2004 Storm Playoff Picture
Current playoff matchup: (2) Storm hosts (3) Minnesota
Season series: 2-1 Storm
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Friday's games seem to have cleared up the playoff scenarios quite a bit. The best that Sacramento can do is tie Minnesota at 18-16. If that happened, the teams would also tie the season series at two and post identical 12-10 conference records. Under the WNBA's tiebreaker rules, that would mean the tie would be broken by record versus teams ultimately at or above .500. There are four scenarios as far as which teams finish .500 or above, depending on the outcome of Sunday's Detroit-Charlotte game (winner finishes .500 and makes the playoffs) and the Phoenix-Houston game (the Mercury finishes .500 with a win). The only scenario that favors the Monarchs is the one that has Charlotte defeating Detroit and Houston beating Phoenix. So, to claim the third seed, Sacramento needs not only to win its last two games but also have that scenario play out elsewhere. As a result, it's looking pretty likely that the Storm will take on Minnesota.
Here are capsules on the Storm's two remaining potential opponents:
 In Smith's absence, Nicole Ohlde is Minnesota's go-to player. David Sherman/NBAE/Getty |
Record: 18-15
Since Break: 3-4
vs. Storm: 1-2
Point Differential: -0.88 (9th)
Offensive Rating: 88.7 (13th)
Defensive Rating: 90.4 (1st)
The Lynx were reeling , having lost four of their last five games, before beating Los Angeles Friday - just the Sparks second loss all season at the STAPLES Center. The Lynx's other recent win came against the Storm, and those two games illustrate what Minnesota can do when it unleashes its league-best defense and gets surprising offensive contributions from players like Teresa Edwards (career-high 18 points against the Storm) and rookie reserve Vanessa Hayden (16 points and nine rebounds against the Sparks). A win Sunday at Sacramento would give the Lynx the third seed, as would any number of potential scenarios involving other teams.
Without All-Star guard Katie Smith, the Lynx are probably not as talented as the other potential playoff opponents, but that hasn't seemed to bother them in the least. After Friday's win, Minnesota is 5-5 in Smith's absence . The Lynx have played the Storm very well this season - losing on opening night at KeyArena in a game that could have gone either way - and could get a strong home-court advantage at the Target Center in Game 1. Minnesota is confident in its ability to beat the Storm, and with good reason.
 Griffith dominated down low in Jackson's absence. Jeff Reinking/NBAE/Getty |
Record: 16-16
Since Break: 4-3
vs. Storm: 1-3
Point Differential: +1.31 (4th)
Offensive Rating: 95.8 (4th)
Defensive Rating: 94.0 (5th)
Like Phoenix, the Monarchs started September well (playing San Antonio twice didn't hurt) before dropping three straight games on the road. Sacramento got back on track with a win at Houston before coming home to conclude the season with a back-to-back against the Comets and the Lynx. There's definitely the potential for a 3-0 finish there, but the Monarchs must play their best basketball and avoid overlooking Houston - and they still need some outside help to claim the third seed.
With two Western Conference Finals appearances in the last three years, the Monarchs definitely have the experience advantage in the playoffs. And there's also been a certain feeling all season that, like the Detroit Shock in the East, Sacramento was on the verge of breaking out. For all the talk of the Monarchs lack of perimeter shooting, their offense is solidly above average and actually better relative to league average than Sacramento's defense (which was second in the WNBA last season). The Monarchs size and ability to bring big players in to double-team Jackson makes them a frightening opponent, and while the Storm has won all three matchups with Jackson in the lineup this season, two of them were narrow wins at Sacramento.
For the third consecutive season, the Storm finds itself in the thick of the playoff race as the season winds down.
In 2002, the Storm used a five-game winning streak in late July and early August to get into contention for the fourth seed in the Western Conference. A loss to the Minnesota Lynx on Aug. 4, however, set up a crucial game against the Portland Fire. While a win would not clinch a playoff berth, a loss would have eliminated the Storm from playoff contention because they would have lost the season series to the Fire and thus the tiebreaker.
Behind a then-franchise-record 33 points from rookie Sue Bird, the Storm pulled out an 83-74 victory at KeyArena in front of a crowd of 12, 327 that remains the largest in franchise history. The win left the Storm needing just one win to clinch a playoff berth. They got it two nights later against the Utah Starzz in front of another crowd of 11,000+. Led by Lauren Jackson, who scored what was then a career-high 27 points, the Storm breezed past the playoff-bound Starzz 74-57 to clinch the first playoff spot in franchise history.
In the playoffs, the Storm squared off against the rival Los Angeles Sparks. The Storm took the season series 2-1, producing optimism Seattle could upend the defending WNBA champions, but the Sparks quickly took command of the series with a 78-61 win in Seattle. Lisa Leslie had 24 points and nine rebounds to lead the Sparks. The series moved on to Los Angeles, where the Sparks finished the sweep with a 69-59 win. Foul trouble and a hip injury held Jackson to just four points and five rebounds, leaving the Storm thin inside. The team battled valiantly, getting 17 points apiece from Bird and Kamila Vodichkova, but came up short. Leslie finished the series averaging 23.5 points per game.
Last Aug. 12, the Storm was 16-11 and looked likely to return to the playoffs. That's when disaster struck in the form of a sprained left foot suffered by Vodichkova. The Storm lost that game to the San Antonio Silver Stars, 87-77, and would go on to lose five straight games, eliminating them from playoff contention. After winning the last two games of the season at KeyArena, the Storm pulled into a tie with fourth seed Minnesota at 18-16, but the Lynx held the tie-breaker by virtue of winning the season series 3-1.
