C's/Sonics Preview

Seattle's Starters

Earl Watson – Earlier in the season he got into with coach Bob Hill over playing time. Eventually he won the starting point guard job. While Watson is not a good shooter (37%) he is averaging 5.7 assists per game. I see him as more of a back up point guard and the Sonics do too, as Luke Ridnour regained the starting job. However, Ridnour is battling a herniated cervical disk. With Ridnour’s status up in the air I’m going with Watson for now. But I will say this about Ridnour – he strikes me as one of those players that fans around the league like and wouldn’t mind seeing on their team. Meanwhile, he drives Sonic fans crazy.

Ray Allen – He has one of the best jump shots of all time. Is a deadly three-point shooter. He’s had some monster games this year and nobody seems to care. Has missed some time due to an ankle injury that he will battle for the rest of the year and probably will not practice anymore. Is a scorer who does not dominate the ball.

Chris Wilcox – Seattle is not a prominent team in a national sense* so I haven’t seen much of them. Therefore, I have not been following Wilcox closely. I think he’s got a lot of potential, has shown flashes, and has not put it all together yet. That said he is averaging 12.5 points and 7.5 rebounds. I’m interested to see how he does tonight.

* Save the hateful comments Sonic fans. The Celtics are not prominent either, which was evident when ABC decided against televising their game this Sunday.

Rashard Lewis – Lewis was in the midst of a career year before an injury sidelined him for 22 games. He’s a scorer and I always forget that he’s 6-10. Can opt out of his contract after the year and I would be shocked to see him back in Seattle. Someone is going to give Lewis a lot of money. However, he’s kind of like Michael Redd. Do you really want him to be your best player? We’ll see.

Nick Collison – He actually had some big games in February. Has cooled off a bit. I wonder about his ceiling as a basketball player.

That’s pretty much it. Nobody on the Sonics bench scares me in a basketball sense. I’m terrified of Danny Fortson but he is a non-factor these days.

Boston's Starters

I think that Al Jefferson, Kendrick Perkins, Paul Pierce, and Brian Scalabrine are a given at this point. However, Delonte West's recent concussion complicates matters. I'm guessing that Rajon Rondo gets the start at point guard. But do you really want a starting 5 that only has 2 guys who can score? Some people say yes. I am not one of those people

Analysis

I have no idea who is going to win this game. Earlier in the week I did say it was one of the few remaining games in March that I thought the C's could win. However, Boston has struggled with defensive rotations this year. I'm picturing Rashard Lewis and Ray Allen absolutely lighting it up from deep. Meanwhile, I think Al Jefferson will have his way. If Pierce were healthy this would be a big game for him and I won't rule it out. In the end I think Seattle pulls it out with Boston getting sucked back down into a vortex of injuries and losses.