Sparks Finally Putting Their Game in Drive

That roll the Sparks were looking to get on the last third of the regular season? They seem to have found it.

After an 11-1 start, including a nine-game winning streak, the Sparks were 14-6 the rest of the way. But until the Aug. 8 loss to Houston that threatened to throw their year into disarray, the most victories Los Angeles could string was four.

Since that Aug. 8 game, however, the Sparks have won six consecutive--their last three regular-season games and all three playoff games, among them Thursday’s 75-67 decision over the Utah Starzz in the Western Conference best-of-three finals. Another win over the Starzz today at Staples Center will put the defending league champions back into the WNBA Finals.

The Sparks are winning no matter the circumstances--at home, on the road, playing their best or just getting by--and their confidence is building.

“It’s getting like the feeling we had last year, when the ball always seemed to find an open player,” said Lisa Leslie, after a short practice Friday. “And when the ball finds the open player, the game is a lot simpler. Right now we’re playing excellent team defense, even though teams don’t want to give us credit for it yet.”

Some of the changes Utah has to make, according to Coach Candi Harvey, are basic.

“We had talked about rebounding in winning this series because it won the Houston series,” she said. “But [even though Utah had a 38-37 edge Thursday] we didn’t get the job done on the boards. When you give that good a team extra shot opportunities, bad things are going to happen.”

Utah also needs more from its guard duo of Marie Ferdinand and Adrienne Goodson. Goodson’s seven points were her second-worst scoring night of the season. Ferdinand had 13, but the Sparks’ defense gave her only nine shots.

“Now the adjustments are on their behalf,” said Spark Coach Michael Cooper. “I think it will be a game situation adjustment. We’ll come out, and whatever they do, we’ll call time out and try to work through it. And I’m sure they’re gonna do some different things.

“We do have to limit the field-goal attempts of Ferdinand and Goodson, because they can get Utah going. So our defense has been geared toward them; they’ll always see a player and a half. We want to make them become passers. We don’t want them to pass to people for easy layups, but we have to get the ball out of their hands.”

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Although Leslie was scoreless in the second half Thursday and finished with 12 points, Cooper called her performance “one of the smarter games” he has seen her play this season.

“She didn’t try to force anything,” Cooper said. “She did what she had to do to help us win. That’s why I say she is an MVP.

“MVPs don’t necessarily have to do it [by scoring]. They can help by passing to the appropriate people, getting offensive rebounds, slowing the team down when necessary. Even though she is a center, rather than the point guard, she still has control over what we do.”

Leslie agreed that there had been no need to force things. “We had plenty of fastbreak opportunities,” she said. “And there were times I was passing because DeLisha [Milton] was cutting to the basket.”

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Even though they won, the Sparks have areas they want to improve. Missing 12 of 33 free throws did not go over well, nor did shooting 35.3% from the field.

Despite the presence of Utah’s 7-foot-2 center, Margo Dydek, Leslie said that she should have made more than three of her 12 shots. “I have to finish some of my inside shots, whether I think I’m fouled or not,” she said.