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Storm front gathers for Sparks
Tuesday, June 13, 2000
By MEREDITH BAGLEY
Only two teams have beaten the Los Angeles Sparks this season. The Seattle Storm is one of them.
The Storm (1-5) upset the Sparks 75-69 in a preseason game May 26. The teams meet for the first time in the regular season tonight at 7 in KeyArena.
"It would be nice to think we could beat L.A. two games in a row, but you've got to realize that exhibition games didn't count," Storm coach Lin Dunn said. "It's nice to win an exhibition game, but it doesn't mean you've figured a team out."
Dunn has reason to be cautious. The Sparks whipped Seattle 81-64 when the teams met in Seattle earlier in May. The Storm pulled off its upset in L.A. when Olympic team members Lisa Leslie and DeLisha Milton played only a combined 34 minutes for the Sparks.
"I expect you'll see a different L.A. team than the one we beat," Dunn said grimly.
The Sparks (4-1) suffered their first loss of the regular season Sunday, 75-68 to Sacramento, but the 6-foot-5 Leslie felt the victory was in reach.
"We were playing back-to-back games, and at the end we just ran out of gas," she said. "But we feel real good about our situation this year."
Leslie, who leads the Sparks in scoring with a 16.6 average, tallied her league-best 40th career double-double against the Monarchs. With Milton alongside her, the Sparks boast one of the WNBA's most dangerous post games.
"I'm looking forward to the challenge," Storm center Quacy Barnes said. "We're working to deny the high-low pass to Milton and take away her options."
Offensive output will be crucial for the Storm, averaging just 55 points a game to the Sparks' 73.
In practice yesterday, Dunn urged her players to slow down and avoid unforced turnovers.
"We need to take better care of the ball," she said. "Our lack of discipline is creating turnovers, and we can't afford to give up any points."
Dunn has added offensive firepower to her lineup in the past week, picking up 6-4 free-agent forward Stacey Lovelace last Thursday and trading with Cleveland for 5-9 guard Michelle Edwards on Sunday.
Lovelace already has made an impact, scoring 13 points in her debut against Charlotte, and Dunn expects Edwards to follow suit.
"Michelle is quick, multi-dimensional and can penetrate to the basket," Dunn said. "Some say she's in the twilight of her career, but I think she's got two to three good years left. If she can score, she can play for me."
Edwards, 34, a nine-year veteran of the Italian leagues, led Cleveland in assists in 1997. She averaged 10.2 points that year, but has seen her numbers decline.
Dunn, who the traded the rights to Yugoslavian center Nina Bjedov for Edwards, expects Edwards to play all three guard positions and is confident she made a good swap.
"They took a chance on an overseas player who's not here, and we took a risk with an older player," she said. "We have posts we can develop, and I thought we needed another guard who can score."
TWIN TITLES? Leslie is not only confident the L.A. Lakers will win the NBA title, but hopes to add a WNBA championship to the city's basketball dominance.
"They're obviously going to win. I have no doubt about that," she said of the Lakers, who lead the best-of-seven NBA finals 2-1 over the Indiana Pacers. "I hope they can do it back on our floor, but I don't think the loss hurt us at all."
As for her team, Leslie was only slightly less outspoken.
"Winning the title is always our goal," she said. "I'm sure it's the goal of a lot of teams, but it would be nice for us to do it in the same year."
Leslie, one of the first players signed to the WNBA, praised the parity in the 4-year-old league, and said many teams could win it all.
"The talent has improved tremendously since the first year with the addition of the ABL players, and anyone can win or lose on any given night," she said. "It's a little scary, but we feel good about our chances."
STORM vs. SPARKS
When: Tonight, 7 p.m.
Where: KeyArena
Radio: KJR-AM/950
Records: Seattle (1-5) recorded its first WNBA victory Friday night in Charlotte. Los Angeles (4-1), which lost its first game of the season Sunday night to Sacramento, is one game behind first-place Houston in the Western Conference.
Probable starters: Storm: Guards Sonja Henning (5-foot-7), Edna Campbell (5-8); forwards Andrea Garner (6-3), Kamila Vodichkova (6-4); center Quacy Barnes (6-5). Sparks: Guards Ukari Figgs (5-9), Tamecka Dixon (5-9); forwards DeLisha Milton (6-1), Mwadi Mabika (5-11); center Lisa Leslie (6-5).
Injury report: Storm guard Robin Threatt remains on the injured reserve with a strained right deltoid, along with Jamie Redd, who has been experiencing dizziness and nausea since the Charlotte game and is undergoing tests.
Notable: Seattle beat the Sparks 75-69 in the teams' last meeting, a preseason contest on May 26. Campbell led all scorers that game with 25 points, while Simone Edwards came off the bench for 18 and guard Katrina Hibbert hit 3 of 5 3-pointers on her way to 17 points. . . . Los Angeles won the first exhibition matchup on May 19, 81-64 in KeyArena . . . Leslie leads the Sparks with 16.6 points and 9.8 rebounds per game. . . . Leslie and Milton, both Olympic team members, played just 20 and 14 minutes, respectively, in the Storm's preseason victory. . . . 5-foot-9 guard Michelle Edwards, obtained from Cleveland in a trade Sunday, arrived in Seattle last night and will dress for the game.
P-I reporter Meredith Bagley can be reached at 206-448-8211 or meredithbagley@seattle-pi.com
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