Sparks Come Together in the End

In May, the Sparks would not have believed it would take 32 WNBA regular-season games to decide the Western Conference champion.

Now they believe. After holding off Phoenix Mercury, 63-56, Tuesday night at America West Arena, the defending champions reclaimed the role as the team to beat in the WNBA.

Lisa Leslie’s 23 and 11 rebounds and a Spark defense that held Phoenix to a 31.1% shooting clinched the league’s best record (25-7) for the defending champions and gave them a third consecutive Western Conference title.

Los Angeles will play the fourth-place Seattle Storm in the first round of the playoffs beginning Thursday at Seattle. Games 2 and 3 (if necessary) will be played at Staples Center.

Getting to this point was a struggle for the Sparks. The Mercury (11-21) got within 46-43 after Leslie sat down with five fouls, but Slobodanka Tuvic and Adrain Williams each missed layups.

“Experience got us through,” said Spark guard Tamecka Dixon, who had 10 points. “The core of this team has been playing together for three years; myself, Lisa and Mwadi [Mabika] have been together for six. When we get down to those [crucial] situations, we just focus in on the little things and try to close it out.

“We did a good job of staying focused on this road trip; we knew it was important for us to win every game. Now we’re ready to go into the playoffs.”

It was the Mercury’s 10th consecutive loss to the Sparks.

“I think we had one of our better efforts against L.A.,” said Williams, who had 12 points and a career-high 14 rebounds. “You want to leave everything on the court going into next season and I think we did.”

Spark Coach Michael Cooper, who termed his team “in trouble” after the Aug. 8 loss to Houston, believes L.A.--after three consecutive road wins--is ready to defend its title.

“The last couple of games, especially at Minnesota, we haven’t had those five-six minute lapses that can be deadly,” Cooper said. “Our turnovers are down. The players know it’s playoff time.”

Armed with the knowledge that Houston had beaten Minnesota--putting L.A. in a must-win situation to clinch the league’s best record--the Sparks nonetheless started on cruise control. Phoenix--eager to entertain its Fan Appreciation Night crowd of 11,347, a season high--took a 19-12 lead.

But the Sparks turned on the defense and outscored Phoenix, 22-6, to take a 34-25 lead at halftime.

But L.A. struggled in the second half. With Mabika making only one of nine shots from the field, the Spark offense struggled.

But the Sparks never never lost the lead.

Now it’s off to Seattle, which beat the Sparks twice in three games. In the last meeting in Seattle on July 11, the Storm blew out the Sparks, 79-60. It was the Sparks’ worst defeat.

“I’m sure they have a confidence against us from what they did in the regular season,” Cooper said. “But the playoffs are different. In 1999 we swept Houston in the regular season, and in the playoffs they swept us.

“We now have the chance to home in on just them, not be worried about a Houston or a Utah the next day.

“But all four West teams are dangerous. That’s why we worked hard to get two games in our house.”

Considering the Sparks have lost three of their last four home games, one has to wonder if Staples Center is a safe haven.

“It is,” Cooper said, “until someone proves otherwise.”