael Araujo. 

With Brand, a talented scorer in Corey Maggette and 2004-2005’s Most Improved Player Bobby Simmons leading the way, the Clippers had improved, but were now in a position where they were still a way off the playoffs, but not quite one of the league’s bottom feeders. 

This prevented them from acquiring another top selection, but instead the 12th pick in 2005. And while I will give Baylor some grace by admitting that the middle of the first round of the 2005 draft was as much of a crapshoot as any (Orlando selected Fran Vasquez 11th overall and he didn’t play a single game for Orlando or anyone else in the NBA for Christ’s sake!), he did manage to select someone who would only play in 34 NBA games (Yaroslav Korolev). 

A masterstroke trade brings together the ‘06 core

Draft day blunders aside, Baylor probably had his best offseason in charge of the Clippers in the summer of ‘06. Although it would turn out that they had bungled the ‘05 draft (to some degree), the Clippers would not only acquire some veteran leadership, but veterans that could actually still play. 

They were dealt a gut punch early July when Bobby Simmons decided to sign with the Milwaukee Bucks for approximately 5 years and $47 million.

In unlikely fashion though, the Clippers responded by signing the soon-to-be 30-year-old, Cuttino Mobley to a 5-year, $42 million contract in what was surely their biggest free agency move in decades. Mobley had played admirably in his first 6 seasons with the Houston Rockets, and to demonstrate his value, just a year earlier he had been included as one of the main pieces (along with Steve Francis) in a blockbuster trade for Tracy McGrady. 

However it was in August that Baylor made his finest move, swapping Jaric and Lionel Chalmers for Sam Cassell and a 2012 first round pick. 

Yes, Cassell was approaching his 36th birthday, and at that age, father time can hit you like a truck. But in 2004, Cassell had been named to his first All-Star game, as well as the All-NBA 2nd Team. As the Robin to Kevin Garnett’s Batman, Cassell and the Minnesota Timberwolves made it to that year’s Western Conference Finals. Whether or not you believe that Cassell’s ‘Big Balls’ celebration was the reason for his injury that led to him playing in just 4 hobbled games in that series or not, you can’t deny that had he been at 100%, there’s a strong possibility that the Wolves would’ve won that year’s championship. 

Of course had that happened, we might not be talking about Cassell, or this team 20 years later… 

‘04-’05 was a disaster for Minnesota, with Cassell playing in just 59 games and being unhappy at the team’s reluctance to reward him with a contract extension, Flip Saunders being fired mid-season, and the team missing the playoffs entirely. These events were the catalyst that led to Cassell’s arrival in L.A, and although I can’t say it was the right decision to part ways, it at least kind of made sense. 

What doesn’t make sense is not only Minnesota trading Cassell (and a future first round pick) for Marko Jaric, but in doing so agreeing to pay him $40 million. Yes, Cassell was old. Yes, he wanted a contract extension. But Cassell on one leg (or with non-big balls?) was still better than Jaric ever was or ever would be. True, Jaric had achieved career highs in ‘04-’05, but even his career season pales in comparison to Cassell’s resume. Not to mention by the time that the draft pick the Wolves traded conveyed, they were 8 years into a 12 year playoff drought. The Clippers would eventually trade that pick as part of a deal for Chris Paul.

All that aside, what’s important is that Baylor had finally found his point guard.

Stepping out of big brother’s shadow 

Baylor’s astute offseason moves meant that on opening night, the Clippers were trotting out a starting 5 of Sam Cassell, Cuttino Mobley, Quinton Ross, Elton Brand and Chris Kaman, and they were still waiting on Corey Maggette to return from a hamstring injury. This didn’t look like a championship squad, sure, but it was certainly the best that the Clippers had looked in years - maybe ever. 

Still, this is the Clippers, so no one seemed to give a rat’s ass about them.

They avoided mention in most season previews, but Bleacher Report did predict that they might be able to fight for an 8th seed - whoopie doo. What was impressive was Bill Simmons pencilling them in for 45-47 wins (the Clippers would finish with 47). 

The Clippers announced their intentions in that first game in Seattle, taking down last season’s surprise package Sonics 101-93. The story of the game was undoubtedly Cassell dropping 35 points and 11 assists in his Clippers debut. 

They followed this by handily dispatching of the Atlanta Hawks before a double header against Minnesota. The first, at STAPLES Center may not have been the Cassell-Jaric showdown (Cassell in particular struggled, going 5-for-19 from the field), but was a nailbiter, the Clippers winning by 1 in overtime. Two days later in Minnesota, it wasn’t so close, Cassell (again) and Mobley both struggling, and the Clippers going down by 15 despite Brand’s 26 points.

With Maggette’s return the following night in Washington though, the Clippers surged, winning 6 of their next 7 games. Most notable during this stretch was perhaps the first meeting between the Clippers and the Lakers, led by the returning Phil Jackson. Lakers star Kobe Bryant led all scorers with 36 points, but the Clippers held him to just 12 makes from 35 attempts as they ran out 97-91 winners. 

Their momentum continued into December, splitting 2 games with Cleveland and the rapidly ascending Lebron James, as well as beating the eventual champions, the Miami Heat, who were missing Shaquille O’Neal. Brand continued his impressive start in this game, scoring 37 points, grabbing 12 rebounds and rejecting 6 shots. Unfortunately, after injuring his foot in the 3rd quarter in South Florida, Maggette would not play again until March. In his 13 games up to this point, Maggette had proved vital, averaging almost 22 points per game, including 30-point bombs against both Toronto and Minnesota. 

The omission of Maggette would be felt as 2005 drew to a close, as the Clippers not only won just 4 of their 11 games to finish the year, but only broke 100 points twice during this stretch (compared to 8 times during Maggette’s 13 game run). After Bryant dropped 50 in a revenge game which saw the game slip away from the Clippers in the final seconds, they slumped to a 17-14 record. 

Luckily, they were able to stop the skid by utterly destroying both Orlando and Seattle to kick off a massive run from January 10 to February 7 where they won 12 of their next 15 games. The veteran Cassell played like a man possessed during this stretch, scoring at least 20 points in 10 of these, including 27 points and 13 assists in an overtime win in Toronto. 

Meanwhile Brand would secure his second All-Star appearance after a now customary 25 against the Knicks on February 7.

What was concerning for the Clippers though, was their tendency to drop games to the truly elite. The only games they lost during this 15 game romp were against Dallas and Miami (who would make that year’s Finals), and the Phoenix Suns (who would eventually eliminate the Clippers from the playoffs). 

Even more concerning was the 7 game skid they suffered following a victory over the New York Knicks where they would lose 6. Other than a win over the Grizzlies (who would win 49 games that year), teams the Clippers lost to included Detroit, Houston (twice) and Dallas - all playoff teams.

Notably during this period, the team made a move at the forward spot when they swapped Chris Wilcox for Vladimir Radmanović of Seattle. Despite having not much in the way of depth in the frontcourt, Wilcox had been used sparingly by L.A. to this point (13.7 minutes per game across 47 contests). 

Meanwhile, ‘Vlad Rad’, who’s eccentric style both basketball and hair-wise I recently covered in my review of the ‘05 Sonics, was a completely different profile to Wilcox. While Wilcox would shoot almost exclusively within close range of the basket, Radmanović would shoot 5.3 of his 8.6 attempts in his 30 games with L.A. this season from 3-point range - and he would do this very efficiently (41.8%). 

Despite the addition of Vlad Rad, and eventually the return of Magettee in March, the Clippers were not able to pick up the momentum they had earlier in the season. They still remained with an above .500 record in their remaining 32 games, but only just, winning 17 games. 

Again, they struggled against playoff opposition, winning 9 of their remaining 20 contests post-All-Star break against teams of this group. However, it must be noted that despite Maggette clearly not being back at 100%, playing just 26.5 minutes per game, and averaging just 15 points in the 19 games he played during this stretch, when he did play, the Clippers went 12-7. 

Still, the end of the season wasn’t without big moments for the Clippers. First, they once again beat the Lakers despite 39 points from Bryant thanks to 32 from Brand, 22 from Mobley and 19 from new addition Radmanović. 

Then, on March 7, they defeated the defending champions, the San Antonio Spurs at STAPLES Center behind another 30-piece from Brand. 

They also got a couple of much-needed victories over Denver and Phoenix, the win against the Suns off the back of another stellar Brand performance (34 points, 15 rebounds). 

Finally, on April 8, the Clippers secured their first post-season birth since 1997 after New Orelans were defeated by Dallas. And on April 14, a 101-97 victory (their 46th of the season) in Seattle meant that the Clippers had had their best season since 1975, when the franchise was still playing in Buffalo. They finished the regular season with a 47-35 record after travelling to Dallas to whoop a Dirk Nowitzki-less Mavericks. 

Although Brand was (rightly so) the star of the show, having by far his career best season with averages of 24.7 points, 10 rebounds and 2.5 blocks per game and being named to the All-NBA Second Team, the Clippers had finally put together a solid team around him as well. 

Now fully healthy, Cassell had a renaissance in Los Angeles, averaging 17.2 points and 6.3 assists per contest. 

Mobley also did his bit, chipping in with just shy of 15 points per game, and Kaman continued to improve, posting a near double-double (11.9 points, 9.6 rebounds). 

This meant that even without their second leading scorer in Maggette for more than half of the season, the Clippers were firmly in the playoffs - and Maggette would indeed return for the postseason. 

Even though they had the 5th best record in the Western Conference that season, divisional rules meant that the Clippers were bumped to the 6th seed, though this may have actually been a better result for the Clippers. Had the standings been based on their record, they would’ve matched up against the 49-33 Memphis Grizzlies (who you can read about here). Instead, L.A. would play against the winners of the comparatively-poor Northwest Division, the 44-38 Denver Nuggets. 

The Nuggets were heavily reliant on a 3rd year Carmelo Anthony, who had just finished 8th in the league in scoring (26.5 points per game) and would eventually be named to the All-NBA Third Team. However, they had rounded out their lineup with some solid veterans, namely former Clipper Andre Miller, and rugged defensive players in the frontcourt in Kenyon Martin and Marcus Camby. 

Clippers break new ground, Brand goes nuclear in Arizona

Game 1 in Los Angeles was the most tense all series, the Clippers leading for the vast majority of it before Andre Miller tied the game at 87 apiece with just over a minute left. A pair of Radmanović free throws technically secured the game, but Brand also came up with a huge block on Anthony, who would miss 3 consecutive baskets leading to the Clippers holding on for a 89-87 victory. 

Game 2 was a lot more comfortable, with the Clippers leading by 23 points early in the 4th quarter. A late Denver rally brought the final score back to 98-87, but it was never really in doubt, as Mobley led all scorers with 21 points. The story of the game perhaps, was the absence of Kenyon Martin in the 2nd half, who following a bust up with Coach George Karl would play no further part in the series. 

Despite his absence, however, the Nuggets took the first of 2 games at Pepsi Center, 94-87 behind Anthony’s 24 points. Unfortunately for Denver, game 4 put the Clippers within a single victory of claiming the series, as despite Brand, Cassell and Mobley’s struggles, Maggette came off the bench to lead all scorers with 19 as they won 100-86. 

In the series-deciding game 5, Maggette was instrumental once again, tying Brand’s 23 points to lead all scorers, as the Clippers effectively ended the game early in the 4th quarter. 

It was a momentous occasion for the Clippers, having won their first playoff series since leaving Buffalo. 

But their opponents in the Western Conference Semifinals would prove to be much more difficult to beat.

Even with Amar’e Stoudemire missing practically the entire season, the Phoenix Suns had won 54 games. And for being the lynchpin of the ‘7 seconds or less’ Suns, Steve Nash would receive his 2nd of back-to-back MVP awards. He had led Phoenix past Bryant and the Lakers in the first round, whom many thought was more deserving of the award after bringing the Lakers back to the playoffs while averaging an incredible 35.4 points per game. 

