No. 2 1995-96 Sonics vs. No. 7 2004-05 Sonics
2 seed: 1995-96
Regular season record: 64-18
Playoff result: Lost NBA Finals
Prime Gary Payton and Shawn Kemp reached the NBA Finals after taking down the Sacramento Kings in four games and then sweeping the Houston Rockets. They lost in the championship to Michael Jordan and the Chicago Bulls.
Key players:
Gary Payton – One of Gary Payton’s finest years, the point guard won Defensive Player of the Year by averaging 2.9 steals per game. He posted 19.3 points, 7.5 assists and 4.2 rebounds per game while shooting 32.8% from three, which at that point was a career-high.
Shawn Kemp – Arguably Kemp’s best season, the All-Star averaged 19.6 points, a career-high 11.4 rebounds, 1.2 steals and 1.6 blocks per game. He shot 56.1% from the field. In the Finals, Kemp averaged more than 23 points per game.
Detlef Schrempf – At 33, Schrempf was still averaging 17 points per game and rounded it out with 5.2 rebounds and 4.4 assists in about 35 minutes per game. He shot 48.6% from the field and 40.8% from three.
Hersey Hawkins – In his first year with Seattle, Hawkins averaged 15.6 points, 3.6 rebounds and 2.7 assists per game while shooting 47% from the field and 38% from three while attempting 4.6 3-pointers per game.
Sam Perkins – Perkins, primarily a role player off the bench, averaged 11.8 points and 4.5 rebounds and 26.5 minutes per game. He shot 35.5% from three on 4.4 attempts behind the arc per game.
Ervin Johnson – In 18.8 minutes per game, Johnson averaged 5.5 points, 5.3 rebounds and 1.6 blocks per game.
7 seed: 2004-05
Regular season record: 52-30
Playoff result: Lost Western Conference Semifinals
The Ray Allen and Rashard Lewis-led team won 52 games, the most the franchise would win in the decade, and reached the conference semifinals before the injury bug hit and the Sonics lost to the eventual-champion San Antonio Spurs.
Key players:
Ray Allen – Allen posted 23.9 points while attempted seven 3-pointers per game and grabbing 4.4 rebounds and 3.7 assist to go with 1.1 steals to earn an All-NBA Second Team nod. He was dominant in the playoffs, averaging 32.4 points against the Sacramento Kings. He suffered a right ankle sprain in Game 1 against the Spurs, though, and then averaged 24 points in the next five games.
Rashard Lewis – Lewis, 26, made his first All-Star game as he averaged 20.5 points and 5.5 rebounds and shot 40% from three while taking six per game. He posted 22 points in Game 2 against the Spurs and a double-double in Game 3, but he was forced to miss the remainder of the series due to a sprained toe.
Luke Ridnour – The starting second-year point guard averaged 10 points and 5.9 assists in 31.4 minutes per game.
Antonio Daniels – The point guard averaged a career-high 11.2 points to go with 4.1 assist in 75 games, all but two of which were off the bench.
Danny Forston – In 17 minutes per game, Fortson averaged 7.5 points and 5.6 rebounds per. He often played center behind Jerome James, who started 80 games but only averaged 16.6 minutes per with 4.9 points and 3.0 rebounds.
Reggie Evans – Evans started 79 games and averaged 24 minutes per game, posting 4.9 points and 9.3 boards per contest.
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