Submitted by | eclair

I feel like I went to a basketball game tonight, one of the few times I've felt that intensity in my Storm experience. We've been 0 and 3 before, but this is a very, very good 0 and 3.

Who wears short shorts? Diva wears short shorts. You know, she didn't seem like much of a factor tonight, until you look at the stats--did she post a double/double? She sort of hangs around in the shadows, but when she touches the ball it's golden.

I liked the Kamila on Leslie match up. Freed up Lauren to go about her business. Kamila was very effective tonight. She had great lateral movement and was able to get up. Her shot was looking pretty, too. Seems like in the past she's shown up a little broken from Euro-ball, so this is nice to see.

Sue Bird played a much more mature game tonight. She gave Tamecka Dixon fits, and even kept the ball and drove to the hole on a couple possessions when Dixon chose to play her tight. School was in session. Did Professor Bird teach you anything tonight, Ms. Dixon?

What was up with the T on D-Nasty? I saw her go down, but then it looked like she fell a second time or something? Was she thinking there had been a no call and griping?

Adia had a game. Goes about the game in a business-like fashion and got it done.

Faces in the crowd: Chris and Bob Gobrecht, Kevin Calabro, Nate McMillan, Howard Schultz, 3M, John Stofflet, Ms. Curley with her young son (who was cleverly disguised as a basketball last season). Howard was on his damn feet working it! I've never seen the man excited about girls' ball. Our SF7 spent the evening with big Lo! (SF7, who was that with 3M that you spoke to at the half? I recognize her, I think.) I may have been hallucinating, but I swear Lin Dunn was behind the Storm bench. She was sitting in Chris Rimple's seat.

jezzie's play was inconsistent tonight. The Evil Eye of Diva Destruction was focused right on target during free throws in the first half, but in overtime she was looking at the scoreboard. I attribute this to poor early-season conditioning and unfamiliarity with Coach Donovan's new scheme.

Lauren Jackson was the most interesting player on the court tonight. I couldn't take my eyes off her. She is a phenom, ready to break out and be the best the game's ever seen. I will tell my grandchildren I saw her play.

Sue Bird wore a Cho-Pat style knee strap from the beginning of the game, usually an indicator of patellar tendinitis. She went down pretty hard near the end, and KING5 is reporting that's when she was hurt. She said she's had a catastrophic knee injury before, and this isn't that bad--she expects to start on Tuesday, it just feels sore, like it needs rest, and that at this point rest seemed like the prudent thing. She said, "The quad's fine, I have strength in my knee, it just hurts." She certainly had a decided limp when she came off the court.

Anybody else notice the back court punch in the back Dixon laid on Sue in the first half? Refs didn't. Sue paid her back early in the second--dropped her shoulder like a linebacker and sent Dixon down. The foul was called, but it was worth it.

Sue Bird cried? That's a bunch of hooey. She pulled her jersey over her face up to her eyes, but she looked frustrated, not weepy. Stop making **** up.

Sass, on the other hand, looked like was fixing to kill someone!

I say that if Bird played the last three, we win. I say a month from now, even without Bird in the final minutes we win. I say two months from now, the sparks don't stretch it to OT and we win. In last years' wins, it seemed like LA was phoning in their game until it was too late. But them girls wanted this particular one, and worked the whole 45 minutes. Once they tied the Storm with 4 seconds left, the energy left the room, and left the Storm. It wasn't Storm ineptitude, and if anyone thinks that, either they weren't at the game, or they don't really know much about basketball. The sparks used their experience and wiles, turning it up a notch. Once our girls are comfortable in their new roles, they'll sense the blood in the water like the sparks did tonight. Then, oh lawdy! Look out world.

Pounding the glass, wise shot selection, good ball movement, penetration. Welcome to the New Era of Storm Basketball. We deserve it.

Submitted by | Coach.Gym.Rat

Free t-shirt: always cool in my book of things that are cool and free and wearable

Game program: very thin but I like the cover design

Player cards: those things that showcase one player from every WNBA team - did the league scrap that? If so, no big... SAVE THE TREES!

Biggest Storm fan audition: Outside before the game. Had some cheerleaders ala SNL do the 'brr it's cold in here, must be a storm in the atmosphere' routine. They should have won it! Anyone who slides in an 'ice, ice baby' to their routine is a winner in my book of cheerleaders who sing 'ice, ice baby' to win money at WNBA games.

