Storm
Altered Storm set to go for playoff opener

By Jayda Evans
Seattle Times staff reporter

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MINNEAPOLIS — Heavy bass thumped from the weight room.

It was a dreary Monday morning, but the dark edginess outside seemed to fit the newfound attitude inside the Storm training facility. It was Day 1 of practice leading up to today's Game 1 of the WNBA playoff series against Minnesota, and Seattle had changed personas.

Reserve guard Tully Bevilaqua ran through drills alone wearing a tank top that had "Bite Me" printed across the chest. Starting power forward Lauren Jackson worked one-on-one with coach Anne Donovan on a far hoop. Small forward Sheri Sam had a zinger for every media question asked. And shooting guard Betty Lennox started speaking in the third person.

Again.

"The playoffs is Betty's time," she said. "This is when Betty really comes out."

After backing into the No. 2 seed by going 3-6 to close the regular season, Seattle is like an Escalade in a jammed parking lot ready to simply drive out of its slot. Players have viewed this week as a retreat, a time to fix their kinks and rest before starting a "new" season.

"I'm glad that's over with," Sam said of the regular season, where the team finished a franchise-best 20-14. "Now we can focus on winning the title."

Storm vs. Lynx WNBA first-round series Today: Seattle at Minnesota, 11 a.m. Monday: Minnesota at Seattle, 6:30 p.m. Wednesday: Minnesota at Seattle, 7 p.m., if necessary

It's the same spiel the Storm spat in 2002. But this week's vibe at practice wasn't the same. That team, which beat Los Angeles in two out of three regular-season games, was engulfed by a playoff-poised Sparks team that outscored it by an average of 13.5 points to sweep the first round.

The Storm beat the Minnesota Lynx in two of three games this summer, but what could stop history from repeating itself is the addition of Lennox and Sam along with reserve center Janell Burse, maturity and a new coaching staff that replaced original coach Lin Dunn.

Donovan, who's taking her second WNBA team to the postseason, made two critical moves during the offseason to get there. She picked up Lennox in the dispersal draft from a folded Cleveland team. Given new life and encouragement, Lennox responded by being the team's third-leading scorer (11.2) and tied for its second-leading rebounder (5.0) — not bad for a 5-foot-8 player.

Two days before the April draft, Donovan finagled her second critical move. She traded her No. 6 overall pick in the league's hottest draft and forward Amanda Lassiter to Minnesota for Sam and Burse. They gave Seattle veteran experience and production.

Even though Sam had a rocky season, averaging her lowest numbers in her six-year career (9.1 points and 4.1 rebounds), her brash ways have been a positive for the once-sugary Storm. Burse is slowed by a hip injury but was a solid backup for Jackson and center Kamila Vodichkova.

Donovan's moves help the team improved from a fifth-place finish in the Western Conference last summer to second this season. But while Donovan was swiping Lynx talent, Minnesota wasn't supposed to get better.

Snatching the fourth and final seed from the Storm last season by way of a tiebreaker, the Lynx have only three of that team's starters active. It picked up Nicole Ohlde and Vanessa Hayden with the sixth and seventh picks, respectively, and without injured Olympian Katie Smith for the final 11 games, was able to remain in third in the West.

"Just looking at their personnel, they're the Cinderella team of the playoffs," Burse said. "If you look at their starters, they don't have a ton of experience."

Ohlde, a 6-5 post, is called a "baby Lauren Jackson" by Donovan, making one wonder if the Storm would be in a better position if it kept the pick.

"I can't see this team getting this far without Sheri Sam; without a solid (small forward) with experience," Donovan said. "Nicole would have been great, but it still would have put a huge hole in the starting lineup at the three."

If Sam can play the way she did in the season finale, posting 21 points against Los Angeles, then the Storm should have no problem collecting a win despite having among the worst road records of the eight playoff teams (7-10). Minnesota likes to use Ohlde, Hayden, forward Tamika Williams and sometimes guard Teresa Edwards to sag in on Jackson, preventing her from dominating the game. The strategy worked in the last game the teams played as Sam, Lennox and guard Sue Bird were a combined 9 of 28 from the field.

Jackson scored 31 points in the season opener, and Lennox had 23 points in a mid-summer blowout. Lennox missed a possible tying jumper in the final game as the Storm failed to make it a season sweep.

Seattle has implemented some new defensive formats and has tried to perfect its full-court press. In a best-of-three format, Donovan said there's no room for mental errors, which her team makes often on the road.

In preparation, Seattle appeared primed to shut anyone down. Bird and Jackson, playing their third and fourth seasons, respectively, are more experienced and ready to ditch the tag of being the 13-team league's only squad not to win a playoff game.

"We know that we can win this year," Jackson said. "That's what we're going to do."

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

Copyright © 2004 The Seattle Times Company

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