2010 in Review: Lauren Jackson
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Kevin Pelton, stormbasketball.com | December 10, 2010
After injuries ended her 2008 and 2009 seasons prematurely and hampered the Seattle Storm's chances of advancing in the postseason,
Lauren Jackson entered 2010 wanting most of all to stay healthy. At home in her native Australia, Jackson rehabbed tirelessly from the stress fracture in her lower back she suffered in August 2009. The result was that, after leading the Canberra TransAct Capitals to a WNBL title, Jackson arrived at Storm training camp in better shape than ever.
To kick off the 2010 regular season, Jackson merely outdueled fellow MVP Candace Parker. In the Storm's opening win over Los Angeles, Jackson had 23 points and 10 rebounds, making 10 free throws in 11 attempts. At the other end, her defense led a team effort that limited Parker to 10 points on 4-of-11 shooting.
After the Storm suffered its first loss on May 27 at Chicago, Jackson helped the team bounce back by dominating the San Antonio Silver Stars. She scored 27 points in 28 minutes of action, shooting 9-of-15 from the field. Jackson was just as hot two nights later as the Storm handed the previously undefeated Atlanta Dream its first loss of the season. She scored 32 points and knocked down five three-pointers, adding 10 rebounds for her third double-double of the season.
During the month of June, Jackson nearly averaged a double-double, grabbing 10-plus rebounds four times. She ramped up her scoring late in the month, going for 28 points on 9-of-11 shooting in a win over the Indiana Fever and dropping 31 points and 15 rebounds against an overmatched San Antonio squad at home.
To open July, Jackson suffered a concussion in a win at Los Angeles. The injury would force Jackson to sit out the Storm's last game before the break as well as The Stars at the Sun matchup in Connecticut, which she had been voted into by fans as a member of the WNBA team. Jackson was cleared to return when the Storm began the second half in Phoenix, and she ended up playing 47 minutes in the marathon triple-OT game. Jackson scored 31 points and grabbed 18 rebounds, a season high and the second-best effort of her WNBA career.
On July 17 at Minnesota, Jackson spearheaded the Storm's comeback win, scoring 14 of her 26 points in the final period as the Storm rallied to win 73-71. 10 days later against Phoenix, Jackson again played a key role in a Storm comeback, this one from an 18-point halftime deficit. She finished with a season-high 33 points on 13-of-23 shooting and grabbed eight offensive rebounds, tying her career high.
Jackson's fifth and final 30-point outing of the season came on Aug. 5 against Connecticut, when she tallied 31 points on 11-of-22 shooting. Getting Jackson some rest down the stretch was one of Head Coach 
Brian Agler's biggest goals, and she played more than 30 minutes just twice the remainder of the season. Back spasms forced Jackson to miss a road loss to the Sun on Aug. 13, but she was ready to go in plenty of time for the start of the postseason - her first playoff run since 2007.
Facing the Sparks and long-time rivals DeLisha Milton-Jones and Tina Thompson, Jackson averaged 20.5 points and 9.0 rebounds as the Storm swept its way into the Western Conference Finals. There, she provided the Storm's biggest matchup advantage against the Mercury. In a low-scoring Game 1, Jackson not only put 23 points on the board but also grabbed a game-high 17 rebounds. She followed that up with 20 points and eight rebounds in Game 2, helping the Storm come back and reach the WNBA Finals.
Defending Jackson proved challenging for the Dream in the Finals. She scored 26 points in both Games 1 and 2 in Seattle, overpowering Atlanta in the paint. In Game 2, Jackson went to the free throw line 17 times, one shy of the WNBA Finals record. The Dream did a better job of limiting Jackson's touches in Game 3, but she still scored 15 points on 5-of-9 shooting as the Storm completed the sweep and earned Jackson her second WNBA championship with the team.
Because of her performance from start to finish, Jackson joined Cynthia Cooper, Lisa Leslie and Diana Taurasi as the fourth player in league history to win MVP honors both for the regular season and the WNBA Finals. Jackson won her third MVP award and was Finals MVP for the first time, capping a magical run.
"You know, I don't think individually I had the best season I've ever had," Jackson said after Game 3, "but the reason I got the awards was because of my teammates and the people around me and the fact that we were winning games. I don't know if I'll ever be part of a team that's been as good or be at the end of a season and feel like I wish it would all start again because it's been so much fun."
2010 Highlights:
- Recorded nine double-doubles.
- Scored 30-plus points five times.
- Won third MVP honor and Finals MVP for the first time.
- Named to the All-WNBA First Team for the seventh time.
What was your favorite Lauren Jackson memory during the 2010 season? Share your answer in the comments.
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