Security Wand pre-entry: Gonna buy me dinner first before you do that fella?

Nazi Ushers: Now sporting red shirts. Place them next to Seattle's finest in blue and squint... it almost looks like the cast of the original Star Trek.

New Uniforms: They sounded good in theory. They look good in the photo shoots. They do not work in the games. It's way to easy for players to grab them, tangle their arms up in them, and at one point as LJ came down for a rebound the jersey stayed up around her bosoms. Not something I'm sure the Storm gals want to be concerned with while they are playing.

LA Spaz has cut all of the white girls from their team. I think this makes them the only team in the WNBA with an all black squad. Too bad cuz it would have been hella funny to watch Stiles try to interact with the team.

Big Standing O for 3M: She looked styling in her suite... I still like her in a storm uniform the best though.

Mr. T on the Jumbotron: Don't be messing with Adia, Milton. Mr. T will slap yo' fro' with a $500 technical, foo'! Tried to find Sass for our T dance but couldn't find her in the crowd.

Kamila, did I ever tell you that you're my hero? She's like a pillar on those screens! Grabs rebounds with authority. Clears the key when she wants to shoot. Forget the donkeys - clone her. Kamila bobblehead - make one NOW! Please.

Everyone ('cept Rita) got on the scoreboard tonight. Me like that a lot. Four players in the double digits (yay Adia!) but I thought Kamila scored more...

Tully - you lil Taz you: I actually like her better than Debbie Black (maybe it's the whole "has all of her teeth" thing) she's a wild one, wild one, on the D.

Diva: You lil prissy "ow - she hit my hai.. I mean she elbowed me in the mouth, wah". My seatmate made the excellent observation that everyone from LA must know how to act. Never have I seen so many flops in my life. Freakin' false foul drawing floppers frustrate me.

Refs: So we can knock down the Sparks, strip the ball from them, score and you won't call the foul? Ok. Tons of jump balls when it could have been fouls - interesting direction the refs took the game.

Pick 2 numbers and win $10,000: Big buildup - lil finish. Tell us the numbers that would have won it for crying out loud (I guess 7 and 10).

National Anthem: Dude, can you do it for every game?

The Story:

I hope my story will satisfy ya'll. I find it very amusing but it might not translate very well. Please understand.

The setting: 112 | row 23 | seats, I dunno

The Time: right after Milton got a T smacked down to her for messing with Adia

The Shmuck: Sparks fan.

This woman went BALLISTIC after Milton got the T. Stood up, yelling at the refs about how unfair that was, what Milton did was 'clean', how biased they (the refs are), and how the Storm is dirty. Now, mind you this isn't normal Seattle-ish "in the heat of the game we may not like you but we'll hang out after the game" yelling. This was "I'm gonna bust a cap in yo' booty" yelling. Hands were flying everywhere! If she had the wingspan of Milton I think I would have gotten smacked in the face and I was in section 111! So that drew the attention of the ushers. Then she stepped over the line of civil ness and started to yell at the fans sitting around her as if they were the referees. That drew a talking to from the ushers. After that she pulled out her ace in the form of "looser, looser, double losers" hand signs which she expertly displayed to her surrounding section. Smooth. Very smooth. Someone (friend maybe) did the EVER so wise act of handing her an alcoholic beverage. Yeah, that'll make things better. Yadda yadda yadda. She whipped out a storm rubber band. If you haven't seen these suckers they are a think rubber band with a metal clasp on it. She didn't use it to put her hair up, oh no - she aimed it at Storm fans sitting behind her. That would have made me throw a drink in her face, personally. When she did that EVERYONE in the section whooshed their heads to the direction of the usher pleading for her to be removed. She turned back around, sat down, and let the rubber band fly straight up in the air anyways. That earned her a lil visit by the SPD in blue. Escorted her to the hallway but not outside of the arena. We all cheered that she was gone.

I wish the Storm had won, if for nothing else, that this nut (yes, you are a nut) wouldn't have gotten the satisfaction that her team went home the 'winners'. I've been to a game in LA. The Storm beat the Sparks in LA. Being a fan of the visiting team - I was very courteous. Show us the same respect. Yet since you didn't - I dub thee "Shmuck Fan of the Game".

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