Chronicle: Sonics trip Rockets

March 19, 2003, 12:40AM

Sonics take charge with Rudy T out
By JONATHAN FEIGEN
Copyright 2003 Houston Chronicle
UPDATE
• Tuesday: SuperSonics 100, Rockets 94.
• Playoff watch: 35-31; No. 8 in Western Conference, tied with Phoenix.

• Yao watch: Eight points, seven rebounds in 29 minutes.

• Today: At Portland, 9 p.m.

• TV/radio: Ch. 51; KILT (610 AM) and in Spanish on KYST (920 AM).



SEATTLE -- Nothing would change, Larry Smith said, other than the voice giving the orders. He would substitute as Rudy Tomjanovich would have had he been there. He would call the same plays, at the same times.

But then, it really did not matter what plays Smith called or for whom he called them.

Instructions from the bench were rendered insignificant when the Rockets could not get near enough to Sonics shooters to so much as distract them, as Seattle shot its way through the second half to take a 100-94 victory before 17,072 at KeyArena.

With Tomjanovich in Houston, missing a game for the first time as Rockets coach while resting after Monday's biopsy on his bladder, the Rockets never could match the defensive intensity of their five-game winning streak. With the loss, they fell back into a tie with the Suns for eighth in the Western Conference playoff race.

"The coaches did a good job calling the plays," Rockets guard Steve Francis said. "Everybody got the ball, everybody got enough touches. It's hard to know Rudy was watching. And I feel sorry for Mean (Smith.) That's no excuse. He did the job. We didn't.

"There's no way to say how much what coach went through had an effect on us. But I can say guys were thinking about him. But I know coach, and I know how he is. He wanted guys to focus on basketball today. For a certain amount of time, I don't think we focused. We lost a game we should have won."

The SuperSonics were left open enough to make five of their last eight 3-pointers, nailing 58.8 percent of their second-half shots. They got the usual offense from Ray Allen and Rashard Lewis, who combined for 48 points. But Kevin Ollie and Jerome James each hit for 13 off the bench to give the Sonics more scoring from more sources than the increasingly shaky Rockets defense could handle.

"Every game is a playoff game," Francis said. "If that doesn't motivate guys, what could? We're in a position to make a run to the playoffs and let a team like Seattle catch us slipping. Not taking anything away from Seattle at all. But I think our players are better than their players. Just a couple mental lapses in the game. That's why we lose.

"Kevin Ollie scores 13 points on you. Jerome James scores 13 points on you, you're going to lose. I was involved in that. I left Ollie. I didn't respect him enough, and he killed me going backdoor."

With the Rockets barely clinging within range, trailing by nine with 5:58 left, Seattle scored with three pre-game warm-up shots -- a Ollie layup and jumpers by James and Lewis -- before James took a pass from Ollie to slam over Yao Ming for a 92-78 lead with four minutes left.

But with the Sonics still holding an 14-point lead, the Rockets reeled off eight unanswered points. Cuttino Mobley and Glen Rice each hit their first treys of the game and Rice made a pair of free throws as the Rockets pulled to within 94-88 with 1:54 left.

The Sonics clinched it in fitting fashion.

Allen went around a screen. James Posey dropped off Lewis and into the lane. Allen found Lewis for a 3-pointer for a 97-88 lead with 74 seconds left.

The Rockets were so concerned with the Sonics perimeter threats of Brent Barry, Lewis and Allen, Smith had played Posey for 39 minutes, keeping Rice on the bench for all but 13. But no one consistently defended on the perimeter as he needed.

"We were in position to win the game," Smith said. "They just made shots when they had to.

"We knew they had guys capable of making 3-point shots. It was hard for our bigs to come out away from the basket. They caught us a couple of times and they made us pay."

The Rockets pulled back to within four after Francis and Mobley hit free throws and Rice hit a second-consecutive 3. Lewis made one free throw to push the lead to 98-93 with 19.5 seconds left.

Rice missed a trey, but Francis grabbed the rebound. He made one free throw, missed the second and grabbed another rebound. But this time, when Mobley missed his 3, the Rockets were out of last chances.

Francis finished with 23 points, 10 assists and eight rebounds. Lewis led the Sonics with 25 points and nine rebounds.

Less certain was how much of an influence Tomjanovich's absence had.

"That's tough," Smith said. "We're on the verge of a playoff run. We're just trying to get. We have to stay focused. But defensively they got good looks."

But if the Rockets could not say whether missing Tomjanovich slowed them, they knew making him watch a loss hurt.

"It's a difficult time, more than anybody for Rudy," Moochie Norris said. "We care. But we have a job to do. That's what Rudy expects of us. We didn't do it. It's tough that we lost while he had to watch. It's tough that we lost, period. I guess that makes it tougher."


I think Steve did a good job out there tonight, and I like the fact that he admitted his mistakes