ebehoops Supreme Court

Bob Addison aka Bobber aka B aka Easy E aka a big Joe Hassett 70's era Sonics fan!
v.
Dan Russell aka Ancient Host aka Brian Burke's best friend aka a big Downtown Freddie Brown 70's era Sonics fan!

Judge/Arbitrator - Douglas "Antoine Joubert" Eberhardt

The Case:
On the January 6th, 2003 "Sportstalk with Dan Russell," host Dan Russell and producer Bob Addison entered into a friendly wagering agreement regarding the first Washington Bullets/Seattle Supersonics NBA Finals series in 1978. The bet, unknown at this point but I'm sure for Michael Jordan-like golf and blackjack stakes.
Dan's case; the Bullets won the "deciding game"  in the 82nd wonder of the world, the Kingdome. The deciding game was played in a make shift hoops set-up at the Kingdome with the court at "center court in front of approx. 60,000 fans."
Bob's case; no way Jose, the Sonics didn't start playing in the Kingdome until after they won the championships in 1979.

The Facts:
During the 1977-78 NBA Finals, the mighty Washington Bullets faced off against the upstart Seattle Supersonics. Washington was making its second appearance in the Finals after being swept in '75 by Rick Barry (the kindest and most thoughtful man in basketball) and the Golden State Warriors. The Sonics were making their first trip to the Finals after defeating the ex-ABA power of the Denver Nuggets. The Sonics and Bullets began their best of seven series at the Seattle Center Arena (today's refurbished Key Arena) on the old World's Fair site at the foot of Queen Anne hill.

Following a sold-out, opening game victory for the Sonics, the series moved to the Capital Center in Landover, Maryland. The series format, 1-2-2-1-1... what's up with that? Real nice travel schedule, Larry O'Brien. I know the teams had to fly commercial, so that must have been a real treat for the boys. Imagine trying to fit your afro into those coach-sized seats? Sorry, a bit of a tangent there. Upon returning to the Emerald City, game 4 was played in the "state or the art" facility known as the Kingdome. A then NBA record crowd of 39,457 saw the Bullets defeat the Sonics 120-116 (gotta' love those old school NBA scores... keep that funk alive Bootsy...).

Following a Sonics' game 6 victory in DC, the series came back to Seattle for the decisive game 7 battle at the Seattle Center Arena. That's right, the deciding game was at the Seattle Center Arena! A 105-99 Washington victory gave the former Chicago Zephyrs/Baltimore Bullets a 4-3 series win and the Championship trophy.

The Secondary Facts:
The following season, 1978-79, saw a blonde haired hick from farm country step into the starting line-up and lead his team to the promised land. No, not Larry Bird but Jack Sikma. The 1979 season would bring a little revenge as the Sonics would go on to defeat the Bullets 4-1 to win their first (and only, Gary Payton) NBA Championship title. During the '79 Finals (2-2-1), the Sonics again played one game in the Kingdome (39,928) and the other game at the Seattle Center Arena (a Japanese-subway packed 14,098). The title would also ensure that coaching mortician Lenny Wilkens would be guaranteed a job for the next 23 years or a least until the Raptors finally pull the plug.

The Judgement:
After carefully scrutinizing the audio archives of CKNW 980am like the Zapruder film, I have determined that the "Sportstalk Internet Round-Up" might be the finest sports radio segment in North America! Ha, ha... man, I break myself up sometimes. Really though, I actually did listen.

The judgement was  a difficult one.  Like the esteemed panel of judges on the "Iron Chef," this was not an easy task. Choosing between Dan and Bob was like deciding the giant eel battle. Okay, that might be a little stretching of the truth. In fact, the decision was relatively easy. Judge Joe Brown easy! The true key to this judgement is that Dan stated the "deciding game (deciding defined as 'to bring to a definitive end')" was played in the Kingdome. As shown by the facts, the deciding game 7 was in fact played at the Seattle Center Arena. While Bob showed that he wasn't exactly on the ball either ("the Sonics didn't play in the Kingdome until after they won the championships"), the bet essentially was about the deciding game in '78.  Therefore, hereafter, whereas and any other legal sounding jargon I can bust out, point, set and match to the most powerful man in sports, Bob Addison.

I know the decision went the other way, Dan, but I'd still like to host "Sportstalk" sometime... maybe...

DECISION:     Bob Addison     90%
                          Dan Russell      10%

So, like the time Mr. Belding dawned the judges robes to decide Zack's fate, my day as a member of the judiciary has come to an end. I pray that my justice was fair, swift and final (cue the music to "LA Law").

For more Doug E. "Sportstalk" columns (or what passes for a columns), click here!

eberhardt basketball, where "Life is Good but Basketball is Better."