Because of today’s incredible demand for Storm championship merchandise, we’re happy to announce additional hours for the Storm Team Shop on KeyArena’s West Plaza (off of 1st Ave. N.). The Team Shop will be open Thursday from 11:30 a.m. to 6:30 p.m., then again on Saturday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Remember, you’ve still got a couple of hours to get down to the Team Shop today if you can’t make it on Thursday or Saturday. It will stay open until 7 p.m. this evening.
Visit the Storm Team Shop on KeyArena’s West Plaza (off of 1st Ave. N.) this Wednesday, Sept. 22 from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. to get your 2010 WNBA championship gear. Brand new championship shirts, hats and novelty items will be available for purchase.
Remember this unbelievable season with exclusive 2010 WNBA championship gear!
Gameday for Game 3 of the WNBA Finals in Atlanta.
Lauren Jackson has something to prove – Jayda Evans, Seattle Times
Seattle faces Atlanta in a possible series-clinching Game 3 of the best-of-five WNBA Finals at Philips Arena on Thursday. If the Storm wins, Jackson has another notch in her “told you so” belt she can use to spank past doubters.
The ones in New South Wales, Australia, who believed she was just a tall three-point shooter with inadequate skills for her growing stature.
Dream hopes extra rest pays off – Jayda Evans, Seattle Times
The Storm reviewed game film on Wednesday, but did not practice.
“The logic behind taking that redeye was we don’t usually calm down after a game anyway,” Dream coach Marynell Meadors said. “We might as well get on the flight and get back to Atlanta, get home and get to our surroundings. I hope it’s going to work out really well for us.”
Dream talks big about going home to Atlanta – Mike Allende, The News Tribune
One group feeling pretty good, despite trailing, is Atlanta. The Dream thinks it still has a shot with the series heading back to its home.
“We are confident going home that we can win,” Atlanta forward Iziane Marques Castro said. “It was a 2-point game and a 3-point game. We think we can win at home with our fans cheering for us.”
Storm can wrap up WNBA title with win tonight – Charles Odum, Associated Press (via Everett Herald)
To rally from the 2-0 deficit in the best-of-five series, the Atlanta players say they must do a better job against Seattle’s Lauren Jackson, who scored 26 points in each of the Storm’s opening wins. Game 3 of the series is tonight in Atlanta.
“It’s very important to slow her down, at least make her work harder for her shots,” said Atlanta’s Iziane Castro Marques. ‘We know she’s a great player and she’s going to bring it every time. We just have to make her work and if she makes it, she’s a great player. Nothing we can do about that.”
Meadors hopes Dream rebound to win WNBA title – Pierce W. Huff, Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Marynell Meadors is a 67-year-old woman who has been a basketball coach for 36 years and has made a name for herself building and rebuilding struggling women’s teams and programs. As coach and general manager of the Dream, Meadors has transformed a team that was 4-30 two years ago and placed it in the WNBA finals.
But now she wants more. She wants to win a championship. That is the thing that drives her. It is the reason why she has looked emotionally and physically drained after each of the Dream’s two losses to Seattle in the WNBA finals.
NBA TV goes inside the locker rooms after Game 2:
Sue Bird joined former Storm color analyst Elise Woodward last night on SportsRadio 950 KJR AM.
Hear the highlights of last night’s game from the 1150 AM KKNW broadcast and play-by-play broadcaster Dick Fain.
- Camille Little scores and is fouled in transition
- Swin Cash knocks down a key three-pointer late in the game
- Atlanta can’t get off a shot before the buzzer and the Storm holds on for victory
Recapping the Storm’s win in Game 2 of the WNBA Finals.
Seattle Storm shows city still loves great basketball – Steve Kelley, Seattle Times
They awakened the echoes inside KeyArena. They made this new/old barn shake in a way it hasn’t since 2005.
It virtually was seismic.
These Storm players reminded the 13,898 inside the Key’s caldron just how important professional basketball is to this town.
Storm is one win from WNBA title – Jayda Evans, Seattle Times
Seattle used textbook defensive pressure late to prevent a talented Atlanta team from pulling off an upset, winning Game 2 of the best-of-five WNBA Finals 87-84. The Storm, bumped in the opening round of its previous five postseason appearances, is now just one victory from winning its second championship.
