Live From Press Row - Storm vs. Washington
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Storm Gets Needed Win
Final: Storm 86, Washington 78
It's hard not to feel good after this one. The Storm reduces its magic number for clinching a playoff berth to just two and puts together an impressive 40 minutes of basketball in defeating a Washington Mystics team that came in having won four straight games. The Storm made the necessary plays down the stretch and was outstanding at the free-throw line in the closing moments.
So, so many heroes tonight. Lauren Jackson leads the way with a relatively (for her) ho-hum 27 points on 7-for-12 shooting. Jackson hit all 13 of her free-throw attempts and has hit her last 29 straight from the charity stripe. Iziane Castro Marques scored 22 points, the second-best total of her career, and shot 7-for-10 from the field while making all three of her 3-pointers. Janell Burse rounds out the terrific frontcourt with 18 points on 7-for-10 shooting. (Add it up, and the front line had 67 points while shooting 21-for-32 from the field. That's nice.) Sue Bird added 13 points, many of them at the line down the stretch, and had eight assists to one turnover while forcing Nikki Teasley into seven turnovers.
The Charlotte Sting did no favors to the Storm tonight, falling in Phoenix by an incredible final margin of 112-84. The Sting will be here on Saturday as the Storm wraps up the regular-season home schedule with Fan Appreciation Night. Get your tickets now and be sure to take advantage of the special "Your City. Your Team." offer presented by Sue, LJ and Betty Lennox. If you miss it, you'll regret it.
Storm Making Plays
Fourth Quarter: Storm 76, Washington 71
Huge plays at both ends for the Storm on the last two possessions after two Beard free throws. Sue Bird hit an off-balance jumper to push the lead back to three. After an Alana Beard miss, Lauren Jackson was fouled and hit both free throws. Now Iziane Castro Marques steals a crosscourt Nikki Teasley pass and gets a timeout before falling out of bounds. Still 1:31 left, but things looking up for the Storm.
Critical 2:46
Fourth Quarter: Storm 72, Washington 69
At our final mandatory timeout, with 14 ticks less than three minutes showing on the clock, the Storm is nursing a three-point lead - but with Alana Beard headed to the free-throw line for two shots. The Storm has had a couple of tough turnovers, reminiscent of Tuesday's struggle to hold on to the ball in Minnesota.
"I question the killer instinct that we didn't have in that game," said Anne Donovan earlier tonight. "It was one of those games where I was waiting for that to kick in, and it came late.
"I think, unfortunately, I'm seeing fatigue. I'm seeing a lot of energy spent physically and emotionally in a lot of the games we have played recently, and that has taken its toll."
The Storm has gotten the benefit of some Washington turnovers on the other end tonight, but even when the Storm has gotten into its offense, Lauren Jackson has been stonewalled in the post by aggressive Mystics fronting and double-teaming. (Her one score came when defender Nakia Sanford was accidentally knocked to the ground.) Can Janell Burse be the player who takes advantage of that extra attention and comes up with the big play the Storm needs?
Izi's Turn
Fourth Quarter: Storm 68, Washington 64
The Storm frontcourt is taking turns carrying the team during the second half. Now it's Iziane Castro Marques' opportunity. Castro Marques opened the final period with a 3-pointer, has added a layup in transition and is now headed to the free-throw line as the Storm tries to hold on to a slim four-point lead. Washington has played its entire starting lineup throughout the fourth quarter thus far. Worth noting - the Storm has 18 assists tonight on 22 field goals, including eight (against one turnover) by Sue Bird.
Fittingly for Back to School Night, we had an incredible mass of kids on the court during The Train during that last timeout. That might be the most I've ever seen - and the most number confused about how to get back to their seats.
JB Steps Up
End Third Quarter: Storm 63, Washington 59
With Lauren Jackson resting for much of the second half of the third quarter, the Storm has turned to its other starting post player who frequently goes by her initials, Janell Burse. Burse responded in a big way, scoring 11 points in the third quarter on perfect 4-for-4 shooting from the field. With starting center Chasity Melvin in foul trouble for much of this game, the Mystics have been forced to turn to veteran Latasha Byears, who cannot possibly go more than 5-10 to Burse's 6-5, and little-used rookie Zane Teilane, who has played even 10 minutes in a game just twice this season. Burse ate them up, inside and out, as the Storm maintained its lead. Incidentally, DeLisha Milton-Jones did not square during the third quarter.
Former Storm forward Chelle Thompson is sitting courtside tonight and got a huge cheer when she was shown on StormVision just before the end of the third quarter. Thompson will be honored in a pregame ceremony before Saturday's Fan Appreciation Night.
LJ Won't Be Denied
Third Quarter: Storm 48, Washington 46
Lauren Jackson has played pretty much this entire game with the kind of determination she showed in the fourth quarter of last Sunday's loss to the Los Angeles Sparks. Jackson has 21 points now to lead all scorers and is bulling her way through tremendous contact in the paint. Soccer players from Manchester United's Soccer School took over the court at halftime, and that seemed to carry over. The Storm kicked the ball away a bit for four turnovers in the first few minutes after halftime, while both teams struggled to put the ball in the hoop.
Mystics Take the Lead
Halftime: Washington 41, Storm 40
The Washington Mystics held just two leads during the entire first half, but they were 39-38 and 41-40, and that means the Mystics hold the lead as we head to halftime. Washington has gotten a dominant first half from DeLisha Milton-Jones, who has 16 points on 6-for-10 shooting. Recently, a poster at the RebKell WNBA message boards was wondering about Milton-Jones' career high, which is a comparatively low 26 points (for example, teammate Latasha Byears, who has averaged double-figures in her career just once, put up 28 for her career high). I hope we don't see a new one tonight.