Regardless of Nash winning MVP, I would be doing a disservice by not mentioning some of the key members of this brilliant Suns team. 

Shawn Marion, ‘The Matrix’ was incredible. His athleticism meant that despite being 6’7 he could play either the 3 or the 4, averaging just a shade under 22 points per game and a remarkable 11.8 rebounds, 2 steals and 1.7 blocks, making the All-NBA Third Team in ‘06. 

Another key piece on the Suns was Raja Bell. A staunch defensive player and excellent 3-point shooter (44.2% on 5.6 attempts per game in ‘06), Bell was often given the task of slowing down Byrant (and other top tier scorers around the league). 

Perhaps the most unique piece though was Boris Diaw, who had broken out to become winner of the Most Improved Player award. He was somewhat undersized compared to this era, though was not only an incredible athlete but also one of the smartest players in the league in terms of basketball IQ. In the 7 games against the Lakers, he averaged 18 points, 6 rebounds and 6 assists per game. 

It would prove to be an incredible matchup.

Game 1 in Phoenix should’ve been known as the Elton Brand game, as the Clippers star scored an incredible 40 points on 18-of-22 shooting, but the MVP Nash put on a showcase game of his own with 31 points and 12 assists to lead the Suns to victory.

Game 2 wasn’t close at all though, as the Clippers blew out the Suns 122-97 to secure a vital road win. Brand led all scorers again with 27, but Cassell and Mobley also had great games, each scoring 23. 

Unfortunately, the Clippers weren’t able to take the advantage in game 3 at STAPLES Center. Even in his worst shooting game of the series so far, Brand managed to score a near-triple double with 20 points, 9 rebounds and 8 assists (and 5 blocks), but it was Nash who would ice the game. The Clippers had brought it back to within a single point with 28 seconds remaining before the MVP showed his nerve, draining the shot clock before hitting a mid-range shot over Maggette with just under 4 seconds left. Vlad Rad was unable to hit the game-tying 3-pointer, and the Suns took a 2-1 series lead. 

The Clippers fought back in game 4. Brand was instrumental once again with an astonishing 30-point, 9 rebound, 8 assist performance, while Cassell almost secured a triple double with 28 points, 11 rebounds and 9 assists. Also, for the first time, Maggette was inserted into the starting lineup, and had a strong game of his own, with 18 points and 15 rebounds. Despite Bell’s 33, Nash struggled, and the Clippers were able to bring the series back to 2-2 with a 114-107 victory.

Even though the Clippers were able to bring it within 1 point with less than 90 seconds remaining in game 5 back on the road, the Suns were able to hold out for a crucial 125-118 victory. Marion led all scorers and rebounders with a monstrous 36 point, 20 rebound showout, nearly matched by Brand’s 33 points, 15 rebounds, 5 assists and 5 blocks. Cassell also had another strong showing, with 32 points. 

Again though, the Clippers refused to be defeated. Back in L.A. for an elimination game, Brand and Maggette (now returned to the bench) put on a show with 30 points, 12 rebounds and 5 blocks for Brand and 25 points on just 8 shots for Maggette. Despite another strong game by Marion (34 points), the Clippers kept Phoenix at arm’s length for the entire 2nd half. This meant everything would come down to the deciding game 7…

Game 7 Heartbreak and injury struggles set the Clippers back another 5 years

Elton Brand was relentless once again in Arizona, scoring 36 points, but after halftime the Clippers barely laid a glove on the Suns, who won comfortably, 127-107. He had had a remarkable regular season, but an even more unbelievable series, finishing the 7 games with averages of 30.9 points, 10.4 rebounds, 4.3 assists and 3.1 blocks on 59.1% FG shooting. 

Although they’d fallen in the Western Conference Semifinals, the ‘05-’06 season represented progress for the Clippers. They’d finally put together not only a respectable team, but one that was close to being a contender. 

Who knows, if Maggette had been healthy for the entire season, maybe things could’ve turned out a little differently. 

They had understandably high hopes heading into ‘07, but unfortunately, would miss the playoffs yet again after posting a 40-42 record. 

Brand regressed to his usual 20 point territory, Cassell missed an extended period of time, and while Livingston looked like he might be able to step up and takeover, he suffered an excruciating injury that would cause him to miss the entire ‘08 season, and play just 12 games in ‘09 and 36 in 2010. 

Brand himself would rupture his achilles tendon in the summer of 2007, and after him playing in only 8 games that year, the Clippers would regress to just 23 wins. 

The 2008 offseason would begin in promising fashion for the Clippers, drafting Eric Gordon with the 7th overall pick, and DeAndre Jordan in the 2nd round. 

Their biggest move, and the biggest in franchise history, came on July 10. After buying out Cassell from his contract mid-season, allowing him to sign with the eventual ‘08 championship winning-Boston Celtics, the Clippers signed Baron Davis to a 5-year, $65 million contract. 

Davis was signing to play with Brand, but Brand had other ideas. 

After 7 years with the franchise, Brand decided to sign with the Philadelphia 76ers, penning a 5-year, $82 million deal. 

Another dreadful season in ‘09 followed, made even worse by the Lakers winning their first of back-to-back titles. 

The Clippers would not make it back to the playoffs until 2012, by which point they had won the #1 pick in the ‘09 draft, selected Blake Griffin, lost him his entire rookie year to injury, and traded for Chris Paul (a story for the ages in itself). It was a long road back, but they had finally put together a winning team once again. I’m sure lady luck wouldn’t find a way to screw this up the Clippers…

Closing Thoughts

Although I would be disingenuous to suggest the ‘06 Clippers could’ve won that year’s title, you could argue that the season finally put the Clippers on the path to becoming more than a punchline.

Yes, they didn’t make the playoffs for 6 years following this. 

Yes, they still haven’t won a championship. 

But they’re now not only a consistently good team, but routinely receive serious consideration from some of the NBA’s biggest stars. 

They've had a winning record each season since 2011, only missing the playoffs on 3 occasions during this period, and although it hasn’t been plain sailing (far from it in fact), the 2006 Clippers set the franchise on the way to becoming a serious NBA franchise.

Many NBA fans are aware of the painful death of the Seattle Supersonics. The subject has been well-covered in the 18 years since the team’s departure to Oklahoma City. 

A potential return to the Emerald City is often brought to the forefront of discussion whenever one of the 30 wealthy owners of our beloved teams are “due” a new arena. This time, it’s Seattle’s neighbours, as the city of Portland finds itself embroiled in a battle with its new billionaire owner over the re-development of Moda Center. 

However, the relocation itself is a topic that’s been done to death, and frankly, Seattle’s basketball fanatics don’t deserve to read about it all over again. Therefore, we will be heading back to the early 2000’s, and taking a closer look at the last team to play NBA playoff basketball in Seattle, the 2005 Sonics. 

New ownership stirs things up

Yes, that was my attempt at a coffee pun. 

The Sonics, led by Hall of Famer Gary “The Glove” Payton and high-flying “Reign Man” Shawn Kemp had been one of the NBA’s best teams in the 1990s, even taking the 72-10 Chicago Bulls to 6 games in the 1996 Finals. Unfortunately, the organisation made a string of decisions that led to Kemp being traded, and the organisation slipping into good, but not great territory at the turn of the millennium. 

January 2001 saw the Sonics, purchased for a package of around $200 million by a group led by Howard Schultz, head of Starbucks Coffee, which was founded in Seattle. A local business bought a local basketball team - what a story! 

Well, a local business that charges over the odds for what some may consider substandard coffee (I don’t pretend to know enough about coffee to have my own opinion). 

Anyway, I’m sure Schultz wouldn’t nickel and dime his basketball players in the same way. 

Oh, wait…

Schultz didn’t just upset local coffee aficionados, he upset the Sonic, Gary Payton. 

Yes, Payton was 34 years old and into the last year of his contract in the Summer of 2002, but he was still an excellent player, one of the best in fact. In 2001-2002, he placed 6th in MVP voting, was a member of the All-NBA Second Team, and made his 9th consecutive All-Defensive First Team. 

Schultz, perhaps thinking like a businessman rather than a Sonics fan, wouldn’t budge. There would be no new contract for Payton. So in response, Payton didn’t report for the first day of training camp. Eventually Payton would show up, and play in every game for the Sonics that season until a momentous trade in February 2003.

With Seattle languishing in no-man's land with a 22-30 record, the greatest player in franchise history was traded to the Milwaukee Bucks, re-uniting Payton with the coach of the 1996 Sonics Team, George Karl. The centerpiece of the Sonics’s return was 3-time All Star Ray Allen. As much of an icon, and as good as Payton still was at the time, receiving a 27-year old Allen is about as good as any return could’ve gotten for Seattle. The fact that Payton would leave Milwaukee as a free agent that summer made it one of the more lopsided trades of the era. 

Despite the inspired play of Allen (24.5 points per game, 5.6 rebounds, 5.9 assists) leading the Sonics to a 17-12 record to close the 2003 season, they failed to make that year’s post season. They would fail to make it the next season too, Allen playing just 56 games due to ankle surgery in November. 

Going nowhere fast (apparently)

After a disappointing season in ‘04, and little in the way of assets or room under the salary cap, the Sonics were not tipped for greatness in ‘05. SLAM Magazine deemed them not worthy of more than 3 words, predicting the Sonics to finish 5th in the Northwest Division. The NBA’s annual GM survey bore little mention of Seattle either, with 95.2% believing that Minnesota was destined to win the division (the remaining 4.8% voting for the Denver Nuggets). 

There was no reason to believe Seattle would be one of the NBA’s best teams that season. In fact, there was reason to believe their team had actually gotten worse. 

In the summer of 2004, the versatile Brent Barry signed with the San Antonio Spurs. Despite being 32 years old, Barry was a valuable playmaker (5.8 assists) and shooter (45% from 3-point range during the ‘04 season. 

Meanwhile, their big acquisitions that summer were drafting 18-year old Robert Swift straight from Bakerfield High School, and trading Calvin Booth for journeyman Danny Fortson. The big man-shaped hole under the basket had been a problem for Seattle since the early ‘90s, and the signing of Jim McIlvaine in 1996 was the catalyst for Kemp leaving town. It would continue to plague the team even after they moved to Oklahoma. 

The fact that the Sonics chose to draft Swift, despite shelling out a combined $17.5 million for Vitaly Potapenko, Fortson and Jerome James (who we’ll get to later) in ‘05 alone, spoke volumes about their confidence in their frontline. Following this season, the Sonics would continue to display an infatuation with mediocre big men, but we’ll get to that later too. 

The ‘05 core 

Overpaid big men aside, Seattle had actually done a decent job in acquiring talent in recent years. Despite never being in contention for top draft pick (mainly due to the excellence of Payton), the Sonics had been able to acquire several key pieces of the core of the ‘05 squad for little cost.

Rashard Lewis was an excellent find in the 2nd round in 1998. His slender 6’10 frame might be more suited to the modern NBA, but he had peformed well in Seattle. His high volume 3-point shooting was especially unique, and valuable. This season, Lewis would take another leap, breaking the 20-point per game marker for the first time and making his first All-Star game. 

In 2001, the Sonics selected Vladimir Radmanovic with the 12th pick. “Vlad Rad” was a bit of a wildcard - he was not a strong defender nor rebounder, and would eventually be called a “space cadet” by future coach Phil Jackson for his erratic play. Later in the season he would rock braids with Sonics’ coloured beads during the playoffs - interesting indeed. Nevertheless, Radmanovic was a solid player, and his similarly high volume 3-point shooting was valuable for this team. 

The following year, Seattle did not have a first round draft pick - they had traded it for a 38-year old Patrick Ewing. Despite this, the Sonics were able to acquire Reggie Evans that year, an undrafted free agent. Standing 6’8 and being offensively challenged, Evans made up for his shortcomings with immense energy and tenacity. He would become one of the league’s top rebounders in ‘05.

