Live From Press Row - Storm vs. Atlanta
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Storm Guts Out Win
Final (2OT): Storm 89, Atlanta 84
This wasn't pretty, but playing double-overtime without Lauren Jackson, the Storm will take this win any way it comes. Despite 28 turnovers, which tied a franchise record, the Storm hung on to defeat Atlanta 91-84 in two overtimes. The win is the Storm's fifth straight, extending the season's longest winning streak, and completes a 4-0 homestand against quality opponents from the Eastern Conference, and possibly all four teams who will make the postseason in the East. This one was about grit and defense. The Storm held Atlanta to 40.2 percent shooting and did not allow a single three-pointer, forcing 20 turnovers.
Individually, Sue Bird's line is remarkable given her slow start. Bird finished with 24 points, including crucial three-pointers down the stretch, and handed out eight assists. She scored and assisted on the tying baskets in regulation in OT. Yet it was Tanisha Wright who led the Storm in scoring with 25 points and made the shot that secured the Storm's lead in the second OT. Camille Little pulled down 15 rebounds, a career high, and made that tying shot in overtime. Swin Cash had a double-double of 15 points and 10 rebounds and played terrific defense on Angel McCoughtry. Janell Burse gets mentioned last despite the fact that she had a season-high 17 points and did battle with the much bigger Erika de Souza all night. That's how good the effort was across the board.
The Storm now heads out on the road for a big three-game trip. Stay tuned to stormbasketball.com to watch those games via LiveAccess and get updates before and after. The team will be back at KeyArena on Sept. 10 to host Phoenix on Fan Appreciation Night in the home finale. 
You won't want to miss that game, so get your tickets now. After that is the playoffs, and sign up for StormWatch to be part of the presale of playoff single-game tickets.
Storm Has Control
Second OT: Storm 89, Atlanta 84
This second overtime has belonged to the Storm, starting with six straight points by the home team. Atlanta did not score over the first 3:19 and needed more than four minutes to get a field goal. A Tanisha Wright jumper gave the Storm a four-point lead inside the final minute and, after a stop, the Dream had to foul. Sue Bird split two free throws to make it a five-point game with 20.9 seconds left.
Storm Catches a Break
End First OT: Atlanta 80, Storm 80
Give Marynell Meadors credit for drawing up a phenomenal final play. Armintie Price, the inbounder, hit Erika de Souza and then sprinted to the basket. That part of the play is not out of the ordinary, and the Storm stepped up to defend it. More problematic was Sancho Lyttle diving to the hoop when the help came to Price. Lyttle got a wide-open layup under the basket as the clock ran out, bur rushed it and put it too high off the glass. So the Storm lives to play another five minutes. At some point, fatigue will become a factor. The Storm's starters have logged far more minutes than Atlanta's. Also, Swin Cash and Tanisha Wright now have five fouls, while nobody on the Dream has more than four. We'll see how it plays out over the next five minutes.
Tied
Overtime: Atlanta 80, Storm 80
This time, Sue Bird played passer, drawing the defense after a pick-and-roll and kicking back to an open Camille Little. Little stepped into the 18-footer and saw it bounce around the rim and in. 5.4 seconds left for the Dream.
Two-Point Game
Overtime: Atlanta 80, Storm 78
The Storm will have a chance to win or tie on its last possession, trialing by two with 13.0 seconds left on the clock. Ivory Latta split two free throws after Tanisha Wright missed a shot that would have put the Storm ahead.
Dream Up One
Overtime: Atlanta 79, Storm 78
After trailing the entirety of regulation, the Storm has held the lead most of overtime ... until a moment ago. Up three on the strength of a Sue Bird triple, the Storm allowed Armintie Price to get in the paint for a difficult running layup. Then Bird, trying to play through contact, threw the ball back toward the perimeter. That's where Angel McCoughtry - a premier ballhawk - picked it off and went the other direction for a layup to put Atlanta ahead. There are still 42.5 seconds left after a Storm timeout.
