I've finally found a sport in which to make an athletic comeback. No it won't be seniors golf -- I have trouble breaking 90 even when I cheat. Football, basketball, & any sport requiring running are out as my knees are shot. Synchronized swimming? No, fat floats -- 'nuff said. Besides I'd lose a ton of style points. No, it's -- are you ready for this? -- ELEPHANT POLO! Seriously! And no, it wouldn't be as one of the elephants. Each team consists of four elephants each carrying both a driver & a player. Having ridden an elephant in Sri Lanka & India, I figure I'm one up on most people in this part of the world. Plus, I'm really partial to elephants. When I told this to my wife, she said she was gonna hold out for camel polo -- especially the bactrian version where driver & player would each have their own hump. But what, you ask, does this all have to do with the Sonics? What, indeed?

Actually there is a connection. The Sonics have made a comeback of their own to end the calendar year on a 6 game winning streak, & at 16-15 have exceeded .500 fo the very first time this season. I had hopes for as much when I predicted we would win 5 of our last 7 games owing to a favorable scedule for once. Predictably everyone is now talking about winning out & how we'll do in the playoffs. But for those of us who dig a little deeper, nothing is ever that simple.

Let's not forget that we have been quite fortuitous in our current win streak in that we played the Magic without Tracy McGrady; the Kings without Webber; the Clippers without Lamar Odom; Detroit (for the most part) without Stackhouse; & the Raptors without Vince Carter & Hakeem Olajuwon. But wins are wins, & we've had a few injuries of our own. Speaking of which, is it just me or does it seem like some of these injuries are dragging on & on? Booth in particular seems to have been injured the better part of three months, & James has been little better. Are these guys really hurt that bad, or is this just being used as an excuse for their seeming inability to assimilate Nate's system? I mean, let's not forget that we've had Art Long starting at center during this tenacious comeback run. Who would have thunk it?

But before everyone gets all giddy, a dose of reality is needed. Take a look at the January schedule. In addition to 9 of 14 road games, there is a midmonth stretch in which we play 6 games in 9 days. We finally got the back-to-back monkey off our collective backs by winning the second game against Detroit for the first time in nine such encounters this season. And although two of the three combos in January feature very winnable games in the second contest against the likes of Chicago & then Denver at home; this young team has yet to prove it has the intestinal fortitude to buckle down & play hard when they are tired. In fact I'd be surprised to see us win more than 8 games in January, which would leave us at 24-21 at the end of the month, still only 3 games above .500. Nine wins is a possibility, but in my mind not likely with that schedule.

February, with a brutal stretch after the all-star game that has us play Dallas, the Lakers, & Boston in successive games, could see us lose 4 or even 5 in a row; & finish the month with only 7 wins & a 31-27 overall record. Who makes these schedules anyway?

March, despite its 16 games, finds us entering the friendliest part of our schedule. It's not inconceivable, & in fact completely within reason to say that we could go 11-5 that month, & find ourselves 42-32 overall; ready to make a playoff drive in the stretch run of April. However, the last month of the season looks like a 4-4 split to me & a final season record of 46-36. Sound a lot like last year? It sure does to me. Whether or not that will be good enough to make the playoffs is anybody's guess. But as I've said repeatedly, I can't see it making much of a difference if, as an 8th seed, we draw the Lakers.

Keep this all in mind & try to stay on an even keel as we navigate the ups & downs of the season. Consider the level & relative health of the competition as well as how rested they are & where the game is being played. The way basketball is officiated is very subjective at best, & a crime in the hands of some of the black & white striped egotists. So expect to lose a few games we could have won owing to "bad" calls. Hopefully it all evens out. For now let's be heartened by blowout games like Detroit; for games like the Clippers when Gary has a career night; for games like Toronto where 7 players all have 5 or more rebounds -- and none of them is our starting center. Be HAPPY about these things; enjoy watching a very talented & entertaining young team; but never lose sight of the big picture. No matter how you paint it,the Sonics are at least a year away from making any serious noise in the playoffs.

Finally this week, let me wish a very Happy New Year to all the readers and to everyone on the message boards.

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