Before they were the Oklahoma City Thunder, the franchise was based in Seattle and known as the SuperSonics.
In 1998, the Los Angeles Lakers took on Gary Payton and the SuperSonics in the 1998 Western Conference Semifinals. The Lakers came in as the underdogs being the third seed and taking on the second seed Sonics.
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Beginning in Seattle, the Lakers dropped Game 1 by 14 points to fall behind in the series; however, they came back and allowed just 68 points to steal an away game and take the series back to Los Angeles. Back at home, the Lakers took Games 3 and 4 to put them on the verge of clinching the series back in Seattle.
Lakers’ center Shaquille O’Neal dominated Game 5 with 31 points, nine rebounds, eight blocks and four assists to lead the team in a 110-95 victory that clinched the series and sent the Lakers to the Western Conference Finals. Four other Lakers reached double digits in points, with forward Robert Horry finishing with a double-double. In the next round, the Lakers took on the Utah Jazz.
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Coach D’Antoni Says, “Everyone Know’s We’re Embarrassed”
