Final score: Storm 59 – Monarchs 65 (L) (7-7)

Attendance | 7048

Anthem Xtra Notes | Too many times 5

Anthem High Note | Falsetto

Anthem Style | The Nylon Boys

Fan Noise | Respectable

Signs | More & more every game

Fan Psyche | Frustrated

Halftime | Juggling

I think we are seeing the future in tonight’s game. Hopefully next year, maybe the year after that, Seattle will be able to execute their offense at will with the same confidence that we see from the Monarchs tonight. Right now, Seattle is looking like a solid .500 team – flashes of brilliance defensively balanced by periods of indecision offensively. The Monarchs look like a team who have a much better record than their current 7-7. Soon, we will be where the Monarchs are – just not tonight.

The game begins very badly. We’ve seen the “first-half of the second-half” syndrome take over after the half on many occasions, but tonight it happens at the beginning of the game. The Monarchs jump out to an 9-0 lead before Simone hits the first Storm basket five minutes into the game (and we all get to sit down).

We don’t complain about the officiating much here at stormfans.org because bad calls usually go both ways and what goes around usually comes around. Tonight we will make an exception. The first few minutes of the game do see the Storm trying to penetrate and get the ball into Lauren on the post. The first few minutes also see several near muggings of Lauren, and any other Storm player who dares step into the paint with the ball, without any calls being made. We are sitting on the other side of the arena and can see that Kara Wolters (Monarchs #52), Yolanda Griffith (Monarchs #33) and Ticha Penicheiro (Monarchs #21) are slapping, ripping and hammering at the ball and the arms of whoever is holding the ball. This continues through much of the first half.

Because the Monarchs are able to dominate the Storm under the basket like this, it seems the Storm give up the lane. For the rest of the game, the only Storm players who attempt a drive to the basket are the bench players – the ones who weren’t beaten up in the first half by the Sacramento starters. Jamie Redd, 3M and Kamila all have success driving to the basket. The rest of the Storm offense stays on the perimeter.

One other major difference between the Monarchs and the Storm – getting the ball to the right player at the right time, regardless of the called play. Time after time, at the beginning of an offensive set, the Storm would have someone open under the basket but wouldn’t pass them the ball. Almost every pass into the center or the post comes after the defense has time to set up. Almost every pass into the center or the post is fiercely contested and met by at least a double team. It seems that the point players are either not recognizing the opportunities when Lauren / Kamila / Simone are in position and the nearest defender is four or five feet away, or they are strictly holding to the play called out by Coach Dunn regardless of the flow of the game. The teams that prove to be perennial contenders are the ones that can take advantage of a two- or three-foot defensive break down. Right now, the Storm are passing up on these opportunities.

On the positive side, the Storm keep it close at the end and turn what could have been a bad, as in spirit-crushing, loss into an exciting game. We still lose, but by just a few points and with the Storm fighting tooth and nail. Michelle Marciniak is again the player who comes in and changes the game. We hate the word “scrappy,” so we will instead use tenacious, never-say-die and hard-core. We would like to see 3M in the game earlier so that her attitude can energize the team from the start. Kamila is still shooting very well, nearly 50% from the floor. And, she actively challenges the Monarch’s defense inside.

As we’ve said in earlier Gamedays, being a .500 team is frustrating because we know that the Storm can beat just about any team. We could have won this game if the offense had worked just a little better and if the defense had been just a little more dominant (like the Utah game). But, a telling stat about where we will probably end up is this: the Storm are 0-4 vs teams with records that are .500 or better. If we have any serious playoff hopes, we have to play better against the good teams.

Notes:

The Marching Guy is back and is wearing a huge “M” hat! We know that it is from a Mariners’ game, but from now on, M stands for Marching Guy.

Bungie Ball made its second appearance during a timeout. Note to Storm organization – WE LOVE BUNGIE BALL! Bungie Ball is one of the funniest “entertainment” activities we’ve seen at any sporting event. We want more!

There is a large group of Monarchs fans in attendance. We asked one of them how they all got to Seattle. He says that the Monarchs offered a package that included hotel accommodations, a ticket to the game, and a voucher for a hot dog. The fans had to handle their own airfare. The Storm have organized a similar excursion down to Portland by bus (2 full busses = 90 fans, cool). Maybe doing an away game to another city as a package like this Monarchs trip could be an idea worth considering.

What’s up with Stacey Lovelace? After a great game against the Indiana Fever, her playing time has been less and less. Is she hurt? Did she piss off Coach Dunn? Any ideas?

The anthem group, Kickshaw, is a cross between the Backstreet Boys and the Nylons. After having a couple of great anthems recently, maybe we were due for Kickshaw. Sigh.