Heat Scorch Zombies, Crush Championship Run

In case you've been living under a rock - there's big news: LeBron James is finally hoisting an NBA championship trophy! The monkey is off his back. King James has justified himself and taking his talents to South Beach.

Even bigger news though, is that Seattle's most hated man, Clay Bennett, is NOT hoisting a trophy...and that brings a satisfying smile to my face. I'm not excited the Zombie Sonics lost, oh no, I am glad Bennett lost. I want him to savor the bitter taste of defeat for a long, long time time. The same bitter taste he left in Sonics fans mouths. It's called just desserts.

In what was to be an epic finals match-up, I was left with no one to root for, so I chose the lesser of the evils and wished a ring for LeBron. The thought of Bennett gaining satisfaction from his thugged team...is too much to bear. As long as he is the owner, I am motivated to root against that team.

After reading this, I feel even better that Presti is tasting defeat. He built a solid nucleus but really screwed Seattle intentionally. I still cannot understand why Presti would want out of Seattle.

Here's the link to the article - http://mynorthwest.com/384/689920/Tom-Savage-understands-Sonics-fans-pain

The greatest part about the Zombies championship run, for Seattle fans, is the media coverage of the loss of the Sonics and the shady way it went down has been played out across the country. With Sonicsgate airing nationally on CNBC fans across the country now understand the shady, deceitful way Bennett took the Sonics from Seattle. The 'Seattle didn't support the team' nonsense that was spouted by ignorant ilk has been proven to be utterly false, and the fans and media now know it. All of this pro-Seattle momentum is part of a wave that'll likely result in a Sonics team returning to Seattle soon. Thank Chris Hansen and the Sonicsgate guys for all their efforts.

The Zombies played well, but not well enough. They came up against a buzz-saw in The Heat, a team that knew they'd never be able to live with the fall out of another loss in the finals. This season was all about the ring, and now they can cross that task off their NBA bucket list. Ther Zombies were the sacrificial lambs....this time.

You could see it in game four; the Heat simply broke the Zombies will, making the game five blowout not so much a surprise, but a foregone conclusion. The Zombies hung around, but somehow you just knew this night was LeBron's night. That game face, that I-won't-be-denied will, that Jordon-esque desire.

Ironically, the Zombies lost four straight games - after the Sonics Rally took place in Seattle. Karma? Hmmmm....

Congratulations King James, today you are a champion and you've earned it, so savor it. As for Clay Bennett; enjoy the taste of defeat. You've earned that as well. Savor it.

OKC Owners: The True Bad Guys in 2012 NBA Finals

This is a re-post of an excellent article By Mike McCall from The Advocate.


As sports fans, we like it when matchups break down along clearly drawn lines: good guys versus bad guys, David versus Goliath, our country versus their country.

At first glance, the NBA Finals between the Oklahoma City Thunder and Miami Heat fit the bill.

There’s the Heat, aiming to take over the league behind LeBron James, who joined the evil empire after calling a live TV special to betray his home state and leave the Cleveland Cavaliers.

On the other side, you have the white knight Thunder led by Kevin Durant, an unassuming star who was still buying T-shirts at WalMart even after becoming a millionaire, and who announced his contract extension with the Thunder in anti-James fashion, through a simple, gracious tweet.

Essentially, James, Dwyane Wade & Co. are the Monstars from “Space Jam,” while Durant plays the Michael Jordan role as leader of the Tune Squad. As if that line between good and evil wasn’t clear enough, the Heat even suit up in classic bad-guy colors — black and red — and a logo emblazoned with fire.

But look beyond the on-court show, and it’s harder to tell who the good guys are.

After all, the Thunder’s feel-good story is built atop a lie.

If not for a deceitful purchase of the Seattle Sonics, the Thunder wouldn’t exist. In 2006, a group of Oklahoma City businessmen led by Clayton Bennett and backed by the wallet of Aubrey McClendon bought the Sonics. They immediately promised to fight to keep the team in the Pacific Northwest.

But they didn’t. They half-tried to build a new arena in Seattle, but they always planned to move the team. McClendon even said so in a 2007 interview, for which he was fined a whopping $250,000 by the NBA.

Then there was Bennett’s famous e-mail that he was a “man possessed” and would “do everything we can” to accomplish his goals for the franchise.

In court, Bennett made the laughable claim that his goal was to stay in Seattle, even though his e-mail was a response to his partners asking how soon they could move the team, and even though he contacted the NBA about relocation soon afterward.

