Sonics blow opener

If Rashard Lewis needs any more proof that the Sonics' surprising run last season was indeed over, it arrived in the fourth quarter Wednesday night as he stood on the perimeter waiting for a pass that never arrived.

The Sonics were reeling from a furious onslaught from the visiting Los Angeles Clippers, who stormed back from a 13-point deficit in the third quarter and took their first lead midway through the fourth.

Instead of displaying the maturity that led them to the Northwest Division title last season, the Sonics crumbled in the waning minutes and suffered a 101-93 defeat in their season and home opener.

The loss may have been more humiliating than the 30-point drilling to the Clippers in last year's season opener because of the reputations of both teams. The Sonics believe themselves to be a veteran squad capable of coping with their success, but they lost Wednesday night because they committed 19 turnovers, failed to collect the crucial rebound when it counted and forgot that Lewis often carried them in these situations last year.

"This is not the same team that we had last season," Lewis said. "We don't have the same coach that we had last year, a coach that's going to be ... killing us in practice trying to get us ready for Friday. We got to make sure nobody holds their heads down. This is the first game and we got 81 left.

"We got to forget about last year. This is not last year. That season is over with. The playoffs are over with. That division title is gone. We are not the division champs anymore. This is a whole new ballgame. There's teams coming after us."

With the game on the line, Bob Weiss — the new Sonics coach who made his return to the bench after a 12-year layoff — relied on a three-guard lineup. Ray Allen, Luke Ridnour and Ronald Murray played alongside forwards Nick Collison and Lewis.

The quintet failed to account for Sam Cassell, who was brilliant in the fourth quarter when he scored 15 of his game-high 35 points.

"I told them we've been there before in this situation," Weiss said. "We talked about not being able to control Sam. We had a chance to break their back with a 13-point lead and didn't put them away because of turnovers and missed opportunities.

"You can't let them hang around because eventually they are going to get hot. They got very hot when we cooled off a little bit."

Allen attempted to match Cassell basket for basket and finished with a team-high 31 points. But the Sonics All-Star sank just 1 of 4 shots in the fourth and mustered only seven points.

Not only were the Sonics guilty of playing soft defense that allowed Los Angeles 37 fourth-quarter points on 13-of-21 shooting, but they fell apart on the offensive end and managed just 18 points.

"Some guys started to think about themselves on one end of the floor and that was hurting us at the other end," said Lewis, who had 15 points after three quarters, but finished with 18. "I don't think everybody is committed to their roles. We got to know our roles. Who's the go-to guys on this team? Who's going to take the shots in the clutch time? We're going to have to stress that a little bit more."

After seizing control of a game that was tied at 50 at halftime and had the Sonics leading 75-64 in the fourth, guard Quinton Ross gave Los Angeles its first lead (80-79) with 7:23 left on a pair of free throws.

Then Cassell took over as he drained 5 of 7 shots in the fourth quarter, including three three-pointers. Seattle sank 4 of 17.

Besides Allen and Lewis, no Sonic scored more than eight points.

"I was getting a little bit upset out there, but I'm more mature than that now," said Lewis, who took just three shots in the fourth. "I can't let that get me out of my game, but I felt like I didn't touch the ball at all in the whole second half. I was trying to do other things to help us win the ballgame.

"I don't think it's the coaching. Maybe it's me. Sometimes I got to be a little bit more aggressive and get myself open. Post up on the block instead of going away from the ball. I'm going to look in the mirror and blame myself and get ready for the next game."

The mood inside the Sonics' locker room was surprisingly upbeat. Almost everyone repeated the same theme: It's just one game.

"The only solace that I can take from tonight's loss is that it's early in the season," Allen said. "We're still learning our rotations, who's going to be in the game and who's going to be doing what.

"What goes on in the first 10-15 games in an NBA season, we're still figuring it out."

Percy Allen: 206-464-2278 or pallen@seattletimes.com