Submitted by | Norwester

I'm still trying to get back in regular-season form (which means posting this report the night of or the morning after the game). But better late then never. I just realized that I'd better hurry and write and post this because there's another game tonight!

This game finally made me feel that the season has started. It's almost like, there was a game last week? It wasn't perfect, even the second half when we were on fire and practically couldn't miss a shot, but we're finally regaining some of that attitude and confidence that made us such a formidable team last year. One of my favorite things about being a Season Ticket Holder and attending nearly every game is watching our team develop. We'll get there, and this was a big first step.

During pre-game shoot-around our women seemed very focused. Entering the tunnel afterwards they hardly looked up to sign any autographs or anything. Attendance seemed pretty good, especially for a holiday weekend with fabulous weather following a very disheartening loss. Throughout the game I was impressed with the crowd's responsiveness too. Many a spontaneous chant was struck up. Though I heard afterward that a group of girls in 107 were desperately trying to get an Aussie, Aussie, Aussie yell started. That's also something that's currently missing from the fan-instructional video they show prior to tip-off (hurray, it's back). I guess they're still fine-tuning it as well. Or perhaps they're waiting for Suzy to make an appearance so she can be in the video too? Whatever.

The Thoreau Honor Choir was precious (in my opinion) even if they were struggling for some of those high notes, etc. There was no flag at mid court to salute though. Sigh.

During intros Swoopes got some love from the crowd, predictably, but so did Fee Ragland and Van himself. There was no smoke in the entrance tunnel for our ladies this time. But was it me, or did Simone fumble the ball during her intro? She's contributing some solid, consistent minutes, so I don't want to pick on her, but it made me cringe a little wondering if this was an ominous sign of things to come.

Tip-off. A bunch of strange calls and turn-overs later and Betty drove the base-line for our first points, quickly followed by LJ getting to the line (finally! we've been waiting over a game for that, plus all off-season ) making 1/2 free throws. 3-2, Storm. Sue Bird was also in fine form early with a signature stop & pop, and Janell was working it, getting to the line on an &1 on an inbounds play. I wanted to be happy and comfortable, but we started well against LA as well, and I was cringing at the thought of Houston's inevitable run.

Indeed. A few turnovers, some poor transition defense and Michelle Snow shots later, and it was 12-14, Houston with about 14 minutes to go in the half. Betty was hitting some nice Finals!Betty shots (though if she keeps it up, I'll probably have to just concede that it's typical Betty, or perhaps Rookie-Season Betty finally back in form), but she was also trying to do a bit too much in an attempt to perk up our team, leading to some painful turnovers, fouls, etc. You can't blame her, but it seemed kind of frantic, and our body language was not good at this point.

Tanisha checked in for Izzy, who had been working hard guarding Swoopes and could now get a breather. Four minutes later, following some high points (an LJ block, foul on Swoopes) and low points (travel on Tanisha, Betty turnover, and many made shots by Swoopes) we called another time out. 18-12, Houston. Betty was hustling, but LJ was not getting enough touches by far, particularly in the paint, and we again were having trouble managing the zone.

To cheer us up they played an "Inside the Huddle" segment where our players and coaches opined about who on the team was the worst driver. JB and Betty pointed fingers at one another for opposite reasons (apparently Betty drives too slow for JB, and Betty says JB drives as if there are no brakes in the car). Sue thought driving on the wrong side of the road "seems risky" and called out LJ. It was all pretty amusing.

We showed some signs of life out of the time out and went on a mini-run. Izzy was back in to play her stellar defense on Sheryl Swoopes, plus she quickly hit a 3 and thus started contributing offensively as well! Chelle came in. JB missed a chippy (ahhh!) and Simone checked in at 9 minutes to go. Sue got stripped of the ball, but also went and got it right back, pulling up for a jumper and it was 19-22, Houston.

Unfortunately, by the time they took a TV time out with 7 or so minutes remaining in the half, LJ had been called for an offensive foul (Snow flops like a fish! and I can't believe they would call it) and a couple of made shots had Houston up 19-26. I didn't think the offensive foul on Tari Phillips at the other end was an equitable make-up call for the LJ O-foul, either refs. Nice try.

