List of Seattle SuperSonics seasons

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

The Seattle SuperSonics, also known as the Sonics, were a professional basketball team based in Seattle. The team played from 1967 to 2008.[1] They were members of the Western Conference of the National Basketball Association (NBA) from 1970 onward; the team played in the conference's Pacific Division from 1970 to 2004 and the Northwest Division from 2004 to 2008.[2][a] The Sonics joined the NBA as an expansion team in 1967 and were named for the supersonic airliner under development by Boeing, which was later cancelled.[4] They played for their first eleven seasons at the Seattle Center Coliseum, which was built for the 1962 World's Fair and had a seating capacity of 12,595.[5] The team moved in 1978 to the Kingdome, a multipurpose stadium shared with other sports teams, and set NBA attendance records there during a seven-season stay.[6] The Sonics hosted twenty Kingdome games with crowds larger than 30,000 and drew a league-record 40,172 spectators at a 1980 playoffs game.[5][6]

Interior of a sports arena during a game with fans surrounding the basketball court. The overhead video screen has advertisements and a feed of the game displayed alongside statistics.
The final Seattle SuperSonics game at KeyArena during the 2007–08 season

The team returned to the Seattle Center Coliseum in 1985 as attendance at the Kingdome declined and the stadium's scheduling and layout caused issues for fans.[6][7] A major renovation of the Coliseum began in 1994 and displaced the Sonics, who played for two seasons at the Tacoma Dome, a suburban arena that was expanded to 16,296 seats.[8] The renovated Coliseum, renamed to KeyArena, had the NBA's smallest seating capacity at 17,072 and hosted its first regular season game on November 4, 1995.[5][9] The team played their final home game at KeyArena on April 13, 2008.[10] After the end of the 2007–08 season, the Sonics were relocated by its new ownership group to Oklahoma City. A lawsuit to halt the relocation and enforce the team's 15-year lease at KeyArena was filed by the Seattle city government but dropped as part of a settlement in July 2008.[11][12] The team has played since the 2008–09 season as the Oklahoma City Thunder;[13] as part of the settlement, the SuperSonics name and history was left with the city for use by a future team.[11]

In their 41 seasons as an NBA team, the SuperSonics had an all-time regular season record of 1,745 wins and 1,585 losses; in the playoffs, they had 107 wins and 110 losses.[14] They reached the postseason 22 times and played in three NBA Finals, winning one league championship in 1979.[14] The Sonics were the first team from Washington state to win a major professional sports championship since the Seattle Metropolitans in the 1917 Stanley Cup.[15] Their .524 winning percentage was also historically the best among professional teams in the Seattle area, surpassing the Seattle Seahawks and Seattle Mariners.[16] The team's all-time points leader is Gary Payton with 18,207 points; he also holds the most assists in Sonics history at 7,384.[17]

The Sonics had a 23–59 record during their inaugural season and finished with the NBA's second-worst record, narrowly ahead of fellow expansion team San Diego Rockets.[18] The team were below .500 for their first four seasons and had their first winning season in 1971–72, where they earned a 47–35 record.[19] The Sonics clinched their first playoff berth in the 1974–75 season,[20] which was followed by consecutive NBA Finals in 1978 and 1979 against the Washington Bullets.[21] Seattle lost the first final, but defeated Washington in the rematch after finishing first in the Western Conference.[22] Lenny Wilkens, who led the team to both finals appearances, was replaced as head coach in 1985 after missing the playoffs by finishing with a 31–51 record, which his successor Bernie Bickerstaff equaled the following season.[23] The Sonics made an unexpected run to the Western Conference final in the 1987 playoffs, only to lose to the Los Angeles Lakers.[24]

The 1990s brought more consistent success, including eight consecutive playoff appearances, with head coach George Karl and new players Shawn Kemp and Gary Payton, both acquired in the draft.[25] The Sonics finished as the top seed in the 1993–94 season with a 63–19 record, but lost in a major upset to the eighth-seeded Denver Nuggets in the opening round of the playoffs.[26] The team reached the 1996 NBA Finals—their third and final appearance—after clinching first in the Western Conference standings but lost to the Chicago Bulls in six games.[27] The Sonics were eliminated in the conference semifinals two more times under Karl before he left the team along with Kemp by 1998.[25] The team, now under coach Paul Westphal, missed the playoffs in the shortened 1998–99 season, but returned the following year as a seventh-seed.[28][29] Westphal was replaced early in the 2000–01 season by assistant coach and former Sonics player Nate McMillan, who led the team through rebuilds and to their two final playoff appearances: in 2002–03 and 2004–05 as the Northwest Division champions with 52 wins.[30][31] The team's final three seasons in Seattle all finished with losing records and no playoff berths under the three different head coaches.[32] The Sonics had 20 wins and 62 losses during their 2007–08 season, their worst record in franchise history, shortly before moving to Oklahoma City.[16]

