Live From Press Row - Storm vs. New York
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Defense Carries Storm to Victory
Final: Storm 70, New York 69
It wasn't entirely pretty, and it certainly wasn't easy, but the Seattle Storm not only avoided overtime but also won, beating the New York Liberty 70-69. Neither team scored in the final 3:11 of the game and New York was scoreless for three minutes and 25 seconds as the Storm held on for the win. It required not one, not two but three stops on the final possession - Wright's near-steal, Christon's miss and finally Essence Carson stepping on the endline under defensive duress with 4.8 seconds left on the clock. New York then needed to foul twice to send the Storm to the line. After giving the first on Sue Bird at the 3.4-second mark, the Liberty came up with an improbable steal on the second inbound pass. The scoreboard showed New York with a timeout (though the Liberty had already taken three in the final two minutes, which I believed was the limit), but the team played on and Carson missed from just over halfcourt as the buzzer sounded. Whew.
Lauren Jackson led the Storm with 21 points and nine rebounds. In a statistical oddity, all her points came in the first and third quarters - she was scoreless in the second and fourth. Sue Bird was very aggressive down the stretch, finishing with 12 points and six assists. Janell Burse also deserves a lot of credit for coming off the bench with 11 points as the Storm has gotten more reserve production.
Now 13-9, the Storm heads out on the road to take on Connecticut, Atlanta and Detroit starting next Thursday. Hear those games on 1150-AM KKNW or watch them here on stormbasketball with LiveAccess. We'll be back at the Key two weeks from tonight as the Indiana Fever visits on Women of Inspiration Night. Don't miss the return of All-Decade Team member Tully Bevilaqua and the Storm's first head coach, Lin Dunn. 
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Six Seconds Away
Fourth Quarter: Storm 70, New York 69
The Storm needs one more stop after Tanisha Wright stepped out of bounds taking the ball away from Essence Carson and Lauren Jackson blocked Shameka Christon's shot out of bounds. There are 6.0 seconds left on the clock.
Hang-On Time
Fourth Quarter: Storm 70, New York 69
Tough break for the Storm as it turned over the inbound pass. It appeared as if there was some contact as Camille Little made the catch, but no call came. At the other end, Essence Carson saw her three attempt rim around and out. Sue Bird had inside rebounding position, but Loree Moore went around her to deflect the ball to Cathrine Kraayeveld, and New York will have a chance to go ahead after a timeout.
Defense Carrying Storm
Fourth Quarter: Storm 70, New York 69
If the Storm is going to win this game, it will be on the strength of an active defense. After the teams traded buckets the first two possessions out of the timeout, two Sue Bird free throws have been our only scoring in over two minutes. New York has come empty on its last three possessions, not getting anything easy. Equally importantly, the Storm has completed the stop with a defensive rebound.
Scoring on this possession is going to be difficult. The Storm has just two seconds to inbound and score after Bird had to take a timeout when she lost control of the ball in the paint in the midst of heavy traffic.
Libs Lead
Fourth Quarter: New York 65, Storm 64
For the first time since it was 3-2, the New York Liberty leads this game following a Janel McCarville layup. New York is on a 7-0 run since Sue Bird's three-point play at the 6:29 mark. Right now, we're seeing two teams with very different mindsets. The Storm looks tight, while the Liberty - with nothing to lose at this point of the season - is playing loose and having fun out there. The three-pointer continues to be extremely problematic for the Storm, with New York hitting eight of them in 17 attempts.
The good news is the Storm no longer has any real foul trouble and has a vocal KeyArena crowd favoring the home team.
No Separation
End Third Quarter: Storm 55, New York 49
Every time the Storm seems likes it is about to take control of the game with a run, the New York Liberty has answered - usually with a three-pointer. Most recently, at the end of the third quarter, consecutive scores by Essence Carson made it a six-point game after the Storm had extended the lead to 10. New York has been unable to get any closer than three points, but has continually put pressure on the Storm.
If the game stays tight and the Storm needs a three-pointer, might I suggest Nancy Darsch? The assistant coach (and former New York head coach) buried a three-point hook while messing around before the game. That's the second most impressive athletic feat I've seen from a WNBA assistant this week, trailing Phoenix's Bridget Pettis joining the Storm Dance Troupe during its pregame rehearsal.
Getting Physical
Third Quarter: Storm 43, New York 35
This game has become more of a half-court affair since halftime, and the two teams have committed seven fouls combined just over halfway through the quarter. The slower pace of scoring has favored the Storm, which has been able to maintain and even slightly extend its lead. Because of Camille Little's foul trouble, Janell Burse started the second half alongside Lauren Jackson up front. Little is now in off the bench with her four fouls.
Liberty reserve point guard Leilani Mitchell is in early in the second half after playing just 3:16 in the first half. Mitchell has a large cheering contingent tonight, with fans making the trip over from Eastern Washington. Mitchell was born and raised in the Tri-Cities, attending Kennewick High School. Her fans are wearing specially-made t-shirts celebrating the second-year point guard. I also saw Cathrine Kraayeveld's parents. Her father, Dave, played for the Seahawks before settling in the area.
Storm Thinks Fit
Halftime: Storm 37, New York 30
Tonight is the Storm's Be Fight Night presented by Virginia Mason Medical Center, and during halftime several fans competed to determine which one was most fit in the course of a series of activities, including making a layup, doing pushups, jumping rope and more.