Simone missed a chippy, and JB checked in for her with 5 and a half minutes to go. 19-28, Houston. Izzy kept showing offensive signs of life with and &1, and LJ checked in for Mandisa. 22-28, Houston, and Izzy drew a charge. The Storm Dance Troupe came out and did a respectable job perking up the crowd. They also did a couple of in-game give-aways. Those seem to be more frequent now, I'm sure due to the fact that Hustle Rewards are now defunct. But I digress. I'm really liking how Izzy's game is coming along and she's fitting into the team. When she was defending Sheryl, Sheryl's FG% was much lower than it has been so far this season. And Izzy's shot is getting there too. I fear the expansion draft (but that's still far, far away).

We almost held Houston at this point until the end of the half, but at the very end it all sort of fell apart. Betty lost it out of bounds. Mandisa checked in for JB and with 4 minutes to go we took a 20-second timeout. Followed by Swoopes hitting yet another bucket, 24-34, Houston. Followed by LJ getting two offensive rebounds in a row and willing the ball into the hoop! Hurray! I mean, it didn't help us tremendously from a points perspective, but it was so nice to see that fire back in the paint. It gave me hope, even though Janeth Arcain put Houston up by 12 with 1:20 to go. Then they were up 24-38 and few things were going our way, except with 12 seconds to go LJ executed a beautiful move into the middle, putting it in with her left hand. We've heard about how she's been working on post moves this off-season, and if this glimpse is any indication, that work will pay off.

Not much else went right for us offensively as the half wound down, however. A lot of times our offense faltered. I figured these times were when the true fans were separated from the posers. It takes a lot of energy to cheer loudly even when we're down and our team seems a bit out of sorts. Izzy missed a long shot at the buzzer after Michelle Snow scored on the other end and it was half time. Our team was a bit despondent entering the locker room, and it was worrisome to see.

HT: 26-40, Houston

The half-time stats were striking. Houston pretty much outplayed us in every category, though points in the paint was much less of a problem than it was against LA, and we were fairly even at 20-16. We also only attempted a much saner 7 three-pointers (and made one, but that's beside the point). The saddest stat was that we shot 33%! That's wicked-sad. Who put the lid on our basket? I don't know, but it appeared during our first game, and wasn't showing consistent signs of disappearing for good.

LJ came into the second half with a bun in her hair. Uh-oh. Though the braid didn't help us any against LA, so maybe this would help set a new precedent. Actually, we emerged from the locker room a bit earlier than usual. At the Open Practice Saturday morning we found out that Anne basically told them that she didn't care if they won or lost, she just wanted them to play with heart and passion, something that had been sadly lacking thus far in the season. Sue and Lauren did a pretty hilarious set of impressions of the Coach during our Q&A session at the Open Practice, but the details of that are being exhausted on another thread, I'm certain.

The half didn't begin auspiciously, as right away we got a freaking 3-seconds call! But not much later JB scored our first points, and our defense was holding Houston all right so it was 28-40 at 18:55. LJ was really working it with rebounds, crashing the boards and all and putting it back up and in, and quickly it was 30-40, Houston. We were showing signs of life, and at this point they pointed out Sue's and LJ's moms (Nancy and Maree) in the stands, to a rousing crowd reception.

Things were going well, and it continued with JB actually finishing a fast break (we've seen so few so far this season, that it's a treat) with a lovely finger-roll, and we were creeping up. Betty "did one of these," reminiscent of her winning shot against Sacramento last season, and suddenly, 3 minutes into the half and Houston only led by 6, 34-40.

This Storm team was beginning to seem familiar, despite all the new faces. Everything seemed to be going our way, and the crowd couldn't get enough of it. LJ got a rebound and threw it ahead to Betty: 36-40. Betty scored again: 38-42. LJ picked up a ball that rolled out of Betty's hands and put it in the hole! 42-44. Key Arena was rocking!

Of course, there was a bit of a lull at this point, mostly due to fouls and such. JB had an awesome block, but Betty was called for a crap foul with 14 minutes to go, sending Arcain to the line (you'll probably notice, or have noticed, a trend in my writing where the Storm rarely actually foul...hey, it's my world I'm living in, and I like it). Then a crap offensive foul was called on Betty at the other end, when the defense was hanging off of her! It was annoying, and Betty was getting the closest of us all to being in foul trouble. Hmph.

