It looks like it’s going to happen. It’s not quite in the “barring a miracle” phase, but with a 3-2 lead over the Pacers in the NBA Finals, it appears as if the Thunder are going to send Oklahoma City into a frenzy and Seattle into a funk with their first NBA championship.
The Thunder, of course, have been the most loathed professional sports team in the Emerald City since skipping town as the Sonics in 2008. An OKC win Thursday (or Sunday if the series goes seven games) would mark one of the darker moments in Seattle sports history — even if it occurs more than 1,000 miles from King County.
But just how deep would a Thunder win cut? Would it crack this unofficial top five of most devastating Seattle sports blows?
No. 5
Eighth-seeded Nuggets knock top-seeded Sonics out of 1994 playoffs
This was supposed to be Seattle’s year. At 63-19, they had the best regular-season record in the NBA by five games. Michael Jordan was out of the league. Gary Payton and Shawn Kemp were primed to give the Sonics their second championship, but after they took a 2-0 lead on the Nuggets in the first round, Denver rallied to win three in a row and eliminate Seattle. Never before that had an 8 knocked off a 1 in the NBA. But as Nuggets center Dikembe Mutombo lay on the KeyArena court with the basketball raised to the air, it marked a historic moment for the league, and an infamous day for Seattle sports.
No. 4
Seahawks fall to Steelers in 2006 Super Bowl
The 21-10 score wouldn’t suggest heartbreak upon first glance. But anyone who watched the game would tell you the Seahawks were at least as good as Pittsburgh that day — they just got hosed by a number of officials’ calls. There was a dubious offensive pass interference penalty on receiver Darrell Jackson that negated a touchdown in the first quarter. There was a questionable holding call on offensive tackle Sean Locklear with the Seahawks down 14-10, which offset an 18-yard pass to Jerramy Stevens that would have set up first and goal early in the fourth quarter. And three plays later there was a fishy low-block penalty on quarterback Matt Hasselbeck after an interception he threw, which moved the Steelers from their 29-yard line to the 44.
Referee Bill Leavy later said “I’ll go to my grave” with regret over two of the fourth-quarter calls. Props to him for owning up to mistakes, but it did little to temper frustrations from the 12s.
No. 3
Ken Griffey Jr. forces his way out of Seattle in 2000
If we’re talking about pure anger, Alex Rodriguez leaving for the Rangers at 25 years old may have rated higher among Mariners fans. Griffey had given the M’s 11 iconic seasons and wanted to get home to Cincinnati, where his father played most of his career. Still, this marked the end of an era involving the most legendary of Seattle-area athletes. The statue in front of T-Mobile Park says all is forgiven, but that trade upon Griffey’s behest is a moment Seattleites would like to forget.
No. 2
Seahawks lose to Patriots in 2015 Super Bowl
This has a legitimate case for No. 1. And had the Seahawks not earned their first Super Bowl win the season before, it probably would have been. When Malcolm Butler intercepted a Russell Wilson pass at the goal line in Glendale, Ariz., it sealed a title for New England and seared the souls of Seattle sports fans. The 12s will be forever furious that coach Pete Carroll signed off on a pass play when he had running back Marshawn Lynch in the backfield on a second and goal from the 1-yard line. An ostensible dynasty in the making, the Seahawks have won just three playoff games since and haven’t returned to the NFC Championship Game. No. 4 on this list is what could have been. This one feels like what should have been.
There is no official honorable mention list here, but there are certainly some events that would qualify. The 2001 Mariners squad that won 116 games losing in the ALCS is up there. The 2006 Huskies men’s basketball team blowing a six-point lead to UConn in the Sweet 16 qualified as well. The Pilots leaving after one year? The Huskies football team coming up short in the national championship game to Michigan in 2024? The UW softball team losing to Florida State in the 2018 College World Series? Those all hurt. But nothing on this list quite compares with …
No. 1
The Sonics leave Seattle in 2008
No, attendance wasn’t great when Howard Schultz sold the team to Clay Bennett. But the Sonics were an integral part of Seattle sports’ fabric. With the Seahawks’ Super Bowl losses, there was still the sense of “we’ll get ’em next year.” With the Sonics, it was “we may never see NBA basketball here again.” Talks of NBA expansion seem to have inspired hope — particularly with Climate Pledge Arena in place. Still, despite 17 years of rants, rallies and rhetoric, we’re still without the Supes.
Ultimately, the Sonics returning would quell the pain of an OKC title. In the meantime, that dire day seems imminent.
Matt Calkins: mcalkins@seattletimes.com. Matt Calkins joined The Seattle Times in August 2015 as a sports columnist after three years at the San Diego Union Tribune. Never afraid to take a stand or go off the beaten path, Matt enjoys writing about the human condition every bit as much as walk-offs or buzzer-beaters. His mom reads the comments so take it easy on him.