With the All-Star break as a backdrop, lots of great writing featuring the Storm on the Internet and in the papers. In case you missed it, here are some links.

- Obviously, the big story was Swin Cash being named MVP of the All-Star Game. Brian Martin of WNBA.com wrote about what being MVP meant to Cash.

“I think it’s more of like a step in the right direction,” she said. “I don’t feel like I’m done and validating something means like, ‘Aha, I’m back.’ I feel like I have a ways to go. I’m still working on it and still trying to get there.

“I don’t feel like I’m at the point where I’m playing my best basketball. But that’s also good because it means I have room for improvement and that’s my focus, just getting better every day.”

- Even before she won MVP honors, Jayda Evans was looking at Cash’s return to the All-Star Game in the context of her rehab from back surgery and a tough offseason for her.

“I didn’t want to have something defeat me,” said Cash of why she hesitated. “But I was having problems and I knew if I was better I could help the team so much more. I didn’t want to stop playing and hope it got better. I didn’t want to go into that same cycle again.”

- Cash was also a part of one of the big All-Star stories – the number of UConn alumnae on the floor. Graham Hays of ESPN.com wrote about the friendship of Sue Bird and Diana Taurasi.

“Now I think she knows how good she is,” Taurasi said. “Sue — and I always tell her — her weakness is how passive she is sometimes. She has the ability to dominate games, but she’s always on the court with some pretty dominant people, so she prefers to kind of be the side part. And I think in the last two or three years, she knows she can take games over single-handedly. And I think she does it more, and she’s more confident doing it. And I don’t see any reason why she shouldn’t do it more.”

Also, here’s the wrap of the chat Bird and Taurasi conducted on Friday.

- Byron Edelman of SeattlePI.com has a look at the Storm’s ballkids.

“People who are interested contact me,” (Storm Direcor of Basketball Operations Missy) Bequette said. “We bring them in a gym, and we have someone actually shoot and rebound. They can’t just come out and walk after it. They’ve got to be ready to chase after it.”

- It’s not too late to look back on the Storm’s three-overtime win over Los Angeles. Sparks co-owner Kathy Goodman, who was in attendance, blogged about the game for the Los Angeles Times.

What is it between L.A. and Seattle? L.A. has had rivalries with a lot of teams — Houston, Phoenix, Detroit — but there is nothing like when we play Seattle. L.A.’s all-time record against Seattle is 17-16; well, after tonight, 17-17. We are just two teams that, on any given night, anything can happen. I was not exactly counting on 13 ties, 12 lead changes and three overtimes though. But everyone got their money’s worth in Key Arena tonight.

The always-insightful Q of Rethinking Basketball blogged his take, looking primarily at the perspective of L.A. and whether the Sparks can make a run at a playoff spot in the second half of the season (I still believe they can). Of course, the atmosphere was also part of his post.

The energy at Key Arena last Wednesday was amazing. It’s not often in life that you get the privilege of being present for a triple overtime game that is as well played as the Sparks-Storm game was (especially in the 4th quarter and overtime(s)). It got so good that Bird’s third overtime run was almost anti-climactic — it felt as though a last second jumper would have been more befitting for the game.

- Lastly, Leanne of the Rave and Review blog has an account of her first Storm game and how much she and her family enjoyed the atmosphere. Share this with anyone you know who’s on the fence about coming out to KeyArena.

Not only are the games very kid-friendly and family-oriented, I don’t think there’s a bad seat in the Key Arena during a Seattle Storm game, which makes watching the game for kiddos so much more enjoyable. Even in the gigantic Key, it somehow still manages to feel intimate and the whole event seems really accessible. Partly that is due to the atmosphere of the arena and the very friendly nature of the Seattle Storm fanbase. They were a “no, after you” kind of group and the kind of folks that will hand you paper towels when they can see you have your hands full with two kids in the restroom.

This entry was posted on Monday, July 27th, 2009 at 3:54 pm 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.