Live From Press Row - Storm vs. Detroit
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Painful Loss for Storm
Final: Detroit 66, Storm 63
Not having lost a regular-season home game in more than a year before Sunday, the Storm has improbably now lost two in a row. After two Katie Smith free throws, the Storm had little time to get up a tying three-pointer. Shannon Johnson could only heave an attempt from just inside the halfcourt stripe, and it was nowhere near the bucket. So Detroit wins it 66-63, but this loss has a very different feel from Sunday against Chicago. Despite a slow start, the Storm certainly played well enough to win, but circumstances were too much to overcome with Lauren Jackson in the locker room because of a strained calf and Swin Cash on the sidelines having fouled out. That robbed the Storm of two of its best creators down the stretch, while the Shock had the luxury of going to Katie Smith as well as Deanna Nolan. The result is the Storm's first two-game home losing streak since July 29 and 31, 2007.
Because of the injury and fouls, the Storm turned to a number of different players offensively. Five players scored double-figures, with Camille Little's 12 leading the team in scoring. Katie Gearlds also deserves credit for her 10 points, all of which kept the team in the game in the second quarter or helped extend the lead during the fourth quarter. Sue Bird had 10 points, six assists and five steals as the Storm forced a remarkable 23 turnovers as a team. The defensive effort in the second half was phenomenal The Shock had 14 turnovers and nine field goals in the half.
The Storm now heads briefly out on the road to face the Sacramento Monarchs on Friday at ARCO Arena. It will the first home game for John Whisenant as head coach after replacing Jenny Boucek, and ARCO has always been a tough place for the Storm to win. It will be a chance for Seattle to sweep the season series, having won the first three matchups. The Storm returns home Sunday to host the talented young Minnesota Lynx. Even without Seimone Augustus, the Lynx has stayed in the middle of the Western Conference Playoff picture behind super sophs Nicky Anosike, Charde Houston and Candice Wiggins, all of whom are potential All-Stars. 
Get your tickets for that game now!
Storm Can't Convert
Fourth Quarter: Detroit 64, Storm 63
The Storm got a couple of chances to take the lead. Tanisha Wright drove and had the ball slapped out of bounds with the Storm retaining possession. On the inbounds, without a timeout to call a play, the Storm got the ball to Sue Bird in the right corner and she stepped into a shot just inside the three-point line that was off. The Storm fouled Cheryl Ford but still needs another foul to put Detroit on the line. At worst, the Storm will trail by three after these free throws, but again has no timeout.
Smith Daggers
Fourth Quarter: Detroit 64, Storm 63
Tanisha Wright could not convert in the paint, but Detroit inexplicably turned the ball over and the Storm takes over down one with 19.6 seconds left. Brian Agler takes his final timeout, a 20, to set things up.
Smith Daggers
Fourth Quarter: Detroit 64, Storm 63
Back-to-back buckets by Katie Smith have given the Detroit Shock back the lead, 64-63, for the first time since 55-53 early in the quarter. Smith got a pullup jumper and then worked a flare screen to perfection to get an open jumper from the right wing. The Storm has the ball with 53.6 seconds left and will take a timeout to set up this possession.
Cash Call
Fourth Quarter: Storm 63, Detroit 60
The Storm will finish this game without Swin Cash, who fouled out of the game on Detroit's last possession defending away from the ball. She's been replaced by Tanisha Wright. That leaves the Storm trying to win this game without two of its three All-Stars over the final 2:09.
Storm Holding On
Fourth Quarter: Storm 63, Detroit 60
With 2:42 left to play, the Storm is clinging to a three-point lead. Swin Cash is back in the game with five fouls, joining Sue Bird and Shannon Johnson in the backcourt (defending her former Columbus Quest teammate Katie Smith), with Camille Little and Janell Burse up front. The question is where the Storm goes down the stretch to create shots without Lauren Jackson. The pick-and-roll with Sue Bird creating and finding teammates figures to be a staple. On the other end, Detroit knows it can count on veteran guards Smith and Deanna Nolan. Both of them have been in this situation more than a few teams in their stellar careers.