Table key

More information †, * ...
Close

Seasons

More information Year, Season ...
Seattle SuperSonics record by season, 1967–2008
Year Season Conference Fin. Division Fin. Regular season[32] Playoff results[33] Awards Head coach[32] Ref.
W L Pct. GB
1967–68 1967–68 —— Western[a]5th2359.28033 Did not qualify — Al Bianchi [34]
1968–69 1968–69 —— Western[a]6th3052.36625 Did not qualify — [35]
1969–70 1969–70 —— Western[a]5th3646.43912 Did not qualify — Lenny Wilkens[c] [36]
1970–71 1970–71 Western8thPacific4th3844.46310 Did not qualify Lenny Wilkens (AMVP)[37] [38]
1971–72 1971–72 Western6thPacific3rd4735.57322 Did not qualify — [39]
1972–73 1972–73 Western8thPacific4th2656.31734 Did not qualify — Tom Nissalke (13–32)
Bucky Buckwalter (13–24)		 [40]
1973–74 1973–74 Western6thPacific3rd3646.43911 Did not qualify — Bill Russell [41]
1974–75 1974–75 Western4th ¤Pacific2nd4339.5245 Won first round vs. Detroit, 2–1
Lost conference semifinals vs. Golden State, 2–4		 — [42]
1975–76 1975–76 Western2nd ¤Pacific2nd4339.52416 Lost conference semifinals vs. Phoenix, 2–4 Slick Watts (JWKC)[43] [44]
1976–77 1976–77 Western8thPacific4th4042.48813 Did not qualify — [45]
1977–78  †1977–78 *  †Western *4th ¤Pacific3rd4735.51411 Won first round vs. LA Lakers, 2–1
Won conference semifinals vs. Portland, 4–2
Won conference finals vs. Denver, 4–2
Lost NBA Finals vs. Washington, 3–4 *		 — Bob Hopkins (5–17)
Lenny Wilkens (42–18)		 [46]
1978–79  †1978–79 †  †Western *1st ¤Pacific1st ^5230.634— Won conference semifinals vs. LA Lakers, 4–1
Won conference finals vs. Phoenix, 4–3
Won NBA Finals vs. Washington, 4–1 †		 Dennis Johnson (FMVP)[47] Lenny Wilkens [48]
1979–80 1979–80 Western2nd ¤Pacific2nd5626.6834 Won first round vs. Portland, 2–1
Won conference semifinals vs. Milwaukee, 4–3
Lost conference finals vs. LA Lakers, 1–4		 — [49]
1980–81 1980–81 Western10thPacific6th3448.41523 Did not qualify — [50]
1981–82 1981–82 Western2nd ¤Pacific2nd5230.6345 Won first round vs. Houston, 2–1
Lost conference semifinals vs. San Antonio, 1–4		 Gus Williams (CPOY)[51] [52]
1982–83 1982–83 Western4th ¤Pacific3rd4834.58510 Lost first round vs. Portland, 0–2 Zollie Volchok (EOY)[53] [54]
1983–84 1983–84 Western5th ¤Pacific3rd4240.51212 Lost first round vs. Dallas, 2–3 — [55]
1984–85 1984–85 Western10thPacific4th[d]3151.37831 Did not qualify — [56]
1985–86 1985–86 Western11thPacific5th3151.37831 Did not qualify — Bernie Bickerstaff [57]
1986–87 1986–87 Western7th ¤Pacific4th3943.47626 Won first round vs. Dallas, 3–1
Won conference semifinals vs. Houston, 4–2
Lost conference finals vs. LA Lakers, 0–4		 Tom Chambers (AMVP)[37]
Dale Ellis (MIP)[58]		 [59]
1987–88 1987–88 Western7th ¤Pacific3rd4438.53718 Lost first round vs. Denver, 2–3 — [60]
1988–89 1988–89 Western4th ¤Pacific3rd4735.57310 Won first round vs. Houston, 3–1
Lost conference semifinals vs. LA Lakers, 0–4		 — [61]
1989–90 1989–90 Western9thPacific4th4141.50022 Did not qualify — [62]
1990–91 1990–91 Western8th ¤Pacific5th4141.50022 Lost first round vs. Portland, 2–3 — K. C. Jones [63]
1991–92 1991–92 Western6th ¤Pacific4th4735.57310 Won first round vs. Golden State, 3–1
Lost conference semifinals vs. Utah, 1–4		 — K. C. Jones (18–18)
