SuperSonics Getting a Bad Case of Blues

By SCOTT HOWARD-COOPER

May 31, 1996 12 AM PT

TIMES STAFF WRITER

SALT LAKE CITY — Apparently figuring there’s no need to delay the inevitable, the Seattle SuperSonics skipped the buildup and went right into disintegration mode Thursday night, checking out of the playoffs later than usual but more than making up for it.

It must be all of their experience at this sort of thing, even if the previous disasters have come in the first round. It’s in the Western Conference finals this time, a series in which the SuperSonics once held leads of 2-0 and 3-1 but now are tied after the Utah Jazz embarrassed them, 118-83, in Game 6 before 19,911 at the Delta Center as Karl Malone had 32 points and 10 rebounds and John Stockton made his first real appearance with 14 points and 12 assists.

“It’s not the end of the world,” SuperSonic guard Hersey Hawkins said.

It’s just that the SuperSonics can see it from there. Game 7 is Sunday afternoon in Seattle, a chance for them to either show some guts or add to their legend. Hide the sharp objects around town, just to be on the safe side.

“I could sit here and criticize my basketball team, but the truth of the matter is even if we had played good tonight, I don’t know if we could have won the game,” Coach George Karl said. “They were that good. It’s the best I’ve seen them play in a long time. They’ve earned the spirit. They’ve shown their class. And now we’ve got to regroup, get the negative out of our gut and get ready for the seventh game.”

“We fought. But when you get hammered and hammered by very good basketball plays and decisions, it’s tough to hang in there in a building that was electrified. I think the best thing for me right now is stay away from my team and just give Utah the credit.”

Not just for winning, but for dominating.

It was 12-0 before the SuperSonics knew what hit them, then 22-10 and finally a 13-point margin at the end of the first quarter, 35-22, as Utah made 16 of 22 attempts, or 72.7%. To think the Jazz was just warming up.

By 15 minutes into the game, Utah was still at 71.4% and had taken twice as many shots as the so-called SuperSonics. About four minutes after that, 68.6% to spark a 20-8 run. No doubt wondering how much worse things could get, Seattle didn’t have to wait long for the answer: with 3:20 left in the half, the Jazz was at an amazing 70.3%, with 26 baskets in 37 tries.

That made it 58-36. Not only that, but Stockton was looking like himself for the first time in the series. Though still struggling to get any rhythm on his jumpers--he was two of 14 on three-point shots the first five games and missed both on Thursday--the pulled hamstring and bruised thigh that had been such a hindrance before finally showed signs of real strength, allowing Stockton to do real damage by getting into the lane.

It wasn’t until late in the second quarter that the SuperSonics showed any heartbeat, or heart. It came in the form of an 11-1 run and got them within 58-47. Malone’s free throw made it a 12-point game heading into intermission, and Seattle was happy to be that close.

Such enthusiasm lasted, oh, about 4 1/2 minutes into the third quarter, by which time the deficit was back to 17 points. It reached 19 by the end of the period and 26 early in the fourth, before Karl had even gone to his scrubs.

Once that happened, it got even uglier. As if it mattered. Seattle’s second two-game losing streak of the season, and the first since Nov. 18-21, already had its exclamation point.

It also wouldn’t be the only numbers that could make them cringe--this marked their worst playoff loss since June 4, 1978, a 35-point defeat against the Washington Bullets in the finals. “We knew we had to win this one to get it back to seven games,” Malone said after the Jazz finished at 60.3% shooting. “We know it is going to be a tough game up there, but, as much as I’ve played this game, if you can’t get ready for a Game 7, I don’t care where it’s at, you are in the wrong business. It’s just a great feeling.”

For him. Down the hall, inside the visitor’s locker room, it was a much different kind of feeling.

Familiar.