KeyArena fans love Castro Marques – to a point – Jayda Evans, Seattle Times
Castro Marques was a pool of tears in 2009 when she was presented with a bouquet of flowers, honored for being named to the Storm’s All Decade team.
“They love Izzy here,” said Atlanta coach Marynell Meadors before Game 2 of the WNBA Finals on Tuesday. “For a while she couldn’t play here because she was so emotional. When they gave her roses, I said, ‘She’s done!’ She’s got tears and I’m going, ‘Izzy, forget it.’ This year she’s matured into an Atlanta Dream player.”
Seattle beats Atlanta to take 2-0 lead in Finals – Tim Booth, Associated Press (seattlepi.com)
When it was over, the coach focused on the bottom line: The Storm are just one win away from their second WNBA title.
“It’s almost like everyone is disgusted with how we’ve played the last two games,” Agler said. “The point is, we’re up 2-0.”
No bad Dream; Storm nears another title – Mike Allende, The News Tribune
Seattle improved to 21-0 at home, but just as in Game 1 there was nothing easy about it. Atlanta’s defense pressured the Storm from the start, and the Dream crashed the glass hard, limiting Seattle’s second-chance points. But Storm coach Brian Agler said that people are too focused on what his team didn’t do, and not recognizing what it did do.
Storm wins another nailbiter – Aaron Lommers, Everett Herald
The Atlanta Dream aren’t making it easy on the Seattle Storm.
The KeyArena crowd isn’t making in easy on the Dream.
Lauren Jackson leads Storm to 2-0 start – Mechelle Voepel, ESPN.com
The Dream still ended up the worse for wear against the league MVP and her team, as the Storm held off Atlanta a second consecutive time. In Seattle’s 87-84 Game 2 victory, Jackson had 26 points and seven rebounds.
She earned 13 of her points at the foul line, as the Dream did what they could to hamper Jackson’s outside looks — she had one 3-pointer Tuesday compared to four on Sunday — and forced her to earn most of what she got by paying a physical price inside for it.
Can Dream get win and extend series? – Mechelle Voepel, ESPN.com
The Atlanta Dream players probably feel they’ve made two hefty payments on a mortgage, but neither one actually touched the principle. It was all interest. Now, they’ll have to come up with three even bigger sums.
The property they are hoping to get their hands on is the WNBA Finals trophy, but it looks closer to being in Seattle’s grasp. Still, the Storm don’t have it just yet. So there’s still time for the Dream to wrest it away.
Scrappy Storm on verge of WNBA title – Michelle Smith, Fanhouse.com
Seattle took a 2-0 lead in the series with Tuesday night’s 87-84 victory at Key Arena, seemingly poised to finish where it started this season — as the top team in the league.
But the Dream didn’t make it easy for the Storm. Late-game heroics by Sue Bird and Swin Cash secured wins for Seattle on the home court. Still, Atlanta has proven that it belongs in this series.
The problem for the Dream is this … Seattle doesn’t need it to be easy.
Storm Just Makes Plays to Win Game Two – Nate Parham, SBN Seattle
Nobody will tell you that the Seattle Storm’s 87-84 win over the Atlanta Dream in KeyArena tonight was an example of how beautiful basketball can be.
“Sometimes, especially in final games of any sort, championship games, it’s never going to be — you can’t expect it to be — pretty,” said Storm point guard Sue Bird, who finished with eight points and four assists. “You’re not going to go out there and win by 20 and everything’s going to be honky-dory; it’s just not going to happen. You gotta grind it out.”
Cash Helps Storm Collect 2-0 Finals Lead – Scott Stanchak, WNBA.com
McCoughtry, the league’s third-leading scorer in 2010, finished the game with 21 points, which is a fraction less than her average (21.1 ppg) for the regular season.
“She’s a high-volume shooter. She’s going to take a lot of shots regardless of who’s guarding her,” Cash said. “The thing is every shot that I’m in her space or (Tanisha Wright) is in her space we have a hand up, she’s taking a tough shot. If she makes a miraculous, turn-around 360 then hey, we can live with that.”
Dream Hoping Return Home Can Spark Turnaround – Frank Della Femina, WNBA.com
The hole is deep but not insurmountable. The Dream is still alive in Atlanta.
