Over the past week, the Sonics have seen their big men return from injuries, and with a healthy roster of young, athletic players, Seattle has produced its longest winning streak this season, including Tuesday's upset victory over the Minnesota Timberwolves.
Meanwhile, Utah was off to one of its worst starts in franchise history, finally looking like the old team that doomsayers had been predicting for years. And after Utah's meek start, rumors about a trade of Karl Malone reached a crescendo.
But last night at the Delta Center, it was the same old Jazz as Utah handed the Sonics their most lopsided loss of the season, 112-88.
The Jazz, which won its seventh straight game against Seattle, looked like it was practicing layups in the first half, when the game was all but decided. After a Sonics miss, the Jazz (6-9) wasted few dribbles, zipping the ball up court to its big men. Greg Ostertag, the adroit-challenged center, turned into the Flash last night.
"Big men outrunning everybody on our team and getting layups," said Brent Barry, summing up the game. "And when you do that against this team (the Jazz) ? as efficient as they are ? when you give them shots that are that easy, they are as good as they used to be."
Several times, a Sonics player would get stripped trying to penetrate then practically cry to a referee while the Jazz pushed the ball at the other end.
If Seattle's coaching staff wants to save time reviewing the debacle, all it needs to do is watch one sequence midway through the fourth quarter: