Live From Press Row - Storm vs. Minnesota
Want to enjoy the electricity of at KeyArena even if you're thousands of miles away? storm.wnba.com's Live From the Press Box in-game blog is your best bet. All night and all season long, Kevin Pelton will be bringing you pregame quotes, analysis and observations from the game. E-mail Kevin at stormconnection@sonics-storm.com. Make sure to keep coming back or refreshing so you get the latest content.
Storm Hits 21
Final: Storm 96, Minnesota 88
With tonight's victory, the Seattle Storm has set a new franchise record for wins in a season with 21. The Storm also improves to 15-1 at KeyArena, a new team high for home victories. The Storm also reclaims sole possession of first place in the Western Conference in the back-and-forth battle with the San Antonio Silver Stars and moves within a win of clinching home-court advantage in the first round. All that pales in comparison to the health of Sheryl Swoopes, so we're hoping for good news there as well.
As for the game, I don't think Head Coach Brian Agler can be completely satisfied with the defensive effort. At the other end, the Storm really put together a terrific balanced effort. All five starters scored double-figures and four players scored at least 16 points, something I'm not sure I've ever seen before. Sue Bird led the way, of course, with 23 points - 21 after halftime. Bird was 11-of-12 from the free-throw line, tying career highs for makes and attempts. Backcourt-mate Tanisha Wright was just as good tonight, finishing with 17 points, six rebounds and six assists. Swin Cash's 17 points and six boards kept the Storm going early, Camille Little had 16 and Yolanda Griffith did not miss from the field en route to 11 points.
With the conclusion of tonight's game, tickets for Game A (the Storm's first home game) of round one of the playoffs 
are on sale now. Don't miss your chance to be a part of the playoff atmosphere at the Key! We've still got three big games left in the regular season. On Tuesday, the Storm travels to Sacramento to face the Monarchs in a potential playoff preview. Catch all the action on 1150 AM KKNW starting at 7 p.m. Next Friday is the home finale and Fan Appreciation Night at the Key as the Storm hosts Iziane Castro Marques, Betty Lennox and the expansion Atlanta Dream to Seattle for the first time. Get your tickets now!
UPDATE: The latest on Sheryl Swoopes' condition from Storm Head Coach Brian Agler after the game:
"She was unconscious on the floor, and then she did come to and recognized the people who were out there. She had feeling and she was moving her hands and moving her feet. She had feeling and mobility. She went to the hospital so were just going to check on her. I hate to say anything but things looked positive before she left. Everybody back there seemed to be optimistic."
Good News
Fourth Quarter: Storm 92, Minnesota 82
Both on the court and in the locker room, things looking up from that last timeout. The very preliminary update is that Sheryl Swoopes took an elbow to the head and possibly suffered a concussion. Naturally, the training staff wants to take every precaution with an injury like that. The Storm has managed to come back emotionally to put this game away, and guess what: Sue Bird has 20 points again, for the sixth time in the 10 games the Storm has played without Lauren Jackson. Bird has 19 points since halftime, having shot 6-of-8 from the field. She heard "MVP" chants during her last trip to the free-throw line.
Swoopes Injured
Fourth Quarter: Storm 87, Minnesota 81
With the Storm leading by six after two Sue Bird free throws, Candice Wiggins is headed to the free-throw line. However, the big concern at KeyArena during this timeout is the status of Storm guard Sheryl Swoopes, who crumpled to the ground after going up to contest Wiggins' follow shot. Athletic trainer Tom Spencer and team doctor Dr. Todd Seidner are attending to Swoopes, who will leave the floor on a backboard.
As soon as we hear anything on Swoopes' status, we'll pass it along.
Thrilling Finish Forthcoming
Fourth Quarter: Storm 85, Minnesota 79
Again, the Storm appeared to be pulling away after a Camille Little left-hand runner in the lane gave the Storm a 10-point lead with four and a half minutes to go. The Lynx have scored on their last three possessions and gotten as close as four. Swin Cash's difficult turnaround against a double-team gave the Storm back a six-point lead. This isn't bad defense - both teams are simply executing extremely well and making tough shots.
