They actually had something to cheer about this time, and Seattle fans did, with gusto, as their SuperSonics took their first lead in five days.
It certainly seemed harmless at the time, an 8-6 margin that suggested only that the Sonics had emerged from the comatose state in which they had entered Game 3 of the NBA Finals on Sunday.
Unfortunately for the Bulls, it did not stop there.
But it presaged the way the game would go. Seattle went on to take an 53-32 halftime lead and built the margin to 27 points before coasting to a 107-86 Game 4 victory.
And the quick start was just what Sonics coach George Karl was looking for.
“The energy of the game this time was initiated by us, not Chicago,” he said.
“He told us to be loose and play like we do on the playground,” Seattle’s David Wingate.
“We had nothing to lose tonight. It was loose, and that’s how the Sonics play.”
The Sonics came out Wednesday night and played like a team that had won 64 games in the regular season.
They rediscovered the intensity they had flashed briefly in the third quarter Sunday, when they had outscored the Bulls 23-13.
“Their evergy level was great,” said Bulls coach Phil Jackson. “Obviously their home crowd gave them a big boost.
“We never could get their crowd out of the game, and they fed off of that.”
The Bulls were not surprised. Before the game, guard Steve Kerr predicted: “They’ve got to generate something and they’ve got to get their crowd in it early. So I would expect that same type of defense from the opening gun.”
The Sonics cleaned up their earlier problem with turnovers, committing just five to 11 for the Bulls in the first half.
And they improved their shooting dramatically to 51 percent in the first half (including 6 for 12 from three-point range) compared to 38 percent for the Bulls (1 for 8 from the three-point line).
Guard Gary Payton’s improvement was most dramatic. He was 5 for 10 (3 for 6 on threes) for 13 first-half points, the same as his Game 1 total.
He finished with 21 points and 11 assists.
This time the Bulls looked as if they could use a transfusion, showing none of the energy defensively or on the boards that they had displayed in the first three games, and succumbing to frustration with technicals on Michael Jordan and Dennis Rodman.
The Sonics took a nine-point lead midway through the first, and the Bulls never came closer than 13 the final 10 minutes of the second quarter.
Seattle got an inspirational boost from the return of Nate McMillan late in the first quarter.
McMillan, who hadn’t played in the Finals because of a back injury, had three assists in the first half and hit a three-pointer that drove the locals into a frenzy and gave the Sonics a 16-point lead early in the second, their biggest lead to that point.
“He brings a lot of versatility and leadership to their team,” Jordan said.
“It may bring them a little more confidence as well.”
