Insider Preview - Storm vs. Los Angeles

Los Angeles' biggest move was to bring All-Star forward Tina Thompson, an unrestricted free agent who saw the only team she had ever played for disappear when the Houston Comets folded, back home to her native L.A. The Sparks then waited until just after the WNBA Draft to sign former Storm guard Betty Lennox, who was unrestricted after the Atlanta Dream removed a core player offer to her.

The additions of Lennox and Thompson to the holdover core of Leslie, 2008 MVP Candace Parker and DeLisha Milton-Jones gave the Sparks five players who averaged at least 13.9 points last season and four of the league's top 15 scorers of all time. Naturally, expectations were high when Los Angeles hosted the defending champion Detroit Shock on ABC to kick off the 2009 WNBA season, and they were met in a 78-58 blowout win.

Since opening day, however, the path has gotten rougher for the Sparks. When the two teams played the rematch two nights later in Detroit, the Shock evened the score with a 29-point win, kicking off a four-game Los Angeles losing streak. The last of the losses was the most painful, as the Sparks also saw Lisa Leslie go down with a severe sprain of her right knee while falling at Phoenix. Leslie will miss at least six games with the injury and potentially longer, joining Parker (working her way back after giving birth in May) on a star-studded sideline.

Just when things looked bleakest, Los Angeles changed course again last Sunday. Back home at the STAPLES Center for the first time since the season opener, the Sparks dominated the Sacramento Monarchs in a 67-47 victory.

The additions of Lennox and Thompson mean that, even without Leslie and Parker, Los Angeles has plenty of talent on the floor. It is Lennox, in fact, who has been the leading scorer for the Sparks in the early going, averaging 12.8 points per game. Thompson and Leslie were still working to play off each other when the veteran center went down with a knee injury, with both players scoring and shooting well below their career numbers in the early going. Now Thompson is L.A.'s clear go-to player in the post.

Beyond them, the success of the Sparks will depend in large part on the play of a trio of former Lynx players acquired this offseason. In separate deals, Los Angeles traded for guard Noelle Quinn (giving up Italian guard Raffaella Masciadri and a future first-round pick) and center Vanessa Hayden (for reserve post Christi Thomas). The Sparks also signed former Minnesota point guard Kristi Harrower, who last played in the WNBA in 2005 but is the starting point guard for the Australian National Team.

Harrower has started for L.A. at the point in an attempt to upgrade the position that proved the team's undoing in 2008. Harrower has done a fine job of taking care of the basketball, committing just three turnovers in six games to post a league-best 7.0 assist-to-turnover ratio. Quinn is playing 20-plus minutes a night at all three perimeter positions, getting a couple of starts. And Hayden, who had an up-and-down career after being taken by Minnesota with the No. 7 pick in 2004, has stepped in for Leslie as the starter in the middle. Hayden is averaging 16.0 points, 10.9 rebounds and 4.2 blocks per 40 minutes while shooting 53.1 percent from the field.

While everyone has marveled at the talent the Sparks have assembled on offense, the defense has probably gotten short shrift. The Sparks were second in the league in Defensive Rating a year ago, and rank sixth there so far this season. In the home wins, Los Angeles has played dominant defense, including holding the Monarchs to 25.8 percent shooting on Sunday. The Sparks offense has had a much rougher time, ranking 11th out of 13 teams. Los Angeles is shooting 23.4 percent from three-point range and has attempted fewer free throws per possession than any team in the WNBA.

The Seattle Storm has been at home all week, practicing in preparation for this matchup. Last week, the Storm's practice efforts paid off in two strong efforts in wins over Minnesota and Phoenix. Now, the Storm faces a very different challenge. Minnesota and Phoenix boast two of the league's strongest offenses, but do not focus on defense as heavily as Los Angeles. The Storm will have to continue executing at the offensive end while keeping up last week's defensive intensity and the improved defensive rebounding from the second half of the win over the Lynx and the entire game against the Mercury.

KEY MATCHUP
	Lennox makes her second trip back to KeyArena since being selected by the Atlanta Dream in the 2008 WNBA Expansion Draft. Her understudy with the Storm, Tanisha Wright, has now capably stepped into the role of shooting guard. Wright is flying under the radar because the Storm's stars have played so well, but her contributions at both ends of the floor have been invaluable to the team's 5-2 start. Wright is shooting a strong 48.3 percent from the field, hitting consistently from midrange. Wright will have the chance to continue her excellent defense against the leading Sparks scorer.

The Storm wrapped up the 2008 regular season at Los Angeles last Sept. 1. With a playoff matchup against the same Sparks squad already set in stone, the Storm rested its regulars in the season finale. Sue Bird and Yolanda Griffith barely played three minutes, while Swin Cash and Sheryl Swoopes missed the game due to injuries. Without them, the Storm struggled on offense in a 65-48 loss, shooting 33.9 percent from the field and committing 21 turnovers. Shyra Ely (16 points) was the only Storm player to score double-figures. Marie Ferdinand-Harris led L.A. with 14 points.

INJURIES

Storm - None.

Los Angeles - Forward Candace Parker (postpartum) and center Lisa Leslie (severe right knee sprain) are out.