Storm
Points to know on Storm watch

By Jayda Evans
Seattle Times staff reporter

JIM BATES / THE SEATTLE TIMES Sue Bird, left, and Lauren Jackson helped lead the Storm into the WNBA Finals by defeating Sacramento 2-1 in the Western Conference finals.

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UNCASVILLE, Conn. — It's understandably getting crowded, but take a seat. This WNBA Finals bus is about to roll.

First stop is Game 1 tonight in Connecticut, featuring the Western Conference champion Seattle Storm against the Eastern Conference champion Connecticut Sun. One will be crowned the world champion of women's professional basketball at the end of the best-of-three-games ride.

If the Storm wins, that would break the 25-year drought since any Seattle team won a major professional sports title.

But it has come to our attention that we have some new people aboard this bus. Before we take off, are there any questions?

Q: So how did Seattle and Connecticut make it to the final?

A: The Storm defeated Sacramento 2-1 in the Western Conference finals to advance; Connecticut swept New York 2-0 to capture the Eastern Conference title.

Q: Hold on, 2-1? That's only a best-of-three series. What's up with that?

Game 1 The Seattle Storm will play the Connecticut Sun at 4:30 p.m. today. ESPN2 will broadcast the game.

A : Yes, it goes quickly. Next season, the WNBA will move to a best-of-five format. In its eighth season, the WNBA is still building and not ready for a best-of-seven playoffs like their brethren in the NBA.

Q: Wait, what happened to the Seattle Reign?

A: Whoa! That's, like, so 1998. Let's start from the beginning. The Seattle Reign was part of the American Basketball League that folded because of financial problems — another in a long line of women's basketball leagues to go under. Seattle was awarded a WNBA franchise in 2000 after securing about 5,000 season tickets.

Q: What does WNBA stand for?

A: It's the Women's National Basketball Association, a 13-team league governed by the NBA, except for the Connecticut Sun, which became the league's first privately owned team after the Mohegan tribe bought the Orlando Miracle for about $10 million and relocated it to play in its casino complex in Uncasville, Conn., last year.

Q: Who are some of the Storm stars?

A: Lauren Jackson, the MVP from last season, is a 6-foot-5 Australian averaging a playoff-leading 22.6 points and arguably the best player in the world. She's made 37 of 68 three-pointers in five playoff games, and her sweetest move is a turnaround jumper that no one can defend. All-Star guard Sue Bird is playing with a mask over her broken nose — she had surgery Monday to repair it — but still dished out an average of 6.2 assists during the playoffs. Shooter Betty Lennox will thrill you with her flashy moves, while forward Sheri Sam is one of the most complete players you'll see.

Q: Do they have nicknames?

A: Of course! Most scream LJ for Jackson (never Jacko; she'll hunt you down for that). Birdy works for Bird, and Lennox is B-Money. Reserve Alicia Thompson is Chelle. Kamila Vodichkova is Big Czech or Vodka.

Q: Who owns the Storm?

A: Starbucks guru Howard Schultz is the principal owner. Same for the Sonics.

Q: About that coach: How tall is she? Can she dunk?

A: That's Storm coach Anne Donovan hovering over everyone. She's 6-8, was a three-time Olympian and recently was the assistant coach for the gold-medal-winning team in Athens, Greece. She also was a three-time All-American at Old Dominion University, and quite the buzz back in her college days (1979-83). Now, at 42, she has been enshrined in the Basketball Hall of Fame, but no, she doesn't dunk.

Q: Can anyone dunk?

A: Storm players Lauren Jackson and Simone Edwards can dunk their shoes — does that count? The women's game is played below the rim.

Q: Do they have a fight song?

A: Nope, but a disc jockey spins the beat at most home games. Otherwise it's an array of hip-hop and house music to keep the excitement going. And a Storm video will tell you how to be a fan before the game gets started.

Q: Where does the Storm play?

A: KeyArena.

Q: Hey, what's that furry thing?

A: That's "Doppler," the Storm's mascot. Get it? It's a play on words and that's a radar device atop his head. Kids seem to like it. And it could be worse; Connecticut has "Blaze," a furry orange thing that looks like a runaway Grateful Dead bear.

Q: What about cheerleaders?

A: Not here. There's a children's dance squad that's pretty entertaining, though.

Q: Is this a family event?

A: The games are advertised as "family friendly." The beer still flows freely and all types of people find the atmosphere fun. There are just more giveaways geared to kids.

Q: Can fans get autographs?

A: Usually an autograph table is set up after games. Or fans can scope out the players' parking lot before the game.

Q: Why is the Storm playing now? The Sonics are starting their season, and football is at full throttle.

A: True. The WNBA normally runs through the summer months. But this season, the league called an unprecedented monthlong hiatus so players could participate in the Olympics, pushing the playoffs to autumn.

Q: Do we have any Olympians?

A: Yes, Bird won a gold medal with the U.S. team and Jackson a silver with the Aussies.

Q: How much do these women make?

A: The veteran minimum is $43,680. Bird and Jackson make the league maximum, $87,000. The team's salary cap is $647,000.

Q: That's not much money by pro sports standards. Is there any other money?

A: Award winners (such as top scorer, top rebounder) receive money from Bud Light, a key sponsor, and each player on the WNBA championship team receives $10,000. The runner-up is awarded $5,000.

Q: So what about tickets?

A: They've already sold 13,000 tickets and hope to sell out KeyArena (capacity is 17,072) for Game 2 on Sunday. You can buy tickets by calling 877-WNBA-TIX, through Ticketmaster, or at www.wnba.com/storm. Prices range from $16 to $90 and there seriously isn't a bad seat in the house.

Q: If they win it all, will there be a parade?

A: Plans are in the works to have a celebration Wednesday, possibly through downtown, if they win the championship.

Q: What other national professional titles have been won by Seattle teams?

A: The Seattle Metropolitans won the Stanley Cup in 1917, in the pre-National Hockey League era. The Seattle Sounders won two A League soccer titles in the mid-1990s, and the SeaDogs and Storm also won minor-league soccer championships. Seattle won Pacific Coast League baseball titles as the Indians, Rainiers and Angels. But on this scale, the Storm would be the first since the 1979 world champion Sonics to bring the city a major pro-sports championship.

And now that we're all up to speed, let's get rolling. Game 1 starts at 4:30 today on ESPN2.

Jayda Evans: 206-464-2067 or jevans@seattletimes.com

Copyright © 2004 The Seattle Times Company

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