You saw the name of the band, and that song came to your mind. You can sing it if you want. Go ahead, I'll wait.
The Seattle Sonics had a great run in the mid-90's with players as Shawn Kemp, Gary Payton, Detlef Schrempf, Sam Perkins and Hersey Hawkins. They did have some hiccups, becoming the first team in NBA history to be a #1 seed and lose to a #8 seed. The Sonics rebounded from that and made the Finals in 1996, only to fall short to the 72-win Chicago Bulls.
A year later, a British rock band named Chumbawamba scored a major hit in the United States in "Tubthumping." This song would become iconic and is a staple to anything attached to the 1990's. Unfortunately, they couldn't produce another big hit in the States and is considered a one-hit wonder. Alright, fine.....
🎶I get knocked down, but I get up again
You are never gonna keep me down
I get knocked down, but I get up again
You are never gonna keep me down🎶
After the core from that Finals team were long gone, the Seattle Sonics fell into a slumber, and there was no way that they could come out of it. Entering the 2004-2005 season, Seattle was picked by pundits as a team who was headed for the lottery. This was also the season where they were in the new Northwest Division as the NBA went to three divisions in each conference. Still, many believed that the Sonics were not going to sniff the playoffs. What I remembered from this season was the debut of the Charlotte Bobcats and the Palace at the Malice. You can see Sonics fans grabbing a whiskey drink and a vodka drink........and a lager drink and a cider drink. (That was lame, I know.)
The roster consisted of a mishmash of a couple of superstars, some young, upcoming talent, and a sprinkle of some veterans. The two superstars were Ray Allen and Rashard Lewis. Allen was traded to Seattle from Milwaukee for Gary Payton, which made sense considering Payton and coach George Karl, who was the leader of that Sonics Finals team and is now the coach of Milwaukee. Lewis was a second-round pick by Seattle straight out of high school in Houston, Texas. (Fun fact: Lewis was classmates with a soon-to-be generational talent in the music scene. We know her as Beyonce.) Number #7 has blossomed into a good sidekick to Allen. The two youngsters, who at the time many considered had full of potential were Luke Ridnour and Vladimir Radmanovic. Both were vital to this season as they continue to grow. Their first-round pick in the 2004-2005 season was a player who was touted as a dominating prospect in the paint, high school center Robert Swift.
(Photo by TikTok)
Also, Radmanovic had this hairdo.
While the young core seems promising, the rest of the roster was just meh. Look at the names:
-Antonio Daniels
-Mateen Cleaves
-Nick Collison
-Reggie Evans
-Danny Fortson
-Jerome James
-Flip Murray
-Vitaly Potapenko
-Damien Wilkins
Look at this roster, it honestly resembles an expansion club than a squad who was aiming for the postseason. Their head coach was also a member of that Finals team, Nate McMillan. After George Karl "left" the franchise, McMillan was tabbed as the head man to lead this ragtag team.
So, as the season began, Seattle and its fans were thinking about how the last few years have gone: 40-42 and 37-45. Their opener against the Los Angeles Clippers would set the tone for the rest of the season.
They were blown out 114-84. Well, here we go again.
Somehow, the basketball gods decided to shine in the Emerald City as the team went on a nine-game winning streak thus going 17-3 to start the campaign. The Sonics were causing many experts to eat their words and rethink how they saw the NBA. Seattle was able to beat Sacramento, Indiana, L.A. Lakers and even the defending champion Detroit Pistons before the All-Star break. The Sonics were represented by Allen and Lewis in the All-Star Game. In this weird season, this team struggled towards the end of the campaign, going 2-8 down the stretch.
Once again, this was wacky 🤪 as through that slump, Seattle finished 52-30 and the third seed in the Western Conference for the playoffs. Also, guess who was the first-ever Northwest Division champion? That's right! Despite having the deck stacked against them, the Seattle Sonics prevailed and will face the Sacramento Kings in the first round. This is where this ragtag team will fall as the Kings' window for a championship opportunity is waning. (Sad, I know) However, Seattle took the first two games at home as Sonicsmania continued for a bit. Despite falling in the third game, they shocked everyone with a Game 4 victory in Arco Arena. The Sonics would finish off Sacramento with a convincing Game 5 triumph to move on to the second round.
If there was one key contributor in the first round for Seattle, it had to be unsung center Jerome James. His journey to the NBA was a weird one. He was drafted in the second round of the 1998 NBA Draft after his junior year of college (why?). The Kings were the team to select him, and he was cut by them. You see, coach Rick Adelman gave James the news by handing him a trash bag to put his belongings in. After the series victory, James made damn sure that the Kings noticed him by hearing a trash bag as a robe. Even in the press conference, James was proudly still wearing the trash bag. This was the mentality of these Sonics, many thought they were trash, but they wanted to show you otherwise.
Seattle's next opponent is a tough one, the San Antonio Spurs. The core of Tim Duncan, Manu Ginobili and Tony Parker were about to wreak havoc to the league. Now, they are trying to establish themselves despite winning a title two seasons earlier. SATX would take the first two games (103-81, 108-91), but once again, this Sonics squad....(sigh)....got knocked down, but they got up again. They conquered both home games at Key Arena (92-91, 101-91). After a 13-point loss, Seattle would face a do-or-die Game 6 in the Emerald City. In a tight battle, the Sonics took the Spurs to the brink.
Unfortunately, a Tim Duncan go-ahead bucket and a shot that rimmed in and out sent the Spurs to the Western Conference Finals and eventually, their third NBA championship. The ride was over for the Seattle Sonics.
For the fans who enjoy underdog stories, this was a story of a team who wasn't given a chance or needed a "super team" to try to succeed. The 2004-2005 Seattle Sonics gave hope to their city after the glory days of the Finals were in the rearview mirror.
However, the off-season was a cruel one for them as Nate McMillan would jettison his way to the Sonics' rival in the PN, the Portland Trailblazers. Jerome James parlayed that strong play in the postseason into a huge contract with the New York Knicks (What were you thinking, Isiah?). Through these changes and more, Seattle went back to the doldrums with a 32-50 record for the 2005-2006 season. As the years go by, every member of the 04-05 squad would venture on different paths.
-Ray Allen went on to become one of the greatest three-point shooters of all-time and earned two NBA championships.
-Rashard Lewis would sign a massive contract and play alongside Dwight Howard to a Finals appearance with the Orlando Magic.
-Swift, Ridnour and Radmanovic didn't develop as promised. Neither did their 2005 draft pick, Johan Petro. They were able to draft a future Hall of Famer in Kevin Durant.
This season was Seattle's last grasp to playoff success as owner Howard Schultz would sell to Clay Bennett, who in turn, moved the franchise to Oklahoma City and causing Sonics fans to curse his name.
Like Chumbawamba, the 04-05 Sonics had a brief moment of greatness, yet it will be remembered through passing time. They deserve a song that defines them, I wonder what it could be?
(For another look at this season from a Sonics fan perspective, check out the blog from Sonics Forever)
(References: Sonics Forever, Basketball Reference.com, Wikipedia, NBA.com, YouTube, The Seattle Times)
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