Tuesday’s 87-84 loss to the Storm at KeyArena in Seattle makes it a must-win situation for the remainder of the best-of-five series for the Atlanta Dream. After opening up the series on the road in front of the rabid Seattle fans, members of the Dream are looking forward to the opportunity to turn the tides on the Storm back home at Philips Arena in Atlanta.
A Night at the WNBA Finals – M. Haubs, The Painted Area
With the FIBA World Championship concluding on Sunday, I decided to keep the September basketball overload going by attending Game 2 of the WNBA Finals on Tuesday night. The Seattle Storm defeated the Atlanta Dream 87-84 in an electric atmosphere at KeyArena with 13,898 in attendance. Seattle took a 2-0 lead in the best-of-five series, and ran its overall season record to 34-6, including a perfect 21-0 at home.
NBA TV goes All Access on Game 2:
Aaron Last/Storm Photos
Foul trouble took Swin Cash out of Game 1 of the WNBA Finals. She wasn’t about to let that story be repeated in Game 2. Instead, Cash supplied energy at both ends throughout the game, helping power the Storm to an 87-84 victory and a 2-0 series lead.
“Swin’s a gamer,” said Sue Bird. “In big games, Swin likes to step up and play well. I think last game, with the foul trouble, she never really got into her rhythm. Swin is also a big rhythm player. I was not surprised by her play tonight. I’m sure you’ll talk to her and she’ll talk about her free throws at the end and I’m sure she’ll mention other (mistakes), but she had some big plays when we needed them offensively and defensively.”
For Cash, the first hurdle to get over was just staying on the floor. She picked up three fouls in the first quarter of Game 1, then sat during the fourth quarter when she drew number five. As a result, Cash played just 19 minutes. She was itching to have a bigger impact this time around. As it turned out, Cash was the only starter on either team not to commit at least two fouls in the first half.
“I was jumping for joy,” she said, “thinking, ‘I’m still out here on the floor.’ For me, it was great to be out there and playing and enjoying the game.”
Instead of being called for fouls, this time around Cash was drawing them. She was responsible for one of the four charges the Storm drew in the first half, and also made it to the free throw line five seven times.
Cash’s biggest offensive contributions came during the second quarter. With Bird and Lauren Jackson on the bench, the Storm went on a 7-0 run to erase an early deficit. Cash scored eight of her 19 points in a two-minute stretch of the period, showing off her varied offensive skill set. She made a three-pointer, hit a turnaround out of the post and also completed a traditional three-point play.
“That was huge,” said Bird. “When you have your point guard, your leader, and you have your best player on the bench and the team is just flowing and playing and really did better than when we were in the game, that’s huge.”
As her long-time teammate expected, Cash deferred any credit.
“When I was open, I took the shots and was able to make them,” she said. “I just tried to stay aggressive.”
With the Storm trying to salt the game away, Cash came up with another big bucket late in the game. Her three-pointer from the corner with 2:10 left to play pushed the Storm’s lead to eight points, the team’s largest of the night.
Cash was disappointed she came up empty at the free throw line with 2.2 seconds left. Her pair of misses left the door open for Atlanta, but without a timeout the Dream never even got up a tying shot attempt.
“For me, it’s a 40-minute game,” said Cash. That’s just a lack of focus.
What was a 40-minute performance – or at least a 33-minute performance, the amount of time she spent on the floor – was Cash’s defense against Atlanta star Angel McCoughtry. Cash got plenty of help from teammate Tanisha Wright and other players who defended McCoughtry following switches, but she was the biggest reason the Dream’s leading scorer finished with 21 points but was was limited to 7-of-23 shooting.
“My goal coming in was to try to hold her under a certain number,” explained Cash, who declined to name the number. “She’s a high-volume shooter. She’s going to take a lot of shots regardless of who’s guarding her. But every shot that I’m in her space, T’s in her space and we have a hand up, she’s taking tough shots. If she’s making ridiculous, turnaround 360s, we can live with that.”
Until getting a pair of buckets in the final minute, nearly every look McCoughtry got was difficult. She missed nine of her first 10 shot attempts and was 2-of-8 from the field in the second half, scoring seven points.
“She’s so athletic she can literally jump over you, so you just have to make it hard,” said Bird. “Swin knows that. She knows you’re not necessarily going to block the shot or get the steal. You just have to make it hard. I think Swin did a great job of staying in plays and not fouling. She did well.”
