If you are going to try and show up your internet naysayers (myself included with those at stormfans.org and Rebkell) by coming out with an offensive barrage in every game, then we will keep picking on your one area of "development." Wow. You had the Lynx in a panic to start the game. You looked like you might set a career high in the first half. Keep up the rebounding and defense and we'll take those points, too.
It is a win and one game closer to .500 basketball. I should just leave it at that. I simply can't. There was too much wrong about last night to just let it sit around unsaid. The Lynx are not a bad team, but they aren't that good either, not without their starting point guard and despite how amazing Seimone Augustus may be (more on that later). I realize that the Storm are already in the playoffs and these last games are meaningless. I realize that LJ is emotionally and physically exhausted. None of that excuses 20 turnovers. You can't blame the bench, ladies...they had just 2 (of course they barely played, but that is a different gripe). Betty and LJ had some seriously sloppy play and accounted for half the miscues. That is unacceptable. Sue and Izi were the other half, but most of those (subjectively) were under intense defensive pressure. It is also about WHEN the turnovers occurred. Leads were surrendered in seconds and potential momentum to break the game open was lost in single broken plays. It seemed to me that half of Betty and LJ's TOV's were just due to lack of focus and sloppy play. Phoenix, San Antonio and Sacramento will EAT YOU ALIVE with play like that in the post season.
An otherwise solid first half fell apart in the final 2:48 with a -9 run including two turnovers by Lauren Jackson (creating 5 points by Augustus) which left a solid 12 point lead at only 3. In the third quarter the Storm repeatedly turned the ball over...mostly LJ who bookended a Betty layup with her other two turnovers. The Storm were saved in the fourth quarter by solid defense and solid free throw shooting, as well as Wendy Palmer's play off the bench.
It was still a win, but we need better next week.
On the personal side of things, my ticket rep, Katie Dahl, stopped by to say hi and share birthday greetings for my older son (who was not in attendance). She told me she got my email to her (and to Karen Bryant) about my disappointment in the recent quotes by Aubrey McClendon, but had little to say on the topic. I renewed by season tickets because of the guarantee (as pointed out by a reader of this blog) but I am still feeling abused by the ownership of these teams. I won't likely even make most of the games next summer (if they happen here) since I will be out of town while my house is under construction. Ah, well, I am sucker for the Storm.
Most Effective Shooters
| Player | Floor % | Eff FG% |
| Wendy Palmer | 61% | 69% |
| Iziane Castro Marques | 51% | 63% |
| Betty Lennox | 47% | 71% |
Best Ratings
| Player | Off Rating | Indiv. Rating |
| Wendy Palmer | 130.77 | 119.36 |
| Iziane Castro Marques | 119.85 | 111.56 |
| Betty Lennox | 102.76 | 98.63 |
Best Plus/Minus
I whined about the all negative numbers in the Shock game, so I will praise the all positive numbers from last night. Every player who played in the game was at least a +7 for the night.
Ashley Robinson: +11
Iziane Castro Marques: +11
Lauren Jackson: +9
Katie Gearlds: +9
Betty Lennox: +8
Wendy Palmer: +8
Sue Bird: +7
Tanisha Wright: +7
Most Effective Lineups
Bird-Lennox-Castro-Jackson-Palmer: +6
Wright-Lennox-Castro-Jackson-Robinson: +6
Bird-Gearlds-Castro-Jackson-Robinson: +4
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