Free Basketball
End Regulation: Atlanta 73, Storm 73
How about another overtime game? The Storm and the Atlanta Dream are headed to an extra session after the Storm got a stop on the final play of regulation. The Dream ran an iso for rookie Angel McCoughtry, who dribbled down the clock before driving left. Because there was so little time left, when McCoughtry mishandled the ball, all she had time to do was throw up a prayer that was blocked by the Storm and fell harmlessly as the buzzer sounded.
As we head to OT, no real foul trouble on either side. Swin Cash and Tanisha Wright have four fouls for the Storm, while Erika de Souza has four for Atlanta.
All Square
Fourth Quarter: Atlanta 73, Storm 73
The Storm tied the game with a three-pointer. Guess who? Sue Bird. Again. She has been unreal at those clutch late three-pointers and made another here. There are still 19.3 seconds left after Atlanta's final timeout, a 20.
Storm Down Three
Fourth Quarter: Atlanta 73, Storm 70
The Storm is taking its final timeout, a 20-second TO, after a turnover on the inbound pass and two Angel McCoughtry free throws. A three would tie the game, though there's still more than enough time for the Storm to play for a quick two.
Storm Takes Possession
Fourth Quarter: Atlanta 71, Storm 70
Great stop for the Storm, which pressured Atlanta for 20-plus seconds and eventually forced Sancho Lyttle to walk in the lane while trying to get loose. Now, the Storm has the ball with a chance to take its first lead of the second half. 28.9 seconds remain on the clock and the Storm will have one more 20-second timeout after this full.
Storm Within One
Fourth Quarter: Atlanta 71, Storm 70
Things looked dire a moment ago when Atlanta took a 71-66 lead on a difficult Sancho Lyttle runner, but the Storm has responded. Sue Bird knocked down a pullup to make it a three-point game, followed by a stop when Iziane Castro Marques missed a difficult jumper. Sue Bird leaked out on the rebound and got behind the defense for a layup thanks to a great feed from Tanisha Wright. That makes it a one-point margin, though Atlanta has the ball with 50.2 seconds left on the clock.
Who Steps Up?
Fourth Quarter: Atlanta 69, Storm 66
Four of the five Storm starters have scored double-figures, with Camille Little as the lone exception, yet we still don't know who will take control of the offense down the stretch. The obvious choice is Sue Bird, who has 11 points tonight on 4-of-15 shooting. Bird has been better as a passer. Tanisha Wright has 17 points and might be the choice. She's got the last two buckets for the Storm. Janell Burse also has 17 points to tie Wright for team-high honors. It's also a season high for Burse.
The fans also need to buoy the Storm down the stretch. The crowd was a huge factor on Thursday night against Connecticut and has yet to play that role tonight.
Storm Looking for a Spark
Fourth Quarter: Atlanta 65, Storm 62
The Storm has not led the entire second half after entering halftime tied. Still down just three points, the Storm is close enough to take control of this game with a nice run, but with the starters logging heavy minutes and having to pick up for the production lost with Lauren Jackson's injury, it has been challenging. Shannon Johnson has been a nice shot of energy off the bench tonight, playing tough defense and looking to push the basketball. The smallest player on the court (well, she usually is - tonight it's probably Ivory Latta), Johnson has four rebounds. We'll see if the Storm can draw momentum from the Doppler Train during the timeout.
Up for Grabs
End Third Quarter: Atlanta 56, Storm 53
As we head to the fourth quarter, this is anybody's ballgame. The Storm trails by three after Atlanta got a couple of gift free throws courtesy an ill-advised foul with 1.8 seconds left in the third quarter. Since the Dream took the lead out of the locker room, the Storm has had the better of this game, but it remains so close that the Storm cannot afford to make mistakes in the fourth quarter. Atlanta spent much of the third period in foul trouble, and the Storm will want to keep the Dream off the line this period. The Storm also needs much better execution on offense, having turned the ball over 17 times tonight.
Back and Forth
Third Quarter: Atlanta 53, Storm 52
It's been a second half of runs, and right now that's working in the Storm's favor. The Storm, bizarrely, seems to be having the better of this game when it's up-tempo. Atlanta's size in the paint is problematic when the game slows down and gets into the half court. The last two possessions have seen Camille Little run out after a missed free throw for a three-point play, followed by Shannon Johnson taking a rebound coast to coast and feeding Ashley Robinson for a running layup that was more difficult than it looked. The bench has brought the Storm some energy in this half.
