It’s a Memorable Day for the Sparks Too

And so the most splendid of sports days ended Sunday evening on a confetti-strewn Great Western Forum floor, in front of 12,178 bouncing witnesses, with bits of it all.

The chaotic comeback of the British Open. The shirt-soaked strain of the Davis Cup. The brief poetry of a perfect-pitched game.

All that, and Lisa Leslie had the nerve to grab a microphone and thank the hoarse fans after leading the Sparks to the biggest win in franchise history, a 78-65 beating of the darn near unbeatable Houston Comets.

No, no, no. Thank you.

It’s been a while since this town has rubbed elbows with a bunch of elbow-scrapers.

It’s been a while since this town has been able to shout, “Dee-fense,” and actually expect that somebody is listening.

Heck, it’s only the sixth time in two seasons that anybody has been able to defeat the Comets, a team with arguably the world’s two best female players.

A marvelous day ended with an event that, while it certainly could not compare with the other three wonders, nonetheless offered a toast to the one constant that makes sports so worth it.

You never know what you will see.

“This happens,” said Cynthia Cooper, one of those two great Comets, staring at her very human and tired toes afterward.

Not around here it doesn’t.

Especially not after the hometown team falls behind by eight points late in the first half, grabbing its shorts and gasping for breath and shuffling like a victim.

Especially not when that team knows it must win on nights like this, in front of crowds like this, for reasons far greater than only the standings.

Since the season started, the Sparks have lost their general manager, lost some of their core fans, lost some direction, and may lose the franchise.

The agreement between the Lakers and the league to run this WNBA club ends after this, its third season. It is clear that the Sparks must draw more than their usual 6,000 or so fans to keep the Buss family interested and Los Angeles attached.

“We knew we had to win a game like this to get respect around here,” said DeLisha Milton. “We just had to.”

On the court late in the first half, Sheryl Swoopes, the other great Comet, blocked a shot and sprinted down for a layup.

Alongside the court, Johnny Buss, the team president, looked down at his hands.

“I realized, I’m biting my nails, and I never bite my nails,” he said. “I turned to my wife and said, ‘I think I have to leave. I don’t think I can do this.’ ”

But he stayed. They all stayed. You can do that when you play defense.

Milton made a jumper. Leslie made a jumper. Swoopes threw up an airball. Leslie stole a pass.

Tamecka Dixon drove the lane and stuck her arm underneath four Comet defenders and rolled in a shot and the Sparks only trailed by two at halftime.

In the locker room, Coach Orlando Woolridge gave them one simple order.

“Keep the fire,” said Milton. “He told us, ‘Just keep the fire.’ ”

They disobeyed him.

They turned it up.

The second half started, and Milton made a jumper. Mwadi Mabika sneaked in a layup around two defenders. Leslie made a fall-away, one-footed jumper.

Cooper paused, looked around, and had a revelation.

“I was thinking, it seems like do or die for them out there,” she said. “They were playing do-or-die basketball.”

The Comets, frustrated with hands in their faces, missed. And missed. And missed.

Inside, Milton and Leslie were knocking around Tina Thompson with elbows and shoves that sent her flying and whining.

Thompson, a former USC star, finished with no field goals in eight attempts.

“They are starting five players who could be five all-star starters,” said Milton. “And I don’t care.”

Outside, La’Kesha Frett was forcing Swoopes into the sort of clankers you never see on those shoe commercials.

She finished with nine makes and 12 bad misses.

And soon, the Comets started ignoring the Sparks and fighting with each other.

“You could see them bickering with each other,” said Frett. “They’d be saying little things--’You cut! You go!”--that seemed like they were irritated with each other.”

Imagine that. A Los Angeles team driving somebody else to distraction.

In the first 11 minutes of the second half, the Comets made all of two jump shots.

In one three-minute span, the Sparks’ Gordana Grubin sank a trio of three-pointers all by herself.

In the final minutes, the crowd danced and the Sparks dreamed.

“I was thinking, ‘Oh my gosh, this is going to be the championship game right here,’ ” Milton said. “I said, ‘Remember this feeling, DeLisha Milton.’ ”

Not that an ABL refugee would know this, but because the Sparks and Comets are both in the Western Division, they cannot play for the league championship.

But considering the Sparks are probably the second-best team in the division and league, this could make for one hoot of a semifinal series in August.

That feeling, DeLisha Milton? Remember it anyway.

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Bill Plaschke can be reached at his e-mail address: bill.plaschke@latimes.com.