Finally, in 2003, Seattle would land another three pieces of the ‘05 squad. First, with the 12th and 14th picks of that year’s draft (the latter acquired in the Allen trade), the Sonics selected Nick Collison and Luke Ridnour. Collison had missed the entirety of his rookie season through shoulder injuries, and Ridnour had been a backup, but both were ready to step up in ‘05. Ridnour would be especially important, starting at point guard for all 82 games. 

Later that summer, the Sonics would sign Antonio Daniels to a 2 year deal that would see him earn just shy of over $2 million annually, which represented excellent value. 28 at the time, Daniels won a championship with the San Antonio Spurs in 1999 as a reserve, before becoming a key rotation player for some further deep playoff runs. Since then, despite never reaching the level expected for a player chosen 4th overall, Daniels had garnered a reputation as a capable combo guard, offering versatility and a defensive presence in the backcourt. 

On the bench, Seattle still had “Mr. Sonic” Nate McMillan in their corner. McMillan had spent 12 years as a player with the ball club, including as part of the ‘96 finals team, before becoming an assistant in 1998, and eventually head coach in 2000. 

The NBA’s Surprise Package

After being utterly destroyed in Los Angeles by the Clippers on opening night, some fans might’ve been fearing the worst. 

Surely no one would’ve expected them to rattle off an incredible 9-game winning streak, but by the end of November, Seattle were sitting alongside Phoenix and San Antonio atop the Western Conference with a record of 13-3. And it was perhaps Brent Barry’s return to KeyArena on November 7th that brought Seattle’s most impressive performance thus far. In addition to 27 and 24 points from Lewis and Allen, Radmanovic, Daniels and Fortson combined for 44 on route to a dominant 113-94 victory.

They continued to roll in December, picking up further impressive wins on the road, including toppling the Spurs once again, and closing out the Dallas Mavericks. Even a tightly contested affair that led to a close loss to the Phoenix Suns at a packed-out KeyArena couldn’t spoil their momentum, as the Sonics closed out 2004 with a record of 22-6 thanks to a 103-97 victory over the Charlotte Bobcats in their inaugural season.

In the new year, the Sonics delivered several more impressive showings. First, beating the Miami Heat twice in less than a week, 98-96 on the road in a late game nail-biter, and then (in the end) more comfortably 108-98 at KeyArena. They were then able to put aside difficult losses to playoff rivals (an overtime loss in Denver, a 5-point loss at home to Minnesota, and a blowout loss to San Antonio sans Ray Allen) to rattle off a 5-game winning streak in February. Highlights included dispatching Sacramento home and away, and getting revenge in Phoenix, where the Sonics’ top 7 all scored 10 or more points. 

Slumping to the finish line

The NBA’s surprise package didn’t let up, handily beating more strong teams to end February and begin March, including the defending champion Detroit Pistons, before dropping 3 straight at home to Phoenix, Houston and Chicago. 

The Chicago loss was notable for the absence of Danny Fortson. The “Big Daddy from Cincinnati” (I have no idea if this was an actual nickname of his, but I like it) was banished from practice by coach McMillan the day prior to the game on Friday 11th March.

Fortson had been playing well in relatively limited minutes, and had definitely been an upgrade on Calvin Booth (thumbs up for trading one overpaid, mediocre $5 million big man for another, slightly better one). 

On the other hand, while Booth was seen by many to be a model teammate, issues surrounding Fortson’s physical play and temperament continued to hinder him. Fortson had led the league in personal fouls in 1998-1999, was second in ‘97-’98, and would finish in the top 10 in ‘05. If that wasn’t enough evidence of his love of clobbering opposition players, for his career, Fortson averaged 6.3 personal fouls per 36 minutes, 9th all time, and funnily enough, two places behind Jim McIlvaine.

He had already been suspended twice this season, once for elbowing Chris Bosh back in November, and for throwing a chair after being ejected from a victory over Sacramento. Pre-Sacramento, across 45 games where the Sonics went 33-12, Fortson was averaging 8.5 points and 6 rebounds per game on 55% FG shooting in just shy of 18 minutes per game. In the 17 games he played in post chair melee, his production dived. Still averaging 15 minutes of play time, he averaged just 4.8 points and 4.6 rebounds, shooting just 41%. Seattle went 9-8 in these games. 

It wasn’t just Fortson who was slumping though, as after such an impressive first half of the season, the Sonics looked like the team of old in the remaining 34 games post-Sacramento, winning just 17 of their 34 games. Aside from this disappointing finish to the season, there were some highlights along the way, namely Ray Allen dropping a season high 45 points against the New York Knicks in an overtime victory to wrap up a 5-game winning streak. Then, a week later on April Fool’s Day, they clinched their first 50 win season since ‘97-’98 with a 2-point victory over their Northwest rivals, the Portland Trailblazers in Seattle. 

Unfortunately, they followed this with a 6-game losing streak, though they were missing Rashard Lewis for much of this stretch (load management was indeed a thing in 2005). 

Disciplinary and injury issues aside, the Sonics early season performances put them in a healthy position going into that year’s playoffs, a 52-30 record securing the Northwest Division, and 3rd place in the Western Conference (I sure hope someone from the team reached out to SLAM magazine). 

Their opponents in the first round of the playoffs would be the Sacramento Kings. Although the Kings won 50 games in ‘05, it was fair to say that they weren’t the team of a few years prior that had pushed the 3-peating Los Angeles Lakers to their very limit.

In just the last year, their roster had undergone a lot of turnover in the last year. First, Vlade Divac signed with the Lakers in free agency. Then, in January, they traded defensive stopper Doug Christie (though they did acquire Cuttino Mobley in return, who was a good player). 

Then, in February, the big move came - the Kings traded franchise superstar Chris Webber to the Philadelphia 76ers. Webber had clearly taken a step back after his devastating knee injury in the ‘03 playoffs, and with one of the NBA’s largest contracts to boot, the Kings decided to cut ties. Despite not receiving any big names in return, the Kings still managed to end the season with 50 wins. 

The Jerome James Series

Remember Jerome James? I said we’d get to him, and finally the time has come. 

Before signing with Seattle in 2001, James had had a cup of coffee (hopefully not Starbucks) in the NBA, playing 16 games with Sacramento of all teams in the lockout ‘99 season (again, we’ll get to why this is important later). His first year with the Sonics, he played in 56 games, starting 40, averaging 5.3 points, 4.1 rebounds and 1.5 blocks in just under 17 minutes per game. Fine, I guess, right? 

But remember how I mentioned that the Sonics LOVED to splurge on big men? They rewarded James by multiplying his humble $465,000 a year contract by 10, giving him a 3-year contract that would see him earn around $5 million annually. 

James responded by playing pretty much the exact way for the next 3 years, never venturing outside his comfort zone of 5 point, 4 rebound territory. 

So how all of a sudden did James manage to average 17 points and 9 rebounds to beat the Kings in that year’s playoffs? 

Unfortunately for Sacramento, it seemed that losing Divac and Webber came back to bite them, as it wasn’t Ray Allen or Rashard Lewis who was the headline grabber of a game 1, 87-82 victory for the Sonics at KeyArena, but “Big Snacks” Jerome James, who churned out an unlikely 17 point, 15 rebound, 5 block performance, albeit missing 13 of his 20 shots. 

He then followed this up with an impressive 19 points and 9 rebounds (9-for-11 shooting) in game 2, as the Sonics won both of their home games to kick off the series. Even in a game 3 loss in Sacramento, James now got his customary big numbers, scoring 22, and grabbing 9 boards. He and the Sonics finished the series in the following 2 games, first getting 17 and 8 on the road, before coming back down to Earth somewhat with 11 and 6 in the close out game. 

Following the conclusion of game 5, James could be seen with a trash bag draped around his broad 7’1 frame like a cape. This was not an attempt to claim Shaquille O’Neal’s “Superman” moniker (years before Dwight Howard would try it), but a call back to his Kings days, when James was supposedly given such a bag to pack his belongings and ‘find a new career’ (though coach Rick Adelman denies that this took place). James claimed that his old self was in the garbage bag, and that that night, he had set himself free.

Well, did it last? 

Not exactly - James’ numbers dramatically fell off in the next series against the Spurs (22.2 minutes per game, 8.5 points, 4.7 rebounds, 1.5 blocks, 42.9% from the field vs 32.4 minutes, 17.2 points, 9.4 rebounds, 2.2 blocks, 58.1%% shooting against the Kings). 

So, what happened? 

Well, there’s a few things that could explain this. First, a good ol’ verbal ass whooping from not only Ray Allen, but his own mother. Questions over his attitude and desire to use his physical abilities led to James taking a look in the mirror. That sure could’ve helped.

On the other hand, the Kings had lost Divac and Webber. Brad Miller, while not known as a defensive savant, was a legitimate big man, and an All-Star in both ‘03 and ‘04, and he had suffered a fracture to his left fibula, missing the end of the regular season. He returned for the playoffs, but was clearly not back to 100%. This led to the Kings fielding a variety of different players, including Kenny Thomas, Darius Songaila, Brian Skinner, and even veteran Greg Ostertag for a stretch in 2 of the 5 games. Ostertag aside, none of them had the size to match up with James.  

This enabled James to use his physical advantages to be absurdly effective on the glass (4.6 offensive rebounds per game over 5 games, compared to 1 in the regular season), and overpower opponents in the paint. In addition to his stature being a physical mismatch for the Kings, Fortson being in coach McMillan’s doghouse had opened up more minutes for him. In the following series, James’ physical prowess was less effective against the San Antonio Spurs, who fielded Nazr Mohammed and Tim Duncan. Still, James, in the final year of that contract we referred to earlier, would manage to parlay his 5 game, career-best stretch into another big deal (which we’ll get to). 

While the Kings series would mainly be remembered for the way Jerome James played, and the events that followed, it would be a travesty to not recognise the fact that Ray Allen was simply awesome.

For the series, Allen would average 32.4 points, 4.6 rebounds, 5.2 assists and 2 steals with shooting splits of 51.4/45.2/97.1. This included scoring 33 in the game 3 loss, and an incredible 45-point performance in a game 4 win. The Sonics were behind going into the 4th quarter at ARCO Arena, but Allen scored 15 in the final period to lead his team back to Seattle with a 3-1 lead. Then, despite 38 and 35 points from Peja Stojakovic and Mike Bibby, Allen scored another 30, including flying through 4 Sacramento bodies in the paint to score in the dying seconds to clinch the series.

The Last Playoff Series in Seattle

Given everything we’ve already said, no-one would’ve expected Seattle to beat the San Antonio Spurs in the Western Conference Semi-Finals. While David Robinson had retired in 2003 following their 2nd championship, Tony Parker and Manu Ginobili had ascended to new levels. They had also acquired seasoned veterans, such as former Sonic Brent Barry and “Big Shot Bob” Robert Horry. Not to mention that Tim Duncan was one of the 5 best players in the league at this point. 

However, despite the circumstances, Seattle actually gave a good account of themselves. They were blown out 103-81 in game 1 in San Antonio, not helped in the slightest by Allen and Radmanovic leaving the game in the second quarter with ankle injuries. They were then beaten again by 17 in game 2 despite Allen returning. Radmanovic, meanwhile, would not play again that season. 

Back in Seattle though, they pulled a game back, Ginobili missing 1 of 2 free throws with 29 seconds remaining as the Sonics won by a single point. The bad news for the Sonics was that in the final minutes of game 3 Rashard Lewis injured his toe, and would play no further part in the series. 

Despite this, Seattle managed to equal the series with an unlikely victory in game 4. Allen was magnificent with 32 points, and Antonio Daniels, stepping into the starting lineup, chipped in with 19 points and 7 assists. But the story of the game was undoubtedly sophomore Luke Ridnour’s 20 points. With the score close at the half, Ridnour scored 15 of his 20 in the 3rd quarter to give Seattle a 82-66 lead going into the final quarter. 

