WNBA
Storm vs. Monarchs: looking at the matchups

Sue Bird

E-mail this article Print this article Search archive Most read articles Most e-mailed articles

What: Game 1 of WNBA's Western Conference finals.

Where: Sacramento's Arco Arena. Records: Seattle 20-14, Sacramento 18-16.

Season series: Storm won, 3-1.

TV/radio: Oxygen; KJR (950 AM).

Point guard

Storm: Sue Bird (5-9, 3.0 ppg, 3.0 apg)

Monarchs: Ticha Penicheiro (5-11, 3.0 ppg, 5.3 apg)

The matchup: Bird broke her nose in Monday's Game 2 win to advance to the playoffs. But if you think she's not playing, you don't know Bird. The 23-year-old has never missed a start. And yesterday she spent five minutes adjusting to her facemask before participating in a full practice. Still, it's a weakness and Penicheiro, 30, will attack. Displaced of her six-season WNBA assist title by another 20-something, Nikki Teasley, Penicherio was out-played in the regular-season matchup with Bird, who averaged 15 points and 6.1 assists in four games. She used her experience to drop Teasley and Los Angeles in Round 1.

Advantage: Sacramento

Shooting guard

	Betty Lennox

Storm: Betty Lennox (5-8, 7.5 ppg, 4.0 rpg)

Monarchs: Edna Campbell (5-8, 3.4ppg, 0.9rpg)

The matchup: There should be an annoyance-per-game statistic, then you'd see Campbell's worth in black and white. Bird says she breathes a sigh of relief when Campbell, 35, leaves the game. Lennox, 27, is much faster and can equal Campbell's intensity, however. Lennox did have 11 turnovers during the regular-season series. With Campbell floating to create havoc in the backcourt, Lennox should be freed to work her offensive magic. She had the game-winning shot to give Seattle its first win at Arco Arena earlier this summer. Maybe this time it'll be to advance to the WNBA Finals.

Advantage: Storm.

Small forward

Storm: Sheri Sam (6-0, 9.0 ppg, 6.0 apg)

	Sheri Sam

Monarchs: DeMya Walker (6-4, 10.7 ppg, 3.3 rpg)

The matchup: Walker, 26, is known as "Queen Flopper" to opponents around the league for her knack at collapsing from a slight breeze. Sam, 30, not only needs to play smart defense (or get caught in the web of deception) she'll have to change how it's defined because Sacramento likes to rotate three players at this position. They all have a size advantage, too. Sam's game has returned, however, so she'll make an impact somewhere on the court.

Advantage: Storm

Power forward

Storm: Lauren Jackson (6-5, 16.0 ppg, 4.5 rpg)

Lauren Jackson

Monarchs: Tangela Smith (6-4, 17.7 ppg, 6.7 rpg)

The matchup: Jackson, 23, isn't playing her signature finesse game. The regular season's final nine games may have helped her adjust to the new defenses she's seeing, but she's still learning how to score within them. In this series, improved rebounding would make more of an impact for Jackson. Smith, 26, is a streaky shooter, and when she's cold, there's plenty of rebounds to convert into offense for the Storm. Smith is playing at a higher level, tapping into her four seasons of playoff experience and shooting 45.8 percent from the field. She led the Monarchs past Los Angeles, but the Storm knows it's not all about Jackson. They'll help the Australian look better — but Smith wins in coolest use of braided hair.

Advantage: Storm.

Center

Storm: Kamila Vodichkova (6-4, 6.5 ppg, 3.0 rpg)

	Kamila Vodichkova

Monarchs: Yolanda Griffith (6-4, 14.0 ppg, 9.7 rpg)

The matchup: This isn't Russia, yet Vodichkova, 31, is looking for another title over a Griffith-led team to go with the won she won last spring overseas. Griffith, 34, is playing her best basketball since coming into the league in 1999 and winning both MVP and Defensive Player of the Year honors. The ball is a magnet for Griffith, always landing in her hands. Vodichkova is going to have to fight for the ball and find a way to make the short jump shots in order to give the Storm an edge with its average rebounding, which ranked fifth during the regular season (31.2).

Advantage: Sacramento

Bench

The matchup: It's the "Bench Mob" against the "Storming A-Bs" as in Alicia Thompson, Tully Bevilaqua and Janell Burse. Those are the Seattle players that have made a splash in this postseason. Yet in the Minnesota series, they were mostly competing against inexperienced players. Sacramento has a hot rookie in Rebekkah Brunson (6-3 forward) coming off the bench, but when you add her contributions to guard Kara Lawson's, a Tennesseean with a history against Bird that reaches back to prep school, then you understand why this mob needs policing. Both sides will steal the show.

Advantage: Storm.

Coach

Storm: Anne Donovan

	Anne Donovan

Lynx: John Whisenant

The matchup: Whisenant may have come up with a cute nickname for his defense, calling it "White Line" just in time for the playoffs, but Donovan knows the deal and can make it look like a bunch of scribbles — if her players execute her game plan. Whisenant has a group of intelligent players who can make his rough sketches their own, but Donovan has the far more talented team top to bottom plus extensive research to guide them out of any confusion the Monarchs throw at them. There are a couple of reasons why the Storm defeated the Monarchs 3-1 during the regular season, winning at Arco Arena twice after losing there the past eight times. The list starts with Donovan.

Advantage: Storm

Prediction: Storm in three.

— Jayda Evans

Copyright © 2004 The Seattle Times Company

E-mail this article

Print this article

Search archive

More sports headlines...