In the Seattle Times, Percy Allen writes about the Storm being in position to finish the regular season strong despite playing much of it without the MVP.

During her absence, the Storm went 10-10, thanks in large part to All-Stars Swin Cash and Sue Bird, who is having an MVP-caliber season.

“We struggled some, (but) we’re still in a pretty good position,” Little said. “To be second right now and have to play half of the season without Lauren, what more can you ask for?”

Nate Parham has been working overtime to cover tonight’s game. At SwishAppeal, he looks at key players for the two teams.

Tanisha Wright, SG, Seattle Storm: In the Storm’s one loss to the Mercury since 2009, Wright was absent. One thing Wright brings the Storm is a secondary ball handler next to point guard Sue Bird or the primary ball handler next to Katie Smith. Her ability to turn in an efficient performance goes a long way to cutting down turnovers.

On SB Nation Seattle, Parham weighs the significance of whether Penny Taylor plays tonight (all indications are she will):

The Mercury set up this scenario with a 91-76 win in Phoenix over the Tulsa Shock last night with forward Penny Taylor sitting out due to ongoing bouts with back spasms. As she is day-to-day, whether Taylor is able to play could have a significant impact on the outcome of the game: she is among the most versatile small forwards in the league and has put up MVP-caliber numbers this season.

The upside from the perspective of Mercury players, as shared in the Arizona Republic today by Odeen Domingo, is the chance to control their own destiny.

“It’s a good feeling to have,” guard Diana Taurasi said. “I’ve been in the playoff hunt where you have to rely on other teams to win or lose. When you do that, you feel helpless. But we’re in a position where we decide our fate, which is real nice.”

Forgot to link this one yesterday. Former Storm guard Alison Lacey told the Canberra Times yesterday that she plans to give up professional basketball after a year apiece in the WNBA and the WNBL.

”I wasn’t as passionate as I thought I should be to be a professional athlete,” Lacey said.

”I don’t want to waste my time, my teammates or my coach’s time if it’s not my main priority.

Lastly, while this isn’t a game-related story, it’s a must read. On Forbes.com, Alana Glass profiles Force 10 Hoops, the Storm’s ownership group.

When I first met Trudeau, former Microsoft executive and current nonprofit executive, Gilder, former Olympian and current investment CEO, and Brummel, former collegiate athlete and current Microsoft executive, my first impression was that these owners are true sports fans in every sense. They didn’t soak up the limelight, and they were extremely humble and approachable. And if you didn’t know that they are owners, you would think that they are just one of the loyal fans.

In fact, Gilder and Brummel both acknowledge that they have owner’s seats on the floor, but when they bought the team neither one of them changed their season tickets. Gilder said, “I’m in row 14 section 128 because I want to be with my community and I don’t want to give that up.”

After I sat down with these accomplished entrepreneurs, who are also the defending 2010 WNBA Champions, I learned that my impressions were true. I also discovered that they are smart and savvy businesswomen who like taking on hard problems, creating startups, and spend the bulk of their time focusing on what they are going to do to make tomorrow better for everyone.

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