Final score: Storm 90 – Dream 72 (W) (6-1)

Submitted by | LaurenRules

Pre-Game
Electric atmosphere in the Key tonight and I don’t think it was just me. Both teams were sizzling with energy. Atlanta was warming up close to where I was sitting, and all I could think of was how huge they are, and wonder how we could stop them. Alison Bales is a GIANT. Oh, I also realized that the two players I saw at Folklife were Sancho Lyttle and Armintie Price. Sancho has changed her hair since the last time I saw them. Angel McCoughtry is very pretty. Shalee Lehning was a hyper little spark plug, running everywhere and trying to energize her team – not that they needed it.

Weird to see BOTH Miller twins on the floor for the Dream.

Both teams were wearing short-sleeved gray T-shirts over their uniform, emblazoned with WNBA on the front, presumably in honor of Go Green week. Am I the only one who thinks it’s weird that they are wearing new shirts during a week that’s supposed to be about conservation?

ESPN in the house. Terry Gannon looks a lot older in person. Please, please someone get Heather Cox a sandwich. She looks like a size negative two. Even in an ugly gray sheath dress, she’s stunning.

Storm had a cohesive, focused warmup. Lauren’s hair is definitely not blonde any more – sort of peachy, red-gold, strawberry blonde color. I’m glad Jayda warned us.

Anthem
Local opera singer Teresa Lewis. The woman had some serious pipes. Straight-up rendition, beautifully sung. Well done, Teresa.

Officials
Sue Blauch, Roy Gulbeyan, and Maj Forsberg. I cringed when I saw Maj and Roy especially, but they definitely were better than I thought they would be.

Attendance
7586. 800 of those were from Boys and Girls Clubs all over Seattle, who were bussed in for the game, courtesy of Bing. Thanks, Bing!

Tepid applause for Atlanta, except for Izi who got a nice ovation. Okay, fine, clap for her during the intros, but after that she is THE ENEMY.

First Quarter
Lauren won the tip-off. Silly exchange of turnovers by both teams. Lots of energy, lots of RUNNING. Lauren drew a foul against Erika De Souza and went to the line. Swish, swish. Happy Seattle audience sat down. Turnover fest for a minute – Camille and Swin each had one, and Shalee Lehning had two. Sancho Lyttle grabbed an offensive rebound (ouch!) and sank a bank shot. Camille scored. T drew a foul against Lehning, but only hit one free throw. Storm up 7 – 2.

Izi scored. Fast break attempt – Swin nearly bobbled a pass Sue sent to her, but contained it, and with a GREAT post move, sank a two. Lyttle picked up her second foul and headed for the bench. Alison Bales came in. She may be taller, but Bales is no match for our LJ, who promptly sank a three. Ecstatic pandemonium. Oh, an “on” Lauren is a beauty to see – one of the Seven Wonders of the World, right along with Danielle Lawrie with her back against the wall.

Swin and Lauren traded buckets and free throws. The Storm’s defense was insane that quarter, clamping down and denying the Dream any points for over four minutes. Meanwhile, the players got frustrated and were committing silly fouls, which put Seattle into the bonus and giving us free throws. All was not rosy in that department, however, because Svet got clubbed to the ground toward the end of the quarter and no call there. Armintie Price finally scored for the Dream and Angel McCoughtry hit a three, but Swin answered right back with a pull-up jumper.

SEA 17 – 9 ATL

Interval
They showed the Storm working on a Habitat for Humanity house. They look adorable in hard hats. (It is okay to say that a superb team of ferocious female athletes looks adorable?). Nice speech by the lady whose house it is going to be.

Second Quarter
Sue, T, Svet , CL and A-Rob started the quarter for the Storm. Yelena Leuchenka got an offensive rebound and put back a layup. She’s probably one of the best players that I’ve never heard of before – she’s athletic, graceful, fast and tough. Plus, she had eight points off of the bench – not bad. Before we could panic, however, A-Rob fed Sue a nice pass and our favorite point guard put down a three. YAY! The Key erupted again.