Sue Bird's presence has still been on the quiet side, but she's got 16 points on 5-of-10 shooting and four assists. Meanwhile, Minnesota's MVP candidate, Seimone Augustus, has 24 points.
Storm Leading
Fourth Quarter: Storm 77, Minnesota 72
There's a strange vibe to this game. The Storm went on a 15-2 run to go up by six points early in this fourth quarter and seemed to be pulling away. Since then, neither team has been able to gain momentum. It feels like the Storm is in control, but the score - just a five-point difference - doesn't really reflect that. We'll see how that plays out the rest of the way.
In the crowd enjoying tonight's game is U.S. Senator Maria Cantwell, who is sitting courtside with the Storm's ownership group. It's been great to have the support of so many elected officials at the Key this season. Also here tonight is Ali Vincent, the first female winner of The Biggest Loser. During this timeout, they're watching the Doppler train. As if you could get any bigger on the Doppler Train at this timeout, we've got several Go Green friends joining Doppler in leading the Train.
Storming Back
End Third Quarter: Storm 68, Minnesota 66
The Storm threw up 33 points in the third quarter - most in a third period all year - after scoring just 35 in the first half. It was a 33-20 advantage in the period, bringing the Storm back to take a two-point lead heading to the fourth quarter. The Storm was 11-of-14 from the field in the period, shooting 78.6 percent.
Watch out, Minnesota, because Sue Bird is heating up. Her confidence is obviously sky high right now. She threw up a left-handed shot with the shot clock running down late in the period, drawing a foul. Later, she hit a seemingly-impossible floater that, to quote Kevin Calabro, came down wet from the clouds. She'll rest to start the fourth quarter, but surely Bird will be in shortly.
New Ballgame
Third Quarter: Minnesota 57, Storm 57
After trailing by as many as 12, the Storm has come all the way back on an 11-2 run to tie this game at 57-all with 3:43 left to play. The offense is flowing right now, while the Storm is getting stops. Three players - Swin Cash (14), Camille Little (13) and Tanisha Wright (10) have scored double-figures, while Sue Bird has found some room to operate in this quarter. She's got six points and two assists right now, but the Lynx's double-teams have opened things up for those backdoor cuts.
The Storm is shooting 80.0 percent from the field in this quarter.
Storm Running
Third Quarter: Minnesota 52, Storm 46
To my left, Dick Fain says it well on the 1150 AM KKNW broadcast: Finally, the WNBA's best fans have something to cheer about. The Storm has scored six straight points since a Lindsey Harding layup in transition gave Minnesota its biggest lead at 12 points. There's a lot more energy since halftime; we'll see if the Storm can keep it up.
There's Olympians in the house tonight, and I don't (just) mean the Storm's Sue Bird and Kelly Santos. During the last timeout, the Storm honored local Olympians Jillian Penner (synchronized swimming) and Lindsay Meyer and Lia Pernell (rowing).
Storm Down Double-Figures at the Half
Halftime: Minnesota 46, Storm 35
Rough first half for the Storm. The 46 points scored by the Lynx are the fourth-highest total the Storm has allowed by halftime this season, while the Storm trails by double-figures at the half for just the fifth time this year. The story of the game is at the point-guard position. Minnesota has stifled Sue Bird, holding her to two points on 0-of-4 shooting from the field and to one assist. The Lynx are really selling out defensively against Bird, and they've yet to pay for it.
On the other side, Lindsey Harding has been great. She's got six points and seven assists as well as four boards after finishing the half with an end-to-end take for a layup. Harding is already within an assist of her season high and two of her career high. This is the best all-around game I've ever seen Harding play. She and the Lynx have exploited the Storm's transition defense, scoring 10 fast-break points. 13 is the most the Storm has allowed in transition in a game all season.