We've talked about the people in attendance, and another group is some former UW basketball legends. I saw Kayla Burt and Loree Payne, now an assistant coach for the team, walking in to their seats. Burt and Payne were surely part of the Ring Around the Needle Pub Crawl before tonight's game, with which the Storm partnered. The event was a fundraiser to raise money for former Husky Melissa Erickson, who is battling ALS.
Dream Has Energy in the Second Half
Third Quarter: Atlanta 46, Storm 41
The Atlanta Dream has come out of the locker room hot to take a lead as large as seven points in the third quarter. Brian Agler was able to let the team play through the run and get to the mandatory timeout instead of having to take one of the Storm's. Right now, the Storm needs to make more shots - a challenge with two of the team's best three shooters (Katie Gearlds and Lauren Jackson) in street clothes. The third three-point threat for the Storm is Sue Bird, who has struggled to find her shot tonight. Bird made her first shot of the game for the team's only three-pointer, but has since missed eight straight.
Even at the Half
Halftime: Storm 33, Atlanta 33
For the last couple of weeks, a funny trend has been evident in the WNBA statistics: The Atlanta Dream and the Seattle Storm are virtually identical. Their point differential is nearly the same, their Offensive Ratings are nearly the same and their Defensive Ratings are nearly the same. Midway through tonight's game, they're equally as even with 33 points apiece.
The funny thing about the comparison is that the two teams do it in wildly different fashions. Atlanta has an incredible array of athletes and likes to use them in transition while dominating the glass. The Storm prefers a much slower style that relies on the team's veterans and their quality decision-making. It has been interesting to watch those mismatches play out on the court. Because these teams are so closely-matched, the outcome of this game may hinge on whoever gets hot. One way or another, it should be an entertaining finish.
Storm On the Run
Second Quarter: Storm 31, Atlanta 29
Almost instantaneously, the energy of the game changed. Over the last two and a half minutes, the Storm is on a 9-3 run to reclaim the lead at 31-29. Now the Storm is out and running, with Swin Cash getting a couple of layups. She leads all scorers with 13 points on 6-of-11 shooting. Give a lot of credit to Camille Little, who has pulled down eight rebounds to help keep the Storm in the game on the glass.
We've got a great crowd here on a Saturday night, including a couple of big names. Microsoft's Steve Ballmer is sitting courtside next to Dawn Trudeau of Force 10 Hoops, who formerly worked at Microsoft. Also in the crowd for the second time this week - and, like Ballmer, highlighted on StormVision during a timeout - is former Storm forward Sheryl Swoopes, who received a standing ovation from the fans. Swoopes continues to live in the area.
Getting on the Glass
Second Quarter: Storm 22, Atlanta 22
A key matchup in tonight's game is the battle of the boards. The Dream, with its powerful frontcourt, is amongst the league's best rebounding teams, while the Storm has struggled at times and is without its leading rebounder in Lauren Jackson. Lo and behold, Atlanta has six offensive rebounds and 10 second-chance points. Those second-chance points were a major problem for the Storm down in Atlanta.
Watching the Dream play, it's almost as if the offensive rebound is an intentional weapon for the team. Michelle Snow seems to be missing and getting her own rebound to try to establish better post position, and both of her scores have come off rebounding her own misses.
Storm Sloppy on Offense
Second Quarter: Storm 22, Atlanta 20
The Atlanta Dream is hanging around in part because the Storm has been sloppy in its offensive execution. The Storm has turned it over six times for six Atlanta points and is not shooting the ball particularly well, at 37.5 percent. The backcourt of Sue Bird and Tanisha Wright is a combined 2-for-11, which will surely even out over time.
On StormVision during the timeout is the final installment of the Storm history series, featuring the last two y ears and the purchase of the team by Force 10 Hoops L.L.C. Very emotional period, with the crowd giving Force 10 a standing ovation. I had a chance to conduct the interview with the Storm's four owners a week ago, and there was really some great stuff. Hopefully we'll find a use for all of it, since so much had to be cut for the two-minute video. You'll be able to see that video and the complete 10th Anniversary Documentary on stormbasketball.com in the very near future.
