Insider Preview - Storm vs. Phoenix

Paul Westhead

run and gun its way through the preseason

Defensive Rating

Westhead and the Mercury think they might have found a fix to their defensive issues after the second half of Wednesday's 82-76 loss to the San Antonio Silver Stars. While the defeat dropped Phoenix to 0-3, the Mercury allowed just 32 points in the second half after San Antonio ran up 50 before halftime. The difference? Westhead junked much of the trapping, pressing style of defense that had created fewer turnovers than expected and left Phoenix opponents with plenty of open looks and good rebounding position.

"Overall, our defensive coverage had gotten better," Westhead told the East Valley Tribune. "We didn't get beat in transition and didn't get pounded on the boards."

The Mercury made another key change on Thursday at the point guard position. Before last Thursday's loss to the Seattle Storm, Phoenix got bad news when it was found starting point guard Kelly Miller had partially torn her left hamstring, sidelining her for two to three weeks. In her place, Westhead started veteran Tamicha Jackson, but Jackson was waived on Thursday and replaced by Jennifer Derevjanik, who was waived by the Connecticut Sun at the end of training camp. Derevjanik is expected to start against the Storm tonight.

"She can run the break, push the ball," Westhead told the Arizona Republic. "And she shows some good passing skills, which is what we're looking for."

Phoenix also could stand to get more production up front. While veteran center Kamila Vodichkova has been solid, the Mercury still hasn't filled the power forward spot. Eventually, that job could belong to All-Star Penny Taylor, but Taylor is not expected to join the Mercury until July 1 at the earliest. Undrafted rookie Jennifer Lacy started the first two games of the season, but veteran Kristen Rasmussen stepped in on Wednesday. Though Rasmussen started slowly, shooting 3-for-9 from the field against San Antonio, she's a scrappy player who should help.

Just as was the case last Thursday, the Storm enters this matchup with the Mercury looking to get rid of the taste of a disappointing blowout loss. The Storm's Jekyll and Hyde personality was evident again Wednesday, as Sacramento shot 52.2% from the field and scored 52 points in the paint in an 87-66 win over the Storm. Coach Anne Donovan has challenged her team's pride to deliver a better, more consistent defensive effort.

G U A R D S
	Derevjanik was the Sun's backup point guard a year ago and even started Game 2 of the WNBA Finals when Lindsay Whalen was injured. With four quality point guards in camp this year, however, Derevjanik was the odd woman out. In addition to giving Phoenix a true point guard, she also should be an upgrade at the defensive end of the court. Derevjanik is 5-10 and able to put pressure on the ball. Storm guard Sue Bird is looking to pick up her defensive effort after being beaten by Ticha Penicheiro in Sacramento. The Monarchs stifling defense also held Bird to six points on 2-for-9 shooting.
	The Mercury's wide-open offense has helped rookie Cappie Pondexter, the second pick of April's WNBA Draft, make an easy transition to the league. Pondexter did have just eight points in her WNBA debut, but since then she's racked up 47 points, including a 26-point, 10-rebound double-double on Wednesday. Pondexter is exceptionally skilled at creating her own offense off the dribble and should thrive in the WNBA. Storm guard Betty Lennox broke out a bit offensively in Sacramento, scoring a season-high 18 points on 7-for-11 shooting, but Donovan is looking for her too to pick up her defensive effort.
F O R W A R D S
	Through two weeks, Diana Taurasi leads the WNBA in scoring at 23.3 points per game. Given how difficult it is to guard Taurasi in the best of circumstances and the mismatches and easy baskets created by Westhead's offense, Taurasi could easily continue to lead the league all season. Taurasi has scored 28 points in each of her last two games, shooting 10-for-20 from the field against the Storm. Since it's almost impossible to shut Taurasi down, the key for Iziane Castro Marques is to hold her in check. Continuing last year's trend of struggling away from KeyArena, Castro Marques was held without a field goal in each of the Storm's last two games.
	A role player who is on her sixth WNBA team in seven seasons, Rasmussen works well for the Mercury because she has the ability to shoot the ball with range. Rasmussen shot 38.9% from 3-point range a year ago, though she attempted fewer than one 3 a game. Defensively, Rasmussen is a bit undersized for the power forward position. Phoenix does not have a good matchup on the roster in terms of size and quickness for Storm forward Lauren Jackson, and the result is that Jackson, who is second only to Taurasi in WNBA scoring, dropped a career-high 35 points on the Mercury in Phoenix last Thursday. Jackson won't likely be that dominant again, but look for her to have a strong game.
C E N T E R
	Vodichkova returns to KeyArena tonight for the second time since signing with the Mercury as a restricted free agent and ending her five-year stint with the Storm. Vodichkova has not struggled as much with Phoenix's fast pace as some believed she would. The Mercury could use better rebounding from Vodichkova, who is averaging a team-high 5.0 rebounds per game, down from 7.0 a year ago. Storm center Janell Burse was also very effective against the Mercury's undersized front line. Burse scoring 14 points on 6-for-11 shooting and could have had more had she not missed six of her eight free-throw attempts.
B E N C H
	After playing a wide-open rotation during Phoenix's first two games, Westhead tightened it up considerably against San Antonio. Backup point guard Crystal Smith (right) was the only reserve to see more than 10 minutes of action. Smith, the Mercury's third-round pick out of Iowa, is a good ballhandler who has scored just two points this season in 43 minutes of action. Lacy, who went undrafted in 2005 and is a rookie this season, started the first two games before moving to the bench. Second-round pick Ann Strother scored 12 points in her WNBA debut, but saw little action against San Antonio. Bridget Pettis, an original member of the Mercury is the lone veteran in the group. Reserve Storm guards Tanisha Wright (left) and Shaunzinski Gortman started the second half to give the Storm more defensive presence. Forward Wendy Palmer tweaked her left ankle yesterday at practice, but expects to be able to play tonight. She had 10 points and seven boards off the bench last Thursday in Phoenix. Barbara Turner had six points and four boards in that game as the Storm bench combined for 27 points and 19 rebounds.

TEAM LEADERS JACKSON TAURASI Jackson 21.8 PPG Taurasi 23.3 Jackson/Palmer 7.3 RPG Vodichkova 5.0 Bird 4.8 APG Four with 2.3 Bird 2.8 SPG Miller 2.0 Jackson 1.8 BPG Irvin 2.0 Bird 29.5 MPG Taurasi 31.3