The Storm has shown the ability to rally from deficits, but the team will really have to find some energy and sharper play at the defensive end after allowing 54.5 percent first-half shooting.
Storm Going Green
Second Quarter: Minnesota 37, Storm 29
We're dealing with the incongruous sight of the Storm wearing their road jerseys at home tonight for the second time in franchise history. That's part of Go Green Night, a celebration of the Storm's season-long efforts to make a "green" difference and contribute to a sustainable environment. The first 3,000 fans received a reusable grocery bag courtesy of Carter Subaru and Enterprise Rent-A-Car. Even after tonight, the Storm's Go Green program continues, so make sure to check out
the Go Green guide and get tips from the Storm and our partners.
Shootout at the Key
Second Quarter: Minnesota 37, Storm 27
We've seen several games lately where the Storm has had a tough time getting going on offense but has been able to hang around with defense before finding scoring and taking over the game. Tonight has sort of been the opposite. The Storm is allowing 58.3 percent shooting, but has been efficient in the halfcourt thanks to a steady diet of backdoor cuts. Swin Cash is particularly playing well with 10 points, including 4-of-4 from the free-throw line. However, Lindsey Harding has been doing a terrific job of running the Lynx offense. She's got four points and five assists.
Hot Shooting Lynx
End First Quarter: Minnesota 24, Storm 18
Over the course of the season, only the Phoenix Mercury have been more efficient on offense than the Minnesota Lynx. Yet in two games against the Storm, the Lynx have been held to 72.0 points per game and sub-40 percent shooting. Before tonight's game, Minnesota Head Coach Don Zierden said that in addition to rebounding better, his team needed to simply shoot the ball at a higher percentage against the Storm.
In the first quarter, the Lynx was at 57.1 percent from the field. Anna DeForge hit all four of her shots, including two threes, for 10 points. DeForge is coming off a 23-point effort Wednesday in Phoenix and is hot right now. The Storm needs to do a better job of picking her up in addition to improving the transition defense.
Storm Looking for Energy
First Quarter: Minnesota 10, Storm 8
After a great start that saw the Storm go up 6-0 in the first minutes and hold the Lynx scoreless for more than two minutes, Minnesota now is firmly in control of momentum in this game, having gone on an 8-0 run with Nicole Ohlde headed to the free-throw line.
As on the road trip, the Storm has had trouble with turnovers and transition defense. They've been able to overcome slow starts in Atlanta and Chicago but don't want to have to come from behind tonight at home. We'll see what kind of energy Katie Gearlds and Ashley Robinson can bring off the bench. Those two have been productive with the Storm short-handed in reserve lately. Sheryl Swoopes is back in the lineup off the bench tonight.
Playoff Positioning
Pregame
The Storm is in, but where the team finishes in the West still remains to be determined. Last night's L.A.-San Antonio game matched the other top two teams in the Western Conference. The Silver Stars victory created a tie with the Storm atop the West, while Los Angeles dropped 2.5 games off the pace. The Storm can clinch at worst the second seed in the Western Conference by winning two of the next three games.
"I think everybody understands where we're at in terms of being in the playoffs," said Storm Head Coach Brian Agler before tonight's game. "I think everybody understands why we're playing to win games now - to get home-court advantage and potentially win the Western Conference. To do that, you can't look big picture - you've got to focus on right now. You've got to focus on the game that's right ahead of you. We're in a position where we would potentially need some help, but we control a lot of our own destiny right now."
Signing On
Pregame
The Seattle Storm returns to KeyArena a playoff team, but with bigger goals in mind, the last four games remain extremely important. After a strong 2-1 road trip, the Storm gets some home cooking tonight against the Minnesota Lynx. With a win, the Storm would set new franchise records for both total wins and home wins. The Lynx has plenty to play for as well, currently sitting one game back of Sacramento for the fourth and final playoff spot in the Western Conference.
Live From Press Row Archive