Outplayed by a rookie in Game 1, outplayed again in the first quarter of Game 2, Gary Payton stiffened his resolve, and then he stiffened his back.

He lifted the Sonics out of a 14-point hole and carried them past the Spurs, all the way back to Seattle for Game 3.

And now the Sonics have more than momentum and a shot of confidence. They also have the stronger back in this first-round playoff series, now tied at 1-1.

"The fight is just getting started," Payton said after scoring 21 points in Seattle's 98-90 victory, and you could see the gleam in his eye.

Payton, Seattle's playmaker, found driving and scoring inside easier Monday than Saturday.

He missed his first seven shots, made his next five, and made San Antonio pay for the absence of injured center David Robinson.