Storm vs. Sun: Up for grabs

By about 8:30 tonight, KeyArena may well host a celebration of Seattle's first major professional basketball sports championship in 25 years. Such glory requires just 40 minutes of winning basketball.

Moods were light at Storm practice yesterday, despite the gravity of the game tonight, scheduled for a 6:18 tipoff. Players cracked jokes and shared chuckles as they finished free-throw work after practice.

Perhaps such apparent levity sprang from the rapidity of the WNBA's postseason format; a trio of three-game series hardly leaves time for nerve-searing reflection. Perhaps it merely helped divert a wealth of anxiety.

Or maybe, Seattle's relative nonchalance was rooted in one highly comforting nugget of reality -- Connecticut is overmatched.

"Throughout the playoffs, it's been real clear why we made the moves we did (in the preseason)," coach Anne Donovan said.

Those moves -- the acquisition of guard Betty Lennox, forwards Sheri Sam and Alicia Thompson and center Janell Burse -- paid enormous dividends in the Game 2 victory over Connecticut on Sunday. Those players accounted for 37 points, 12 rebounds and six steals.

The Sun may have defensive answers for Seattle all-stars Sue Bird and Lauren Jackson; indeed, it has limited the pair to 33 percent shooting. Such answers, however, have severely crippled the effort against everyone else.

"They don't have enough weapons to stop everybody," said Lennox, who has exploited her matchup with Connecticut guard Lindsay Whalen, scoring 44 points in two games.

Connecticut coach Mike Thibault shot down speculation yesterday that he might shift his defense, matching Whalen on Bird and defensive hound Katie Douglas on Lennox. He is apparently pleased with having limited Bird to 6-of-17 shooting and five assists, while forcing Seattle's floor leader into eight turnovers.

"Katie does a great job on Sue, because she is so long. She has go-go gadget arms out there on the ball," Whalen said. "We're not going to change our game plan at all.

"I feel like we're playing good defense on Betty. She's just shot the ball well. She's hit tough shots."

As for Jackson, the Sun plans more of the same as well -- double and triple teams pounding her on every touch. It was precisely such doubling down, however, that led to two of Seattle's most critical shots in Game 2.

Thompson buried a pair of 3-pointers from opposite wings in the second half, both off assists from Jackson out of double teams on the block. Thibault pointed to Thompson's latter three, which answered a 6-0 Connecticut run late in the game, as "the shot that hurt us the most."

"You have to give Connecticut a lot of credit," Bird said. "They see our team and say, 'We're going to take the ball out of Sue's hands as much as we can. We're not going to let Lauren go off. We're going to limit those two players and see what the other ones can do.'

"That's why we're better than last year. Anne went out and got players who were going to be able to step up.

"It makes them play honestly."

Connecticut has no plans to play honestly, however. As it has for two games, the Sun will dare Seattle's peripheral players to win it. Lennox accepted that challenge Sunday. She may well again.

"As long as they keep Whalen on Betty, we're going to keep trying to expose that matchup," Donovan said.

An expected sellout crowd tonight of 17,000-plus would like nothing more. The crowd Sunday chanted "Betty, Betty, Betty" in the final minutes. This city may have dragged its feet a bit, waiting for the finals to fill KeyArena to the rafters. But Lennox' 27-point highlight reel Sunday put her and Seattle on a first-name basis.

"Nobody's been in this situation before, including me -- Game 3 in the Finals," said Donovan, who led the Charlotte Sting into the Finals in 2001 but was swept in two games. "I like our chances."

The situation is something new for most Seattle sports fans as well -- just 40 minutes of winning basketball to end 25 years of frustration.

STORM VS. SUN

WHEN/WHERE: Today, 6 p.m., KeyArena

TV/RADIO: ESPN2; KJR-AM/950

SEATTLE (5-2 playoffs)

P PLAYER HT PPG RPG

G Sue Bird 5-9 8.6 3.0

G Betty Lennox 5-8 13.4 3.7

F Sheri Sam 6-0 7.7 5.6

F Lauren Jackson 6-5 20.6 7.6

C Kamila Vodichkova 6-4 5.0 3.7

CONNECTICUT (5-2 playoffs)

P PLAYER HT PPG RPG

G Lindsay Whalen 5-8 13.9 2.4

G Katie Douglas 6-0 10.9 3.7

F Nykesha Sales 6-0 14.3 5.3

F Wendy Palmer 6-2 6.3 4.9

C Taj McWilliams-Franklin 6-2 10.4 7.7

STORY LINES: Bird and Jackson combined to shoot 33.3 percent and score 25 points in Seattle's Game 2 victory, a lackluster effort offset by an 11-for-16, 27-point showing from Lennox. ... Whalen and McWilliams-Franklin combined to shoot 20 percent and score 11 points in the game, a horrendous performance covered up by 32 points from Sales on 14-for-22 shooting. ... Palmer missed most of the second half in Game 2 because of a strained right shoulder. She is expected to play tonight. ... Both teams won their only previous Game 3 this postseason, Connecticut topping Washington in the first round and Seattle overcoming Sacramento in the Western Conference Finals. ... In five games since donning a mask to protect the broken nose she suffered in Game 2 of the series with Minnesota, Bird has averaged 10.8 points and six assists. ... Jackson has scored a combined 31 points in two games against the Sun after averaging 27 per outing against Sacramento.

-- Mark Bergin

WNBA CHAMPIONS

2003: Detroit Shock

2002: Los Angeles Sparks

2001: Los Angeles Sparks

2000: Houston Comets

1999: Houston Comets

1998: Houston Comets

1997: Houston Comets

FINALS MVPS

2003: Ruth Riley

2002: Lisa Leslie