Storm Bench Coming Up Big
Fourth Quarter: Storm 59, Detroit 55
The odds were definitely against the Seattle Storm at the start of this quarter. Not only is Lauren Jackson in the locker room, Swin Cash picked up her fifth foul on the first play of the fourth quarter and went to the bench. She was joined there by Sue Bird, who needed a rest. With three reserves on the floor, the Storm responded. The team has scored on four straight possessions with Camille Little headed to the free throw line after the timeout. Give a lot of credit to Katie Gearlds, who knocked down consecutive baskets to give her 10 points. Janell Burse scored in the run, and Little has been aggressive as well.
At the other end, Katie Smith is knocking down daggers, and I'm not sure how much you can do to stop that. Elsewhere, the Storm's defense is airtight and continues to force a ton of Detroit turnovers - 20 in the game and 11 in the second half.
LJ's Night Done
End Third Quarter: Detroit 50, Storm 48
Bad news from the Storm's locker room. Lauren Jackson strained her left calf during the third quarter and will not return tonight. Without Jackson, the Storm still got the final four points of the period to rally back within two with 10 minutes to go. The road is uphill, but as the Storm demonstrated last year after Lauren Jackson was injured, the team is certainly capable of winning without her with an inspired fourth-quarter defensive effort.
LJ to Locker Room
Third Quarter: Detroit 46, Storm 44
Physical play in this paint has taken a toll on both teams in this quarter. Kara Braxton took an inadvertent elbow from Lauren Jackson to the nose and saw it bloodied, having to leave the game (she's returning now). Moments ago, Lauren Jackson headed to the locker room with Storm Athletic Trainer Tom Spencer with her left shoe off. She was putting weight on her left foot, so it may be a case of needing to retape her ankle. As soon as we hear anything, we'll let you know.
On the floor, the Storm has been flying all over the court on defense, forcing seven turnovers in the quarter. The defense allowed the Storm to briefly retake the lead, though a Katie Smith three-pointer has produced the current two-point Detroit advantage.
Storm Turns Up Defensive Intensity
Third Quarter: Detroit 41, Storm 38
Whatever Brian Agler said in the locker room, it worked. On the Shock's first possession of the second half, Camille Little ran up to Deana Nolan and attacked the basketball, tying her up and winning the jump ball to create a turnover. That aggression has typified the Storm's defense in the second half. Detroit has four turnovers and just one field goal in a little less than four minutes as the Storm has gone on an 8-2 run to pull back within three. The Storm is focused, hungry and executing at the other end of the floor. This start really bodes well for the rest of this second half.
Storm Trails at the Half
Halftime: Detroit 39, Storm 30
A forgettable first half of action for the Storm, which trails 39-30 to the Detroit Shock as we head to halftime. Detroit led by as many as 11 in the first half, while the Storm never led. The energy just seems a little low on the Storm's part, and frustration has set in at times. The Shock ended the first half shooting 59.3 percent from the field. Give Detroit credit for knocking down the shots, but the Storm hasn't been making the Shock work for those looks as much as usual.
At the other end of the floor, the Storm has been done in by nine turnovers on 36 possessions. A bunch of those have come on offensive fouls, with Detroit looking for charges - and occasionally emphasizing the contact that has taken place. The Storm has two players with three fouls apiece in starting guard Tanisha Wright and center Janell Burse. One positive development from the first half was that Katie Gearlds stepped in at shooting guard for Wright - the first extended period I remember her playing at the two this season - and was very effective. Gearlds made good decisions and knocked down a three-pointer, scoring five points off the bench.
Little Difference in Detroit
Second Quarter: Detroit 30, Storm 19
It seems bizarre for the Detroit Shock to come to town without Bill Laimbeer. I started following the WNBA in 2002, the same year Laimbeer took over at the helm of the Shock, so this is Detroit's first visit without Laimbeer, who resigned last month to pursue NBA opportunities. While the Shock sideline might be a little quieter with Laimbeer being replaced by his top deputy, Rick Mahorn, everyone involved has emphasized how little Detroit has changed despite the coaching switch. Give Mahorn and his top assistant (Cheryl Reeve, also the Shock's GM) for sartorial splendor. They've got matching fuchsia shirts on, and Mahorn is also sporting a sharp fuchsia tie.
