There are strange occurrences in life that are difficult to comprehend. Bright sunlight on a rainy day. The school nerd dating the prom queen.
And the Sonics sweeping the Lakers.
Last season, the world-championship Lakers won almost 70 percent of their games before completing the best playoff record in NBA history. But the Lakers, led by Kobe Bryant and Shaquille O'Neal, couldn't figure out Seattle's unspectacular team. Will the Sonics have some kind of quirky advantage when they host the Lakers at 7 tonight at KeyArena?
"You definitely have to throw that out," said Coach Nate McMillan, whose Sonics defeated the Lakers by an average of 16 points last season. "We don't have a lot of the guys we had last year."
With seven new players, the 8-9 Sonics aren't the same team. And the 13-1 Lakers ? with their mainstays ? are playing in the dominating fashion of the postseason.
"It's a lot different," said Sonics guard Gary Payton. "They're coming in with a lot of confidence."
If there is an explanation for Seattle's perfect record against the Lakers last season, it's in the matchups. The Lakers' guards had even more trouble than usual keeping up with Payton, who averaged 27.5 points and 8.3 assists. Despite his worst season in the NBA, Vin Baker often resembled an All-Star against the Lakers. Patrick Ewing used his size and savvy against O'Neal. And the Sonics possessed athletic defenders such as Payton, Ruben Patterson and Desmond Mason to throw at Bryant.