Unfortunately for the Sonics, this was their final playoff hurrah, as the Spurs won game 5 back in San Antonio, before closing out the series in game 6 at a rocking KeyArena. Seattle had played the Spurs close right to the end before Duncan banked a shot in with .5 of a second remaining. 

This would be the last NBA playoff action played in Seattle. 

[Amazingly for the era, each game of Seattle’s playoff run can be viewed (in varying quality) on Youtube at the links provided throughout. Shoutout to Old School Buckets.] 

The Aftermath and Closing Thoughts
 
Firstly, it must be said that this team massively outperformed their expectations. They took the eventual champions to 6 games, missing 2 of their key players. The Phoenix Suns, who were far more talented on paper than the Sonics, lost to the Spurs in 5 (though Joe Johnson only played in 3 games). Would the Sonics have beaten the Spurs with Lewis and Radmanovic, and gone on to win the championship? I’m not sure, but given in the following seasons I’m sure more than one Sonics fan has thought about it. 

This final, good Sonics team is certainly an interesting one for analytics nerds and basketball historians alike. 

That year the Sonics had the 2nd best offense rating in the entire league. They shot more 3-pointers than anyone other than the Phoenix Suns, but scored just 98.9 points per game (11th in the league), as they had the 4th slowest offense in the entire NBA. They also had the 4th worst defense by defensive rating. Ultimately, despite James’ heroic performance against Sacramento, it was arguably the Sonics’ lack of a true starting calibre big man that held them back during this era. 

And it wasn’t as if Sonics didn’t try to throw more money and more draft capital at the problem. 

First, they drafted Johan Petro with the 25th overall pick in the 2005 draft. Petro would go on to have a 8 year career with various teams, but never develop into much of anything, playing a career high 18.9 minutes in his rookie season. 

The following year, after the Sonics missed the playoffs, they blew the 10th overall pick on Mouhamed Sene. Sene would play just 47 games across 3 seasons in the NBA. With the very next pick the Orlando Magic selected JJ Redick, who would go on to become one of the best 3-point shooters of his generation, playing 15 seasons in the NBA for various playoff teams. 

Robert Swift, the 12th pick in ‘04, might’ve been the only one of the Sonics’ big man alumni of the 2000’s to have had a chance to be something. But injuries combined with mental health struggles meant that he too played in just 97 NBA games. 

Meanwhile, Jerome James’ playoff heroics resulted in the New York Knicks signing the soon-to-be 30 year old a frankly ludicrous 5-year, $29 million contract seemingly based on the Kings series alone. In what was surely almost immediately one of the more expensive cases of buyers’ remorse, James showed up to his first training camp out of shape, would play in a total of 90 games across 4 seasons in New York, averaging  just 7.7 minutes per game, 2.5 points and 1.8 rebounds.

Antonio Daniels would also not return. The Sonics refused to offer Daniels more than a 3 year deal, and similar to James, he would sign a 5-year, $30 million with the Washington Wizards. Daniels, however, would fare much better, becoming a key rotation piece on 3 consecutive playoff teams with the Wizards, even stepping up to start in ‘07-’08 due to Gilbert Arenas’ injury issues. 

Perhaps most shocking of all, “Mr. Sonic” Nate McMillan would depart in the off-season. After splurging to keep Ray Allen with a 5-year, $85 million extension on July 5th, Schultz seemingly lacked the capital to bring back his coach. After almost 20 years with the club, McMillian would reject a 4-year, $18.5 million offer from Seattle and make the short journey to Portland, signing a reported 5-year $30 million contract.

Both Vladimir Radmanovic and Reggie Evans would be traded in February 2006 to the Los Angeles Clippers and Denver Nuggets respectively.

Despite signing that 5-year extension and continuing to play at an All-Star level, Ray Allen would be traded to the Boston Celtics in the summer of 2007. After missing the playoffs in the prior 2 seasons, and with Allen approaching his 32nd birthday, the Sonics decided to rebuild. Allen would go on to win an NBA championship the very next season, and another with the Miami Heat in 2013. 

Rashard Lewis would also depart in the summer of ‘07, as the Sonics facilitated a sign-and-trade with the Orlando Magic, who agreed to pay Lewis in the region of $118 million over 6 seasons. Lewis would re-unite with Allen in Miami, playing a limited role on the 2013 title team

With the 2nd pick in the 2007 NBA draft, the Sonics would acquire future Hall of Famer Kevin Durant. Unfortunately, Seattlities would only witness his greatness for his rookie season, as we all know what happened next.

And doesn’t (almost) everyone wish the story ended differently…

Many NBA fans are aware of the painful death of the Seattle Supersonics. The subject has been well-covered in the 18 years since the team’s departure to Oklahoma City. 

A potential return to the Emerald City is often brought to the forefront of discussion whenever one of the 30 wealthy owners of our beloved teams are “due” a new arena. This time, it’s Seattle’s neighbours, as the city of Portland finds itself embroiled in a battle with its new billionaire owner over the re-development of Moda Center. 

However, the relocation itself is a topic that’s been done to death, and frankly, Seattle’s basketball fanatics don’t deserve to read about it all over again. Therefore, we will be heading back to the early 2000’s, and taking a closer look at the last team to play NBA playoff basketball in Seattle, the 2005 Sonics. 

New ownership stirs things up

Yes, that was my attempt at a coffee pun. 

The Sonics, led by Hall of Famer Gary “The Glove” Payton and high-flying “Reign Man” Shawn Kemp had been one of the NBA’s best teams in the 1990s, even taking the 72-10 Chicago Bulls to 6 games in the 1996 Finals. Unfortunately, the organisation made a string of decisions that led to Kemp being traded, and the organisation slipping into good, but not great territory at the turn of the millennium. 

January 2001 saw the Sonics, purchased for a package of around $200 million by a group led by Howard Schultz, head of Starbucks Coffee, which was founded in Seattle. A local business bought a local basketball team - what a story! 

Well, a local business that charges over the odds for what some may consider substandard coffee (I don’t pretend to know enough about coffee to have my own opinion). 

Anyway, I’m sure Schultz wouldn’t nickel and dime his basketball players in the same way. 

Oh, wait…

Schultz didn’t just upset local coffee aficionados, he upset the Sonic, Gary Payton. 

Yes, Payton was 34 years old and into the last year of his contract in the Summer of 2002, but he was still an excellent player, one of the best in fact. In 2001-2002, he placed 6th in MVP voting, was a member of the All-NBA Second Team, and made his 9th consecutive All-Defensive First Team. 

Schultz, perhaps thinking like a businessman rather than a Sonics fan, wouldn’t budge. There would be no new contract for Payton. So in response, Payton didn’t report for the first day of training camp. Eventually Payton would show up, and play in every game for the Sonics that season until a momentous trade in February 2003.

With Seattle languishing in no-man's land with a 22-30 record, the greatest player in franchise history was traded to the Milwaukee Bucks, re-uniting Payton with the coach of the 1996 Sonics Team, George Karl. The centerpiece of the Sonics’s return was 3-time All Star Ray Allen. As much of an icon, and as good as Payton still was at the time, receiving a 27-year old Allen is about as good as any return could’ve gotten for Seattle. The fact that Payton would leave Milwaukee as a free agent that summer made it one of the more lopsided trades of the era. 

Despite the inspired play of Allen (24.5 points per game, 5.6 rebounds, 5.9 assists) leading the Sonics to a 17-12 record to close the 2003 season, they failed to make that year’s post season. They would fail to make it the next season too, Allen playing just 56 games due to ankle surgery in November. 

Going nowhere fast (apparently)

After a disappointing season in ‘04, and little in the way of assets or room under the salary cap, the Sonics were not tipped for greatness in ‘05. SLAM Magazine deemed them not worthy of more than 3 words, predicting the Sonics to finish 5th in the Northwest Division. The NBA’s annual GM survey bore little mention of Seattle either, with 95.2% believing that Minnesota was destined to win the division (the remaining 4.8% voting for the Denver Nuggets). 

There was no reason to believe Seattle would be one of the NBA’s best teams that season. In fact, there was reason to believe their team had actually gotten worse. 

In the summer of 2004, the versatile Brent Barry signed with the San Antonio Spurs. Despite being 32 years old, Barry was a valuable playmaker (5.8 assists) and shooter (45% from 3-point range during the ‘04 season. 

Meanwhile, their big acquisitions that summer were drafting 18-year old Robert Swift straight from Bakerfield High School, and trading Calvin Booth for journeyman Danny Fortson. The big man-shaped hole under the basket had been a problem for Seattle since the early ‘90s, and the signing of Jim McIlvaine in 1996 was the catalyst for Kemp leaving town. It would continue to plague the team even after they moved to Oklahoma. 

The fact that the Sonics chose to draft Swift, despite shelling out a combined $17.5 million for Vitaly Potapenko, Fortson and Jerome James (who we’ll get to later) in ‘05 alone, spoke volumes about their confidence in their frontline. Following this season, the Sonics would continue to display an infatuation with mediocre big men, but we’ll get to that later too. 

The ‘05 core 

Overpaid big men aside, Seattle had actually done a decent job in acquiring talent in recent years. Despite never being in contention for top draft pick (mainly due to the excellence of Payton), the Sonics had been able to acquire several key pieces of the core of the ‘05 squad for little cost.

Rashard Lewis was an excellent find in the 2nd round in 1998. His slender 6’10 frame might be more suited to the modern NBA, but he had peformed well in Seattle. His high volume 3-point shooting was especially unique, and valuable. This season, Lewis would take another leap, breaking the 20-point per game marker for the first time and making his first All-Star game. 

In 2001, the Sonics selected Vladimir Radmanovic with the 12th pick. “Vlad Rad” was a bit of a wildcard - he was not a strong defender nor rebounder, and would eventually be called a “space cadet” by future coach Phil Jackson for his erratic play. Later in the season he would rock braids with Sonics’ coloured beads during the playoffs - interesting indeed. Nevertheless, Radmanovic was a solid player, and his similarly high volume 3-point shooting was valuable for this team. 

The following year, Seattle did not have a first round draft pick - they had traded it for a 38-year old Patrick Ewing. Despite this, the Sonics were able to acquire Reggie Evans that year, an undrafted free agent. Standing 6’8 and being offensively challenged, Evans made up for his shortcomings with immense energy and tenacity. He would become one of the league’s top rebounders in ‘05.

Finally, in 2003, Seattle would land another three pieces of the ‘05 squad. First, with the 12th and 14th picks of that year’s draft (the latter acquired in the Allen trade), the Sonics selected Nick Collison and Luke Ridnour. Collison had missed the entirety of his rookie season through shoulder injuries, and Ridnour had been a backup, but both were ready to step up in ‘05. Ridnour would be especially important, starting at point guard for all 82 games. 

Later that summer, the Sonics would sign Antonio Daniels to a 2 year deal that would see him earn just shy of over $2 million annually, which represented excellent value. 28 at the time, Daniels won a championship with the San Antonio Spurs in 1999 as a reserve, before becoming a key rotation player for some further deep playoff runs. Since then, despite never reaching the level expected for a player chosen 4th overall, Daniels had garnered a reputation as a capable combo guard, offering versatility and a defensive presence in the backcourt. 

On the bench, Seattle still had “Mr. Sonic” Nate McMillan in their corner. McMillan had spent 12 years as a player with the ball club, including as part of the ‘96 finals team, before becoming an assistant in 1998, and eventually head coach in 2000. 

The NBA’s Surprise Package

After being utterly destroyed in Los Angeles by the Clippers on opening night, some fans might’ve been fearing the worst. 

Surely no one would’ve expected them to rattle off an incredible 9-game winning streak, but by the end of November, Seattle were sitting alongside Phoenix and San Antonio atop the Western Conference with a record of 13-3. And it was perhaps Brent Barry’s return to KeyArena on November 7th that brought Seattle’s most impressive performance thus far. In addition to 27 and 24 points from Lewis and Allen, Radmanovic, Daniels and Fortson combined for 44 on route to a dominant 113-94 victory.