Storm Takes Early Lead
End First Quarter: Storm 20, Atlanta 14
A trademark of this homestand, with the possible exception of the Indiana game, has been the Storm getting out to early leads. No exception tonight, as the Storm is up six after one quarter. Atlanta is shooting just 36.8 percent and has had to rely on putbacks as well as Iziane Castro Marques for offense. For the Storm, Swin Cash and Janell Burse are finishing well in the paint. They've combined for 13 points on 6-of-9 shooting.
As part of Back to School Night, Doppler conducted a school-related relay race during the timeout. Kids competed to get on their backpacks, pick up homework and get some of the lunch sacks presented by Bartell Drugs that were presented to the first 3,000 fans tonight. Doppler played teacher, and the Assistant to Doppler was the bad student wearing the duncecap.
Fast Pace Favoring Storm
First Quarter: Storm 16, Atlanta 10
Wow - the pace of this game in the early going has been insane, with the teams racing up and down the court. That's Atlanta's typical M.O. - I don't have the numbers in front of me, but I believe the Dream is second to Phoenix in the WNBA in pace. It's a little more unusual for the Storm, but Seattle has been running efficiently and getting some layups, including two straight for Janell Burse.
Atlanta loves to get out and run, a style which suits Iziane Castro Marques perfectly. She's got eight of the team's 10 points so far. Castro Marques has been able to get to the basket for good looks, which is what she's been doing since Chamique Holdsclaw went out of the lineup with a sore right knee that ultimately required surgery.
Storm Without LJ Tonight and Beyond
Pregame
Storm Head Coach Brian Agler broke the news to the media tonight that Storm All-Star Lauren Jackson will be out "indefinitely" after a bone scan conducted yesterday revealed a stress fracture in her lower back as the source of the intense pain that has limited her the last two weeks since a game in Atlanta.
"It looks like there's a stress fracture back there," Agler said. "What we don't know is if it's acute or an old one. We've had her looked at now probably six or seven times. It will happen again tonight. The results were also looked at today by a back specialist and Dr. Kim, our orthopedic, who didn't look at them yesterday. We're still going to have people take a look. We know there is some history there and a hot spot or two we're trying to deal with. We're just trying to find out the significance right now. Timetable - I don't know. I'm just saying indefinitely for now."
Pinpointing the injury has been difficult.
"We went threw a series of appointments and tests and MRIs and yesterday it ended up being a bone scan," explained Agler. "In all honesty, things have even changed in how they looked at it from yesterday to today, so it's been a roller coaster. Before we really talk in depth about it, we want to know exactly what we're dealing with. We do know that there's enough of a hot spot there that we need to shut it down for a period of time. How long, we don't know."
The injury is a tough blow for Jackson, who hates to miss games and played through an immense amount of pain in recent games but still came up big for the Storm.
"It was pretty trying yesterday, to be honest with you," said Agler. Jackson did not seak to the media before the game. "She's the ultimate competitor. Sorting all that out, now it's to the point where let's find out exactly what we're doing with and then we'll go from there in terms of how we approach it and what steps we take in the rehab and the timing."
For the team, this experience is nothing new. The Storm played the season's final 13 games and the playoffs without Jackson a year ago, and were without her for two games early this season. Even the last three games, Jackson's minutes have been limited and the Storm has been successful.
"We've been here before," said Agler. "How we respond tonight, it will be interesting to see. I think that we have people that are very capable on our team. We're going to have to really play well together. That's what we're here for."
Agler indicated that Jackson will likely not join the Storm on this upcoming road trip. If the prognosis is good, the goal will be to have her spend the week rehabbing and working to get back in the lineup.
Signing On
Pregame
Tonight at KeyArena, the Storm wraps up a four-game homestand. Already, the Storm has won the first three games to put together a season-long four-game winning streak and secure a playoff berth for the sixth consecutive season. A win tonight would extend that streak and move the Storm one step closer to clinching home-court advantage in the first round of the playoffs. However, it won't be easy as the second-place teams in their respective conferences square off. The Atlanta Dream has been as hot as any team in the WNBA over the last three weeks and defeated the Storm at Philips Arena exactly two weeks ago.
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