Storm Preps For Game 2 of Finals
After the Seattle Storm lost Game 1 of the WNBA Finals by a 68-64 count Friday night, Saturday's cross-country flight home was a long one. Still, after returning to Seattle early this afternoon, the Storm watched some film and briefly took the court, mostly doing shooting drills, for the day's practice.
 Lauren Jackson and Taj McWilliams-Franklin battle for position in Game 1. Nathaniel S. Butler/NBAE/Getty |
More specifically, those adjustments are in terms of transition defense. The Sun came up with 15 fast-break points, the fourth-most the Storm has allowed this season (not coincidentally, all four of those games have been losses, and all four on the road). While Connecticut is known for its open-court ability, largely because of rookie point guard Lindsay Whalen, fast-break points weren't an issue for the Storm against the Sun in the regular season (though Whalen did miss one of the two matchups).
"They beat us up in transition," said Donovan, "so we talked about different strategies and how to try to slow that down a little bit."
Beyond that, as in the Sacramento series, the Storm mostly needs to execute better what it entered the game needing to do. That made watching film of last night's game valuable for the team. In particular, Donovan cited it as helpful in explaining to the players how they were affected by the Sun's physical play.
"We got roughed up, and we didn't keep our composure, take care of the ball and finish shots inside," Donovan said. "I think we got rushed, we got out of sync instead of really getting planted, getting solid and getting physical ourselves. We wilted against their physicality."
As was mentioned on the broadcast of Game 1, the Storm was tending to fade away on its shots instead of creating contact and forcing officials to make a difficult call. As a result, Seattle shot just seven free throws, making six, both marks season lows.
"We spent a lot of time on the tape showing them how off-balance we were, fading away on shots, not stepping into passes and making the passes go," Donovan said. "A lot of deflections led to easy transition for them. That's got to change if we want to win Game 2."
Donovan also wants her team to recognize the difference between the Sun's defense and that of the Sacramento Monarchs the Storm faced in the Western Conference Finals. While both teams pressured the ball, the Sun's version is slightly different.
"We have to let go of the Sacramento series - that led to a lot of our turnovers last night," Donovan said. "They help onto the ball side, very similar to Sacramento, but the passes over the top are not as easy because the guards are so much bigger than (Kara) Lawson, Edna Campbell, Ruthie Bolton. So the same passes we were able to get on reversal last series, they're a little too big to get the same looks."
In addition to the opponent, Donovan admitted the Storm is battling fatigue. ESPN 2's commentators mentioned on several occasions the Storm looking tired, and Donovan worries things could be even worse tomorrow. At this point of the season, however, there's little she can do about it; Donovan will still have to ride her starters hard.
"Unfortunately, I think it's a factor," Donovan said. "My fear has been Game 1 more than Game 2, traveling back now, coast to coast. At this point, it is all mental. We've got to overcome that. Mentally, you've got to be able to overcome the fatigue and realize what you're going for. It's a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity."
It's not all bad news for the Storm, as the team can expect to have a sold-out KeyArena behind it tomorrow night, a major home-court advantage.
Still, Donovan pointed out, "This game will be about more than KeyArena, this will be about us really executing to win Game 2."
Donovan is definitely excited about the possible sellout.
"I keep hearing that, which is phenomenal to have that kind of support from our typical fans, that typical 8,000, and then to get that much over the top," Donovan said. "They like winners, and here we are in the WNBA Finals. I think we've worked hard and we deserve that.
"My hope, more than anything, is that the people that come out for the first time come back next season. I think once they come, they'll really enjoy the product."
