SEATTLE -- The Seattle SuperSonics started celebrating too early Sunday.
The Los Angeles Lakers, sparked by James Worthy's 33 points, rallied from a 29-point second-quarter deficit Sunday to post a 97-95 victory and a four-game sweep of the Seattle SuperSonics.
'Seattle makes us play,' said Worthy. 'They get verbal and that gets us going. When you see a team high-fiving in the first quarter, that will turn you on.'
The Lakers, 7-0 in the playoffs, will play the winner of the Phoenix-Golden State series, which the Suns lead 3-1 going into Game 5 Tuesday. They are attempting to become the first team since the 1965-66 Boston Celtics to win three straight NBA titles.
'I don't think I've ever seen a team as committed to destroying a team as Seattle was in the first quarter,' said Laker Coach Pat Riley. 'Eventually the emotion backed off and we were able to get back into it.'
Seattle led 32-12 after one period and built the lead to 43-14 before the Lakers' began to rally. Los Angeles cut the margin to 11 at halftime and gradually regained control of the game.
They grabbed their first lead at 82-81 when Orlando Woolridge sank 2 free throws with 6:14 to go. The Lakers never lost the lead thereafter.
'The champion, the pride, came out,' said Magic Johnson, who had 17 points, 9 assists and 9 rebounds. 'When we came in the lockerroom at halftime, we said, OK, let's wrap it up.'
Seattle Coach Bernie Bickerstaff said the Lakers are simply a better team.
'When you are playing on adrenalin and emotion, if the other team makes a run on you, you've got problems,' said Bickerstaff. 'They are the top of the line.'
In beating the Sonics for the 12th straight time in the playoffs dating back to 1980, the Lakers had to climb out of their deepest hole of the season.
Worthy scored 6 points in a 10-0 Lakers spurt to cut a 15-point deficit to 68-61 with 2:43 left in the third quarter. The Sonics entered the final period leading 73-65.
With Worthy and Mychal Thompson combining to score 13 points, the Lakers cut the lead to 81-80 with 6:32 left. Los Angeles then sank 5 straight free throws for an 85-81 lead. Xavier McDaniel hit a pair of foul shots to cut the Lakers advantage to 85-83 with 4:11 to go.
Worthy, who had 12 points in the fourth period, sank a 3-point shot and a 20-foot jumper around a Nate McMillan layin to give the Lakers a 90-85 lead with 2:27 remaining.
But McDaniel responded with a 3-pointer and a free throw to cut the lead to 90-89 with 49 seconds to go. After a time out, A.C. Green took a pass from Magic Johnson and hit an open 12-foot jumper with 31 seconds left to give the Lakers a 92-89 lead.
Olden Polynice's short jumper cut the lead to 92-91 three seconds later, but Worthy followed with 2 free throws for a 94-91 advantage with 26 secons to go.
Green then made 3 free throws during the last nine seconds to counter a pair of jumpers by McDaniel -- the last coming at the buzzer.
The Lakers also received 17 from Magic Johnson and 15 from Thompson. The Sonics were led by Derrick McKey's 30, while Dale Ellis had 28 and McDaniel 26. The rest of the Sonics scored only 11 points.
Seattle burst to a 9-0 lead behind Ellis and McKey, who combined to score the team's first 13 points. The Lakers couldn't keep pace with the Sonics and made only 4 of 20 shots in the first quarter.
The Sonics had only three players score in the first half. McKey had 20, McDaniel 18 and Ellis 16. Alton Lister's free throw with 6:58 left in the third quarter were the first in the game by a Sonic other than McKey, McDaniel and Ellis.
Lakers assistant coach Bill Bertka became ill after being assessed a double technical while protesting a call in the third quarter. Bertka left the game and a team spokesman said the assistant coach had flu symptoms before game, but an electro-cardiogram and other tests were negative.
