End of an era in Seattle?
On Sunday April 13, 2008, the Seattle SuperSonics defeated the Dallas Mavericks 99-95 in front of a emotional home crowd at Key Arena. It was emotional because the Sonics appear to be moving to Oklahoma City next year. After 41 years of tradition, the first pro sports franchise to be located in the Pacific Northwest will be gone, but not forgotten.
The Sonics were established in 1967. Since that time, they have appeared in the playoffs 22 years, won several division titles, three Western Conference titles, and their lone NBA title in 1979. Players such as Gus Williams, Freddie Brown, Jack Sikma, Gary Payton, Shawn Kemp, Lenny Wilkens, Tom Chambers, and Ray Allen have all played in Seattle, and became fan favorites. Seattle has had some of the most loyal fans in the NBA, even though they have played in sereval venues( Seattle Center Coliseum, The Kingdome, Tacoma Dome, and Key Arena). The SuperSonics have been one of the most successful teams in the modern era of the NBA.
Fast forward to today. The team has suffered through three straight losing seasons, and are in the process of rebuilding the team with Kevin Durant and Jeff Green as key cogs on their roster. Owner Clay Bennett, who is a Oklahoma City native, once wanted to keep the team in Seattle if the city came up with public funds for a new arena. But when the city and the State of Washington rejected a 500 million dollar project for the arena, Bennett took his problems to Commissioner David Stern. After several months of negotiations, the NBA board of governors will meet later this month to decide if the team can move to Oklahoma City. If the owners have their way, it could happen.
So if Sunday was the last time we may see an NBA game in Seattle, let me say it has been fun watching Sonics games on TV for the last several years. The NBA will probably be shooting themselves if the move occurs because they will lose a great NBA city with a winning tradition. Hopefully, the city will get a new franchise. Unitl then, farwell Seattle. The NBA and I will miss you.
