Final score: Storm 98 – Sparks 87 (W-3OT) (11-6)

Submitted by LaurenRules

Officials: Michael (“Technical-Happy”) Price, Scott (“I didn’t see it, so it must be LA’s ball”) Twardoski, and Maj (“When it doubt, it’s Seattle’s foul”) Forsberg.

Attendance: 7,145

Anthem: The Four Fathers sang it in barbershop quartet style. I’m not a fan. It’s our national anthem, not a piece from The Music Man.

Pre-Game Fun
I missed it, but apparently there were tributes both to Lisa Leslie (booo!) and B-Money before the game. My sources said Leslie said all of the right things, but “seemed insincere.” Take that with a grain of salt, as he is a rabid LA-hater. I can only imagine how she felt recording a message to an arena full of fans who hate her.

B-Money tribute was nice, especially since she helped win us our championship. (That doesn’t change the fact that she is The Enemy while she’s on the court against us.) She got a standing ovation, a bouquet of flowers and a gift (don’t know what) from Tiffany’s. Someone must have briefed Clarence, though, because he matched her swag – resplendent in a mustard-colored sequined top, with matching pants, shoes and a fedora. Looked like a hawk’s feather in the fedora, not so sure. I’d love to see the inside of his closet.

Sue got the game ball (from the last game?) for scoring her 3,000th point. Pretty darned impressive for a point guard!

Player intros: adequate applause for all of the LA team, loud ovations for Betty, Candace Parker and Tina Thompson. No one booed Michael Cooper. We must be slipping. He had a very odd tie, with some sort of design on it. I started laughing, because they were playing “The Empire” theme from Star Wars during the LA player introductions. My neighbors looked at me oddly.

The usual Seattle ovations. “Beat It” worked really well. Agler was wearing an uglier tie than ever. He still didn’t acknowledge the crowd. I’ve given up hope. Lauren galloped out, same as always, with the usual bumps. Parker started for LA. A nice moment – just before the tip, smiled at CP3 and said, “Glad you’re back.” The bench did their cute little dance again.

First Quarter
Lauren won the tip! Yay! Maybe they’re reading my game recaps. More likely, CP3 isn’t quite in shape yet. Flat offensive start to the game on both sides. CP3 grabbed the first rebound on a missed LJ shot and promptly turned it over. Missed shots. More missed shots. At 8:04, Swin sank a three. Yay! Everyone sat down. After some more missed shots, Betty sank a three to even the score. Parker fouled Swin, who only hit one of her free throws. Wince. Nice exchange between Lauren and Harrower. Lauren went out at 6:24 without scoring. Janell was promptly called on a foul against Tina Thompson, who hit both of hers. Janell, you’re a wonderful player, but you really need to cool it on the reaching in.

Thompson looked great – in excellent shape, lots of spring in her step. She’s really floor leader now. Too bad she throws so many elbows.

Camille was called on offensive foul, but Betty promptly turned the ball over. Phew. Swin missed a jump shot – looked as though she was fouled, but no call – and DMJ came up with the rebound. She’s such a graceful player and can score so beautifully – and I can’t stand her, because she plays like a complete thug. The complete thug hit a three eight seconds later. LA up by four. Katie came in. Camille sat.

Tanisha drove and scored on a running jump shot, sort of a baby skyhook. She’s doing a great job at scoring over taller players this season. DMJ tried to score but Lauren swatted it away and grabbed the rebound. Sue fed Katie who sunk a HUGE three. 9-8 Storm, with 4:22 to go. More missed shots on both sides, including poor Janell getting mangled under the basket as she tried to shoot. The refs clearly in la-la-land at this point. DMJ hit another trey. Parker blocked a Katie shot. Harrower hit a three. Sparks up by six. Both teams flattened out offensively.

Seattle was missing a lot of shots – the fans were uneasy. JB was getting beaten under the basket a lot, but, fortunately, LA was playing equally badly, including an airball layup from CP3. I wondered if her baby had been restless last night – airballing a layup?

CP “blocked” Swin - looked much more like a foul. Swin looked annoyed. Hayden hit a layup, with an assist from Parker. Lauren answered with a three. She really looked much more like her old self. T hit another driving layup, with some serious razzle-dazzle. Textbook. The Storm could fill an entire “Top 10 Plays of the Week” and still have room for more. Bobbitt took a three, but missed, thank goodness. 14-16 LA.