Perhaps the Sonics never would have left if the city had provided a new arena, or if the mayor hadn’t chosen to settle a lawsuit just hours before a verdict that could have locked the team into its lease in Seattle.

But the bottom line is that Bennett and his gang are low-down, dirty rotten thieves who stole Seattle’s team.

That’s why the Thunder’s owners are the only true villains in the building during the NBA Finals.

Sure, James, Wade and Chris Bosh have done their best at times to be hated, but in reality, LeBron’s televised break-up with Cleveland raised millions for charity, and the trio opted for lower salaries for the chance to play together.

Maybe that doesn’t make them angels, but it shouldn’t make them demons either.

And maybe the Thunder’s owners pilfering a franchise so the NBA could thrive in their town doesn’t make them evil.

But it sure as heck doesn’t make them the good guys.

Epic Finals? Not for Sonics Fans

It's a sad day to be a Super Sonics fan. This years NBA finals is an absolutely epic matchup and has all the makings of a classic series.
The young, hungry Zombie Sonics versus the veteran Heat. The team built around the quite Kevin Durant, the Sonics first-round pick and the face of humbleness, vs LeBron James who not-so-quietly 'took his talents to South Beach" and middle-fingered Cleveland in the process.

As a former Seattleite and permanent Sonics fan, this is an especially tough series. The promise of an instant classic, for which I cannot root for either team. I have no dog in this fight and it looks to be a classic fight. Both these teams are dripping with motivation and talent and it'll be wither Durant coyly raisint the trophy of LaBron finally getting the curse off his back. The winners in all of this will be the fans who will bear witness.

No outcome will be satisfying for us Seattleites. If the Zombies win it's that should be the Sonics celebrating and if the Heat win it'll be I can't root for the Heat. I can't pull for a team and a player that screwed over Cleveland - a place that is already the poster child for hard-luck sports fans. I know too many Clevelanders and I feel their pain: they were so close...just like Seattle should be.

There's no winning in this Finals for Sonics fans, sadly, but the rest of the country is about to be treated to one of the best match-ups in years. I imagine every Clevelander is pulling for a Zombie sweep - and they should. I certainly don't begrudge those that root for the Zombies; they have a great team and vocal fans (just like Seattle, which Charles Barkley called the toughest place to play in the NBA beause of it's notoriously rabid fanbase) and the Heat set themselves up to be perfect foil. They have the sunshine, the beaches, the all start roster and most of a county rooting against them.

As much as my interest in the NBA has waned, this is a Finals matchup that should make any apathetic fan sit up and cheer for someone. It makes it even worse for Sonics fans; we're forced to choose between what was wrongfully ripped away, or those clowns from South Beach, and that's really no choice at all. It's a shame, really.

Good luck to both teams, may the series be injury-free...although I would be fine if Clay Bennett pulled a groin.

What if the Zombie Sonics Win a Title?

The sad reality is that if the Zombie Sonics win a title, no one outside of the Dust Bowl will care. Sure, everyone likes Durant and Westbrook, and the team is talented, for sure. The problem is that they have zero fans outside of the little outhouse on the prairie. Want proof? Go look in sports forums on CBSsports and ESPN where fans can contribute. Very little traffic compared to the popular teams, and this is a team contending for a conference title.

Seattle had an established national fan base - not on the scale of the Lakers or Celtics or other bandwagon teams, but they definitely were a visible team nation-wide. The Zombies - just aren't and may never be. Any title they would win would be tainted by the stink of the move. If the team had moved because of fan apathy in Seattle, that would be one thing and would justify the team moving to a better situation. But that was not the case at all. That's just the spin given to the gullible OKC fans by Bennett to appease their guilt. The attention starved folks of OKC will always try to spew that - and every time it only proves thier sad ignorance. Bennett worked the system in concert with Sterns guidance to screw Seattle over - that's why the issue will never die. It's an injustice. Anyone who says Seattle didn't support the team is flat-out ignorant - but in reality they'd prefer ignorance over the truth in order to justify having a team.

Let me simplify what Bennett did...

Bennett basically went to another town, followed a kid riding a bike. When the kid parked his bike to go into the store, Bennett stole it, brought it home, and gave it to his kid. To justify what he'd done, he said the other kid wasn't using it anyway. That's his logic. Anyone who embraces that kind of logic has much bigger problems, like being a textbook sociopath. It's also pretty damn creepy.

