Final score: Storm 69 – Comets 63 (W) (7-2)

Submitted by | Vodichkova_rules

Holy moly, I think I need to get fitted for  a pace maker after tonight.   I've been up since 3, so please forgive any incoherance.
 
V rules game report.
 
SFINCL and I were a couple of rows apart behind the Storm bench.  I believe that she got seated next to more forgiving fans, cause I was in enemy territory.  
 
The first thing I noticed was that  Snow just topped my list for non Spark thug behavior.  Right away she was shoving LJ, sticking her arm underneath her throat, throwing a bit of a tantrum during a call.  It was pissing me off big time.
 
Betty went out on the floor really hot and emotionial and Ann pulled her what seemed pretty quickly.  She stalked back to the bench, and chilled out for awhile.  Ann seems to be keeping her in check.   SFINCL was the one who noticed that Betty didn't get her first foul until 12 into the 2nd quarter.  
 
At the 10 minute mark we were up by 11.  Sheri looked like butter, her moves were so smooth. She pegged a beauty 3 like it was a chippy, and was just playing D like there was no tommorrow.  She was awesome!!
 
At the 9:17 mark or so, it became an official game as Tully hit the floor, but it was a big tangle as she barrelled through the paint making a nice spill of Comets players.  GO TULLY!!
 
Sheri got a wild pass from Sue Bird bounced off her head, knocking it out of bounds, and her up on top of the side lines.
 
Storm was playing pretty good defense, making the Comets work for a lot of shots in the 1st half.  They kept the shot clock ticking down on several occasions.
 
Again, Kamila was the subject of quite a few ticky tack fouls, the third one Ann got extremely ticked off at the ref, giving quite an earful.  There was only one out her 5 (was it really 5) that I could call as accurate without a doubt.  But hey, you know I could be biased.
 
During one of the time outs they brought out their version of the Storm dancers, the NPG.  I think that they can't hold a candle to our kids.  Their dancers just look like a jail bait scandal waiting to happen.
 
Janel had a great blocked shot and played defensively pretty well.  I didn't see a bunch of points from the bench... but that's not anything really new.
 
The announcer at the game SUCKED!!!!  He called at least 6 things wrong that I noticed.  Bad out of bounds calls, misassigned fouls, it was awful!
 
LJ took sometime out in the 1st half, and it really cut the lead.  Is it the shins?  or back to back games?    But it was scary.  They went from being up 10-11 to only up by 4 at the end of the half.    
 
Sue looked pissed off for most of the game.  Sure the ref's were sucky as usual.  Was Sue a little off tonight?? She had some good opportunities for shots and passed it instead.   Maybe she's trying to rack up the assists...
that's SFICL take on it.
 
Running to the bathroom cut my halftime watching short.  By the time I made it back to my seat, the Storm were doing shoot around, and missing most of the shots.  My stomach started to sink.
 
Comets do not stand at the beginning of the second half, and I was flipped some s#it for doing it, but I didn't give a fart.  They also have a stupid ritual for free throws.  Not that they worked.  HA!  Their percentages weren't that hot.
 
The beginning of the second half was knuckle biting madness.  The Storm seemed slower, Betty was chewing gum.  They were having a hard time holding onto a good lead.  They were tied up at 12:55 minute mark, then up by 4 a minute and a half later.  At the 5:16 minute mark, they lost the lead for the first time in the game, but thankfully got it back in about 10 to 15 seconds.  That's when I dared to poke back at the Comets fans who mentioned bringing Duct tape to the next game for away team fans.
 
By the way, Michelle Greco did not smile through the game, but then again, it was hard to smile, it was pretty hairy.
 
Closer to the end though, it started to feel like they had it.  The Comets were fouling LJ and Sue, the seats were emptying behind me, I was estatic.  It was satisfying to see them keep plugging and come away with a win.  We're going out to buy a couple a small brooms for tommorrows game, cause there might be a big sweep coming on.
 
Best thing overheard from the bench.
 
AD in the last minute of the game "Sue wants to call a time out?  What, is she crazy??"
 
I'm dying.... gotta get some sleep before an early flight in the am.
 
GO STORM!!!!

Submitted by | Storm Fan in Comets Land

Attendance | 7409
 
Game Highlight | Sam's three pointer that was nothing but net, as AD yelled "no" out loud. And the Birdy rebound with 15 seconds left in the game.
 
I picked up V-rules from the airport and we headed back towards Houston. Note to any fans coming to Houston you always want to fly into Houston's Hobby Airport as our other airport (IAH) is really closer to Dallas. Not really, but it is a long ways away from SFiCL's house. I did the right thing and took V-rules to one of our many legandary BBQ resturant's. The food was good, but two things caught V-rules off guard. They put her baked beans in her baked potatoe and since the place was once an old gas station the restrooms were outside. Yes, we have indoor plumbing here in Houston, I mean you had to go out of the resturnat to enter the bathrooms.
 
Anyway, on the way to the game, we notice that some huge black thunderstorms were now over the Toyota Center and it started raining. I knew then that the Storm were indeed in the Toyota Center and the game was ours.
 
My seat was just behind and to the right of the Storm bench. When AD walked out she looked surprised to see Storm Fans behind her bench. And V-rules and I were not alone. I saw numerous Bird shirts and of course we were decked out in Storm gear also. I was about 6 feet away from Elise and David. And the tech problems they were having  were problems with the Toyota Center equipment. Must have been all that computer equipment we bought when HP/Compaq merged that we bought cheap from Enron.  Anyway, they did the entire game handing  a telephone back and forth between each other. That is why you didn't hear Elise very much.
 
In the first half Swoopes only had 12 points, so you can tell she really carried the team during the second half by adding another 21 points after halftime. Swoopes also played the entire 40 minutes of the game. But without Tina, she had to be the one. The big three is now the big two and without Tina it became the Big One. And one player dosen't make a team. The Storm looked great and they played much better than Houston who had five days off to prepare for the Storm. Michelle Snow is getting better, but it's her attitude that needs to improve. After every call, she would look at the ref's like "On me, what are you crazy?". I honestly think she is taking Diva lessons from you know who.
 
Both teams had 17 turnover's and it got close in the end, but it was just a case of the Storm wanting it more. And that alone can win a game for you.
 
I got asked by several of my Comet bud's if I thought that the Storm would have won if Tina Thompson had played. I think it would have been more a game of lead changes and closer in the point spread but yes, I know the Storm would have still won. They just wanted it more and that showed in the end.