Interval: It was announced that Sue had surpassed Teresa Weatherspoon to become the third all-time leader in assists. Loud ovation. The third installment of the Storm History video was shown, starting with Linn Dunn leaving (I didn’t know she caught fish at Pike Place Market to drum up publicity. Good for her). Nice, but brief clip of Anne Donovan. LJ winning her first MVP award. Cliffhanger ending with the disappointment of not making the playoffs. To be continued….

Second Quarter
Bobbitt (a thug in the making? Tiny thug?) called on an offensive foul right out of the gate. I thought slightly better of the refs. Betty scored. Damn. A-Rob missed a jumper, but made up for it with a really nice block against DMJ. When she came out, I wished that she’d get to stay in longer, to bang up LA a bit more. Swin missed a shot, was “blocked” by Parker. You know, refs, it’s a good idea to get your eyes checked on a regular basis, to reduce the risk of glaucoma, if nothing else. Lauren missed a three, but Camille captured and put back the rebound. Milton-Jones must have borrowed Harry Potter’s Invisible Cloak – she was pounding LJ into pieces, throwing elbows, hanging onto her jersey, but we couldn’t buy a call.

Ferdinand-Harris and Wisdom-Hylton came in, but both were oddly ineffective, especially compared to our first home game. CP headed for the bench, looking gassed. Katie hit another three to tie it up, but Betty answered with a bank shot. LA up by two. Shannon whistled for a ticky-tack foul and gave the ref what-for. T drove in for another layup, drawing a foul on Thompson for the+1. Tied at 21. T stole the ball from Harrower, but Shannon turned it over and Betty scored, drawing a foul from Shannon for the +1. She was completely lighting it up tonight. LA up by three. Offense went flat for about a minute.

Timeout. Cute little skit with Doppler’s assistant, Doppler’s birthday car and an imposter/car thief wearing an LA jersey. Imposter frog-marched out by two actual Seattle police officers. I wouldn’t mess with those women. They look tough, even when they're trying not to laugh.

DMJ scored. Swin scored and made the +1 on a foul from Thompson. Storm back within three. Katie whistled for a “foul.” Thompson hit both free throws. Sue hit a three, but Betty answered with a jump shot. 28-32 LA with 3:00 to go. It should be noted that Swin got MANGLED under the basket when shooting, but – no foul. OTOH, when Shannon breathed on a player, the whistle blew. I am at a loss.

DMJ’s Invisible Cloak finally started to slip – she was called for her FIRST foul at 2:48 in the second quarter. She probably had at least six by then – I lost count. LJ demonstrated that scoring is the best revenge, hitting both of her free throws. Sue missed two shots. Wince. Betty got both rebounds. Given how poorly we were rebounding at that point, I was amazed we were within three. Sue tried to set up Swin – didn’t work.

Thompson scored. Sue and Swin talked, with Sue saying, “My bad,” about the missed opportunity. She seemed much more relaxed tonight, even if she did miss some shots. T whistled for a foul on a Milton-Jones rebound. LJ took exception to the foul and was whistled for a technical, much to the rage of the fans. Thompson hit the technical, DMJ her free throws. Seattle down by eight. Unhappy fans.

Swin took a crazy three-point shot and the rebound was a hot mess, ending up with T on the floor. Another whistle. T just sat there, calmly gazing up at the refs, waiting to hear what they'd come up with next, as LJ and Thompson helped her up. Foul on Betty. T hit both free throws. Talk about a clutch player. Parker missed a jump shot, but DMJ got the rebound. Thompson called on traveling – I think she was trying to get a foul called, but the ref didn’t buy it. T missed a three. 32-38 LA at the half.

Halftime: Nice extensive montage from the Storm Dance Troupe, although, in retrospect, I’ll bet they wished they’d planned this for some other evening. Each kid got a solo. The jazz dance solos were beautifully danced, but boring – pirouette, jete, and kick. The hip-hop solos were great. One of the captains actually mixes the Dance Troupe’s music. This went on a little longer than it should have.

