Loved my Sonics, but...

[D-train]

There is a story behind the Liston one, but I don’t remember it.

Damn those teams were fun.

Yep, even if some day Seattle has a team again, it will NEVER approach those teams from the late 70s to mid 90s for me given what a joke the NBA has become.

This notion of "Bring back the Sonics" is delusional. THE Sonics are gone forever.

[Michael K.]

But, imagine if they had never left? I wonder if that team still blows a 3 to 1 lead over Golden State if they didn't play in that shit hole OKC? I realize it is irrational to think things would have changed, but I think they would have! That was Karma. The only problem is, I blame the NBA probably even more for what happened than Bennett and that bitch Starbucks owner. Stern was a complete ass hat in that, and if Golden State beating OKC that year was Karma for OKC, it was probably the best thing for the NBA, because the Golden State dynasty seemed to sage a dying league.

I can still remember listening to Calabro go nuts, I still remember the league screwing us by just letting Barkley and the Suns to to the line all game, still remember when they finally beat the Jazz in a series, still remember Mutumbo holding the ball over his head...all of it like it was yesterday.

[D-train]

Wow I hadn't thought about this guy in probably 4 decades but I do remember him.

By Scott Hanson
Seattle Times staff reporter
Bruce Seals, who played three seasons for the Seattle Sonics and helped the team reach the NBA Finals in 1978 before spending three decades mentoring children through the Boys & Girls Club, died Tuesday in Boston after battling cancer. He was 67.

“My father was the epitome of a self-made man,” said daughter Denitra Seals. “He was a simple man who lived an extraordinary life, and he strongly believed in the principle of reaching back to help others once he achieved success. In his 30 years of mentoring, he touched the lives of thousands of young people. We’d like to think of that as his legacy.”

Seals joined the Sonics for the 1975-76 season after two years with the Utah Stars of the American Basketball Association, reuniting with Slick Watts, who had been his college teammate at Xavier, an NAIA school in his native New Orleans.

Seals, a 6-foot-8 forward, started the majority of games in his first season with the Sonics, averaging 11.8 points and 4.3 rebounds per game and helping them reach the playoffs. Seattle lost to Phoenix in six games in the first round, with Seals scoring 28 and 24 points in the final two games.

Seals was also a starter the next season, averaging 11.0 points per game. He lost his starting job the next year when coach Bob Hopkins was fired after Seattle started 5-17. But he remained a valuable reserve, averaging 7.8 points per game while helping Seattle reach the title series against Washington.

Seals played the next three seasons in Europe after a contract holdout from the Sonics.

[DavidGee24]

I remember Bruce Seals from the old days. I forgot that he was on the 1977-1978 team that lost the title. Looks like his holdout cost him a ring.

Some of the other legendary Sonics who missed out: Slick Watts was traded during the 1977-1978 season. Tom Burleson was traded before the 1977-1978 season. And of course coach Bill Russell quit after the 1976-1977 season, I guess because he couldn't relate to disco-era NBA players. Thankfully Lenny Wilkens could as we could tell from his outfits. Imagine Russell on the sideline wearing a baby blue sport coat and bell bottoms.

[D-train]

I remember Bruce Seals from the old days. I forgot that he was on the 1977-1978 team that lost the title. Looks like his holdout cost him a ring.

Some of the other legendary Sonics who missed out: Slick Watts was traded during the 1977-1978 season. Tom Burleson was traded before the 1977-1978 season. And of course coach Bill Russell quit after the 1976-1977 season, I guess because he couldn't relate to disco-era NBA players. Thankfully Lenny Wilkens could as we could tell from his outfits. Imagine Russell on the sideline wearing a baby blue sport coat and bell bottoms.

Not surprised at all. You and I had almost perfectly parallel existences in terms of interests and eras. And you are probably the only person that I know that has a better memory of all of those people and events that shaped our world.

[DavidGee24]

Not surprised at all. You and I had almost perfectly parallel existences in terms of interests and eras. And you are probably the only person that I know that has a better memory of all of those people and events that shaped our world.

Obviously as kids we wouldn't have been aware of this, but Russell was coach AND general manager, and frankly he sucked. The best thing that happened to the Sonics was his resignation, even though we had to endure Bob Hopkins' 5-17 before Lenny Wilkens brought it all together. No way does that team win the strap if Russell doesn't quit.

Especially damning is how he ruined John Brisker's career. Brisker was almost a 30 PPG scorer in the ABA, the Sonics acquired him, he almost immediately socked a teammate in practice and Russell sat him on the far end of the bench for three years even though Brisker at one point managed a 47-point game. Drove Brisker nuts to the point where his head ended up in Idi Amin's freezer.

[D-train]

Not surprised at all. You and I had almost perfectly parallel existences in terms of interests and eras. And you are probably the only person that I know that has a better memory of all of those people and events that shaped our world.

Obviously as kids we wouldn't have been aware of this, but Russell was coach AND general manager, and frankly he sucked. The best thing that happened to the Sonics was his resignation, even though we had to endure Bob Hopkins' 5-17 before Lenny Wilkens brought it all together. No way does that team win the strap if Russell doesn't quit.

Especially damning is how he ruined John Brisker's career. Brisker was almost a 30 PPG scorer in the ABA, the Sonics acquired him, he almost immediately socked a teammate in practice and Russell sat him on the far end of the bench for three years even though Brisker at one point managed a 47-point game. Drove Brisker nuts to the point where his head ended up in Idi Amin's freezer.

I remember that story. lol Do you remember Leonard Gray and Dick Snyder?

[DavidGee24]

I remember that story. lol Do you remember Leonard Gray and Dick Snyder?

Absolutely, especially Gray, he was a bruiser. I remember he beat up on Rick Barry in the 1975 playoffs and after the game some broad hit Barry with her purse.

[D-train]

How about Greg Kelser. Interesting note here about him and Bird. I forgot that he is a MSU legend.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Greg_Kelser

[XpertDBA]

Since we're reminiscing about old Sonics, I attended the Slick Watts basketball camp when I was 11 years old at Birch Bay for a week. I played Slick in one-on-one (I lost...lol) but beat him at ping-pong. It was one of the best weeks of my life.