As was becoming our new characteristic attitude, we didn't let this get us down, however, and with 13 minutes or so to go, LJ got a half standing ovation when she completed an &1, giving her 12 points and getting us within 1, 45-46. This was followed by a Sue steal, and a JB rebound putting it back in and putting us ahead for the first time in forever! 47-46, Storm with 12 minutes to go. Time out.

The Hip Hop Squad came out to entertain us. I know they annoy and even scare a lot of people, but I'm fine with them right now. We'll see what develops as the season goes on, but they aren't all tarty (like the knotted t-shirts some of the younger girls in the Dance Troupe sport), and their moves are a bit tighter as a group.

Battle came in. JB basically dropped the ball out of bounds for a turnover. But we stuck with our tenacious defense and forced a three-second call on Houston. Unfortunately, Sue needed a rest. I was really struck in particular by her defense this game. She was on the court most of the time, and yet she didn't let up. She asserts that she's in the best shape of her life, and I'll say that I believe it. It's a good thing too, because when she was subbed out at 10:35, along with Izzy, and Zara and Betty came in, things fell apart a tinsy bit. I'm hesitant to place the blame on Zara, at this point. She's hardly been here a couple of weeks, and I'm confident that her game will come. Particularly after watching her at the Open Practice on Saturday. It's hard to be patient, but I'm willing to keep the jury out on her for a while.

My patience doesn't change the fact that Houston re-took the lead with Sue on the bench. Arcain when to the line and put them back up 47-48. We committed a turnover on the inbounds play, but got it back, only to have Zara throw it away, then Battle get called for a terrible foul when she totally drew the charge. This time even without my bias that's true. Lyttle scored for Houston, we threw the ball away, and with 9 minutes to go things were a bit shaky with Houston up 47-52. Storm timeout.

Sue came back in, but the immediate play showed no improvement as JB threw it away and Houston scored. NO! Before we could panic, however, Betty hit a 3! The refs rewarded her by calling her for her 4th foul at the other end. Whatever. We were still in it behind some awesome defense (particularly Sue and Izzy) and LJ's rebounding. With 7:23 to go Sue hit a technical free throw after Swoopes said something to the refs on the way back down the court after making a circus shot (or would that just be Swoopes-vintage?). After watching the recorded game off FSN, I see what she said, but the FSN people need to have lip-reading lessons, because they interpreted it as her saying "what about the foul?" or something to that effect. It was pretty much a turning point in the game, though. I'm sure Sheryl want advice from opposing fans, and will take it to heart, but it was pretty unprofessional. Sue's shot put within 5, 51-56.

Time out. Enter the kid-dance train with Doppler on the court. Little kids always run down our aisle, but there's no outlet to the court, and an usher is usually standing there to keep them from hopping the wall. There was practically a fight between the usher, the little kids, and those sitting on the front row about where the little kids could go, because they were all being directed to squeeze between the front row and the wall. If anyone with kids is reading this, you need to direct them to go to aisles that have steps down to the court.

A little drama, and game play resumed with LJ taking a nice assist from Simone, followed by a Houston turnover, and an Izzy 3 to tie it up 56-56 with 6:30 to play! Less than a minute later Betty followed this with a 3 of her own to put us up 59-56. Izzy got called for a foul, probably because Swoopes complained so much, and the Storm surpassed Houston 5-4 on team fouls. No matter. LJ got a rebound which led Sue into a fast break where she drew a foul of her own. 2/2 from the line and we were up 61-56 with just over 5 minutes remaining in the game. Betty scored on our next possession, refusing to let the Comets eat away at our lead. Izzy got a rebound, then down at our end got mugged while shooting a 3 with four minutes to go. Time out.

The Hip Hop Squad & Dance Troupe combined for a little riling up of the crowd (like we needed any help ) and did a little dance for each of the four sides of the court. It was fun, I say. Perhaps Izzy coming in and making all three free throws makes the memory rosier in my mind, but with 3 minutes to go Sue scored on an inbounds play putting us up by 10, 68-58! We were on fire. Despite our abysmal shooting the first half, we ended the game with 51% shooting, or something. We just weren't missing much in the second half, and those we missed we rebounded more often than not. At this point we were on something like a 21-2 run! They were bringing down the house, and we were screaming ourselves hoarse, and you could just see that old Championship swagger returning.