Seven-Point Storm Margin at the Break
Halftime: Storm 37, New York 30
Lake Washington High School product Cathrine Kraayeveld knocked down a three on New York's final possession to keep the Storm from taking a double-figure lead to halftime. Instead, Seattle settles for a seven-point advantage. The Liberty is shooting just 6-of-19 inside the arc, but 4-of-11 shooting from downtown - all of the threes coming in the second quarter - has helped New York stay close.
After a big first quarter, Lauren Jackson was scoreless during the second period as the Storm was outscored 16-13. Janell Burse has six points off the bench and is the Storm's second-leading scorer.
Liberty Not Going Away
Second Quarter: Storm 35, New York 27
With just under two minutes left in the first half, the Liberty has been as close as four before the Storm extended the lead back to its current eight points. This is New York's M.O. Most of the team's losses this season have been very close, and the Liberty hasn't truly been blown out once all year. Even on the second half of a back-to-back, don't expect New York to go away. The Liberty's ability to hit threes helps explain the team's ability to keep things close, and Essence Carson has a pair of triples in the quarter to go with one from Sidney Spencer.
For the Storm, Camille Little has picked up four fouls in the first half. Brian Agler is fairly aggressive when it comes to playing people through foul trouble, but there's no way we'll see Little again before halftime. Janell Burse is playing well in her stead.
Good Run for Batkovic-Brown
Second Quarter: Storm 28, New York 17
One of the fascinating things about the experience of attending a game is when you can sense a collective energy or thought throughout the entire arena. Such was the case with Suzy Batkovic-Brown on the floor to start the second quarter. Everyone wants so badly for her to succeed, and knows from her run her in 2005 that she can. Batkovic-Brown got a very warm ovation as she checked in and fans then cheered as she played very well defensively, trapping on the perimeter, blocking a shot and coming up with a rebound. Batkovic-Brown rushed her first shot attempt and missed badly, but then got a layup just before a New York timeout for her
Jackson in a Groove
End First Quarter: Storm 24, New York 14
During the first quarter, Lauren Jackson went to that special place she goes sometimes - certainly one Anne Donovan has seen before. Jackson made four of her five attempts in the first quarter, including both tries from beyond the arc, to score 13 points and nearly match the Liberty's total all by herself. The Storm was also excellent defensively, holding New York to just over 40 percent shooting while forcing six turnovers. One of them was especially spectacular, as Tanisha Wright dove just in front of the sideline to secure a loose ball she had created. Love that defensive effort.
As promised, Suzy Batkovic-Brown will indeed get a chance to start the second quarter. Batkovic-Brown is feeling better after battling illness during the week. Let's see if she looks a little more comfortable on the floor with some more practice time behind her.
Finding a New Rotation
First Quarter: Storm 20, New York 14
Katie Gearlds is on the bench tonight in street clothes, the first home game she's missed since tearing her left PCL during the last KeyArena matchup with Phoenix. Without Gearlds, the Storm is altering its rotation, and we've seen that in the first quarter already with an appearance by Ashley Robinson.
"We're going to have to start playing Camille (Little) more at the three spot at times," explained Brian Agler before the game. "That will bring in another post player. Ashley gave us good minutes, Janell (Burse) gave us good minutes at L.A., and I'm sure we'll start seeing more minutes with those people and possibly even Suzy (Batkovic-Brown)."
Sloppy Start Favors Storm
First Quarter: Storm 10, New York 3
Both teams came out for the start of tonight's game a little bit wild, with six turnovers in the game's five minutes. Fortunately for the Storm, the balance of those turnovers - four in all - have been committed by the Liberty, allowing the Storm to open up an early lead. Also, the Storm has Lauren Jackson, and that helps. Jackson has eight of the Storm's 10 points, knocking down a triple and converting a three-point play the old-fashioned way in addition to two free throws.
Donovan Returns
Pregame
For the first time since resigning as the Storm's head coach in the fall of 2007, Anne Donovan has returned at the helm of another WNBA team. Donovan took in a game last season as a fan when she was focusing on coaching the U.S. Women in the Olympics. She came back to the WNBA this season as an assistant to the Liberty's Pat Coyle, then took the helm on an interim basis when Coyle was fired last Friday.
While Donovan calls replacing her friend "difficult," she seems to be enjoying coaching in the WNBA once again. Donovan, who is essentially a one-woman coaching staff right now (she was previously New York's only assistant) was out on the court working with post players before the game and says she likes her current situation.
"It has been great," Donovan said. "It's a great team to work with, the staff has been wonderful, so I have nothing but positive to say. It's a great situation. Unfortunately, I went to New York to help Patty out, so that's been the unfortunate part of this. Otherwise, it's been a great group to work with."
Especially with this being the 10th Anniversary season, Donovan's first trip back in a coaching role is special. She received a standing ovation from fans when she was introduced as the Liberty's head coach a moment ago, surpassing her wish that, "Hopefully they (fans) remember that I was part of a championship here."
"It's always great to come back to Seattle," said Donovan. "A lot of fond memories here. Such fond memories here with the players and a lot of the people in the area and the fans."
Signing On
Pregame
Welcome to the Key, where the Seattle Storm hosts the New York Liberty tonight. For the Storm, it's the last game at the Key for a couple of weeks, with the team embarking upon a three-game trip to the East Coast after tonight. If there's a general consensus, it's that everyone involved would like to see this game decided in regulation. The Storm has gone to OT each of the last three games at KeyArena and three straight games overall, just the second time in WNBA history that has happened.
