by Ethan Johnson
July 6, 2008
Hooray, another LA Sparks televised game! Let's go live to the videotape:
No screaming Day Campers today, but another 10,000+ crowd for the Sparks. The big stories going into this game were a) Cappie Pondexter (PHX) not only playing after being out injured, but starting, and b) LA being on a 3-game losing skid. Cappie Pondexter and Diana Taurasi are the top 2 scoring players in the league, but LA has two players you might have heard of... Lisa Leslie and Candace Parker.
Tip-off.
Not too much to say about the first quarter, other than LA being a bit obsessed with the 3-point try. In spite of the blown threes, both teams traded baskets back and forth with regularity. CP3 rang up 10 1st quarter points. Quarter ends 22-30 LA.
Not too much to say about the second quarter either. LA went on a 12-4 run early in the quarter, and Diana Taurasi scored a whopping ZERO points for the half. Didn't expect that. Lisa Leslie was on fire with her 10th double-double (13 pts, 12 rebounds). 35-46 LA. Everything going LAs way.
The telecast did a fair amount of plugging Lisa Leslie's new book, Don't Let the Lipstick Fool You. Good thing she and her name are featured prominently on the cover, or I'd have thought it was about Tina Thompson.
A bit more to say about the third quarter. LA was rockin' the high-low (usually Leslie passing inside to Parker). Phoenix owes a game ball to Kelly Miller, who has some clutch baskets. Phoenix was held to ZERO free throw attempts as of 4:51 remaining in the quarter. That drought ended with 3:07 remaining, except the first attempt was an airball. Doop.
The question America was asking in the third: Exactly how short is Shannon Bobbitt? 5' 2", America.
Diana Taurasi and Cappie Pondexter combined for 6 points with 2:33 remaining. By "combined" I mean Taurasi had ZERO. I think I know who might be interested in sponsoring the next Phoenix home game. Daaa dun da dun dun dun.
57-76 LA. CP3 with 29 points, Lisa Leslie with 26. Cruise control: Activated.
Fourth quarter: If Lee Corso were recapping this, he'd say "not so fast!" For whatever reason, the 4th quarter has been, Dick Vitale voice on, meltdown cityyyyyy! That harbinger came in the form of Diana Taurasi scoring her first points of the game: a 3-pointer with aplomb. (Can you say "Diana Taurasi" and "aplomb" in the same sentence?) Meltdown mode was initiated, as LAs lead slipped to 11, then 9.
Phoenix went on a long 13-3 run of their own with 4:50 remaining.
But, Lee Corso voice, not so fast! LA sank 3 HUGE 3-pointers, including one from Shawty Shannon Bobbitt. CP3 needed one more rebound to snag a double-double of her own, and zing, she got it. Where Taurasi/Pondexter are the top scorers in the WNBA, Leslie and Parker are the Double-Double sisters. And when that happens, it's lights out, Phoenix.
Catastrophe averted. 80-91 LA at the buzzer. Despite being outscored 23-15 in the 4th, the Sparks hang on to 2nd place in the conference. (San Antonio is first.) Hey... LA and SA play on the 14th. On TV! DVR locked and loaded.
This was definitely an "if you missed it, you missed everything" game. Candace Parker is hands-down my vote for Rookie of the Year. She and the Sparks just can't be on TV enough in my opinion. Maybe this year will spur on improved coverage next season.
Next: LA stays home to face Houston (July 9), and Phoenix gets their crack at them first at home on July 8. Check your local listings. <EM>
(The full WNBA archive may be found here.)
