WNBA
Sun seeks balance tonight

By Bob Sherwin
Seattle Times staff reporter

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Based on the contrast between the first two games of the Sun-Storm WNBA Finals series, how do you figure what might happen tonight in the deciding game?

Nykesha Sales, the veteran Connecticut Sun forward, scored seven points in the first game, a 68-64 victory. Then she scored a WNBA Finals-record 32 points in the second game, a 67-65 loss.

"She's not planning on coming out and hitting 30," Sun coach Mike Thibault said. "Her deal is she'll play by what the game gives her. What she has done this season is get more rebounds, more assists and made her teammates better."

Then there was Storm guard Betty Lennox, who scored a season-high 27 points in Sunday's win, nearly 16 points higher than her season average.

"I expect there'll be some changes there," Storm coach Anne Donovan said. "They adjust; we'll adjust.

"Betty had 17 points in the first game and 27 in the second. If I'm Mike, that's a concern for me, just as 32 points by Sales is a concern for us."

But how do you prepare for anomalies?

"It's a team game. These teams are here because of good team basketball. They defend as a team," Thibault said. "Sometimes you give up something to take away other things.

"I think we've done a good job in the areas we set out to do a good job in. I don't see a reason to change that. We lost by two points in a game they shot eight more free throws than we did."

The Sun lost, perhaps, because it didn't get enough beyond Sales. Her frontline teammates struggled. Center Taj McWilliams-Franklin is not a big scorer anyway, but needs to find her shot after a 1-for-11 outing Sunday. Forward Wendy Palmer didn't score, but she left early in the second half with a shoulder injury. Reserve Asjha Jones scored one point in 21 minutes.
 
"Not good enough. I don't know what to say. Make shots," Thibault said. "Taj had a lot of really good looks that didn't go in. Asjha didn't have many, and she kind of rushed it a little bit.

"Somebody on one of these teams is going to step up and make some shots. Our frontcourt didn't make any shots, other than Le'coe (Willingham, with five points). Hopefully, we'll be better in that area. I'm sure they're saying that, too."

The Storm would like to get more production from center Lauren Jackson, who has a 3-inch height advantage over the tallest Sun players. Jackson scored 15 points Sunday, but they were hard-earned, on just 5-of-15 shooting. Her biggest contribution was a game-high 11 rebounds.

"I think we've made her work," Thibault said of the defense on Jackson. "What we want to do is make her more uncomfortable and have her take more shots out of the normal rhythm of the game. We haven't let her have the same looks that Sacramento let her have. She's capable of making some big points, but I hope it's next May."

McWilliams-Franklin, who has applied some physical defense on Jackson, said, "If I'm not going to score a lot, the other guy isn't going to score, either. I missed some, but Nykesha didn't. I'm a defense-first person."

Connecticut is most effective with balance. During the season, three starters averaged double figures in scoring, and the two others were close.

"The perfect scenario is all the starters in double figures, at least 10 points," Sales said. "And everyone has at least three or four rebounds. You saw that in the first game. That's the only way to win this time of year.

"It's not possible for Lauren to go out and hit 40 and win. It's not going to happen. Like me, I get 32, and we still lose. Everyone has to do the little things."

Bob Sherwin: 206-464-8286 or bsherwin@seattletimes.com