They continued to roll in December, picking up further impressive wins on the road, including toppling the Spurs once again, and closing out the Dallas Mavericks. Even a tightly contested affair that led to a close loss to the Phoenix Suns at a packed-out KeyArena couldn’t spoil their momentum, as the Sonics closed out 2004 with a record of 22-6 thanks to a 103-97 victory over the Charlotte Bobcats in their inaugural season.

In the new year, the Sonics delivered several more impressive showings. First, beating the Miami Heat twice in less than a week, 98-96 on the road in a late game nail-biter, and then (in the end) more comfortably 108-98 at KeyArena. They were then able to put aside difficult losses to playoff rivals (an overtime loss in Denver, a 5-point loss at home to Minnesota, and a blowout loss to San Antonio sans Ray Allen) to rattle off a 5-game winning streak in February. Highlights included dispatching Sacramento home and away, and getting revenge in Phoenix, where the Sonics’ top 7 all scored 10 or more points. 

Slumping to the finish line

The NBA’s surprise package didn’t let up, handily beating more strong teams to end February and begin March, including the defending champion Detroit Pistons, before dropping 3 straight at home to Phoenix, Houston and Chicago. 

The Chicago loss was notable for the absence of Danny Fortson. The “Big Daddy from Cincinnati” (I have no idea if this was an actual nickname of his, but I like it) was banished from practice by coach McMillan the day prior to the game on Friday 11th March.

Fortson had been playing well in relatively limited minutes, and had definitely been an upgrade on Calvin Booth (thumbs up for trading one overpaid, mediocre $5 million big man for another, slightly better one). 

On the other hand, while Booth was seen by many to be a model teammate, issues surrounding Fortson’s physical play and temperament continued to hinder him. Fortson had led the league in personal fouls in 1998-1999, was second in ‘97-’98, and would finish in the top 10 in ‘05. If that wasn’t enough evidence of his love of clobbering opposition players, for his career, Fortson averaged 6.3 personal fouls per 36 minutes, 9th all time, and funnily enough, two places behind Jim McIlvaine.

He had already been suspended twice this season, once for elbowing Chris Bosh back in November, and for throwing a chair after being ejected from a victory over Sacramento. Pre-Sacramento, across 45 games where the Sonics went 33-12, Fortson was averaging 8.5 points and 6 rebounds per game on 55% FG shooting in just shy of 18 minutes per game. In the 17 games he played in post chair melee, his production dived. Still averaging 15 minutes of play time, he averaged just 4.8 points and 4.6 rebounds, shooting just 41%. Seattle went 9-8 in these games. 

It wasn’t just Fortson who was slumping though, as after such an impressive first half of the season, the Sonics looked like the team of old in the remaining 34 games post-Sacramento, winning just 17 of their 34 games. Aside from this disappointing finish to the season, there were some highlights along the way, namely Ray Allen dropping a season high 45 points against the New York Knicks in an overtime victory to wrap up a 5-game winning streak. Then, a week later on April Fool’s Day, they clinched their first 50 win season since ‘97-’98 with a 2-point victory over their Northwest rivals, the Portland Trailblazers in Seattle. 

Unfortunately, they followed this with a 6-game losing streak, though they were missing Rashard Lewis for much of this stretch (load management was indeed a thing in 2005). 

Disciplinary and injury issues aside, the Sonics early season performances put them in a healthy position going into that year’s playoffs, a 52-30 record securing the Northwest Division, and 3rd place in the Western Conference (I sure hope someone from the team reached out to SLAM magazine). 

Their opponents in the first round of the playoffs would be the Sacramento Kings. Although the Kings won 50 games in ‘05, it was fair to say that they weren’t the team of a few years prior that had pushed the 3-peating Los Angeles Lakers to their very limit.

In just the last year, their roster had undergone a lot of turnover in the last year. First, Vlade Divac signed with the Lakers in free agency. Then, in January, they traded defensive stopper Doug Christie (though they did acquire Cuttino Mobley in return, who was a good player). 

Then, in February, the big move came - the Kings traded franchise superstar Chris Webber to the Philadelphia 76ers. Webber had clearly taken a step back after his devastating knee injury in the ‘03 playoffs, and with one of the NBA’s largest contracts to boot, the Kings decided to cut ties. Despite not receiving any big names in return, the Kings still managed to end the season with 50 wins. 

The Jerome James Series

Remember Jerome James? I said we’d get to him, and finally the time has come. 

Before signing with Seattle in 2001, James had had a cup of coffee (hopefully not Starbucks) in the NBA, playing 16 games with Sacramento of all teams in the lockout ‘99 season (again, we’ll get to why this is important later). His first year with the Sonics, he played in 56 games, starting 40, averaging 5.3 points, 4.1 rebounds and 1.5 blocks in just under 17 minutes per game. Fine, I guess, right? 

But remember how I mentioned that the Sonics LOVED to splurge on big men? They rewarded James by multiplying his humble $465,000 a year contract by 10, giving him a 3-year contract that would see him earn around $5 million annually. 

James responded by playing pretty much the exact way for the next 3 years, never venturing outside his comfort zone of 5 point, 4 rebound territory. 

So how all of a sudden did James manage to average 17 points and 9 rebounds to beat the Kings in that year’s playoffs? 

Unfortunately for Sacramento, it seemed that losing Divac and Webber came back to bite them, as it wasn’t Ray Allen or Rashard Lewis who was the headline grabber of a game 1, 87-82 victory for the Sonics at KeyArena, but “Big Snacks” Jerome James, who churned out an unlikely 17 point, 15 rebound, 5 block performance, albeit missing 13 of his 20 shots. 

He then followed this up with an impressive 19 points and 9 rebounds (9-for-11 shooting) in game 2, as the Sonics won both of their home games to kick off the series. Even in a game 3 loss in Sacramento, James now got his customary big numbers, scoring 22, and grabbing 9 boards. He and the Sonics finished the series in the following 2 games, first getting 17 and 8 on the road, before coming back down to Earth somewhat with 11 and 6 in the close out game. 

Following the conclusion of game 5, James could be seen with a trash bag draped around his broad 7’1 frame like a cape. This was not an attempt to claim Shaquille O’Neal’s “Superman” moniker (years before Dwight Howard would try it), but a call back to his Kings days, when James was supposedly given such a bag to pack his belongings and ‘find a new career’ (though coach Rick Adelman denies that this took place). James claimed that his old self was in the garbage bag, and that that night, he had set himself free.

Well, did it last? 

Not exactly - James’ numbers dramatically fell off in the next series against the Spurs (22.2 minutes per game, 8.5 points, 4.7 rebounds, 1.5 blocks, 42.9% from the field vs 32.4 minutes, 17.2 points, 9.4 rebounds, 2.2 blocks, 58.1%% shooting against the Kings). 

So, what happened? 

Well, there’s a few things that could explain this. First, a good ol’ verbal ass whooping from not only Ray Allen, but his own mother. Questions over his attitude and desire to use his physical abilities led to James taking a look in the mirror. That sure could’ve helped.

On the other hand, the Kings had lost Divac and Webber. Brad Miller, while not known as a defensive savant, was a legitimate big man, and an All-Star in both ‘03 and ‘04, and he had suffered a fracture to his left fibula, missing the end of the regular season. He returned for the playoffs, but was clearly not back to 100%. This led to the Kings fielding a variety of different players, including Kenny Thomas, Darius Songaila, Brian Skinner, and even veteran Greg Ostertag for a stretch in 2 of the 5 games. Ostertag aside, none of them had the size to match up with James.  

This enabled James to use his physical advantages to be absurdly effective on the glass (4.6 offensive rebounds per game over 5 games, compared to 1 in the regular season), and overpower opponents in the paint. In addition to his stature being a physical mismatch for the Kings, Fortson being in coach McMillan’s doghouse had opened up more minutes for him. In the following series, James’ physical prowess was less effective against the San Antonio Spurs, who fielded Nazr Mohammed and Tim Duncan. Still, James, in the final year of that contract we referred to earlier, would manage to parlay his 5 game, career-best stretch into another big deal (which we’ll get to). 

While the Kings series would mainly be remembered for the way Jerome James played, and the events that followed, it would be a travesty to not recognise the fact that Ray Allen was simply awesome.

For the series, Allen would average 32.4 points, 4.6 rebounds, 5.2 assists and 2 steals with shooting splits of 51.4/45.2/97.1. This included scoring 33 in the game 3 loss, and an incredible 45-point performance in a game 4 win. The Sonics were behind going into the 4th quarter at ARCO Arena, but Allen scored 15 in the final period to lead his team back to Seattle with a 3-1 lead. Then, despite 38 and 35 points from Peja Stojakovic and Mike Bibby, Allen scored another 30, including flying through 4 Sacramento bodies in the paint to score in the dying seconds to clinch the series.

The Last Playoff Series in Seattle

Given everything we’ve already said, no-one would’ve expected Seattle to beat the San Antonio Spurs in the Western Conference Semi-Finals. While David Robinson had retired in 2003 following their 2nd championship, Tony Parker and Manu Ginobili had ascended to new levels. They had also acquired seasoned veterans, such as former Sonic Brent Barry and “Big Shot Bob” Robert Horry. Not to mention that Tim Duncan was one of the 5 best players in the league at this point. 

However, despite the circumstances, Seattle actually gave a good account of themselves. They were blown out 103-81 in game 1 in San Antonio, not helped in the slightest by Allen and Radmanovic leaving the game in the second quarter with ankle injuries. They were then beaten again by 17 in game 2 despite Allen returning. Radmanovic, meanwhile, would not play again that season. 

Back in Seattle though, they pulled a game back, Ginobili missing 1 of 2 free throws with 29 seconds remaining as the Sonics won by a single point. The bad news for the Sonics was that in the final minutes of game 3 Rashard Lewis injured his toe, and would play no further part in the series. 

Despite this, Seattle managed to equal the series with an unlikely victory in game 4. Allen was magnificent with 32 points, and Antonio Daniels, stepping into the starting lineup, chipped in with 19 points and 7 assists. But the story of the game was undoubtedly sophomore Luke Ridnour’s 20 points. With the score close at the half, Ridnour scored 15 of his 20 in the 3rd quarter to give Seattle a 82-66 lead going into the final quarter. 

Unfortunately for the Sonics, this was their final playoff hurrah, as the Spurs won game 5 back in San Antonio, before closing out the series in game 6 at a rocking KeyArena. Seattle had played the Spurs close right to the end before Duncan banked a shot in with .5 of a second remaining. 

This would be the last NBA playoff action played in Seattle. 

[Amazingly for the era, each game of Seattle’s playoff run can be viewed (in varying quality) on Youtube at the links provided throughout. Shoutout to Old School Buckets.] 

The Aftermath and Closing Thoughts
 
Firstly, it must be said that this team massively outperformed their expectations. They took the eventual champions to 6 games, missing 2 of their key players. The Phoenix Suns, who were far more talented on paper than the Sonics, lost to the Spurs in 5 (though Joe Johnson only played in 3 games). Would the Sonics have beaten the Spurs with Lewis and Radmanovic, and gone on to win the championship? I’m not sure, but given in the following seasons I’m sure more than one Sonics fan has thought about it. 

This final, good Sonics team is certainly an interesting one for analytics nerds and basketball historians alike. 

That year the Sonics had the 2nd best offense rating in the entire league. They shot more 3-pointers than anyone other than the Phoenix Suns, but scored just 98.9 points per game (11th in the league), as they had the 4th slowest offense in the entire NBA. They also had the 4th worst defense by defensive rating. Ultimately, despite James’ heroic performance against Sacramento, it was arguably the Sonics’ lack of a true starting calibre big man that held them back during this era. 

And it wasn’t as if Sonics didn’t try to throw more money and more draft capital at the problem. 

First, they drafted Johan Petro with the 25th overall pick in the 2005 draft. Petro would go on to have a 8 year career with various teams, but never develop into much of anything, playing a career high 18.9 minutes in his rookie season. 