Bob Kloppenburg (2–2)
George Karl (27–15)		 [64]
1992–93 1992–93 Western3rd ¤Pacific2nd5527.6717 Won first round vs. Utah, 3–2
Won conference semifinals vs. Houston, 3–4
Lost conference finals vs. Phoenix, 3–4		 — George Karl [65]
1993–94 1993–94 Western1st ¤Pacific1st ^6319.768— Lost first round vs. Denver, 2–3 Bob Whitsitt (EOY)[53] [66]
1994–95 1994–95 Western4th ¤Pacific2nd5725.6952 Lost first round vs. LA Lakers, 1–3 — [67]
1995–96  †1995–96 *  †Western *1st ¤Pacific1st ^6418.780— Won first round vs. Sacramento, 3–1
Won conference semifinals vs. Rockets, 4–0
Won conference finals vs. Utah, 4–3
Lost NBA Finals vs. Chicago, 2–4 *		 Gary Payton (DPOY)[68] [69]
1996–97 1996–97 Western3rd ¤Pacific1st ^5725.695— Won first round vs. Phoenix, 3–2
Lost conference semifinals vs. Houston, 3–4		 — [70]
1997–98 1997–98 Western2nd ¤Pacific1st ^[e]6121.744— Won first round vs. Minnesota, 3–2
Lost conference semifinals vs. LA Lakers, 1–4		 — [72]
1998–99[f] 1998–99 Western9thPacific5th2525.50010 Did not qualify Hersey Hawkins (SPOR)[74] Paul Westphal [75]
1999–2000 1999–2000 Western7th ¤Pacific4th4537.54922 Lost first round vs. Utah, 2–3 — [76]
2000–01 2000–01 Western10thPacific5th4438.53712 Did not qualify — Paul Westphal (6–9)
Nate McMillan (38–29)		 [77]
2001–02 2001–02 Western7th ¤Pacific4th4537.54916 Lost first round vs. San Antonio, 2–3 — Nate McMillan [78]
2002–03 2002–03 Western10thPacific5th4042.48819 Did not qualify Ray Allen (SPOR)[74] [79]
2003–04 2003–04 Western12thPacific5th[g]3745.45119 Did not qualify — [80]
2004–05 2004–05 Western4th ¤Northwest1st ^5230.634— Won first round vs. Sacramento, 4–1
Lost conference semifinals vs. San Antonio, 2–4		 — [81]
2005–06 2005–06 Western11thNorthwest3rd3547.4279 Did not qualify — Bill Weiss (13–17)
Bob Hill (22–30)		 [82]
2006–07 2006–07 Western14thNorthwest5th3151.37820 Did not qualify — Bob Hill [83]
2007–08 2007–08 Western15thNorthwest5th2062.24434 Did not qualify Kevin Durant (ROY)[84] P. J. Carlesimo [85]
Relocated to Oklahoma City
Totals (41 seasons) 1,745 1,585 .524 All-time regular season record (1967–2008)[17]
107 110 .493 All-time playoffs record (1967–2008)[14]
1,852 1,695 .522 All-time overall record (1967–2008)[14]
Close

See also

Notes

  1. [a]
    The Western Conference was established in 1970; prior to that, the Sonics played in the Western Division.[3]
  2. [b]
    The formula is as follows:
  3. [c]
    Lenny Wilkens was a player–coach for the SuperSonics from 1969 to 1972 and later returned solely as head coach in 1977.[21]
  4. [d]
    The Seattle SuperSonics and Los Angeles Clippers finished with identical 31–51 records, but Seattle won the tiebreaker to finish fourth.[56]
  5. [e]
    The Seattle SuperSonics and Los Angeles Lakers finished with identical 61–21 records, but Seattle won the head-to-head tiebreaker to place first in the Pacific Division.[71]
  6. [f]
    The 1998–99 season was shortened to 50 games due to a player lockout that lasted until January 1999.[73]
  7. [g]
    The Seattle SuperSonics and Golden State Warriors finished with identical 37–45 records, but Seattle lost the tiebreaker to finish fifth.[80]

References

Related Articles

Wikiwand AI