http://cbs.sportsline.com/nba/story/8397173 Weekly Essentials: Dreaming of a No. 6 seed April 18, 2005 By Tony Mejia CBS SportsLine.com Staff Writer Tell Tony your opinion! Very early this season, the Seattle SuperSonics assumed control of the newly formed Northwest Division, emerging as one of the league's biggest surprises. They dominated the way Minnesota was supposed to, leading by double-digit games for much of the way until Denver hired George Karl, caught fire and closed the gap. Strong basketball minds such as Hubie Brown and Scottie Pippen endorsed Seattle as their Western Conference champ, and CBS SportsLine.com at one point even considered Nate McMillan and Ray Allen for postseason accolades. The Sonics play an exciting brand of basketball in which every player has a role to execute, and when all the particulars are healthy and willing, they're tough to stop. Sonics fans are pretty pumped about the team's first division championship in seven years. (AP) Taking all that into account, it's a little strange that as the regular season enters its final week, the Sonics have fallen to most-wanted status. Teams in the bottom half of the Western Conference bracket are clamoring for the No. 6 seed, opposite Seattle's No. 3. "I think everybody wants to play us," McMillan said. "We dropped six straight games and we've had some injuries, so we're probably the team everybody wants to face. We're the underdogs in the playoffs." Seattle snapped out of its funk with wins over New Orleans and Minnesota over the weekend, strong showings that can partially be attributed to Rashard Lewis' return from a leg injury. But the Sonics are still considered the weak link among the top group that includes Phoenix, San Antonio and Dallas. As the week begins, the Houston Rockets and Sacramento Kings are tied at 49-31 and split their four regular-season meetings. By virtue of a better conference mark, Houston currently owns the No. 5 seed and would lock it in with home wins over the Clippers -- and Sonics. That makes Wednesday's season finale very interesting, particularly for you conspiracy theorists out there. The reward for Houston finishing the season strongly would be Dallas, which just happens to be the conference's hottest team, having won seven straight and nine of its past 10. A series that would keep the Rockets in Texas would certainly minimize travel time, but they won both regular-season meetings in Seattle, the latest coming only last Monday, a commanding 90-78 decision. So what is Jeff Van Gundy to do? Does he tank the game in the hopes Sacramento wins out and picks up the No. 5 seed? While many Rockets supporters would have him do just that, know that even suggesting it would draw one of Van Gundy's trademark eye-roll/scowls. In reality, his hands are tied. He can't very well sit Tracy McGrady and Yao Ming on Wednesday or even limit their minutes to give Seattle an advantage because they, and now all of us, would know precisely why. Seattle would have enough bulletin-board material to last an eternity. All he can do is foster his team's improved, aggressive attitude and make sure they're ready for the playoffs, regardless of who the draw is. Besides, there's no guarantee Sacramento can defeat likely top seed Phoenix at home Wednesday, and since the games will be going on virtually simultaneously, there will be no way of knowing beforehand. Denver remains in the picture for the No. 6 seed, but will need to win both of its remaining games and hope the Rockets or Kings slip up twice. Those possibilities are as remote as San Antonio's chances of catching the Suns for No. 1, which means that a meeting between Karl and his former team would have to take place in the second round if it comes at all, requiring the Nuggets to upset the Spurs. Projected Western Conference matchups: No. 8 Memphis vs. No. 1 Phoenix; No. 5 Houston vs. No. 4 Dallas; No. 6 Sacramento vs. No. 3 Seattle; No. 7 Denver vs. No. 2 San Antonio.