LJ continued to rebound like crazy (a double-double is a nice comeback from last week's regrettable showing). Janell went to the line with 2:26 to play, and Houston entered the penalty. She made 1/2, and next possession Betty scored again (she keeps this up and she'll make me a believer) 71-60, Storm. LJ stopped to help Arcain up off the floor after this play, and Snow quickly scored at the other end. No matter, LJ followed this up completing an &1 at our end. 74-62, Storm with 1:23 to play. A no-touch call on Arcain sent Betty to the line to chants of "Betty, Betty" from the crowd. It was cool to listen to it when I was watching the game again on TV. She made both with 50 seconds to go, and it was 76-64, Storm. How sweet the impending victory was.

With 45 seconds to go Houston went to the line, and our bench came in (except for JB) to thunderous applause as our starters left the court. They done good. It kind of turned into a foul fest at this point, though. Tanisha went to the line, making 1/2 for her first regular season WNBA points (or point, rather; for as relatively often as she gets to the line, I'd like to see her FT% go up). 77-66.

Janell got heartily elbowed in the face by Snow after game play had stopped and JB had been called for the foul. Bad form. You'd have thought we were playing the Sparks. Snow made 1/2 as Janell bent over in pain. 77-67, Storm.

With 23 seconds to go Zara scored her first WNBA points going 2/2 from the line. 79-67, Storm. Houston scored, and we dribbled out the clock. The game ended with the Storm winning 79-69!

It's so nice to be 1-1. Even better is the swagger and confidence that we seemed to regain in the second half. This game was not nearly perfect, despite our crazy 50-point second-half. But it's nothing that can't and won't be fixed as we get more time together as a team, smoothing out lapses in transition defense, attacking the zone as a unit. Zara needs to come along quickly as a back-up point guard, because Sue can't play the whole game every night, despite how good she looks out there.

Also, it's nice to have LJ back in the paint (probably an understatement). Yeah, I can see the small forward thing working at times in the future for some variety, to mix it up, but please not until she gets her wind back and we gel a bit more as a team. She really fought through her fatigue this game and showed some heart. And I have to say, there've been rumblings about some weight-gain, but from my perspective several of those pounds are probably in the upper body, and they're muscle. Just like the last time she had to rehab a lower-body injury. We're getting there, and it will be interesting watching us develop.

Etc.:

Both banners were hanging in the rafters in the Key: 2004 Western Conference Champions and 2004 WNBA Champions.

It's strange to have people like Kamila and Bat-girl on the WNBA All Star voting card when they haven't yet even played a game for their respective teams this season. I was worried about the fact that KV hasn't appeared in the box scores in Phoenix, but then I was reminded that she hadn't reported to the team yet. Whew.

Sitting outside in the lovely early evening Brrringy, Mini, Pwe and I cringed out of the FSN spotlight as they followed a family decked out in Storm gear with their cameras. When you watch the game on tape, just know that that's us just outside the camera's range.

Pre-game and during half-time we watched "future dribblers" play short games. The first game was Fire vs. Pacers, and half-time was Sonics vs. Rebels. Apparently you too can sign up to have your team compete on the Key Arena floor during games. Just go to the web site or call. Huh.

One thing I noticed during half time was that the tv-coverage (granted, it was just in house) of the Sonics-Rebels game for our entertainment was better than that 1st Minnesota playoff game on NBA-TV. It was chock full of many camera angles, etc. Good times.

Also, I know there was a thread inquiring about the free clinic to train 12-18 year olds how to jump, land and exercise properly to protect their knees through Athletic Engineering. You can apparently find out all the information on the website (what a fount of information), but basically it runs Saturday mornings Jun 18 - Aug 27. You can also call 206-340-9931.

Not only am I not in regular season form, but we're still waiting for the Key to get there. No player banners are up yet around the lower bowl sections. The nifty logo-lights and such below the scoreboard haven't yet made an appearance that I've noticed either.

The debate continued in my section about Tanisha Wright's height. 5'11? She seems about Sue Bird's height when they stand near one another. Take a look and see for yourselves. Not that there's anything wrong with that.

$14 item of the game: full-size WNBA Champs basketball.

The two seats in front of me always have new people rotating through them from game to game. It's fun to initiate newbies, but I think I was a bit too loud for this couple. They loved the Storm Dance Troupe, though.

Simone led the Storm in FG% during the playoffs. Who knew?

Izzy's free-throw technique amuses me. She stands pretty dramatically to the left of center, almost like she's shooting a corner shot. But hey, the shots go in. Whatever works.

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