Final score: Storm 68 – Starzz 59 (L) (3-2)

Attendance | 5139

Anthem Xtra Notes | Apparently, "brave" is now a 10 syllable word

Anthem High Note | Falsetto

Anthem Style | KUBE 93

Fan Noise | Actually not bad, especially that guy who kept screaming incoherently at the refs

Signs | Some very creative ones. I'd have pictures, but no juice

Fan Psyche | When is the second half boost going to happen?

Halftime | Celebrity hoops

There is one reason why the Storm lost this game tonight. It wasn't that they were out rebounded horribly, even with Dydek in there most of the game. The Storm had more steals, more blocked shots, fewer turnovers, hit their free throws, got the Starzz over the foul limit relatively early in the second half, and did all the little things they had a hard time doing last year. What lost them this game, and will be sure to be their achilles heel - 35% shooting from the field.

I try not to write about the games from a stat perspective since the newspapers and other media do that and can do it a lot better than I can. I really think that this game, however, was all about that shooting stat. Wait a minute Scott, you say, Dydek was rooted to the paint like a really tall and gawky lawn statuette - she forced the Storm into bad shots all night. Yes, I'll give you the fact that Margo seemed to be foremost in the minds of the Storm players on offense and defense. But, the Storm were also somewhat successful at getting around her. She can't move worth snot - get her to commit and you can usually get past her. Even when they circumvented the Polish Tower, the Storm's shots were at times way off. There were a couple shots that Simone put up that sailed past the backboard, rim, shot clock and everything else. It was almost like she was thinking, "She's not here. Gotta put it up fast!"

The other dagger in the heart were all the easy lay-ups the Starzz were able to score. Whether they were on fastbreaks or in their set offense, Ferdinand, Goodson and Azzi were able to get past the Storm defense and get to the basket time and time again. It has to be demoralizing for the Storm to play an otherwise excellent defensive game only to get burned by the opponent's guards.

Of course the big news of the game was that Lauren was finally back in the line up and started at center. She started out great and was hitting outside and inside, until she got into foul trouble. The Starzz, and the refs, were able to keep Lauren from getting any real rhythm. When she was in, she showed no signs that the injury was bothering her. She did get into an altercation with Dydek that resulted in a technical foul. Why Dydek, who had just as much smack flying out of her pie hole as Lauren did, didn't get a T is a mystery for the ages. I think that Lauren, like Rasheed Wallace from the NBA, is getting a reputation with the refs and they are just waiting for her to pop off. If Marie Ferdinand got a T for making a comment to one of the refs (didn't hear it), I don't understand how Dydek could get away with not only yapping at Lauren, but then not backing off and continuing to talk. If you give it to one player, give it to both. At least be consistent.

Sue Bird was a bit of a no show tonight, which I think can be attributed to the defense of the Starzz. They played her tight and kept the ball out of her hands. She also had 6 turnovers. Two of them were rocket passes that went into the stands. Before the Sue fans start howling, the intended recipients of those passes had no chance to catch them - the passes were way out of reach. Sue did have one amazing highlight reel reverse lay-up, but that was about the only highlight from tonight's game.

The biggest positive from this game was Semeka Randall. She pretty much single-handedly kept the Storm close to the Starzz in the first half of the second half. I could be wrong, but it seemed like she was the only Storm player to score in about the first 5 or 6 minutes of the second half. For an outstanding offensive performance, not to mention her solid defense, Semeka Randall is tonight's SPoG.

Notes:

The only thing to note about this game was that the damn batteries in my camera died with about 4 minutes left in the first half. I was able to coax a few more photos out in the second half, but instead of my normal 200-250, I think I only got about 100. Feel free to send yours in if you have any good shots (and I know you all are taking pictures).

Actually, there are two things that need mentioning. The first is that the Loud Guy and a buddy had on "Larry Who" shirts - cool. Also, Howard Schultz, our illustrious owner, was all over the refs after one especially bad call. I think it is great that he not only comes to the games, but that he gets into it so much. Other NBA/WNBA owners (Paul Allen) hardly ever show up. Thanks, Howard.