Gov. Gregoire
Per sports tradition, Washington Governor Chris Gregoire has made a friendly wager with her counterpart from Georgia, Governor Sonny Perdue, on the outcome of the WNBA Finals matchup between the Storm and the Atlanta Dream. The stakes? Gov. Perdue has offered a box of Georgia peaches against a box of Washington apples from Gov. Gregoire.
“I’m convinced that Governor Perdue hasn’t seen the Seattle Storm in action – otherwise he wouldn’t jump at this bet,” Gov. Gregoire said in a press release. “The team has truly been an inspiration this season and I’m confident that their drive for success will bring home the WNBA championship. We all know Washington grows the best apples, but our peaches are also first rate. So if Governor Perdue has any ice cream in his freezer I recommend he sends that too, because I like my peach cobbler a la mode.”
Gov. Gregoire attended the Storm’s win over Tulsa earlier this season.
Hours away from Game 2 of the WNBA Finals. Pass the time with these stories.
Amped-up fans a key for Storm in WNBA Finals? – Jayda Evans, Seattle Times
The Storm placed white rally towels on the lower-bowl seats and fans whipped them with more vigor than a chef making meringue. The sight stirred something in Cash, a Pittsburgh Steelers die-hard.
“When they started waving those flags, it reminded me of Heinz Field,” said Cash, a native of McKeesport, Pa. “We have the terrible towel, the yellow one. When you see that going, it’s such an emotional thing where you get into the game and get going.”
Shootaround with the Storm’s Lauren Jackson – Don Shelton, Seattle Times
Q: You drove teammate Abby Bishop to the hospital Monday after she was injured in practice. Tell me how you felt when you saw her down on the floor?
LJ: Abby is a good friend of mine and my teammate, so seeing her get hurt like that was rather upsetting, especially because she really is as tough as nails. I would definitely do that for any teammates. We are all very close friends. Whenever someone gets hurt or has to go to the hospital even for MRIs and the like, Brian (coach Brian Agler) and our trainer Tom (Spencer) are there for every visit. We have a very caring team, and it starts right from the top!
WNBA Finals notes: Agler “disappointed” Bird not first team WNBA – Todd Dybas, seattlepi.com
The coach was learning form reporters that Bird was named to the second team and admittedly made his statements without knowing the members of the first team. Not that it would have mattered.
“Now, there’s a lot of people who evaluate what a good job is and what is not,” Agler said. “I think a lot of times people look at numbers. To me as a coach and knowing who we’re talking about there is no one who does it better.”
Storm’s Sue Bird is one cold-blooded shooter – Mike Allende, The News Tribune
On Sunday, in Game 1 of the WNBA Finals with a screaming crowd of 15,000-plus at KeyArena practically passing out with excitement, Bird stood relaxed with the ball in her hand. Why panic? She’s been there before. Heck, she was there last week.
The scoreboard read 77-77 and the clock ticked from 20 seconds to 5 when Bird finally made her move. She drove Atlanta guard Armintie Price into a Lauren Jackson screen near the free-throw line, stepped back just a bit and took an 18-foot jump shot. It nestled in the net with 2.6 seconds remaining, just as she planned.
Dream to stick to game plan Tuesday – Mechelle Voepel, ESPN.com
When asked what she’d need to do Tuesday, McCoughtry gave an initial three-phrase response, almost as if answering in a kind of basketball haiku:
Just gotta stay out of foul trouble
Try to stay on the floor as much as possible.
Help the team win.
Sue Bird deserved first-team honor – Mechelle Voepel, ESPN.com
As you might expect, Seattle’s Sue Bird shrugged good-naturedly at the news that she wasn’t on the all-WNBA first team.
That, however, was not my reaction. Bird a second-team honoree? I was irritated. How do you not have the WNBA’s best point guard on the first team in a season when the Storm had the best record in the league?
Jackson, Bird Makes Near-Perfect Storm – Jeremy Stone, Yahoo! Sports
The fans kept coming. The stars stayed together. Their reward has been an unbeaten 2010 at home heading into Tuesday’s Game 2 of the WNBA Finals against the Atlanta Dream at KeyArena.