Shocking Shooting
Second Quarter: Detroit 22, Storm 14
The Storm prides itself on its defense, and for the last five quarters we haven't seen that level of execution we've come to expect from the Storm. After Chicago shot 60-plus percent on Sunday, Detroit has shot 66.6 percent from the field. The Shock is getting a lot of uncontested looks and has snapped the rotating Storm defense. The strange thing is the Storm's defense was terrific in wins last week over San Antonio and Sacramento. If the Storm can get back to that level, this game will end a victory.
We've been doing our Where Are They Now? Series, and got a mini-version during the timeout on StormVision as Shellie Hart interviewed former Storm forward Kate Starbird, a local product who remains immensely popular here at KeyArena. Starbird shares that she 's in graduate school right now at the University of Colorado. Starbird is definitely on our Where Are They Now? list, and we'll look to catch up with her in more depth soon.
Bird Getting Going
End First Quarter: Detroit 18, Storm 14
The Storm got consecutive baskets late in the first quarter from Sue Bird, and those were welcome makes. Bird has been in a shooting slump, hitting one of her 10 shot attempts on Sunday against Chicago and totaling 11 points the last two games. She knocked down a pullup and then got to the rim for a layup. With the four points, Jackson is now nine away from reaching the 3,000-point milestone in her illustrious WNBA career.
Now this I've never seen - during the timeout, Doppler competes with two Storm fans at "Speed Twister." Doppler is designed for many things, but Twister is not amongst them.
Shock Starts Sharp
First Quarter: Detroit 10, Storm 6
On the road against a loud crowd, this had to be exactly the kind of start the Detroit Shock was hoping to get. Detroit has made five of its first nine shot attempts, getting three buckets from veteran Taj McWilliams. Meanwhile, the Storm is shooting 2-of-8 to start. The Storm has stayed close thanks in large part to a 6-4 advantage on the glass and four free throw attempts to none for the Shock.
The Storm has started out with Tanisha Wright matching up Katie Smith. Swin Cash is on her former teammate Deanna Nolan (surely not the first time that matchup has occurred, at least on the practice court), which has left Sue Bird defending newly-signed Anna DeForge. So far, Smith hasn't been looking for her own offense with Nolan back in the lineup.
All-Star Reaction
Pregame
Between Tuesday's Storm practice and today's game, the Storm got the exciting news that three players - guard Sue Bird and forwards Swin Cash and Lauren Jackson - have been voted as starters to the Western Conference All-Star team. I had a chance to
catch up with Cash last night and find out why returning to the All-Star Game is so meaningful for her. Before tonight's game, I talked to Sue Bird about being voted in once again and going with her college teammate and
wrote about it in StormTracker.
Head Coach Brian Agler also was asked about his team's three All-Star starters.
"I'm happy for the Seattle Storm," he said. "I'm happy for Lauren and sue and Swin. Obviously, there's a lot of good players in this league that are very deserving of that that were not mentioned in the starting unit. I think you have to acknowledge that."
Agler also gave credit to fans and the Storm's front office.
"Not to discredit our players, but I think the campaign that our front office put together and the fans (helped)," he said. "It's a fan vote. Up until about 10 days ago, a couple of other people were leading the vote. That changed over the last two weeks.
Signing On
Pregame
Hello from KeyArena, where the Storm is getting ready to take on the defending WNBA champion Detroit Shock. For the Storm, it's a chance to try to start a new streak after having a 15-game regular-season home winning streak snapped on Sunday by Chicago. That won't be an easy task against the Shock, which has started slowly but still has the core of players that won last year's title as well as in 2006 as well. Detroit, which has been banged up, gets Deanna Nolan back in the lineup tonight and is without only forward Plenette Pierson, whose season was ended by shoulder surgery. It should be a great matchup, so stay with us all night long for the latest.
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