The Storm spent a LOT of time in the locker room at the half. BAD halftime stats. We were shooting 27%! The Sparks beat us in everything except steals. Eleven rebounds to their twenty-five? Ugh. The good news? We were playing badly and STILL within reach.

The (not very tall) ball guy blocked one of Bobbitt’s shots during warm-up. She gave him a dirty look, but also looked amused. I’d like to see him try that on LJ.

Third Quarter
Starters back in. LJ picked up her third “foul” on a made DMJ basket. DMJ put down the free throw. Storm down by NINE. Ugh. LJ got revenge on a sweet little turnaround jumper. Betty scored on the next possession for them. Lauren and Swin both missed shots. Thompson had a brief interlude when she had a hard time hanging onto the ball – a turnover and a missed shot. Sue sank a THREE. Fans up and screaming. Timeout LA. Betty turned the ball over, but made up for it by grabbing the rebound off of Swin’s missed shot. Sue rebounded Thompson’s shot. It’s great that the guards were doing all of this (well, not great that BL was), but where were the forwards?

Seattle went on a mini-scoring run, jump shots by Lauren and Tanisha and a layup by Sue, only answered with a jump shot from Thompson, thanks to two more turnovers from the Sparks. Storm within two. Offense went flat again for about a minute – a foul by Swin, turnovers and missed shots. Lauren made a layup to tie us up. Thompson answered. Sue hit a THREE! Seattle ahead! Fans went crazy. CP finally scored on a layup.

Bobbitt picked Shannon’s pocket and scored on a layup. She is annoying. Shannon was steamed. Next play, she drove to the basket and drew the foul – on Bobbitt. It’s fun to watch Shannon play, because she’s so crafty. Only sank one free throw, sadly. CP hit a jump shot to close the quarter. She was starting to look a bit better, not the player she was, but better. 52-53 LA.

Fourth Quarter
LA went on their own mini-run, buckets from Thompson (a three) and Hayden. Lauren whistled for her fourth foul, much to the rage of the fans. It seemed like whenever Seattle started to get momentum, out came the whistle. Meanwhile, BL had NUMEROUS fouls that weren’t called on defense, and DMJ was hacking and slashing her way through our front court. Whatever.

Camille put in a bank shot – VERY pretty. Bobbitt missed a shot, grabbed her own rebound and missed another shot. How tall is she? 5’ 2” on a good day? BL committed her SEVENTH turnover. Loved her energy and shooting when she played for us, but I don’t miss watching her throw the ball out of bounds. Lauren and Hayden traded jump shots. 56-60 with 6:30 to go.

Swin drew a foul against Parker, sank a free throw, and then had to wait around for ten seconds while the refs debated something – clock time, I think. She missed her second free throw, but DMJ committed a lane violation, and she sank the “retake.” Well, even a broken clock is right twice per day, REFS. Parker TOTALLY overacts when called on a foul. Oh, the humanity.

Betty turned the ball over AGAIN, thanks to a steal from Tanisha. Camille went up for layup, but was “blocked” by DMJ THAT TOTALLY SHOULD HAVE BEEN A FOUL. Grrrr. Tanisha picked up her FIFTH foul – ouch. She was playing such tough, tough defense, it’s hard to say whether that was a foul, but I saw her completely roughing up Noelle Quinn elsewhere in the game without getting called, so, okay, whatever. Parker sank both free throws. Damn it. I could practically see the rust spots dropping off. Shannon came in. T sat.

Lauren hit a beautiful layup. Parker hit a turnaround jumper. Wisdom-Hylton missed a shot. She killed us last time, nice to see her playing more like a rookie. Lauren sank a THREE off of a nice pass by Camille. Seattle ahead again. Talk about a roller coaster.

Lots of missed shots. We forced a shot-clock turnover. The arena erupted. For some reason, we really love those. Pressure, pressure defense. Swin fouled BL. She hit both her shots. Clarence was practically crying. LA up by one, inside of a minute. Seattle timeout. We went to Tanisha for a driving layup. She hit. Wow, haven’t we seen this before somewhere?

T fouled out. NOOOOOO!!!!!!! Maj Forsberg soundly booed. That was a stupid call. Let them play! Quinn only hit ONE of her shots. All tied up. The arena started breathing again. Sue missed a three- she was looking for Swin, but couldn’t find her. We headed into overtime.

