Sue Bird drives Storm to 77-71 win over Monarchs

Sue Bird glanced at the scoreboard and furrowed her brow.

After looking unbeatable during the third quarter, building a 20-point lead against hot Sacramento, her Storm team was suddenly looking at single-digit lead following a three-pointer by Monarchs forward Nicole Powell with 4:08 remaining in the game.

"This can't be happening," Bird said to herself.

Wanting to end the pre-Olympic portion of the WNBA schedule with a win, Bird kept the ball in her hands on several of the Storm's ensuing possessions. And even though she bricked on some shots, she was fouled on others and made six free throws down the stretch of a 77-71 win at KeyArena.

As the teams said their goodbyes — with the league shutting down for a month while several WNBA players compete for gold in Beijing — Bird whispered, "See you tomorrow," to Monarchs guard Kara Lawson. She'll be Bird's backup in China.

The U.S. women's team opens camp at Stanford University this evening.

"It's pretty crazy, like a whirlwind," said Bird, who scored a season-high 24 points. "All of a sudden I've got to switch gears and refocus, but I have a feeling it's not going to hit me until I get there [China]."

The Storm's final five games before the break were beneficial for Bird, who'll be at the helm of Team USA after playing a cheerleading role on the 2004 Olympic squad. The native New Yorker had to lead Seattle (17-9) without the help of leading scorer Lauren Jackson, who is training for the Games with the Australian national team.

Bird has had to score more and play more aggressive defense to help Seattle, which enters the break just a half-game behind San Antonio for the Western Conference lead.

Luckily, Bird got help from reserves who played like starters — particularly against Sacramento, which entered the game on a league-best seven-game win streak.

After taking a 43-39 lead into halftime, the Storm opened the third quarter on a 10-0 run. Guard Tanisha Wright, who started her second consecutive game in place of Sheryl Swoopes (pulled right hamstring), was a spark with her assists and 16-foot jumpers.

"Their type of game allows aggressive people to be aggressive," said Wright, who finished with 12 points and a season-high-tying six assists. "This is a great win to send us off on the break. We can enjoy it a little bit better."

A 16-footer by Shyra Ely off an assist from Swoopes with 51.1 seconds remaining in the third quarter gave the Storm a 67-47 lead, the largest of the game. Aside from Swoopes, the regular Storm starters were resting and it seemed as though they would be able to stay on the bench.

But the Storm shot 1 of 11 in the fourth quarter and had six turnovers, which Sacramento (15-12) converted into a 19-2 run. By the 2:05 mark, the 8,651 fans in the arena were entering panic mode.

Then Bird took over.

"I didn't envision that happening, but it didn't shock me because [Sacramento] is a really persistent team," Storm coach Brian Agler said of the Monarchs' late surge. "I don't think there is any way [we make it through without Bird].

"She's as good of a point guard as there is in the world. And her best days of basketball are ahead of her. She'll have an excellent Olympic Games."

Agler is giving his players until Aug. 9 to vacation; he'll be returning to his native Ohio to visit his family and celebrate his 50th birthday on Saturday.

Bird and Jackson aren't the only Storm players headed for Beijing. Forward Kelly Santos is leaving for China this week to join the Brazilian national team. That presents a bit of an issue for their teammates.

"We told [Bird] good luck, ball out, and come back with the gold," said Storm forward Camille Little. "We told Lauren to get the silver and Kelly can have the bronze."

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