The Sonics couldn't stop the legendary Kareem Abdul-Jabbar 30 years ago, but they put away the Lakers nonetheless.

Thirty years ago tonight, with Christmas bearing down on Puget Sound shoppers, a spirited crowd of 20,178 turned up at the Kingdome to see the Seattle SuperSonics score a 117-107 victory over the Los Angeles Lakers.

Fred Brown broke out of a shooting slump in dramatic fashion, scoring 20 points in the decisive second half on 9-of-12 shooting and finishing with 28 points. The Sonics improved to 20-6 in what was destined to be a memorable season in Seattle. The Lakers fell to 19-12.

Dennis Johnson added 27 points for Seattle, and Paul Silas contributed 12 points and 15 rebounds. Jack Sikma, while losing his statistical battle with Kareem Abdul Jabbar (31 points, 11 rebounds), had a career-best eight assists.

Lakers coach Jerry West downplayed the showdown of division rivals. Asked if the outcome had any special significance, he replied: “Absolutely none whatsoever.”

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Sonics forward John Johnson disagreed, saying the December contest had the trappings of a playoff game.

“It was a big game,” Johnson told The News Tribune’s Bill Schey. “We are fighting for first place and we finally got a chance to put a foot down on the team that’s been on our backs for a long time.”

This was the old-time National Basketball Association. There was no Magic Johnson, Larry Bird or Michael Jordan. No David Stern, no Stephon Marbury, no Oklahoma City Thunder.

Heck, the Sonics and Lakers weren’t even on local TV that night.

What were the networks airing in prime time, you ask?

On Channel 4 (ABC), right on the heels “The Joker’s Wild” and “The Newlywed Game,” Burl Ives starred in “The New Adventures of Heidi.”

Over on Ch. 7 (CBS) The Jackie Gleason Show went against Heidi and the holiday fare served up on Ch. 5 (NBC), which offered “Frosty’s Winter Wonderland” and “Nestor, the Long-eared Christmas Donkey.”

One of the days ... pow, right in the kisser!

Oh, Nestor, where have you gone?

The Sonics, who had moved to the Kingdome from the Coliseum that season, were an able match for Heidi, Jackie and Nestor. The TNT had a story the day of the game noting the team had seen a 77 percent increase in attendance, their average crowd spiking to 15,804 from 8,952 in 1977-78. The Sonics media guide lists the average attendance for the 1978-79 season at 18,225.

Yes, it was a different time. For the Sonics, the NBA, Tacoma and newspapers.

At least 40 full-page ads stuffed the Tacoma News Tribune that Wednesday, along with a boatload of 3/4-page and 1/2-page ads. That's not counting 30 pages of insert advertisements.

JAFCO (the Best Buy of its era which billed itself as the place “Where Dreams Come True”) offered a TEAC cassette deck for $139 and a Dual turntable for the low, low price of $149. You could get a 9-inch black and white TV at JC Penney for $99.95, and 18-inch color set with Chroma-Brite and Chroma-Loc for $449.95.

There also was a dose of familiarity, including a feature story on "loose as a goose" Washington guard Lorenzo Romar in the sports section.

Lorenzo Romar ... remember him?

Elsewhere there was a headline noting second-term Congressman Norm Dicks “seeks area funds and cuts elsewhere.” The Northwest's King of All Pork was just getting started.

As for the Sonics, they were well on their way. Seattle's victory over the Lakers three decades ago was a significant milepost along a glorious road that would lead the the Sonics to the city's only major professional sports championship.