Final score: Storm 74– Sparks 77 (L) (0-3)

Attendance | 9686

Anthem Watch | Not enough funk and too much Kenny G - I expected more from an 80s funk cover band.

Fan Psyche | WE SHOULDA WON! Hey, why isn't Sue out there?

Game Highlight | Adia kicking her way away from Delisha Milton and giving the ref a "She started it" explanation - and succeeding.

Halftime | Hit Explosion, featuring the GPM!*

Game Photos | Game Photos (Scott Larson)

I know that by the time the Sparks came out of a timeout to run their last possession of regulation, down by 3 with about 20 seconds or so on the clock, that the Storm had already squandered their lead and that the Sparks had already been outplaying them handily. But even with the margin down to three points, the Storm still had to execute one more defensive stand and keep the Sparks from tying the game.

For the majority of those 20 seconds or so, the Storm were successful. The Sparks ran down the clock and took their shot and, happy day, missed. But with about 5 or 6 seconds left, the Storm lost the game by missing the rebound. Next thing we see is Teasley hitting a three-pointer from in front of the Sparks bench.

You could argue that the Storm had already lost their edge, back at about the six minute mark, and that I shouldn't be pinning the game on this one play. I don't think it matters what happened before that last Sparks possession. The Storm had the lead and had already played the majority of the game with determination, aggression and without backing down or being intimidated by the Sparks' style of play. If anything, the Storm met and surpassed the Sparks - for about 34 minutes. I think that if the Storm had brought the same intensity that they showed earlier on, Teasley may not have ended up with the ball.

As much as I loathe to admit it, given the Sparks' recent success, you have to give them a bit of credit in knowing how to play from behind, adapt to their opponents' game plan and close out games. Damn that was hard to type. Los Angeles is our sworn nemesis and there will be no justice in the basketball universe until they are beaten and humbled (preferably by the Storm), but I am a big enough fan to grudgingly give them credit for finding a way to win.

I'm not going to spend any time ranting about the refs or speculating on how much kickback they might be receiving from the Diva (maybe she's giving them all their own silver body suit since the one she wears makes her feel "pretty"), nor am I going to blah, blah, blah about how dirty the Sparks play (especially Milton and Dixon), how much they flop and whine (the Diva and D-Nasty), or how Mwadi Mabika is just about the only decent one in the the bunch (I'm still undecided about Gillom going over to the Dark Side - she did that of her own volition which is mighty suspicious). No, I'm going to take a breath, clean out the nasty aftertaste from this loss (and being 0-3 to start the season, a record not seen since our first season) and move on to talk about the good things.

For instance, Billy McKinney may be the coolest GM in the history of GMs. During halftime, he joined Hit Explosion and started jamming with them on the bongos. First he hires Anne Donovan, now he's jamming with the band. The man is truly the *Great and Powerful McKinney.

We got ThunderStix for the first game of the season! I, of course, usually have my hands full with my camera and screaming at the refs and all, so I can't use the stix myself, but it was great to see a noise making device available early in the season.

The team looked a lot better than they did in the preseason game here against the Monarchs. For the most part, they looked comfortable together and executed fairly well. I would say that their defensive intensity has been ratcheted up a few notches thanks to the improved Adia Barnes (who is now also becoming an offensive threat - I'm almost giddy) and the addition of Tully Bevilaqua. Tully was on the Sparks' guards like vegemite on toast (sorry, sorry, sorry).

I know we lost, but I feel a lot better about our chances after this game. The team looked good. They played with confidence and attitude. This season isn't going to be easy and we are already in a bit of a hole, but I think we are on the right track and playing better basketball. And, I think the team is pissed off enough about losing that Sacramento may be in trouble next game...

A couple of not-so-goods:

Sandy Brondello bobbled the ball waaaay too much at the end of the game. True, with Sue out, Sandy was being asked to play out of her traditional 2 guard position, but she looked unsure and nervous leading the offense during the last few minutes.

Also, while Coach Donovan played a fairly structured rotation, many of the back-up players saw very little time. It's much too early to do any second guessing, but if Rita Williams isn't going to play much as the back-up point guard, why did we pick her up in favor of Starbird or Ragland? I'm not trying to start anything, but with Sue hurt and the game on the line isn't that when the veteran back-up is supposed to come in handy?

The new and enhanced security measures that KeyArena has in place had me wanting to do something to warrant the need for such measures. Part of my irritation was because it was raining and I, along with everyone else, was tired of being wet. I know the Storm management has little to do or say about these arrangements, but it was in my opinion overkill. I don't want to start ranting about political issues (well I actually do but will restrain myself, mostly), but if "they" want to destroy us because of our "freedoms," isn't it ironic that our response is to go ahead and self-limit our freedoms? And yes, I know, extra security for a WNBA game isn't limiting anyone's freedom (blah, blah, blah), but it's a symptom of a larger and insidious disease that I think is terribly wrong. End rant.

Sue's injury. This has been discussed at length in the forum already, so I won't go on too much. At first when Sue left the game, I thought Coach Donovan was doing a defensive / offensive switch with Sue and Tully for the last few minutes. That didn't make a lot of sense because Sue is a decent defender and why take her out of the flow of the game when the Sparks are coming back? Sue was visibly frustrated and fairly upset when she left the floor after the game. She, LJ and a couple others jetted down the tunnel right after the game and missed the post-game huddle with the rest of the players at midcourt. As hard as it is for us to watch a game like this one slip away, it has to be excruciating for a competitor like Sue to not be able to perform the way she wants because of an injury.

Other notes:

Michelle Maricinak received a video tribute and lengthy standing ovation during a timeout. She looked uncomfortable being in the spotlight being the shy type that she is, but it was nice to see her and to see the warm response she got from the crowd. The funny thing was watching the "cooler" response coming from the LA bench. Brrrr.

The UW basketball team was at the game. Andrea Lalum was on crutches and no one knows what is up. Hopefully it is something that will heal before next season (and maybe if it is something that has been fixed, she will be able to move around a little better on defense).

KeyArena has added new food choices to their menu and actually have concessionaires inside the arena selling stuff. Doppler initiated one guy who was selling cotton candy. He brought the guy down to the court to shoot free throws during a timeout, stole the cotton candy rack while the guy wasn't looking and tossed all the blue bundles out into the crowd.

Angie and I moved to row 9 and are apparently directly in the flight path of the blimp. I wasn't paying attention before the game and almost got beaned in the head. It was harrowing.

I have decided to come out against the new uniforms. While the shoulder-width is better and the players don't have to roll them up to be comfortable, the shorts didn't seem to want to stay up (especially on Lauren) and the no-tuck jerseys look a little sloppy. Other pro leagues go overboard with attire rules at times, but I think there is a certain level of professionalism that a tucked jersey implies. And no, I don't need to see LJ's midriff tattoos.

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