Sonic Boom

Let's play word association. Which one sounds more appealing?

Mitten or Glove?

Rain or Reign?

Thunder or Sonics?

If you are or have ever been a fan of Seattle sports circa the 1990's then I can guess your response. This is not an attempt to rouse anger on dirty deeds done dirt cheap to the team Seattle loved. This is a walk down memory lane during a time when Seattle fans need to remember that our sports teams haven't always been this pathetic. In fact, we were fortunate enough to experience one the most talented and liveliest sports duo's in recent sports history.

The year was 1989 and the Seattle SuperSonics had just drafted some high school kid named Shawn Kemp with the 17th overall pick. The word on Kemp was that he could dunk effortlessly but still had a very raw skill set. The analysis turned out to be true but it sure didn't last for long. He only started one game his first season while the team suffered and earned another high pick for the 1990 draft.

As fate would have it, a feisty guard out of the Pac-10's Oregon State was Seattle's lottery pick that next year. Sonics fans quickly learned their new point guard, Gary Payton, had quite a mouth on him but definitely had the game to back it up.

During his time with Seattle GP averaged 20 points, 7 assists, 4 rebounds and 2 steals. Meanwhile, Kemp averaged 19 points and 10 rebounds including a nightly highlight reel of insanely dramatic dunks. Some say Kemp's thunderous throwdowns rival any of the legendary dunkers. Count me in!

The combination of Kemp and Payton became known as "Sonic Boom". The point guard Payton could often be found tossing the ball towards the hoop with Kemp flying in from all directions with no regard for others, including gravity. From that style came the nickname, "Reign Man". A fantastic play on words because he reigned over the paint and played in 'Rain City'.

Payton on the other hand became known as "The Glove" for his tight and tenacious defense. In fact, Payton was so skilled defensively that he is the only point guard to ever win Defensive Player of the Year.

As the two stars adjusted to each others own style, the Sonics became a force to reckon with. During their seven years together, they took Seattle to the playoffs many times as well Game 6 of the 1996 NBA Finals against arguably the greatest basketball team ever assembled, the 72-win Chicago Bulls.

Those were some good times folks. Be thankful for the fun times we had and do your part to support the return of a basketball franchise, because let's be honest, you know you want Kevin Calabro back at "the Key" yelling "Flying chickens in a barnyard!"