Ask Kevin Durant about the fans in Seattle in the last game there. He was leading the chant for Save Our Sonics. That move will always taint the franchise. If they win a championship - folks like Bill Simmons will talk about how Seattle deserved the team and title, not Bennett. It'll bring up other issues like the silly 'shared title' nonsense - again creating sympathy for Seattle and painting bennett and his ilk in a bad light.

No one cares about OKC outside thier borders, but the Sonics were loved all over the country - I know because I've met and worked with folks from all over the USA - not one person has supported Bennett. Those that are on the fence, I give them the Sonicsgate video and/or explained how it all really went down. That's enlightenment, folks

I met two guys from Norman a couple weeks back - we discussed the Sonics - they were big Zombie Sonics fans and said they thought Seattle didn't support the team. They don't feel that way anymore after seeing Sonicsgate. One guy emailed me saying how bad he felt and was gonna root for the Spurs now. He went on to say they believe the players are miserable in OKC and expects them to bail outta there. He said there is nothing for them to do there. That's not my opinion, just what an OK guy told me.

No matter what, OKC cannot win. They are a tainted franchise. Their fans persistant desire to remain ignorant about the facts will not ever change that. Denial ain't just a river in Egypt, kids.

Oh, and keep your bikes locked up. You never know when creepers like Bennett are lurking about. Go Spurs!

Let's Go Spurs!

There's a great saying in sports; "act like you've been there before." It means show some class. Have some humility.

Being a loyal fan there is only one team I root for when it comes to playoff time: any team playing the Blunder.

So....GO SPURS! I don't hate the Blunder, I really don't. But as a Sonic loyalist, I cannot ever root for Clayton "The Douchbag" Bennett to win a trophy. Not after the garbage he pulled in Seattle. In a dream scenario, I want Bennett experience the heartbreak of a crushing game seven defeat - and then never making a serious run again. I want him to live to be 150 years old with that feeling in his fat gut. Then he'll know how Sonics fans feel.

Bennett tanked the team in Seattle to build a winner for OKC. Everyone knows it and the evidence is overwhelming. Blame Schultz all you want, he's certainly culpable as well. He made a huge profit while Bennett exploited a vulnerable situation to get a team to the dustbowl.

You always here the OKC ilk shouting "Seattle didn't support the team" which has been proven beyond any doubt to be completely false.

Then the OKC ilk shout "should've built an arena if you wanted them to stay." Well, Seattle did that too. A mere8 years prior to Bennett's purchase.

Then, once you've outmaneuvered them with reason and logic, they reach for the "get over it" routine. It's the same as "because I said so" or "just because." Anyone with an IQ greater than a tumbleweed knows you go there when you have no game, credibility or debating skills. Once you get to this point, any chance at reasonable banter is lost. Fine. OKC has the Zombies, so they've won that battle, but the hearts and minds of the public can still be won or lost. OKC may never win that battle - not with Sonicsgate out there. But they have the team.

So, why does Warpaint clothing of OKC print an inflammatory t-shirt aimed at a humiliating an already helpless fan base in Seattle? How is that cool or necessary? At first the printers defended the shirt. Eventually after enough justifiable outrage, the cowards backtracked quickly - taking the product off-line after receiving death threats...proof that Sonics fans are still a very passionate and dialed-in bunch.

Zombie Sonic fans dismiss any logical debate about the move of the team and always default to the demans tha we get over it - but then come right back begging for our attention. We argue, you want to stop; We stop, you want to argue. The Zombie's are in the playoffs, what do you want from the Seattle fans? Cheers? Acknowledgement? Not gonna happen. Not untilo you acknowledge that the team you're watching for was paid for by blood of the Sonics fanbase when Bennett tanked the team and tried to disguise it as 'rebuilding' when the benefits of rebuiilding would only be reaped in OKC while Seattle fans were left with the shell of a team and then no team at all.

Back to the shirt - why print inflammatory t-shirts? You have to know it's only going to paint Seattle in a sympathetic light while shining the spotlight on the injustice that was done to the City. Where's the common sense? This keeps the Sonics in the media and the further along the Zombies get, the more likely it is that the story of the Sonics move will gain more attention, and when all the facts are put on display, it'll look very bad for Bennett and Stern.

Should we print up a picture of Chesapeake Energy as a ship heading towards an iceberg? Nah. As much as Aubrey deserves that - it was his own professional shenanigans that destroyed the company. But, no thanks. We'll pass on making those t-shirts.

When your rooting for a team that's making a potential championship run, show some humility, show some class. Act like youv'e been there before.

Oh, wait....you haven't. But Seattle has.