Both Camille and A-Rob each picked up a turnover, but A-Rob ran down Armintie Price on the ensuing fast break and A-Rob blocked her. Price didn’t take that too well and clocked A-Rob HARD in the mouth. Ow. A-Rob got to sit and ice her lip, as LJ came back in. Atlanta nibbled away at our lead. Camille scored, but McCoughtry hit a jumper nibble nibble… Leuchenka scored… nibble … Agler called a timeout, but McCoughtry scored again. Tied up at 22. Ouch.

As she has consistently done this season, Camille stepped up BIG. Lauren was mobbed, so she got Camille the ball and she hit TWO layups in a row, courtesy of a lovely rebound by Swin, and then Camille picked Kelly Miller’s pocket and fed T, who sent a GORGEOUS pass to LJ, who hit a layup – and, all of a sudden we were on top again by six. Phew. The entire arena exhaled.

With just over four minutes to go, Sue finally got to sit down and T ran the offense. Atlanta tried to put together a mini-run, with another three from Kelly Miller and a jumper from AM, but Lauren stopped them in their tracks, sinking two free throws off of De Souza’s third foul, and hitting a three off of another nice feed from T. Thanks to a truly fabulous steal from Svet, Le’coe opened up the lead still further with some really strong post moves against the much taller (but not, perhaps, much stronger) Atlanta front line.

Sue grabbed a rebound off of McCoughtry’s missed jumper (she had FOUR for the half) and fed Lauren who scored off of the baseline. Lots of bodies flying everywhere – McCoughtry, T, Sue, all hit the deck at one time or another. Raven fouled our favorite Aussie (can I still say that, now that Bishop and Lacey are on the team? Uh-oh) - um, our favorite Aussie All-Star, who hit both free throws, and, all of a sudden, the Storm were up by twelve points.

SEA 39 – 27 ATL

Halftime
The Eastside Dream Team, a cheerleading squad. Very cute in white and red uniforms, and VERY large hair bows for the younger set. Heather Cox interviewed Lauren, who looked quite happy. It was notable for me, because I ran into Carolyn Peck in the ladies room. She seems to have lost quite a bit of weight and is INCREDIBLY tall. I asked her what she thought of the game and she gave me a “well, it was a bit sloppy to start but seems to have settled down” non-answer.

Halftime stats were interesting – the big one was that we held them to 29%, but WE were shooting 50%! Also, they were zero for three at the free throw line and we’d hit eight of ours. The team came out to warm up, looking happy, but VERY focused.

Third Quarter
Sancho Lyttle scored right off the bat for them, and then there was a turnover and foul-fest. “Big Shot” Camille grabbed an offensive rebound off a rare LJ miss and hit a running bank shot. She, Swin and LJ all demonstrated that they can really hit shots even when they’re completely off-balance. We settled into a fairly even “trading shots” pattern – Izi, Lehning and McCoughtry all scored, but so did Sue and Camille – four points each. Lauren hit a jumper and then Atlanta seemed to creep back into it a bit, thanks to some free throws from De Souza and Lehning (but they both only hit one each on three tries), and another jump shot from Sancho Lyttle.

Slightly stagnant interval for about a minute – T picked up her fourth foul and turned the ball over three times: Sue turned over once. T was TICKED at the foul call (mainly because it was stupid) and stormed her way over to the bench with a lot more emotion than I’m used to seeing from her.
Svet came in and immediately calmed things down by hitting a jumper, although, she was also whistled for a highly stupid foul. At that point, Lauren apparently decided that enough was enough, hit back-to-back threes. Storm up by fourteen. McCoughtry scored. Lyttle pulled down a rebound from Svet’s missed shot, but Sue stole the ball from Izi, waited for the clock to run down, and, instead of going to Lauren, as everyone seemed to expect, drove down the middle and split two defenders to hit a VERY nice jumper. Go, Sue!

