SEATTLE -- Xavier McDaniel knew he was a better starter than a sixth man. But for 72 games the Seattle SuperSonics forward quietly went about his business and complained to no one.
Coach Bernie Bickerstaff often praised McDaniel's attitude, saying it wasn't easy for the 1988 All-Star to adjust to such a role after starting his three years in the NBA.
The Sonics cruised to a 36-21 record with McDaniel coming off the bench to spell Michael Cage and Derrick McKey.
'I sat and patiently waited,' said McDaniel, who averaged 19.1 points and 27.7 minutes in the first 72 games after averaging 20.5 points and 33.6 minutes over his first three years.
'The problem was that I never felt loose and in the flow when I came in,' he said. 'It ended up changing my game and I struggled. But I never went to Bernie. Never even considered it. I'm the type of guy who does what's best for the team, and we were winning.'
That is, until they went on a six-game road trip in early March through the Central Division, where they lost five straight and their coach -- Bickerstaff was hospitalized with a bleeding ulcer.
They won three of four after returning home, thanks in part to Bickerstaff's recovery. But then they lost six in a row before Bickerstaff, desperate to do something to end the slump, had McDaniel and Cage switch roles.
The Sonics lost in McDaniel's first start, but he had 37 points and played with the emotion and confidence that was not evident when he was coming off the bench.
During the past seven games, McDaniel has averaged 29.3 points, 6.2 rebounds and 38.4 minutes. And the Sonics had won six straight just three games before the end of the regular season.
He was clearly a dominant player in the second of two straight triumphs over Golden State, victories that pushed the Sonics past the Warriors and into fourth place among the Western Conference playoff teams.
McDaniel finished with 35 points after scoring 11 straight points in the final four minutes, including a 3-point shot that gave the Sonics a 4-point lead with a minute remaining. He also blocked two shots and had three rebounds during that stretch.
'The switch has made all the difference for us,' said teammate Dale Ellis. 'X is a starter. He supplies the scoring we have been missing. He also plays with a lot of intensity, which we were missing. He just didn't play that way coming off the bench.'
Said Bickerstaff: 'When we started losing again, I had to see if it would make a difference for him and the team. We were just hoping for him to turn it around.
'Obviously, it has worked. X is relaxed and scoring again. But more than that, he gives us that emotional lift we needed out there. When he's at his best, he just takes over when that's what we need.'
Bickerstaff also likes what Cage, who led the league in rebounding last year, gives the team off the bench.
'We get better matchups with him coming in off the bench,' Bickerstaff said. 'He can play power forward or center when we've got a quicker lineup in there. He just gives us an advantage because of his flexiblity, and he's playing well.'
McDaniel said because he has played fewer minutes than in previous years he is still not in top shape.
'But maybe I'll get there in the playoffs, when it counts,' he said.
