Dixon Sits Out Practice

Tamecka Dixon came off the team flight from Charlotte, N.C., Friday using crutches to keep her weight off her painful right heel. She didn’t practice with the Sparks Friday evening, but remains determined to play today. If Dixon cannot play, reserve guard Nicky McCrimmon said she will be ready.

“Whenever [Coach Michael Cooper] decides to play me, I’ll go out there and do what needs to be done,” McCrimmon said.

McCrimmon has not always been a favorite of the coaching staff as a point guard because her penchant for turnovers early in the season often made Cooper antsy. But McCrimmon has progressed, and she has protected the ball well during the postseason with only three turnovers in her 35 minutes of play.

The biggest concern will be on defense, determining whether McCrimmon or Ukari Figgs will be matched against Sting guard Andrea Stinson, if not Dixon or even Mwadi Mabika taking time there.

If you think the Sting is tired of talking about making the championship finals after a 1-10 start to the season, think again.

Stinson knows Charlotte’s amazing turnaround from what seemed to be a disastrous year has defined the Sting franchise. The achievement hangs like a badge of honor, not an albatross.

“You have to talk about it,” said Stinson, who has started every Sting game in the franchise’s five-year history. “Being a 1-10 team in a league like this is tough. You’ve got to let it motivate you; you have to say, ‘Look at where we came from,’ and continue to work hard at what we do.”

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WNBA President Val Ackerman said a few cities have expressed interest in acquiring franchises when the league is ready to expand from its current 16-team format.

Chicago and San Antonio have the most interest. But Ackerman said Atlanta, Toronto and Philadelphia and San Francisco “indicated that they are beginning to think about when they would like to come in.

“I think from the league standpoint the good news is the interest is there,” Ackerman said. “In terms of a timetable--there isn’t one. I think we’re going to spend a lot of time after this year reassessing where we are and what we need to do to keep all our existing cities strong.”