Sparks-Storm Preview

By SANTOSH VENKATARAMAN
Posted May 17 2012 2:36PM

The Seattle Storm got only 13 games from three-time MVP Lauren Jackson last season while the Los Angeles Sparks received 17 from 2008 MVP Candace Parker.

The Storm will have to deal with another extended absence by Jackson to start 2012 while Parker appears healthy for perhaps the first time since that MVP campaign as these Western Conference rivals meet Friday night in Seattle in a marquee WNBA season opener.

Jackson played her fewest games with the Storm last year due to hip surgery. She was already struggling, shooting 39.6 percent for her lowest mark since her rookie season in 2001.

The Storm won't have the superstar forward available until after the London Olympics. That puts the onus on Sue Bird to shoulder more of the load, although the point guard doesn't agree with that notion.

"It's not me going into each game like I have to be different because Lauren is here or she isn't," said Bird, who averaged a career-high 14.7 points in 2011. "It just kind of happens. It's the nature of the game and how it unfolds."

Seattle went 21-13 and tied for the league's best home record at 15-2 last year before being upset in the first round of the playoffs by Phoenix.

Parker, chosen by 25 percent of the WNBA's general managers to be the MVP this season, has been limited to 27 games the last two years due to shoulder and knee injuries after her 2009 was shortened due to pregnancy. She missed half of last season, as Los Angeles went 15-19 and missed the playoffs for the first time in four years.

That campaign resulted in coach Joe Bryant, the father of Lakers star Kobe Bryant, not being brought back. Carol Ross has taken over after serving as an assistant with Atlanta the last three years.

Ross inherits an influx of talent, most notably No. 1 overall draft pick Nnemkadi Ogwumike from Stanford. Ogwumike helped the Cardinal reach the Final Four four times and averaged 22.5 points and 10.2 boards last season.

"You know, she's one of the most athletic players that I've ever played against or with in my entire career," said Parker about Ogwumike. "I think that her explosiveness is something that you don't see a great deal in women's basketball."

The Sparks also added four-time All-Star Alana Beard and guard Marissa Coleman from Washington, with Coleman being reunited with former University of Maryland teammate and starting point guard Kristi Toliver.

Seattle has added veteran center Ann Wauters, who is returning to the WNBA for the first time since playing for San Antonio three years ago. Rookie Shekinna Stricklen is also expected to contribute immediately.

"We have a lot of different pieces, and we're getting to know each other and what this team's identity will be," veteran guard Katie Smith said. "But we've kind of been there, done that, and you understand how hard it is to win in this league."

These teams split four matchups a year ago, with the home team winning all of them. They meet in Los Angeles on Tuesday.

Toliver leads Sparks past Seattle, 72-66

By TIM BOOTH
Posted May 19 2012 1:29AM

SEATTLE (AP) It started with an innocent spurt that only seemed as if it would make an inevitable season-opening loss for Los Angeles a bit more respectable.

Before she knew it, Kristi Toliver and the Sparks were pulling off one of their most improbable victories.

Toliver scored 10 of her 25 points in the fourth quarter and the Sparks overcame a 21-point deficit in the second half to beat the Seattle Storm 72-66 on Friday night in the WNBA season opener.

Los Angeles outscored Seattle 30-10 in the fourth quarter, taking its first lead of the game on Toliver's baseline reverse layup with 1:38 remaining. The Sparks had lost seven of their previous nine games against Seattle.

``It's something that we haven't shown in the past. It's good to see this team show it from game one,'' Toliver said. ``We started off slow and were able to fight back. In this building, it's something that doesn't come easy, so we're very proud of it.''

Candace Parker added 11 points for Los Angeles, including a pair of key baskets in the comeback, and a tough shot in the lane with 28 seconds left. But Parker was on the bench while most of the heavy work was being done as the Sparks whittled away at a 54-33 deficit with 2:48 left in the third quarter.

Los Angeles' massive rally started with a 10-2 run spanning the third and fourth quarters, pulling to 56-48 with 7:54 left on DeLisha Milton-Jones' jumper. Jantel Lavender hit a baseline jumper for the Sparks, and Toliver scored on a drive to cut Seattle's lead to 56-52. After Tina Thompson's 3-pointer rimmed out for Seattle, Alana Beard converted a difficult left-handed layup while being fouled. She missed the free throw, but the lead was just two.

Sue Bird answered with a baseline layup with 5:29 left, Seattle's first points of the fourth quarter. Seattle pushed its lead back to 62-56 with 4:20 left when Tanisha Wright scored on a fast-break layup, but the Storm were outscored 16-4 the rest of the way.

Parker's tip of her own miss with 2:58 left pulled Los Angeles even at 62-all. After an exchange of missed 3s, Ann Wauters was fouled on the baseline, but could only split the free throws. Toliver then got free on the baseline for a reverse layup and the Sparks' first lead. Toliver padded the advantage by bouncing in a 3-pointer with 1 minute left. Camille Little's three-point play for Seattle gave the Storm a final glimmer, but Parker's basket with 30 seconds proved to be enough.

``It's hard to hold a lead like that,'' Parker said. ``When you're up by that much you tend to try and hold the ball and try not to let the other team score and we took advantage of that. They were back on their heels.''

Toliver was brilliant providing Los Angeles the energy off the bench they lacked in the early going when Seattle jumped to an 11-0 lead and appeared on the verge of turning the game into a blowout. Toliver was 9 of 16 from the field and was even left shaking her head when her late 3 took a favorable bounce.

Nneka Ogwumike, the No. 1 overall pick in the WNBA draft, finished with nine points - all in the second half. Beard added nine points also.

Wauters led Seattle with 17 points, and Bird had 15. Seattle opened the season without three-time league MVP Lauren Jackson, who is back in her native Australia taking the first-half of the WNBA season off to prepare for the London Olympics. It's become common for Seattle to play without Jackson in recent seasons due to injuries. But this is the first time Seattle has enjoyed an entire offseason to prepare for being without one of the best players in the world.

They looked fine for most of the night without Jackson around. Seattle led 24-8 in the first quarter and pushed its lead to 21 in the third when Tina Thompson knocked down her fourth 3-pointer of the game. But that's when it all fell apart for Seattle.

``I'm hoping that's as bad as we'll be in the fourth quarter,'' Seattle coach Brian Agler said. ``We don't want to see that again.''

• Sparks: --
• Storm: --

• Sparks: --
• Storm: --

• Lead Changes: 1
• Times Tied: 1

• Arena: Key Arena, Seattle, WA
• Officials: #39 Michael Price, #13 Cameron Inouye, #21 Byron Jarrett
• Attendance: 9686
• Duration: 1:56