Cooper Wins His Debut
For the time being, call it “Coop-ball.”
Michael Cooper, in his debut as Spark coach, deployed hard-knocking, on-ball defensive pressure Wednesday night in L.A.’s 69-62 victory over Utah in the season opener at the Great Western Forum.
It was a smashing debut for the Sparks, who spent much of training camp stressing defense.
Although L.A. faded in the stretch, making it uncomfortably close in the closing minutes, Cooper’s strategy worked.
Less successful was the club’s marketing efforts. L.A.’s attendance declined in each of its first three seasons, and it appeared Wednesday it’ll be more of the same. The crowd was generously announced at 6,112. A year ago, 8,262 saw the home opener.
Whatever, an improved Starzz team was no match for the ball-hawking defense Cooper has fashioned, a trademark from his years when he was among the NBA’s elite defenders with the Lakers.
“If this team plays up to its capabilities, you’re looking at the next WNBA champions,” Cooper said.
The most visible of L.A.’s defenders was Mwadi Mabika, who held Utah’s Adrienne Goodson to six points in the first half. She finished with 14.
L.A. seemed on its way to a blowout, building a 55-41 lead with 12:21 to play.
Mabika, who tied Utah’s Natalie Williams with a game-high 21 points, registered perhaps her career game, shutting down one of the league’s premier players at one end and breaking loose for some soaring drives on the other.
She capped a 13-2 Spark burst to start the second half with a drive through traffic, soaring above Goodson for a basket.
But L.A. seemed to run out of offensive firepower after that. Utah managed a 10-5 run and Coach Fred Williams’ team closed to within 64-61 with 3:20 left.
The margin was only 66-62 with 47 seconds left. Ukari Figgs secured the victory with two free throws with 21 seconds remaining.
Cooper praised the play of Mabika.
“She played very aggressively at both ends,” he said. “We asked her to do a lot tonight and she really responded.”
Goodson made only six of 18 shots, a game she would like to forget.
“I tried to play her very hard, to deny her that first big step,” Mabika said. “She talked trash to me all game long. She got real mad at me a couple of times.”
In training camp, Cooper ran his team through 20 and 30 minutes of sprint-speed, full-court weaves, bringing the players to the brink of exhaustion, then immediately puts them at the free-throw line.
One miss and everyone has to run as much as two down-and-backs.
“Did that drill pay off tonight or what?” assistant coach Marianne Stanley said.
The Sparks were 20 of 25 from the line, Utah 12 of 21.
The Sparks had 16 turnovers and forced 20, converting several into breakaways.
Lisa Leslie, with her sixth point in the first half, became the third WNBA player to surpass 1,500 points. She also surpassed 800 rebounds before halftime. She finished with eight points and 11 rebounds.
DeLisha Milton was in early foul trouble and played only five minutes in the first half. She and Mabika also took ill-advised shots in the final 1:25, both with plenty of time left on the shot clock.
The Sparks travel to Minnesota Saturday to play the Lynx.
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New Beginnings
Attendance figures for the Sparks’ home openers:
1997: 14,284
1998: 11,191
1999: 8,262
2000: 6,112