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While Ray Allen railed against the officiating in one locker room, the Golden State Warriors quietly slipped out the back door of the other, grateful for every break that went their way in a wacky fourth quarter.
Clifford Robinson made a go-ahead 3-pointer with 55 seconds left, and Vladimir Radmanovic stepped on the 3-point line on his potential game-tying shot with 1.1 seconds left in the Warriors' 94-92 win over Seattle on Saturday night.
Golden State made an impressive late rally and held on during the final 12 minutes, which included two disqualifications, four technical fouls, 22 personal fouls, several clutch baskets and one big mistake by Radmanovic.
A series of questionable calls left the SuperSonics steaming -- but nobody more than Allen, Seattle's All-Star scoring leader. He fouled out on a highly questionable offensive foul with 3:57 left when the craziness was just beginning.
``That refereeing tonight was disgusting,'' said the normally soft-spoken Allen, who managed just eight points on 2-of-10 shooting. ``There were so many bad calls down the stretch that decided the outcome of that game. For them to have an impact on the game like that is ridiculous.
``It is driving me crazy. I want to play in this league. I made the All-Star team, and I should have some type of respect around here.''
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Jason Richardson scored 24 points for Golden State, which took the lead for
good on Robinson's open shot in the final minute. The Warriors were up 93-90
when Nick Van Exel missed a free throw with 4.9 seconds left, but Radmanovic
clearly stepped on the line while drilling a long jumper.
The Warriors clinched it on one more free throw by Van Exel. Golden State recovered from consecutive one-point home losses in the previous three days for a gritty victory.
``We've been trying to play through injuries, the rumors of guys being traded, all that,'' Robinson said. ``Now that we know the group of guys that are going to be here, we're happy. Hopefully, this will help us get our focus back.''
Ronald Murray scored 17 points for the Sonics, who lost Allen and Rashard Lewis to their sixth fouls in the final minutes.
The Sonics lost for the ninth time in 12 games, falling further out of the playoff picture. They pointed to the officials in this one: They were called for 31 personal fouls -- 10 more than their average.
``It was one-sided,'' Seattle coach Nate McMillan said. ``They go to the free-throw line 45 times. It was bad officiating and a bad game. You have two of your key players fouling out in the middle of the fourth quarter. I'm not blaming the game on officiating. I'm just saying that it was one-sided.''
Brian Cardinal had 21 points and nine rebounds for the Warriors. Robinson had eight of his 14 points in the fourth quarter, while Erick Dampier added 14 points and 16 rebounds.
AP - Feb 22, 1:33 am EST
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``It's easier to get focused in games like these, because we come together and
just stick together,'' Cardinal said. ``The coaches say, 'It's getting a little
wacky out there, so stick to the game plan.' This was a huge character game
for us.''
Golden State clinched the season series with Seattle for the first time since the 1991-92 season, winning three of the teams' four meetings. The Warriors have won three straight home games against the Sonics after losing 16 of the previous 18.
The Sonics led 85-80 on Radmanovic's 3-pointer with 2:50 left, but the Warriors made four straight free throws -- the fourth when Ansu Sesay got a technical foul with 1:57 left for throwing Cardinal to the floor after scrapping for a rebound -- before consecutive baskets by Robinson.
Allen was held scoreless in the first half, missing all four of his shots in17
minutes, but Seattle stayed ahead for most of the first 3 1/2 quarters.