"Box out!" Boxing out means getting an advantageous position on an offensive player when a shot is sailing through the air: maneuvering one's body between a potential rebounder and the basket. While the Sonics' rebounding has certainly improved over the years, they still display a tendency to get sloppy or just plain lazy on the boards. Often the modus operandi appears to be "Let Ruben Patterson get it!" There was, for example, that all-too-familiar moment during the Sonics' February 3 loss to the Jazz (Utah), when forward Rashard Lewis, gawking up at the ball after it left the shooter's hands, allowed a smaller Utah player to slip behind him and nab an easy rebound. Had Lewis simply turned around and stuck his ass into the guy's midsection, the board would have been his. As it happened, the ball practically bounced off Rashard's bean. Such incidences are tantamount to turnovers, really, and in games against teams like the Jazz, turnovers are murder.
"Don't pick up your dribble!" How many times have we seen one of the Sonic guards dribble across mid-court, dodge left or right, and then, completely prematurely, stop dribbling--only to get trapped and throw the ball away with a wild, cross-court pass to nobody in particular? Even Gary Payton, expert ball-handler that he is, has been guilty of this. The problem seems to rest not only in poor judgment, but also in the inability of the other guys on the floor to get open. Watch a team like the Knicks or the Jazz: On offense, everyone is moving, cutting through passing lanes, setting screens, fighting to get open. No one stops dribbling until he has an option of either shooting or dishing off for an assist. Again, turnovers are killing Seattle.
"Hand up in [his] face!" The only Sonic who consistently has his arms up on defense--jumping around and waving maniacally--is Assistant Coach Dwane Casey. Too bad he's stuck on the sideline in a suit and tie. What happened to the fundamental practice of getting a mitt up in the shooter's face? Doesn't it seem logical that it's harder to shoot the ball when someone's waving five fingers across your line of vision? Seattle allows far too many uncontested shots.
"Get back on defense!" Coach McMillan pointed out not long ago that the Sonics tend to play solid defense only when the offense is running well; he also pointed out that this should be the other way around. It's totally obvious that when the Sonics turn the screws on the defensive end, they execute way more effectively on offense. They win games through their defense, period. As a whole, the Sonics have a disturbing penchant for buckling down on defense only when their game's in jeopardy. And they just aren't a good enough team for this sort of inconsistency.