SEA 61 – 48 ATL

Fourth Quarter
Swin got right on the bandwagon, hitting a beautiful three. I really can’t say enough about Swin’s play and hustle this game, not to mention the stifling defense she played on McCoughtry. McCoughtry missed a shot, LJ grabbed the rebound and fed Svet, who hit a GORGEOUS running layup. Woot. Storm up by EIGHTEEN. Wait, isn’t this Atlanta, the team no one can beat? Small run by Atlanta, now down by nine. Sue missed a jumper, got annoyed and promptly stole the ball back. LJ scored and hit a free throw off of a slap foul by Price. Storm’s lead back up to fifteen. Atlanta tried to get something going, but couldn’t, thanks to a Lauren block and rebound. Le’coe missed a shot, but grabbed her rebound and the offense reset. Smart play. LAUREN FOR THREE! Her first thirty-point game of the season! Yay! Storm lead back up to eighteen with six and a half minutes to go.

Swin decided she wasn’t done yet and scored to extend our lead to TWENTY. WOW. Sue and Lauren headed for the bench. Svet hit a reverse layup, and T evidently decided she was tired of her lousy offensive night, because she went on a small scoring run of all her own, hitting two free throws and a jumper. The bench, with the exception of Alison Lacey, came in. Jana hit two free throws, putting herself on the board for the first time. Abby hit a free throw and made a jump shot. Slightly ugly moment with T picking up her fifth foul and jabbing SL in the eye. Ow. Atlanta made an effort to end the game well, with free throw and points from Miller, but, at the end, we were just too strong for them.

Final score: SEA 90 – 72 ATL

General Observations
As someone already observed, this was really when our veteran mindset and chemistry really clicked. Everyone knew what she was supposed to do, and everyone did it. There were some anxious moments – too many turnovers, allowing Atlanta to get back into the game at the second quarter, and so on – but our team didn’t get rattled, we didn’t freak out, we just settled in and kept playing – really, really well. Camille and Swin both played outstanding defense and we ran the floor like maniacs. Svet is my personal candidate for the Sixth Woman award – she sees what needs to happen, comes in and gets things going. Le’coe can bang and rebound with women who are four, five, or even six inches taller than she is. Everyone is also in incredible shape.

As for Sue and LJ – well, what can you say? Lovely to see Sue shooting more – and, as already mentioned, an “on” LJ is a thing of beauty, on offense and defense BOTH. Who are these Atlanta girls again? Aren't they supposed to be pretty good?

Submitted by | Norwester

The last time I saw a Storm game in person was over 15 months ago. Apart from a surprisingly strong showing from the steal of Camille Little, and a fantastic run by Sue as she picked the team up in LJ’s absence, our team potential in those last few games I attended was severely limited by injuries. Lauren Jackson had been playing hobbled, and was finally overcome enough to need ankle surgery. Swin was honestly still rehabbing her back…showing flashes of herself, but clearly hampered or rusty at times, searching for that elusive “rhythm.” Sheryl Swoopes and Yolanda Griffith battled, but were eventually overcome by injury. We had a great run that ultimately ended in disappointment and might-have-beens. My point is the last time I saw this team play at Key Arena we were tired and beaten up.

What a contrast to the team that I saw last night. Not a team getting by on sheer guts and veteran wiliness as they absorb a new coach’s system. This is a Storm team that physically took the game right into the teeth of the #1 team in the League (though, granted, in a young season) and owned them. I just could not get over how poised and strong we seemed, not just playing well, but playing with attitude and identity. Perhaps it’s due to my time away from live basketball, but I was particularly struck by our sheer physicality, as well as by the strength and vitality of a healthy LJ and Swin. Combined with the way Sue choreographed the game, Camille Little was so often in the right place at the right time, and Svetlana Abrosimova never took a possession off, I left feeling extremely optimistic about this season.

So forgive me for not giving you a proper “downpour.” LaurenRules gave a fantastic recap of the game (and believe me when I say that I’ve devoured those of the past and all game reports from my computer in Kabul), so I’ll just give some of the highlights that stick in my head in the more informal form of a game report, and if I gush, it’s because I’d forgotten (or perhaps suppressed in self-defense) just how fantastic it is to see a Storm game in person. To see Sue hit a pin-point pass that less than a handful of players in the WNBA can make. To see Lauren Jackson own the floor both offensively and defensively. To watch Swin Cash making crazy post moves look smooth and easy. And see Camille slip her defender and roll to the basket for an easy bucket. To watch the personal interactions between teammates and players and coaches. To scream and boo with the crowd. How could I have given up almost two years of this?

