The Storm were down 9 at the half. There was quiet confidence in the crowd. We knew our team was going to make adjustments at halftime and the 3rd quarter was going to look different. And it did. The Storm won the 3rd 22-12 giving us a 1-point lead going into the 4th.

The first minute and a half of the 4th brought a Storm 7-0 run that included 2 Storm steals for buckets, an and-1 on a Parker foul, then a block by Suzy that led to a Sue-Suzy assist-basket. Timeout Sparks. It was on that last play that I was cheering so hard, I strained a muscle in my back. No joke. I needed that timeout as much as L.A. did!

Even without the muscle strain, I knew I couldn’t take a 7th overtime this year. The 2009 Storm are the WNBA’s cardiac kids.

The Sparks regain their poise and work their back. As the 4th comes to a close, the teams are trading baskets. With 53 seconds left, the score is tied. Then in what felt like an eye-blink, L.A. scores a basket, gets a turnover and a foul, and bang. Just like that, there are 14.7 seconds left and the Sparks are up by 4.

Agler calls a timeout.

He called it to set a play, but those of us in the arena needed it too. We felt the season slipping away. In the stands, we turned to each other. We didn’t have anything to say; our expressions said it all.

Coming out of that Storm timeout, the clapping in the crowd was of the “We love you no matter what” variety. “Thank you for the season, for all you’ve given us.” “We’re going to miss you, but look forward to welcoming you back next year.” There wasn’t much time left to get in our last goodbyes.

There are 14.7 seconds left. Let’s run the play.

T inbounds to Bird. Bird gets the defense in the air, steps under it to her left, and… sinks the 3!!! The crowd goes nuts! Down by just one now, we are NOT done yet! How many last minute 3s has Sue had this year? We really can’t be surprised by this. Really.

After the basket, with 10.7 on the clock, L.A.calls a timeout. Once again, in the stands, we’re looking at each other, but this time we had words. Lots of words, but not a lot of complete sentences. Words we’ve heard LJ use a lot, but this time used in amazement and wonder, not frustration.

For us season ticket holders, we’ve shared the ups and downs all season with the people who sit around us. They’re part of our Storm family. Take all of those ups and downs and focus them like a laser beam. That’s what the last seconds of what was looking like the last game of the season felt like. Shared with a community of 9,000 in this way was like magnifying that laser beam.

Here we go. L.A. is ready to inbound the ball. Set the defense. The whistle blows. Out of nowhere, Camille flies into the passing lane, harasses the ball-handler, tips the ball to T, who feeds it back to Camille for the lay in. The Storm are up by 1 with 5.0 on the clock. The arena is deafening! Little’s defense has been there all year. I couldn’t have scripted it better. Unbelievable!!!

L.A. timeout. High fives all over the Key! By this point, I’ve been yelling so loudly, my voice is almost gone. (It sounds like I haven’t been training all season for this, doesn’t it? No voice and a strained muscle…)

Let’s finish this baby. L.A. inbounds, Leslie, with A-Rob in her face, puts up a clunker, Milton-Jones grabs the offensive rebound, and the put-back misses. Buzzer sounds! STORM WIN!!! STORM WIN!!!!

Now we truly are speechless. Maybe I’m not the only one who’s lost her voice. With promises to see each other Sunday afternoon, we file out… to recuperate.

Leaving the arena, there were long lines at the ticket windows to get tickets to Sunday’s game. Order your tickets. You’re not going to want to miss it!