The following year, after the Sonics missed the playoffs, they blew the 10th overall pick on Mouhamed Sene. Sene would play just 47 games across 3 seasons in the NBA. With the very next pick the Orlando Magic selected JJ Redick, who would go on to become one of the best 3-point shooters of his generation, playing 15 seasons in the NBA for various playoff teams. 

Robert Swift, the 12th pick in ‘04, might’ve been the only one of the Sonics’ big man alumni of the 2000’s to have had a chance to be something. But injuries combined with mental health struggles meant that he too played in just 97 NBA games. 

Meanwhile, Jerome James’ playoff heroics resulted in the New York Knicks signing the soon-to-be 30 year old a frankly ludicrous 5-year, $29 million contract seemingly based on the Kings series alone. In what was surely almost immediately one of the more expensive cases of buyers’ remorse, James showed up to his first training camp out of shape, would play in a total of 90 games across 4 seasons in New York, averaging  just 7.7 minutes per game, 2.5 points and 1.8 rebounds.

Antonio Daniels would also not return. The Sonics refused to offer Daniels more than a 3 year deal, and similar to James, he would sign a 5-year, $30 million with the Washington Wizards. Daniels, however, would fare much better, becoming a key rotation piece on 3 consecutive playoff teams with the Wizards, even stepping up to start in ‘07-’08 due to Gilbert Arenas’ injury issues. 

Perhaps most shocking of all, “Mr. Sonic” Nate McMillan would depart in the off-season. After splurging to keep Ray Allen with a 5-year, $85 million extension on July 5th, Schultz seemingly lacked the capital to bring back his coach. After almost 20 years with the club, McMillian would reject a 4-year, $18.5 million offer from Seattle and make the short journey to Portland, signing a reported 5-year $30 million contract.

Both Vladimir Radmanovic and Reggie Evans would be traded in February 2006 to the Los Angeles Clippers and Denver Nuggets respectively.

Despite signing that 5-year extension and continuing to play at an All-Star level, Ray Allen would be traded to the Boston Celtics in the summer of 2007. After missing the playoffs in the prior 2 seasons, and with Allen approaching his 32nd birthday, the Sonics decided to rebuild. Allen would go on to win an NBA championship the very next season, and another with the Miami Heat in 2013. 

Rashard Lewis would also depart in the summer of ‘07, as the Sonics facilitated a sign-and-trade with the Orlando Magic, who agreed to pay Lewis in the region of $118 million over 6 seasons. Lewis would re-unite with Allen in Miami, playing a limited role on the 2013 title team

With the 2nd pick in the 2007 NBA draft, the Sonics would acquire future Hall of Famer Kevin Durant. Unfortunately, Seattlities would only witness his greatness for his rookie season, as we all know what happened next.

And doesn’t (almost) everyone wish the story ended differently…

Okay, okay, I know what you’re thinking: Al Jefferson made an All-NBA team, isn’t that basically the same, if not more recognition than being an All-Star? Yeah, it is, but I needed an excuse to do a career retrospective about Big Al and that title sounded good. So here it is, a look back at Al Jefferson’s career, and specifically his magical 2013-2014 season in all its glory. 

Big Al, Big Classic, Al Jefferson, was drafted by the Boston Celtics with the 15th overall pick in the 2004 NBA Draft. Originally committed to play at the University of Arkansas, the highly touted Jefferson reneged on his decision, instead deciding to declare for the draft out of high school, thus becoming one of the last players to be drafted directly from high school before the NBA changed eligibility rules in 2005.

Jefferson operated mainly as a reserve in his first two seasons, 2004-2005 and 2005-2006, for the Celtics who were led by future Hall of Famer Paul Pierce. His progress was further hindered by a series of ankle injuries and a torn meniscus which limited him to 59 games in ‘06. 

After a slow start to the following season, Jefferson became one of the team’s key weapons on the now lottery-bound 2006-2007 Celtics, with Pierce playing just 47 games. Roaring into life around the Christmas period, Jefferson put the league on notice in ‘07, particularly in March 2007, where he averaged 19.7 points and 11.2 rebounds on 55.1% from the field, including a 32 point, 18 rebound demolition job of Jason Kidd, Vince Carter and the New Jersey Nets, and a 20 point, 12 rebound showout in a close victory against that year’s champions, the San Antonio Spurs.

In the off-season, the Celtics, in an effort to build around Pierce who was now entering his 30’s, included Jefferson as the headliner of a package for superstar Kevin Garnett. As most everyone knows, this duo, along with Ray Allen, eventually led the Celtics to the 2008 NBA championship. Years after retiring, despite acknowledging his disappointment at being traded, Big Al explained that he understood the Celtics’ decision during a fantastic interview on Out the Mud. 

Now on the Minnesota Timberwolves, Jefferson was firmly the #1 option, free to put up impressive numbers on some truly terrible teams that included highly-esteemed Wolves such as Marko Jaric and Rashad McCants, before Kevin Love was acquired in 2008 in one of the only good moves the Wolves made in years before and after the trade. Following a 2007-2008 season where Jefferson averaged 21 points and 11.1 rebounds per game and impressively played all 82 games, he was on track to have his best season statistically, averaging 23 points per game before tearing his ACL in New Orleans in February. All-Star recognition continued to avoid Jefferson, though he wasn’t helped by his team winning 46 games across his first two seasons in Minnesota. 

After spending another year on the hapless Timberwolves, Jefferson was traded once again, this time to the Utah Jazz. Given the package the Wolves ultimately received in return, you could put this one firmly in the loss column they were all too familiar with in the David Kahn era. Contrary to Deron Williams’ claim, he did not make Jefferson an All-Star before skipping town. On the bright side, now on some decent, if unremarkable Utah teams, alongside actual starting calibre players such as the aforementioned Williams (for half a season), Paul Millsap, Andrei Kirilenko and a young Gordon Hayward, Jefferson was finally able to return to the Play-Offs in 2012 for the first time since his rookie year. Unfortunately, the Jazz were hopelessly outmatched against the San Antonio Spurs, losing 4-0 in a straight sweep, despite Big Al’s best efforts in game 4, where he posted 26 points and 10 rebounds on 13-for-19 shooting. 

After narrowly missing the Play-Offs in 2013, Jefferson left the Jazz in Free Agency. He signed with the then-Charlotte Bobcats, becoming the biggest signing in team history, and in my opinion (however little that matters), the centerpiece of one of the more interesting teams of the 2010s. Just a year earlier, in the spring of 2012, the Bobcats were wrapping up the worst season in NBA history, winning just 7 games in the lockout-shortned, 66-game 2011-2012 season. After coaching as an NBA assistant for over a decade, Steve Clifford was finally given his bow as a leading man, and the players at his disposal included:

• Kemba Walker: Drafted in 2011 after a stellar college career, the compact but skillful 23-year old was able to put aside what was undoubtedly a traumatising debut campaign in 2011-2012 to become the club’s starting point guard in year two
• Gerald Henderson: Another alumni of the ill-fated 2012 squad, team owner Michael Jordan had taken him under his wing. Jordan he was not, but he would be called upon to provide some much-needed scoring on this underdog outfit
• Michael Kidd-Gilchrist: The “consolation” prize the Bobcats picked up after missing out on Anthony Davis in the 2012 Draft, Charlotte was hoping the already defensively-solid forward could take a leap forward offensively after his maiden campaign
• Josh McRoberts: One of the more unique players in the league at the time (and perhaps worthy of a deep dive himself), the versatile 6”10 forward had already played for four teams before arriving in Charlotte in February 2013. He quickly made an impression on management, who signed him to a contract extension in the summer.
• Al Jefferson: Now 28-years old, the big man in the middle was tasked with being the focal point of a team desparate for an inside presence. He had one heck of a job on his hands

Jefferson’s desire to make an impact on his new squad was hampered in the early part of the 2013-2014 season by an ankle injury, but he found momentum as the calendar turned to 2014. A 35 point performance at Time Warner Cable Arena against the New York Knicks kicked off a 10-game run which saw Jefferson average 28.9 points, 12.6 rebounds and 2.8 assists on an incredible 56.8% from the field, the Bobcats winning 6 of those games. 

Knicks-performance aside, highlights of this spell included blasting the Magic in Orlando with 30 points on 13-for-17 shooting, demonstrating his all-round game against the play-off-bound Toronto Raptors with 22 points, 19 rebounds and 7 assists, 35 points on the road in a win against Denver, and tying a career high of 40 points against the Los Angeles Lakers at Staples Center.

Unfortunately for Jefferson, he once again missed the All-Star game, the Bobcats 19-25 record and Jefferson’s numbers of 18.4 points and 10.4 rebounds (at the time of the squad announcement) deemed insufficient. 

Despite Big Al dropping a couple of duds in February, notably 10 points on 15 shots against the Suns in Phoenix and 6 points in a Walker-masterclass in a tight 92-89 win against the Memphis Grizzlies, the Bobcats kept their heads above water in the race for the Play-Offs in the Eastern Conference. Jefferson more than made up for his shortcomings against Phoenix and Memphis with several impressive games throughout the month, including 30 points in both a win in Oakland against the Golden State Warriors and in a victory against the Mavericks in Dallas. These performances were followed by a mega 3-game run, where Jefferson scored 32 and 29 in back-to-back games against the Detroit Pistons, and 33 against the New Orelans Pelicans. 

The Bobcats ramped up in March and April, finally breaking the .500 mark with an overtime victory against the Cavaliers in Cleveland with five games remaining, clinching a Play-Off spot in the process. In the final two months of the regular season, Jefferson played some of the best basketball of his career, leading Charlotte to 16 wins in their final 24 games, averaging a jaw-dropping 24.6 points and 11.8 rebounds on 54.7% shooting from the field. Personal highlights in this stretch included a simply ridiculous 38 point, 19 rebound performance on 18-for-24 shooting in a loss to defending champions Miami, 34 points to down the Eastern Conference-leading Indiana Pacers at home, as well as 26, and 35 point performances against some tough Eastern Conference Play-off rivals (Washington and Brooklyn). Awesome displays such as these led to the big man being recognised as Eastern Conference Player of the Month in both March and April.

A 7th place finish in the Eastern Conference matched the Bobcats against the Finals-bound Miami Heat. Unfortunately for Big Al, Charlotte, and the rest of Mankind, a foot injury suffered in game 1 severely limited Jefferson, so much so that he missed the sweep-closing-game 4. In truth, as impressive as the Bobcats had been in 2014, they were severely outmatched, even with Al Jefferson at his absolute peak. There was, however, some good news in June, with Jefferson being given some well-deserved recognition in the form of a nomination to the All-NBA Third Team. Club-owner Michael Jordan even took out a full page advertisement in the Charlotte Observer to thank Jefferson.

After re-branding themselves back to the much-loved Hornets moniker in the off-season, the 2014-2015 club missed the Play-Offs, before bouncing back in 2016 with their final postseason berth to date, once again being defeated by Miami. By this point, however, Jefferson, suffering from a combination of injuries and a league-wide shift in philsophy, was cast in a supporting role. The man-mountain played a further two seasons in Indiana, before heading to China and finally, calling it quits in 2018. 

When it was all said and done, Jefferson finished with career averages of 15.7 points and 8.4 rebounds, playing in four Play-off series across his time in Boston, Utah and Charlotte, but never making it past the first round. It could be said that Jefferson was the last of a dying breed, a throwback to another time. His fantastic play in 2014 kept the smouldering ashes of a laughing stock-franchise flickering. Although never recognised as one of the league’s best players outside of that one season, his butter-smooth post-play, hook shots, and the occasional power move ensure he will live on in infamy with the most diehard of NBA 2000s enthusiasts.

Okay, okay, I know what you’re thinking: Al Jefferson made an All-NBA team, isn’t that basically the same, if not more recognition than being an All-Star? Yeah, it is, but I needed an excuse to do a career retrospective about Big Al and that title sounded good. So here it is, a look back at Al Jefferson’s career, and specifically his magical 2013-2014 season in all its glory. 