But Milton-Jones is not our high scorer. That honor belongs to Lauren Jackson, who has 17 points on 5-for-8 shooting. The Storm is shooting 48.1% and has forced 14 turnovers, but the Mystics have stayed in it on the offensive glass. Washington has just three offensive rebounds, technically speaking, but has had several team rebounds where the ball has bounced out of bounds off the Storm.
Getting Chippy
Second Quarter: Storm 34, Washington 29
This game has been very physical in the paint, and frustration has begun to set in on both sides with the level of contact and the lack of calls. DeLisha Milton-Jones and Lauren Jackson each drew technicals for a brief confrontation in the paint on the Mystics side of the court. I'm not convinced the officiating trio of Brian Enterline, Roy Gulbeyan and Felicia Grinter has done enough to clean up the contact in the paint.
Iziane Castro Marques has three fouls for the Storm and is on the bench. While she's been lethal in transition, Castro Marques has been abused by Milton-Jones, who has an astounding three three-point plays in the first half. Barbara Turner may be a better matchup at that end of the floor.
Storm in Transition
Second Quarter: Storm 27, Washington 24
Anne Donovan has clearly exhorted her team to focus on transition tonight against the Mystics. The Storm has leaked out at almost every opportunity, getting some easy buckets and having other threats averted only by extraordinary efforts by the Mystics. Seattle holds just a 6-2 advantage in fast-break points, but it's not for lack of effort.
Lauren Jackson continues to lead the game with 11 points, and Anne Donovan raved about her before the game.
"We've seen a different Lauren Jackson this year because of her injury - injuries now; I think her foot is probably more painful than her shin," said Donovan. "What you're still seeing is one of the best players in the league, in limited minutes, accomplishing the same thing she's always accomplished. I think it shows more of Lauren's mental toughness and the mental part of her game that we've talked about in the past but haven't actually had to prove it. She's proven it every day she's out there."
Milton-Jones Leads Mystics Back
End First Quarter: Storm 22, Washington 20
 Rocky Widner/NBAE/Getty |
Anyways, on the court, DeLisha Milton-Jones has been as brilliant as advertised by Anne Donovan and Insider Preview. She has eight points, including a pair of three-point plays, and has led the Mystics charge. Milton-Jones limped off the court late in the quarter after going to the floor, but it looks like she would have been able to walk off the injury and she should be back. Lauren Jackson leads all scorers with nine points on 3-for-4 shooting. The teams have been sloppy, combining for a whopping 17 turnovers.
Storm Starts Quick
First Quarter: Storm 10, Washington 1
So far, there is a great vibe in KeyArena. It started with the first possessions of the game for either team, with Lauren Jackson getting a layup on a great feed from Janell Burse and the Storm getting a steal on the other end. An Iziane Castro Marques 3 in transition has given the Storm a nine-point lead and drawn a Washington timeout in response. Interesting note on the timeout - Mystics Coach Richie Adubato was adamant that it should be of the 20-second variety, but Assistant Marynell Meadors interceded to change it to a full timeout (presumably because the Mystics would be charged a full at the under-6 mark anyway).
As part of Back to School Night, we had a StormVision feature with a young fan selected by 1250 AM Radio Disney at the Storm's Kids Day interviewing Betty Lennox. The fans really enjoyed it. I happened to be at The Furtado Center when the interview was done, and there was a funny moment. After the interview, Lennox and the budding reporter walked onto the court to shoot some hoops and Lennox asked her if she wanted to do when she grew up. "A basketball player ... of course," the fan responded with no shortage of amazement that Lennox could even pose such a question. She was very confident, and that made for a great interview.
Good News
Pregame
Even before the start of tonight's game, the Storm has gotten some good news. Sacramento defeated San Antonio 87-69 at the AT&T Center, reducing the Storm's magic number to clinch a playoff berth to three. The win also clinched the Monarchs a playoff berth. San Antonio now embarks on a three-game road trip, facing two playoff opponents, so it's going to be a tough road for the Silver Stars, who have lost six of their last seven. Phoenix is now a half-game ahead of San Antonio for fifth in the West, 2.5 back of the Storm.
World Championship Reunion
Pregame
Before tonight's game, Storm Coach Anne Donovan raved about Mystics forward DeLisha Milton-Jones' role in Washington's current four-game winning streak.
"She's back, she's healthy, she's confident," said Donovan. "She takes the pressure off of Beard to do it all. He's (Richie Adubato) playing her at the three more, which creates mismatches for every team, including us."
Donovan will get the luxury of having Milton-Jones on her side in September, when USA Basketball gets together to begin training for and play in the 2006 FIBA World Championship. Donovan said she's "so thrilled" Milton-Jones on the roster, but that's not the only Washington player Donovan will coach. Alana Beard was joined by rookie Seimone Augustus and veteran Yolanda Griffith as the three players added to the U.S. roster on Tuesday. Donovan raved about Beard's ability to play lockdown defense in international play in addition to her obvious offensive gifts.
Signing On
Pregame
The Seattle Storm is back at KeyArena tonight in the penultimate home game of the 2006 regular season. The Washington Mystics are in town, bringing in a four-game winning streak. The Mystics last loss was at Connecticut, but their last loss before that was to the Storm at the Verizon Center in Washington. It was a crucial part of the Storm's current four-game winning streak on the road. Now, the Storm looks to match that performance at KeyArena, where the team has lost four straight games for the first time since the 2001 season. There should be a loud crowd in the building for Back to School Night. Stay with us all night long for the latest!
