Northwest Passages

What reporters in the Seattle area are saying about the series:

ART THIEL, SEATTLE POST-INTELLIGENCER

“It also helps that the Laker basketball IQ is a number whose decimal is one digit too far left. Beating the Lakers, 106-92, requires elements of self-destruction on the Laker part, and they often have obliged against the Sonics.”

JIM MOORE, SEATTLE POST-INTELLIGENCER

“In the first half [of Game 1], the Lakers ran more blooper tapes than fastbreaks. They were comical. . . . The Lakers turned in one bone-headed play after another.”

BOB CONDOTTA, NEWS TRIBUNE OF TACOMA

“While Shaquille O’Neal was at one end of the locker room questioning the manhood of Sonics’ Coach George Karl, Nick Van Exel was at the other end questioning the manhood of his teammates.

“Such was the confusion evident among the Los Angeles Lakers after they had blown Game 1 of the Western Conference semifinals Monday night in KeyArena, coming unglued during the crucial fourth quarter quicker than a Jerry Springer guest.”

JOHN McGRATH, NEWS TRIBUNE OF TACOMA

“The best-of-seven series is only one game old, but if the Sonics can continue to force O’Neal to create his most newsworthy fireworks in the postgame locker room, it’ll be a quick road for them to the conference finals.”