Big Al, Big Classic, Al Jefferson, was drafted by the Boston Celtics with the 15th overall pick in the 2004 NBA Draft. Originally committed to play at the University of Arkansas, the highly touted Jefferson reneged on his decision, instead deciding to declare for the draft out of high school, thus becoming one of the last players to be drafted directly from high school before the NBA changed eligibility rules in 2005.

Jefferson operated mainly as a reserve in his first two seasons, 2004-2005 and 2005-2006, for the Celtics who were led by future Hall of Famer Paul Pierce. His progress was further hindered by a series of ankle injuries and a torn meniscus which limited him to 59 games in ‘06. 

After a slow start to the following season, Jefferson became one of the team’s key weapons on the now lottery-bound 2006-2007 Celtics, with Pierce playing just 47 games. Roaring into life around the Christmas period, Jefferson put the league on notice in ‘07, particularly in March 2007, where he averaged 19.7 points and 11.2 rebounds on 55.1% from the field, including a 32 point, 18 rebound demolition job of Jason Kidd, Vince Carter and the New Jersey Nets, and a 20 point, 12 rebound showout in a close victory against that year’s champions, the San Antonio Spurs.

In the off-season, the Celtics, in an effort to build around Pierce who was now entering his 30’s, included Jefferson as the headliner of a package for superstar Kevin Garnett. As most everyone knows, this duo, along with Ray Allen, eventually led the Celtics to the 2008 NBA championship. Years after retiring, despite acknowledging his disappointment at being traded, Big Al explained that he understood the Celtics’ decision during a fantastic interview on Out the Mud. 

Now on the Minnesota Timberwolves, Jefferson was firmly the #1 option, free to put up impressive numbers on some truly terrible teams that included highly-esteemed Wolves such as Marko Jaric and Rashad McCants, before Kevin Love was acquired in 2008 in one of the only good moves the Wolves made in years before and after the trade. Following a 2007-2008 season where Jefferson averaged 21 points and 11.1 rebounds per game and impressively played all 82 games, he was on track to have his best season statistically, averaging 23 points per game before tearing his ACL in New Orleans in February. All-Star recognition continued to avoid Jefferson, though he wasn’t helped by his team winning 46 games across his first two seasons in Minnesota. 

After spending another year on the hapless Timberwolves, Jefferson was traded once again, this time to the Utah Jazz. Given the package the Wolves ultimately received in return, you could put this one firmly in the loss column they were all too familiar with in the David Kahn era. Contrary to Deron Williams’ claim, he did not make Jefferson an All-Star before skipping town. On the bright side, now on some decent, if unremarkable Utah teams, alongside actual starting calibre players such as the aforementioned Williams (for half a season), Paul Millsap, Andrei Kirilenko and a young Gordon Hayward, Jefferson was finally able to return to the Play-Offs in 2012 for the first time since his rookie year. Unfortunately, the Jazz were hopelessly outmatched against the San Antonio Spurs, losing 4-0 in a straight sweep, despite Big Al’s best efforts in game 4, where he posted 26 points and 10 rebounds on 13-for-19 shooting. 

After narrowly missing the Play-Offs in 2013, Jefferson left the Jazz in Free Agency. He signed with the then-Charlotte Bobcats, becoming the biggest signing in team history, and in my opinion (however little that matters), the centerpiece of one of the more interesting teams of the 2010s. Just a year earlier, in the spring of 2012, the Bobcats were wrapping up the worst season in NBA history, winning just 7 games in the lockout-shortned, 66-game 2011-2012 season. After coaching as an NBA assistant for over a decade, Steve Clifford was finally given his bow as a leading man, and the players at his disposal included:

• Kemba Walker: Drafted in 2011 after a stellar college career, the compact but skillful 23-year old was able to put aside what was undoubtedly a traumatising debut campaign in 2011-2012 to become the club’s starting point guard in year two
• Gerald Henderson: Another alumni of the ill-fated 2012 squad, team owner Michael Jordan had taken him under his wing. Jordan he was not, but he would be called upon to provide some much-needed scoring on this underdog outfit
• Michael Kidd-Gilchrist: The “consolation” prize the Bobcats picked up after missing out on Anthony Davis in the 2012 Draft, Charlotte was hoping the already defensively-solid forward could take a leap forward offensively after his maiden campaign
• Josh McRoberts: One of the more unique players in the league at the time (and perhaps worthy of a deep-dive himself), the versatile 6”10 forward had already played for four teams before arriving in Charlotte in February 2013. He quickly made an impression on management, who signed him to a contract extension in the summer.
• Al Jefferson: Now 28-years old, the big man in the middle was tasked with being the focal point of a team desparate for an inside presence. He had one heck of a job on his hands

Jefferson’s desire to make an impact on his new squad was hampered in the early part of the 2013-2014 season by an ankle injury, but he found momentum as the calendar turned to 2014. A 35 point performance at Time Warner Cable Arena against the New York Knicks kicked off a 10-game run which saw Jefferson average 28.9 points, 12.6 rebounds and 2.8 assists on an incredible 56.8% from the field, the Bobcats winning 6 of those games. 

Knicks-performance aside, highlights of this spell included blasting the Magic in Orlando with 30 points on 13-for-17 shooting, demonstrating his all-round game against the play-off-bound Toronto Raptors with 22 points, 19 rebounds and 7 assists, 35 points on the road in a win against Denver, and tying a career high of 40 points against the Los Angeles Lakers at Staples Center.

Unfortunately for Jefferson, he once again missed the All-Star game, the Bobcats 19-25 record and Jefferson’s numbers of 18.4 points and 10.4 rebounds (at the time of the squad announcement) deemed insufficient. 

Despite Big Al dropping a couple of duds in February, notably 10 points on 15 shots against the Suns in Phoenix and 6 points in a Walker-masterclass in a tight 92-89 win against the Memphis Grizzlies, the Bobcats kept their heads above water in the race for the Play-Offs in the Eastern Conference. Jefferson more than made up for his shortcomings against Phoenix and Memphis with several impressive games throughout the month, including 30 points in both a win in Oakland against the Golden State Warriors and in a victory against the Mavericks in Dallas. These performances were followed by a mega 3-game run, where Jefferson scored 32 and 29 in back-to-back games against the Detroit Pistons, and 33 against the New Orelans Pelicans. 

The Bobcats ramped up in March and April, finally breaking the .500 mark with an overtime victory against the Cavaliers in Cleveland with five games remaining, clinching a Play-Off spot in the process. In the final two months of the regular season, Jefferson played some of the best basketball of his career, leading Charlotte to 16 wins in their final 24 games, averaging a jaw-dropping 24.6 points and 11.8 rebounds on 54.7% shooting from the field. Personal highlights in this stretch included a simply ridiculous 38 point, 19 rebound performance on 18-for-24 shooting in a loss to defending champions Miami, 34 points to down the Eastern Conference-leading Indiana Pacers at home, as well as 26, and 35 point performances against some tough Eastern Conference Play-off rivals (Washington and Brooklyn). Awesome displays such as these led to the big man being recognised as Eastern Conference Player of the Month in both March and April.

A 7th place finish in the Eastern Conference matched the Bobcats against the Finals-bound Miami Heat. Unfortunately for Big Al, Charlotte, and the rest of Mankind, a foot injury suffered in game 1 severely limited Jefferson, so much so that he missed the sweep-closing-game 4. In truth, as impressive as the Bobcats had been in 2014, they were severely outmatched, even with Al Jefferson at his absolute peak. There was, however, some good news in June, with Jefferson being given some well-deserved recognition in the form of a nomination to the All-NBA Third Team. Club-owner Michael Jordan even took out a full page advertisement in the Charlotte Observer to thank Jefferson.

After re-branding themselves back to the much-loved Hornets moniker in the off-season, the 2014-2015 club missed the Play-Offs, before bouncing back in 2016 with their final postseason berth to date, once again being defeated by Miami. By this point, however, Jefferson, suffering from a combination of injuries and a league-wide shift in philsophy, was cast in a supporting role. The man-mountain played a further two seasons in Indiana, before heading to China and finally calling it quits in 2018. 

When it was all said and done, Jefferson finished with career averages of 15.7 points and 8.4 rebounds, playing in four Play-off series across his time in Boston, Utah and Charlotte, but never making it past the first round. It could be said that Jefferson was the last of a dying breed, a throwback to another time. His fantastic play in 2014 kept the smouldering ashes of a laughing stock-franchise flickering. Although never recognised as one of the league’s best players outside of that one season, his butter-smooth post-play, hook shots, and the occasional power move ensure he will live on in infamy with the most diehard of NBA 2000s enthusiasts.

The year 2006 was an excellent one. Justin Timberlake brought SexyBack, Zinedine Zidane bookended his legendary career by head-butting Marco Materazzi in the World Cup Final, and the release of the Nintendo Wii meant that even your Granddad pulled himself out of his favourite arm chair to play video games.

Meanwhile, Pau Gasol was leading the barely-out-of-diapers Memphis Grizzlies to their third consecutive NBA Western Conference playoff birth.

I see myself as a positive person so let’s point out the negatives now, but not dwell on the them:

• The Grizzlies were swept in the first round of the Western Conference playoffs for the third year in succession
• The Grizzlies imploded after this season, failing to reach the playoffs again until 2011

Now that’s out of the way, let’s take a look at the main man himself, as well as some of the other Grizzlies’ heroes for this retrospective:

• Pau Gasol: 25 year old Spanish franchise leader, something of a stealth star, scoring, rebounding and passing extraordinaire
• Shane Battier: The ultimate role player, in his fifth and final season with the club, another five years before J.Cole would declare his lameness to the world
• Eddie Jones: A former star very much in the twilight of an impressive career, acquired from Miami. No longer a lead dog, he remained a defensive stopper, but was called upon to provide some much needed firepower for this team
• Mike Miller: One of the only noteworthy players from the maligned-2000 NBA Draft. The league’s premiere Sixth Man this year, his shooting was vital on this short-handed Grizzlies conglomerate.
• Mike Fratello: The veteran coach was in his first full season with the ball club, having taken over mid-season last year, steadying the ship and leading the team to the playoffs

The first game of the season, a heavy, 97-78 loss in Miami against the Heat, perhaps showed some of this team’s offensive shortcomings. Despite strong numbers from our man Gasol (26 points, 12 rebounds, 4 assists, 3 blocks), the Grizzlies’ offence spluttered, Eddie Jones launching non-honing projectile missiles on his way to a 5-for-17 shooting night, and “Mighty Mouse” Damon Stoudamire going 4-for-13.

Despite this, the Grizzlies came out the gates looking strong, winning 19 of their first 29 games in the opening months of November and December. Highlights included two road victories. The first, a 115-103 takedown of reigning MVP Steve Nash and the Phoenix Suns behind 26 points from Stoudamire. 10 days later, they slapped the Finals-bound Dallas Mavericks led by Dirk Nowitzki 112-92, led by Gasol’s awesome 36 points, 15 rebounds and 5 assists. (credit: Parker Fleming, Subtsakalidis)

On the other hand, the Grizzlies dropped a couple of heartbreaking games in overtime, especially a 106-104 loss to Detroit, Pistons linchpin Chauncey Billups striking the killer blow, hitting a 16-footer with .3 seconds remaining. A week later, the Grizzlies travelled to Utah to begin a four game road trip, and received a not-so-happy belated Christmas gift, again being defeated in OT. Bright spots were another awesome stat-stuffing display from Gasol (32 points, 11 rebounds, 4 assists, 10-14 from the field) and a season-best performance from Eddie Jones (25 points, 5 steals, 4 assists, 7-11 shooting).