“There is something gratifying about this year because in most cases, it’s harder to do it the second time, the third time, if you’re lucky enough, than it is the first,” Bird said. “The first, you get there, and at times you can forget how hard it was to get back. For us, it was hard to get back here.
Abrosimova Embraces Role on Seattle Bench – Scott Stanchak, WNBA.com
“Tell me about your role as the sixth woman on this team?”
It was a simple question, one that caused Seattle Storm forward Svetlana Abrosimova to smile and laugh.
“Sixth woman,” she responded. “I’ve never heard that but I like it.”
Storm Practice Notebook – Scott Stanchak, WNBA.com
The Storm may be gearing up to rain threes on the Dream on Tuesday night. At practice they played a game where, collectively, they had to make 100 3-pointers before they could move on. The task was completed; however, I caught the end of the game so I can’t report what their shooting percentage was. Seattle’s 36.9 percent from behind the arc was second-best in the league this season.
Bird Might Have Deserved the All-WNBA First Team Honor, but She’s Focused on Other Things – Nate Parham, SBN Seattle
When I first informed Seattle Storm director of player development and scouting Jenny Boucek about point guard Sue Bird being named to the All-WNBA Second Team, her immediate response was a look of disbelief.
After telling her the list of players who made the First Team, she came up with a simple response.
“It has to be by position?” she asked, to which I responded in the affirmative. “To me there’s no point guards on there — she’s the best point guard in the league this year.”
Little Things Mean a Lot: How Unsung Heroes Stepped Up in Game 1 – Q McCall, SwishAppeal.com
Not giving ground as McCoughtry sized her up, Little stayed on her toes, moved her feet and was able to keep the league’s leading playoff scorer from getting past her. Yes, McCoughtry did get off a shot, but the fact that Little held her ground and kept McCoughtry from driving and setting up someone else or getting to the free throw line is what’s most important.
Confident Dream look to rebound in Game Two of WNBA Finals – Pierce W. Huff, Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Despite the obstacles, which included McCoughtry missing time and receiving three stitches to her forehead after colliding with Seattle’s Jana Vesela in the fourth quarter, the Dream only lost by two points (79-77).
That’s why the resilient and resurgent Dream are confident they can overcome their first-game jitters and tie the series at 1 when they play at Seattle tonight in Game Two.
WNBA President Donna Orender visited Northwest Sports Tonight last night.
Tune in to Evening Magazine at 7 p.m. every night this week for a Storm feature.
Storm rookie Abby Bishop suffered a concussion following Monday’s practice at KeyArena while playing a game of 3-on-3 against members of the Storm’s male practice squad. Bishop and other young reserves typically play after practice to get in some extra work. The native of Australia has yet to see action during the postseason. During the informal game, Bishop collided with one of the practice players before receiving medical attention.
“She’s going to the hospital,” Storm Head Coach Brian Agler told reporters. “She’s not feeling very well right now, so we’re going to get her checked out.”
Bishop was diagnosed with a concussion, and her status is day-to-day.
Recapping the fantastic finish in the Storm’s victory over Atlanta in Game 1 of the WNBA Finals.
Sue Bird lifts Storm in WNBA Finals opener – Jayda Evans, Seattle Times
Nearly 18 seconds ticked off the clock late in the fourth quarter with the score tied. Bird just watched as she dribbled the ball with 15,084 fans roaring inside KeyArena.
Then she attacked, as she did in AAU, high school, college and now the WNBA Finals against Atlanta, lulling Dream guard Armintie Price into a trap behind three-time MVP Lauren Jackson. It was enough to break the Storm point guard free for an 18-footer with 2.6 seconds remaining that gave Seattle a 79-77 victory in Game 1.
Sue Bird has turned into Ms. September for the Storm – Steve Kelley, Seattle Times
This is when Sue Bird wants and expects the basketball. This is when the game, sometimes even the season, belongs to her. This is when she separates herself from most of the rest of the players in her league.
So in a tie game, with 20.4 seconds left in the first of the best-of-five WNBA Finals against Atlanta on Sunday, Storm coach Brian Agler did what any smart coach would do. He put the ball in Bird’s hands and asked her, as so many of her coaches before him have done, to win a crucial basketball game.
Virtual replay: Bird jumper gives Storm season opener – Mike Allende, The News Tribune
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