Sparks Winning With Off-Peak Performance
It’s no longer a surprise that the Sparks keep winning or that the games are, for the most part, close.
What should worry the rest of the WNBA, trying to catch the league’s only undefeated team, is that the Sparks still appear nowhere close to their peak form.
After Thursday’s 74-66 victory over the Indiana Fever, before 7,928 at Staples Center, the 8-0 Sparks are a quarter of the way through the 2003 schedule and have a four-game lead in the Western Conference.
But it has been a start that has tested their resolve and left some questions. Primarily, when is the best of the Sparks going to emerge?
On Thursday they got away with shooting 40.6% (28 for 69) from the field, 68.8% (11 for 16) from the free-throw line and committing 18 turnovers because they controlled the boards, 41-24, and controlled the Fever in the final 20 minutes. Once the Sparks extended their 31-30 halftime lead to 38-30 two minutes in the second half, Indiana (2-3) could get no closer than four points.
Spark Coach Michael Cooper, who Thursday was chosen the Western Conference All-Star coach (New York’s Richie Adubato is the Eastern Conference coach), said it was only a matter of time before the Sparks find their rhythm.
“The big difference is teams are better than they were last year,” Cooper said. “But it also shows we have a big upside to us. Even though we are 8-0, we can get better. We wanted to get off to a good start, and if it had been 6-2 or 7-1 we would still enjoy that. But now the target on our backs is bigger because everyone wants to stop this streak.”
Los Angeles is one victory shy of equaling its WNBA record for consecutive wins at the start of a season. The Sparks can tie the record Saturday in New York and Lisa Leslie, who had 21 points and 13 rebounds Thursday for her seventh double-double, said it might be a good idea to go on the road again.
“We playing raggedy at home right now,” Leslie said. “We’re gonna get better. But starting out on the road like we did we were more disciplined and executed better. We also take good care of the ball. But ... at home we’re going a little too fast. We had a lot of unforced errors and the offense is not quite clicking.”
Sophia Witherspoon, back with the Sparks after not being signed at the start of the season, said the team has not yet reached the level of desire it displayed during the last two championship seasons.
“This year, in the games I’ve seen, there is less energy and less hunger,” said Witherspoon, who scored five points in eight minutes. “It’s always hard when you’re champion and everyone’s coming at you every night. But now that we’re out in front, we have to stay there.”
There were those who expected Los Angeles to feel drained at this point in the season, especially after playing their first four games on the road. But Indiana Coach Nell Fortner wasn’t one of them
“The one thing about L.A.,” Fortner said, “is they are just so experienced. The only addition to the core is [Nikki] Teasley, and she was a really good addition. So L.A. was the type of team that could handle that type of start. They are the best team in the league, without a doubt.”
Natalie Williams had 18 points and six rebounds, her best game since coming to the Fever from San Antonio in an off-season trade.
