Storm Takes to the Road Again
 Starting guard Betty Lennox will be back in the lineup for the Storm after missing two games. Jeff Reinking/NBAE/Getty |
First up for the Storm are the Washington Mystics. After a 1-3 start to the season produced massive changes, the Mystics have been essentially a .500 team most of the season, neither winning nor losing more than two in a row all year long. As always, Washington is led by All-Star forward Chamique Holdsclaw, who has been the Mystics leading scorer (or tied for those honors) in 13 of the team's 14 games this season. She has also led the team in rebounding 11 times, though just once in Washington's last four games. Holdsclaw leads the WNBA in scoring at 21.4 points per game, is third in rebounding and sixth in steals.
Beyond Holdsclaw, Washington has struggled to establish a consistent second scorer, though several players have taken turns in that role. Guard Stacey Dales-Schuman, who opened the season on the bench, is second on the Mystics at 9.1 points per game. Rookie Alana Beard and Chasity Melvin, each taken second overall by Washington in their respective drafts (amateur and dispersal) have been somewhat disappointing. Beard has been good as advertised on defense, but is shooting just 33.6%, while Melvin has been a shell of the All-Star contributor she was in Cleveland.
The Charlotte Sting will complete the Storm's second back-to-back set of 2004. Last year, the Storm beat the Sting twice, including an emotional game in Charlotte that marked Storm Coach Anne Donovan's first return since leaving the Sting for Seattle. Picked by many to finish in the East's top two spots once again, Charlotte got off to a tough start to the season, losing four straight games at one point to dip to 2-5. That was followed immediately by a four-game winning streak. Since then, the Sting has split four games.
Charlotte's veteran perimeter core of Dawn Staley, Andrea Stinson and Allison Feaster has shown signs of age this season. After combining for 31.4 points per game last season, the trio is averaging just 26.8 this season. However, the Sting has gotten fine frontcourt play from center Tammy Sutton-Brown and power forward Charlotte Smith-Taylor to pick up the slack.
After following up the best record in the WNBA in 2003 by defeating the Los Angeles Sparks in three games to take home the WNBA Championship, the Detroit Shock was expected to be just as good this year after adding first-round picks Chandi Jones and Iciss Tillis. Instead, Detroit has struggled all year long. Well, that's not entirely true. After getting off to its own 1-3 start, the Shock reeled off five straight wins and looked to be untracked, but Detroit enters this week on a four-game losing streak that has dropped its record below .500.
The Shock recently lost underrated veteran point guard Elaine Powell to a torn plantar fascia in her right foot, forcing Jones - who is learning the point-guard position on the job - into the starting lineup. In her debut at the point, Jones scored seven points and handed out four assists in 18 minutes Saturday at Minnesota, but she also committed three turnovers and the Shock fell by a 78-70 margin. Detroit veterans Deanna Nolan and Ruth Riley have struggled this season. Nolan's shooting percentage has dipped from 43.6% to 37.1%, while Riley's has gone from 49.8% to 44.7%.
The Storm has been dealing with its own injuries, most notably guard Betty Lennox's fractured nose and Kamila Vodichkova's sprained right foot. Both players are expected in the starting lineup Wednesday. The cast on Lennox's nose after it was repositioned was removed Sunday morning, allowing her to participate in the Storm's shooting drills later that day at a brief, casual practice that included a film session.
Reserve guard Michelle Greco was still sidelined during that practice, riding the exercise bike as her teammates shot, but her limp was much less noticeable.
"She's better today, but still not able to practice," said Donovan. "I'm concerned about the flight and how that will affect her, but she's better. We're hoping she's able to play by Wednesday, and at some point during this trip, she should hopefully be healed. How her ankle responds to the travel is the big question."