Even though they bounced back with an OT victory of their own against the almost-one man army of Kobe Bryant and the Los Angeles Lakers (credit: Old School Buckets, Youtube), the Grizzlies faltered in the new year. After starting the season strongly, the Grizzlies won just 12 of their next 28 games in January and February. This was punctuated by a five-game skid to start February. A loss in Milwaukee separated four losses to Western Conference play-off rivals in Dallas, Sacramento, Phoenix (credit: Old School Buckets, Youtube) and the Los Angeles Clippers. Memphis managed to follow this with a win streak of their own. A four game streak was headlined by a 100-99 win in Los Angeles against the Lakers (Chucky Atkins making 1-2 free throws to give Memphis the lead in the last three seconds of a nail-biter), and some much-needed revenge at home to Sacramento, highlighted by a block party from Battier (5) and Gasol (4).

Slump aside, they remained 5 games above .500, with a record of 31-26. And the Grizzlies also had reason to celebrate in February: Pau Gasol played in his first All-Star game (credit: NBA, Youtube), becoming both the franchise’s first, and the first Spanish player to make an All-Star appearance. It could’ve been argued that Gasol should’ve made the showcase game in either if not both of the last two seasons, but nevertheless, a well-deserved piece of recognition of both his play and the franchise’s turnaround following their relocation from Vancouver.

Perhaps spurred on by finally receiving some much-deserved attention from outside Memphis, Gasol and the Grizzlies rallied to finish the season post-All-Star break with 20 wins in their remaining 30 games. Gasol himself was magnificent, averaging 21.3 points, 8.3 rebounds, 5.3 assists and 1.7 blocks on an impressive 53.7% shooting from the field across 28 games before being shut down for the final two.

Highlights of this spell included a duel for the ages with Gilbert Arenas, Antawn Jamison and the Washington Wizards (39 points for Gasol vs 37 for Arenas, 35 for Jamison) which saw the Grizzlies come out on top 108-98 and decimating the SuperSonics in Seattle with a career-first triple double (21 points, 12 rebounds, 12 assists, 4 steals and 3 blocks). Meanwhile, a Gasol masterpiece in Memphis which saw the Spaniard score a career-high 44 points (credit: LamarMatic, Youtube) was spoiled by Seattle revenge in the form of star Ray Allen hitting a game-winning shot with less than a second remaining.

Late heartbreak at home aside, it was another productive year for the Grizzlies.

Gasol’s phenomenal season saw him rank highly in several major categories (19th in points per game, 17th in rebounds, 30th in assists and 13th in blocks, with averages of 20.4 points, 8.9 rebounds, 4.6 assists and 1.9 blocks on 50.3% FG shooting). It could be said that Gasol was very unlucky to not make an All-NBA team this season.

Mike Miller took home the Sixth Man of the Year award, shooting a blistering 40.7% from 3-Point range (19th in the league) on 4.6 attempts per game (1.9 made per game, 17th in the league). The showpiece games of his season were undoubtedly a 21-point triple double against Sacramento in January, and a 41-point barrage against the Denver Nuggets at FedEx Forum in March. (Credit: All-around NBA, Youtube)

Shane Battier and Eddie Jones finished 10th and 13th place in Defensive Player of the Year voting, Battier averaging a combined 2.5 blocks and steals, and Jones averaging 1.7 steals (also 13th in the league).

The Grizzlies as a whole finished the 2005-2006 season with the second-best defensive rating in the entire NBA (101.6), a fantastic effort by Coach Fratello and the entire ball club.

Unfortunately, despite having the fourth best record in the Western Conference, divisional stipulations meant that the Grizzlies not only placed fifth overall, but also meant that they would face the 60-win Dallas Mavericks in that year’s first round, where they were swept in four games.

The following season saw several key personnel changes/incidents which resulted in the Grizzlies dropping to the Western Conference’s basement:

• Shane Battier was traded to the Houston Rockets for Rudy Gay and a returning Stromille Swift in perhaps the example of a “Moneyball” trade
• Eddie Jones played just 29 games before being waived in January 2007 and re-signing with Miami
• Despite having another strong year statistically, now playing the Center position, Gasol played just 59 games
• Coach Mike Fratello was fired in December 2006. This would be the last time he would coach in the NBA

If you enjoyed this, let me know some of your memories/thoughts of Pau Gasol and mid 2000s Memphis Grizzlies. What could they have done to make more headway in the playoffs? What mistakes, if any, did they make?

If you didn't, who gives a damn, kid? I ain’t bothering no-one, right?

The year 2006 was an excellent one. Justin Timberlake brought SexyBack, Zinedine Zidane bookended his legendary career by head-butting Marco Materazzi in the World Cup Final, and the release of the Nintendo Wii meant that even your Granddad pulled himself out of his favourite arm chair to play video games.

Meanwhile, Pau Gasol was leading the barely-out-of-diapers Memphis Grizzlies to their third consecutive NBA Western Conference playoff birth.

I see myself as a positive person so let’s point out the negatives now, but not dwell on the them:

• The Grizzlies were swept in the first round of the Western Conference playoffs for the third year in succession
• The Grizzlies imploded after this season, failing to reach the playoffs again until 2011

Now that’s out of the way, let’s take a look at the main man himself, as well as some of the other Grizzlies’ heroes for this retrospective:

• Pau Gasol: 25 year old Spanish franchise leader, something of a stealth star, scoring, rebounding and passing extraordinaire
• Shane Battier: The ultimate role player, in his fifth and final season with the club, another five years before J.Cole would declare his lameness to the world
• Eddie Jones: A former star very much in the twilight of an impressive career, acquired from Miami. No longer a lead dog, he remained a defensive stopper, but was called upon to provide some much needed firepower for this team
• Mike Miller: One of the only noteworthy players from the maligned-2000 NBA Draft. The league’s premiere Sixth Man this year, his shooting was vital on this short-handed Grizzlies conglomerate.
• Mike Fratello: The veteran coach was in his first full season with the ball club, having taken over mid-season last year, steadying the ship and leading the team to the playoffs

The first game of the season, a heavy, 97-78 loss in Miami against the Heat, perhaps showed some of this team’s offensive shortcomings. Despite strong numbers from our man Gasol (26 points, 12 rebounds, 4 assists, 3 blocks), the Grizzlies’ offence spluttered, Eddie Jones launching non-honing projectile missiles on his way to a 5-for-17 shooting night, and “Mighty Mouse” Damon Stoudamire going 4-for-13.

Despite this, the Grizzlies came out the gates looking strong, winning 19 of their first 29 games in the opening months of November and December. Highlights included two road victories. The first, a 115-103 takedown of reigning MVP Steve Nash and the Phoenix Suns behind 26 points from Stoudamire. 10 days later, they slapped the Finals-bound Dallas Mavericks led by Dirk Nowitzki 112-92, led by Gasol’s awesome 36 points, 15 rebounds and 5 assists. (credit: Parker Fleming, Subtsakalidis)

On the other hand, the Grizzlies dropped a couple of heartbreaking games in overtime, especially a 106-104 loss to Detroit, Pistons linchpin Chauncey Billups striking the killer blow, hitting a 16-footer with .3 seconds remaining. A week later, the Grizzlies travelled to Utah to begin a four game road trip, and received a not-so-happy belated Christmas gift, again being defeated in OT. Bright spots were another awesome stat-stuffing display from Gasol (32 points, 11 rebounds, 4 assists, 10-14 from the field) and a season-best performance from Eddie Jones (25 points, 5 steals, 4 assists, 7-11 shooting).

Even though they bounced back with an OT victory of their own against the almost-one man army of Kobe Bryant and the Los Angeles Lakers (credit: Old School Buckets, Youtube), the Grizzlies faltered in the new year. After starting the season strongly, the Grizzlies won just 12 of their next 28 games in January and February. This was punctuated by a five-game skid to start February. A loss in Milwaukee separated four losses to Western Conference play-off rivals in Dallas, Sacramento, Phoenix (credit: Old School Buckets, Youtube) and the Los Angeles Clippers. Memphis managed to follow this with a win streak of their own. A four game streak was headlined by a 100-99 win in Los Angeles against the Lakers (Chucky Atkins making 1-2 free throws to give Memphis the lead in the last three seconds of a nail-biter), and some much-needed revenge at home to Sacramento, highlighted by a block party from Battier (5) and Gasol (4).

Slump aside, they remained 5 games above .500, with a record of 31-26. And the Grizzlies also had reason to celebrate in February: Pau Gasol played in his first All-Star game (credit: NBA, Youtube), becoming both the franchise’s first, and the first Spanish player to make an All-Star appearance. It could’ve been argued that Gasol should’ve made the showcase game in either if not both of the last two seasons, but nevertheless, a well-deserved piece of recognition of both his play and the franchise’s turnaround following their relocation from Vancouver.

Perhaps spurred on by finally receiving some much-deserved attention from outside Memphis, Gasol and the grizzlies rallied the finish the season post-All-Star break with 20 wins in their remaining 30 games. Gasol himself was magnificent, averaging 21.3 points, 8.3 rebounds, 5.3 assists and 1.7 blocks on an impressive 53.7% shooting from the field across 28 games before being shut down for the final two.

Highlights of this spell included a duel for the ages with Gilbert Arenas, Antawn Jamison and the Washington Wizards (39 points for Gasol vs 37 for Arenas, 35 for Jamison) which saw the Grizzlies come out on top 108-98 and decimating the SuperSonics in Seattle with a career-first triple double (21 points, 12 rebounds, 12 assists, 4 steals and 3 blocks). Meanwhile, a Gasol masterpiece in Memphis which saw the Spaniard score a career-high 44 points (credit: LamarMatic, Youtube) was spoiled by Seattle revenge in the form of star Ray Allen hitting a game-winning shot with less than a second remaining.

Late heartbreak at home aside, it was another productive year for the Grizzlies.

Gasol’s phenomenal season saw him rank highly in several major categories (19th in points per game, 17th in rebounds, 30th in assists and 13th in blocks, with averages of 20.4 points, 8.9 rebounds, 4.6 assists and 1.9 blocks on 50.3% FG shooting). It could be said that Gasol was very unlucky to not make an All-NBA team this season.

Mike Miller took home the Sixth Man of the Year award, shooting a blistering 40.7% from 3-Point range (19th in the league) on 4.6 attempts per game (1.9 made per game, 17th in the league). The showpiece games of his season were undoubtedly a 21-point triple double against Sacramento in January, and a 41-point barrage against the Denver Nuggets at FedEx Forum in March. (Credit: All-around NBA, Youtube)

Shane Battier and Eddie Jones finished 10th and 13th place in Defensive Player of the Year voting, Battier averaging a combined 2.5 blocks and steals, and Jones averaging 1.7 steals (also 13th in the league).

The Grizzlies as a whole finished the 2005-2006 season with the second-best defensive rating in the entire NBA (101.6), a fantastic effort by Coach Fratello and the entire ball club.

Unfortunately, despite having the fourth best record in the Western Conference, divisional stipulations meant that the Grizzlies not only placed fifth overall, but also meant that they would face the 60-win Dallas Mavericks in that year’s first round, where they were swept in four games.

The following season saw several key personnel changes/incidents which resulted in the Grizzlies dropping to the Western Conference’s basement:

• Shane Battier was traded to the Houston Rockets for Rudy Gay and a returning Stromille Swift in perhaps the example of a “Moneyball” trade
• Eddie Jones played just 29 games before being waived in January 2007 and re-signing with Miami
• Despite having another strong year statistically, now playing the Center position, Gasol played just 59 games
• Coach Mike Fratello was fired in December 2006. This would be the last time he would coach in the NBA

If you enjoyed this, let me know some of your memories/thoughts of Pau Gasol and mid 2000s Memphis Grizzlies. What could they have done to make more headway in the playoffs? What mistakes, if any did they make?

If you didn't, who gives a damn, kid? I ain’t bothering no-one, right?

Two of the greatest in our sport throwing down

Two legendary performers go at it. Only 6 minutes on screen and it was the loudest the fans were all night! #LaParkaForPresident