Sparks Show Off Depth, Shut Down Sacramento
You say you don’t like it.
You say you’re unimpressed with the players, uninterested in the play, uncomfortable with the crowd.
You say it, but have you seen it?
Were you at the Forum Thursday when the Sparks made their sprinting, lunging, floor-rattling WNBA season debut?
Were you watching when a Michael Cooper-devised defense inspired a not-just-Lisa-Leslie offense that led the no-longer dormant Sparks to an 100-78 victory over the Sacramento Monarchs?
Were you sitting amid a raucous crowd of 8,262 that echoed the voices and faces of this city like no other sports crowd does?
Were you clapping your hands to the hip-hop dancing of those tie-dyed, show-stealing youngsters known as the SparKids?
In their third year, the Sparks are still derided in many circles as little more than a lounge act.
Except by those who have actually seen them.
It is a fun night even when they don’t play well.
It is a deafening night when they do.
Thursday was two hours of the latter, a game both flashy and fundamental played to a soundtrack of little-girl screeches and belly cheers.
If their other 31 games this summer are anything like this one, this team will be stirring up more than just, well, you know, sparks.
“If it’s like this every night this year, I’ll be a happy man,” said Johnny Buss, team president. “It’s nights like tonight that make this game work in this town.”
Plagued by mediocre play in a mediocre league during their first two seasons, the Sparks walked off the court last summer with few realizing that they had gone.
Fueled by new players from the defunct American Basketball League and a new permanent coaching staff of two ex-Lakers, they showed up Thursday leaving no doubt they are back.
“Last year, our game was right here,” said Spark Penny Toler afterward, speaking of the WNBA, holding her sweaty hand at her shoulder.
She moved it high above her head.
“This year, it’s way up here.”
In past years, the crowd has cheered mostly for Leslie, who has seemingly toughened up during the off-season and won the inside battle with Monarch Yolanda Griffith.
But this year, there is so much more.
First, there is defense. The Lakers haven’t played fundamental defense like this since a certain Spark assistant was in uniform.
Their numbers against the Monarchs were eye-popping: 25 forced turnovers, 13 steals, seven blocked shots.
There was the impossibly long arms of newcomer DeLisha Milton blocking shots while standing still. There were the quick hands of newcomer Ukari Figgs with four steals.
Milton comes from the ABL. Figgs comes from national champion Purdue.
Upon acquiring them, the Sparks knew just what they were looking for.
“I don’t know what it was like in the past, bu this team, this year, will start and end with defense,” said Cooper, who sits pensively on the bench beside Coach Orlando Woolridge. “Anything in between will be gravy.”
From this defense, of course, came offense.
As in, 53% shooting, including 56% from beyond the three-point line.
“It always works that way,” Cooper said with a smile.
You know that perfect shot that Michael Jordan took to end his career, the one where he held out his hand forever?
On Thursday, all sorts of Sparks were doing all sorts of imitations.
Figgs, who hit three of four three-pointers, would leave her hand in the air and then begin shaking it.
“I’ve always left my hand in the air like that, sort of my tradition,” she said. “Since I’ve gotten here, we’ve all started shaking it, like, ‘Let’s shake it out.’ ”
After a slow start in front of a quiet crowd--management made the mistake of delaying the SparKids’ debut until halftime--the Sparks outscored the Monarchs, 10-2, to start the second half.
Then the noise increased, and the pace picked up, and soon it was hard to tell who was having more fun, the players or the fans.
“Usually you can tune out the crowd but tonight you were like, ‘Whoaaa,’ ” said Milton. “You turned your head. They were really loud.”
Loud, and diverse, and looking more like Los Angeles than anything else we’ve seen lately. No matter how the Sparks are doing, that’s always worth something.
“It’s our perfect mix,” said Buss. “Kids, ethnics, lifestyles, it’s like all of L.A. in one place.”
He laughed.
“Now, if I can just get one Hispanic star, I would be set,” he said.
As it is, the Sparks have players from Kentucky to Yugoslavia to The Congo. All of whom looked the same while hopping around at midcourt and waving to the fans amid the confetti shower of victory.
This postgame dance was accompanied by the familiar sounds of Randy Newman’s “I Love L.A.”
It felt as right as it always does.
You had to be there.
Bill Plaschke can be reached at his e-mail address: bill.plaschke@latimes.com.