First Overtime
Lauren outjumped Parker again. Frankly, TT or DMJ should be taking those jumps, since CP doesn’t have the spring in her legs. What, did I give LA constructive criticism? Never mind! Sue missed a jump shot.

Shannon stole the ball from Quinn, who fouled her. Love that savvy. Shannon missed a free throw. Wince. DMJ left unguarded under basket, scored an easy layup. Quinn scored. Seattle down by four.

Timeout Seattle. Swin drove, drew a foul on Parker, sank both free throws. Quinn scored again. LA up by three. 1:45 to go. Lauren whistled on her fifth foul. Shannon BURIED a three! The arena erupted. Thompson tried to draw a foul, but got called on traveling for her FIFTH turnover. She was TICKED. We were unsympathetic. Quinn scored. 45.2 seconds to go, LA up by two. Camille found herself open and SCORED on a driving layup. LA called a timeout, but couldn’t convert. All tied up at 75 apiece.
Second Overtime
LA got possession of that jump ball. Parker scored. Camille hit a running bank shot. Quinn scored and converted the +1 on a foul from Sue. Camille hit another running bank shot. She was so impressive, holding her own against taller, larger (esp. Hayden), stronger players.

DOUBLE TECHNICAL against Lauren and DMJ. Lauren ejected. Damn it. 2:51 to go. Fans furious, incensed, booing. Didn’t really see what happened, but, honestly, DMJ had about eleven fouls the way she was draped over LJ’s neck, but hardly got any calls. She smirked. Fans booed some more. JB came in and was promptly whistled for a foul. Someone seriously needs to audit these refs. Betty scored.

Long, long, long ninety seconds with no scoring. Seattle was scrapping, looked great, but the shots weren’t falling. Seattle still down by three and SUE DRAINED A THREE to bring us even!!! Bedlam. The announcer didn’t tell us to make some noise, the roof was coming off of its own accord.

Cooper called a timeout and the bench galloped out excitedly. Sue was pummeled, hugged, happy. This is when I first noticed the “Indy car” work on Camille (great analogy, guys), who must’ve been cramping up something awful, because she was gulping Gatorade and had a trainer massaging each leg.

The Seattle Clamp Defense went into full swing. Parker froze up and Thompson missed two shots and we were heading into THIRD overtime. Holy moly.

Third Overtime
Thompson hit a three right out of the gate, but Sue came back with a I DON’T THINK SO and buried one of her own. Tied again. She just seemed to move into another place. Swin scored on running bank shot. Seattle AHEAD! Sue hit ANOTHER three. Hysteria. Seattle up by five! LA just couldn’t get anything going. Betty missed a three. Milton-Jones FOULED OUT. FINALLY! Good riddance! Much whining when she stomped off. Harrower fouled Camille. Double-swish. Seattle by seven! Cooper called a timeout. Agler got into the act, waving his arms at the crowd, urging us to cheer (not that we needed it). I’ve never seen him so animated. Great to see. The fans were going insane.

Hayden missed a layup. Sue hit ANOTHER THREE. Seattle up by TEN with just over fifty seconds to go. Fans were screaming, joyous, jumping up and down like maniacs. Hayden missed a jump shot. SWIN hit a three. Seattle up by THIRTEEN, after trailing most of the game. Seattle backed off on defense, letting the clock run out. Thompson hit a bank shot. Fine. Game over – Seattle wins, 98-87. Agler came roaring out onto the court to hug Sue and Shannon. Great to see, especially since he seems much harsher this season.

Notes:
Post-game interviews with Agler, Sue and Swin. Agler sounded positively choked up and told Dick not to keep “these girls” up too late, as they had planes to catch. All of them thanked the fans.

Camille was a warrior under the basket. She just didn’t let anything stop her, not cramps, not fouls, not size, not anything.

T continues to be my exemplar for mental toughness. She doesn’t react, she doesn’t engage, she doesn’t get emotional. She just plays.

Shannon was amazing, too. She totally stepped up and filled the gap T's absence created. Age? Soreness? Uh-uh.

Sue was in another world during the third OT.

The Dance Troupe came out like champions every single interval and time out, but toward the end, even they were looking tired.

Amazing game, everyone. Rest up.