Sparks Stand on the Verge of Another First

It has been a season of firsts for the Sparks: a 9-0 start to the season, a WNBA-record 18-game winning streak and a 16-0 home record.

It also has been a season of firsts for the four-time defending league champion Houston Comets--and that has not necessarily been a good thing.

This was the first season the Comets finished lower than second in regular-season play. Their 13 regular-season losses were the most in franchise history.

And now the Comets, who finished fourth in the Western Conference, face the most ignoble first of all: elimination from the playoffs.

After losing to the Sparks on Saturday at Houston, 64-59, they’ll be out if they lose again tonight at Staples Center. A third game, if necessary, would be played Tuesday night at Staples Center.

Nobody wants a knockout blow more than Spark General Manager Penny Toler.

“We need to think of every series as us winning in two,” Toler said Sunday. “We had high standards in the regular season, and they become higher in the playoffs because the pressure changes.”

The Spark players understand that they should not give the Comets any chance to come back.

“We know we have one more game to win,” point guard Ukari Figgs said. “But we’re not coming out here thinking we have two games to win one. We’re going to try hard to win the game [tonight]--because they have to win.”

Said guard Nicky McCrimmon: “We just have to play Sparks basketball. We can’t worry about what Houston does or will do. If we stick to defending well and executing our offense, we’ll be fine.”

Still, the Sparks have a couple of improvements to make, Coach Michael Cooper said.

“We’ve done some great things at home,” he said, “but we’re playing a team that will defend its crown to the last buzzer. Rebounding will be very big. They had the edge Saturday, which, to me, is the reason they were as close as they were. We’ll have to do a better job of keeping them off the boards, and a better job of getting our own second shots.”

At the same time, Cooper said, the Sparks have grown enough as a team to make whatever playoff adjustments are necessary.

“This team has matured from last year’s playoff losses,” he said. “On Saturday, every time they made a run we didn’t get scattered and try to do things we weren’t used to doing.”

Houston is not used to being in this position. The Comets have trailed in a playoff series but they’ve never had to win a series on the road.

Coach Van Chancellor feels good about the Comets’ chances but said they cannot make mistakes.

“We played a team in the Sparks that’s had a tremendous year, no question,” he said. “And we’ve played them as tough as you can play. Saturday we had too many turnovers (15), and L.A. has so many weapons that can score from so many positions. You cannot turn the ball over and beat a team as good as they [are].”

Forward Tina Thompson said the Comets were not feeling any pressure, since the Sparks were favored to win.

“Pressure only happens when you allow it to happen, and it’s usually from outside forces,” she said. “There is a sense of urgency, though. We need to get a win or we go home. But if get that win, it’s back to zero-zero.”