The playoffs are a day away. Get ready.

Jackson’s fine, really, but thanks for asking – Jayda Evans, Seattle Times

“Every day I get asked that question. Every single day, whether it’s from just a fan or media or teammates or anybody — It’s, ‘How are you feeling?’ ” Jackson said before releasing a sigh.

She’s the organization’s all-time leading scorer, averaging 20.5 points this summer.

“I understand the concern, but I feel good,” she continued. “I feel really good and I’m pretty focused, ready to go.”

Storm vs. Sparks: How the teams match up – Jayda Evans, Seattle Times

Power forwards

Storm F Lauren Jackson 20.5 ppg, 8.3 rpg: Became the WNBA’s third all-time leading scorer in season finale (5,757 points).

Sparks F DeLisha Milton-Jones 15.4 ppg, 4.7 rpg: Two-time champion (Sparks) averaged 19.8 points in August.

EDGE: Seattle.

And the winner is … My WNBA postseason award picks – Jayda Evans, seattletimes.com Women’s Hoops Blog

I did agonize over the Bonner pick, but went with Storm G Svetlana Abrosimova because of her versatility, not overall stats. She really did whatever needed, including helping Seattle seal the overall top seed in a win against Atlanta. And, unlike Bonner to me, the value ranged from scoring to running the offense to quickly getting rookie Jana Vesela acquainted during her first stint in America.

So, Abrosimova was my Sixth Woman of the Year.

Believe this: The worst is over for Seattle sports – Steve Kelley, Seattle Times

There are signs everywhere that sports in Seattle are emergent.

The Storm has had a historically good season and enters the playoffs as the overwhelming favorite to win its second WNBA title. This franchise is an example of what a team can do when it surrounds three superstars with hungry veterans who know how to play.

WNBA End of Season Awards: Where Value is Defined by Unbelievability – Q McCall, SwishAppeal.com

Now, with all that out of the way, how exactly would you prepare your team for a 6′5″ player that not only does normal center things like rebounding and blocking shots but also shoots nearly 35% from the three point line and 91% from the free throw line?

Consider that a rhetorical question: I don’t have an answer, no coach I spoke with this year had a clear answer, and Minnesota Lynx coach Cheryl Reeve wondered why anybody would even consider there to be a MVP “race” at all.

What the Storm Learned About the Sparks on Saturday: ‘You’re Seeing More of a Complete Team’ – Nate Parham, SB Nation Seattle

As much as Saturday’s win was a celebration of the Storm completing their regular season 17-0 at home and tying the record for most wins in WNBA history, it was just as much an indication that the rest of the league is closing the gap on the team with home court advantage throughout the playoffs. As the Storm prepare for the playoffs, the fact that they had a rough fourth quarter against an improving first round opponent is not exactly a reason for panic, but definitely a sign that the road ahead is a bit more perilous that some people might give it credit for.

Series Preview: Storm vs. Sparks – Frank Della Femina, WNBA.com

In head-to-head play, the Seattle Storm swept the regular season series 5-0, a true indication that there is still some discontent for the Sparks after getting bounced in the first round of the playoffs in 2008 and 2009. While the Sparks may have a good amount of experience invested in three starters, the Storm has more experienced depth than the Sparks. With the exception of rookies Abby Bishop, Alison Lacey and Jana Vesela, no other players on the Storm possess less than three years experience in the league. Apply that same three-year window to the Sparks and you’ll find six players have three or less years worth of experience. Not to mention, while the Sparks were battling for a playoff spot behind their regular starters, the Storm rookies were able to get a few minutes on the hardwood to shake off some of those rookie jitters in games that didn’t carry much weight on postseason chances. It might not be much, but it still gives the Storm a slight edge.

Stay Away from the Storm, Leave Better Tix for the Rest of Us – Seth Kolloen, TheSunbreak.com

If you are going to the Storm just to see what it’s like, or because it’s suddenly trendy, don’t bother.

Doesn’t worry me: The fewer people who go, the better seats I’ll get.

On the other hand, if you want to join a few thousand rowdy, passionate fans in screaming your head off in support of skillful Sue Bird, talented Lauren Jackson, energetic Swin Cash–and against The Hated Los Angeles Sparks–come on along.

Jackson joined Elise Woodward on Sports Radio 950 KJR AM last night to talk about the playoffs.

Cash chats on seattletimes.com today at 2:30 p.m. Don’t miss it!

This entry was posted on Tuesday, August 24th, 2010 at 11:12 am and is filed under in the media. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.