Bear with me, but I got a little choked up just walking to my seat and watching warm-ups. I’m sure part of that is visiting home and getting to see something I’ve missed a lot. But another part of it reminds me of the reaction of a co-worker when I brought her to a game a few seasons ago. She was choked up, and expressed how she had to fight not to cry at times seeing these professional women so powerfully and adeptly execute the game. As a woman who’s been raised in a certain type of culture, it’s been a little odd being in Afghanistan, and interacting with that society. Details aren’t necessary here, but I was there merely two days before the game, and I have a tough time thinking of a greater contrast, and also a sense of being home.
Is it me, or is Lauren a little too happy when discussing “ejection” or possible arrest in the opening “rules” video?

I liked the cadence of the opening montage. I think it works all right, though I’m not intimately familiar with the song (because I’ve been outside the country; perhaps you should make that a drinking game while reading my game report).

The multitude of turnovers in the beginning of the game were frustrating, particularly when it was just butterfingers or miscues, but we maintained our composure, and I was impressed with how our defense controlled the game early even when our offense was searching for execution. Sue’s 1st pass sailed out of bounds. Then next possession she was nearly run over by LJ + defender and had to furiously back pedal. Both sides settled for a lot of jump shots (with even Lauren shooting air balls), but our offensive spacing was really good, and the effort was there.

About mid way through the 2nd quarter Atlanta was making a run, and none of our shots were falling. The officials weren’t terrible because the calls they made were reasonable; they just weren’t making them at both ends of the floor consistently, and for a stretch they were all going Atlanta’s way. Game stoppage off of another LJ miss it was rather quiet and a frustrated Lauren yelled…luck? I’ve learned here that she doesn’t swear, but her exhortation must have worked because the shots started falling from there and we ended the half strongly, up 12. And did I say LJ’s shots weren’t falling? Because that was a surprisingly quiet 18 points!

Clearly we were trying out some schemes or something in the 3rd. Sue and Brian seemed to spend extra time gesturing and explaining things to the other players, particularly in the last few minutes. On one play Sue threw the ball right to where she clearly thought T should be, but Tanisha had cut inside. Sue was shaking her head and biting her lip on the way back down the court, visibly frustrated. Then we squandered several possessions with turnovers, at least one with an offensive foul on Tanisha that got her yanked a couple minutes later. It was a tough game for her overall…though I have to say: T can’t lower her shoulder but Angel can? It wasn’t a bad call on Tanisha (Betty would always get that charge), but it falls on the “calling it both ways” side of refereeing annoyances that kind of sticks in your craw, you know? Still, given the crew on the court, I was expecting a horrendous outing from the officials, so by that measure they were actually decent. Meanwhile, there was some rough going, but nothing brightens your day like back-to-back 3s from Lauren Jackson. And I don’t know what they were trying to run at the end of the quarter, but Sue finally took it in herself, splitting the defenders and laying it in like it was 2002!

Not much else to say, except that I also got to see the bench! Oh, and that point at the end where Angel came flying at LJ and hit into her, but mostly missed her as LJ turned her body to avoid most of the contact…then LJ shook it off and calmly sank another 3? Priceless. Who needs foul calls?

And it’s nice to have a blow out, no matter how much television audiences complain about them being boring. It’s really quite something to see this group of women, and their rapport with one another and the coach after having had a couple of seasons at it. Agler clearly depends a lot on Sue to run things on the floor, and there was a ton of running dialogue going on there.

There was a mental toughness as a team displayed that was great to see. It will be interesting to see how that carries through the season. It’s nice that on any one play, any of our players might step up; it doesn’t all have to be Sue or LJ.

Lauren’s hair is fine. Ashley’s was odd, but amused me nonetheless.

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