Does Seattle Need the NBA?

The Zombie Sonics.

The greatest nickname a team ever received, and it came straight from the media. I smile when I hear that because it shines the light on the wrong that Stern and Bennett did to Seattle and the unending support Seattle fans receive, and an acknowledgement of how they were jilted.

With the recent airing of Sonicsgate on CNBC and the drama unfolding in Sacramento with the Maloofs, Seattle is once again being targeted as a possible destination for an NBA’s Kings. Let’s face it, no one wants team relocation, a pain all too real for Sonics fans. With the Maloofs broke and the arena deal now allegedly dead, what’s next? Are the Kings Seattle bound?

Chris Hansen has offered up an arena plan for Seattle. Better yet, he owns the land for the proposed site, a major step forward when compared to Clay Bennett’s laughable, designed-to-fail plan. It’s reception has been warm by the city council and, even more so, by the Seattle media who are ravenously hungry for any sports news to report. If the arena plan pans out, and I believe the location is a perfect, this has all the potential for two new teams in Seattle; one from the NHL (Phoenix Coyotes?) and the return of the NBA, the Kings being offered as the most logical choice, given their vulnerability and tenuous situation in Sacramento. All of this suggests the stars are aligning for a return of the NBA to Seattle. Is this real? Is it another carrot-on-a-stick top leverage Sacramento into ‘playing ball?’ Who knows. If a team is truly destined for Seattle, I gotta ask the obvious question;

Is this really a good thing?

Having lost the Sonics, the NBA has faded in relevancy to me. I did not drift to the Blazers as Stern expected, I just...don’t really care anymore. The blame for that indifference falls squarely on David Stern and his ego. I miss the Sonics to this day, but somehow I am not at all excited about the prospect of a team relocating and then rebranding themselves as the Sonics. It rings hollow, like a bait-and-switch. “Hey, if we move a team and put ‘em in the green and gold, Sonic fans will be fooled into believing! And that leads to Seattleites, who were already burned once by the NBA, badly, handing more money over to the NBA.” I have a problem with that. Will we get used to it? Maybe. I am also used to $5 gas, the recession and never ending Tim Tebow drama. None of those are particularly enjoyable.

Will I feel bad for Sacramento? Sure, but the Kings relocating to Seattle is nothing like the blatant lying game Bennett played when he thugged Seattle’s beloved team of 41 years. With Sacramento, a buyer would buy them with the sole and publicly acknowledged intent to move them. No lies, no ruining the team and alienating the fan base to further the real agenda. No appalling deceit.

In a way, the NBA owes Seattle a team, and Clay Bennett, shamefully sitting on the relocation committee, should be doing everything in his power to right that wrong. The problem is that his involvement will immediately open those old wounds and shine the light back on his disgraceful actions with the Sonics. If he is like Stern, he’ll put his ego first. There will be no expansion teams. Not with the current state of the league. Some 18 teams are claiming to be losing money, adding another team to the league is not a practical reality.

If the Kings or any other team moves to Seattle, I am not sure I can embrace them. Not after what the league did to the City. Not after creating this void. Not after assuming the fans would just blindly return, like zombies.

I guess they’d have to be called the Zombie Sonics.

Seahawks Sign Matt Flynn: Still No Sign of the Sonics

While everyone was waiting to see who would win the Peyton Manning sweepstakes, the Seahawks made a big splash in free agency by signing free agent quarterback Matt Flynn away from the Green Bay Packers on Sunday night. Flynn's deal, with incentives, will pay him up to $26 million over three season, with $10 million guaranteed.

What's not guaranteed is the starting job. Seahawk coack Pete Carroll refused to name Flynn the starter over the much-maligned Tarvaris Jackson, saying the starting job will be won in training camp. Reading between the lines, Carroll is saying "get used to riding pine, Tarvaris." It's safe to speculate that Flynn will be the starter and Seattle will likely look for another quarterback in the draft to bolster that position, the teams most glaring weakness following a 7-9 finish to the 2011 season.

As the season progressed, the Seahawks showed great strides all over the field, except at the QB position, which consistantly hurt the team down the stretch. Of course, no one really expected Tarvaris "Stop Gap" Jackson to be the teams savior, but rather a utilitarian rental car until the real replacement could be found. Tarvaris likely will replace the departed Charlie "Clipboard Jesus" Whitehurst as the designated clipboard holder. No word from Tarvaris camp on the status of his beard.

Through all of this, there is still no sign of the Seattle Supersonics in Seattle.