Sparks’ Final Loss Is Hard to Stomach
You could excuse Coach Joe Bryant for thinking the Sparks’ road arrangements had been made by Oliver Stone.
His Sparks were gearing up to play their most important game of the season -- trying to even their WNBA first round series with Sacramento -- and their downtown hotel was the same one where Bryant’s son Kobe got food poisoning from a bad hamburger during a Laker-King playoff series in 2002.
“Rest assured I didn’t order any room service,” Bryant said, laughing.
But there was nothing funny or palatable about the Sparks’ exit from the Western Conference playoffs Friday. Sacramento swept the Sparks away with an 81-63 victory at Arco Arena.
The Monarchs, who had five players in double figures and got 13 points and six rebounds each from Yolanda Griffith and Ticha Penicheiro, await the winner of the Houston-Seattle series, whom they will face in the Western Conference finals. The first game will be Thursday.
“L.A. is a talented team, and to beat them two straight is an achievement,” said the Monarchs’ John Whisenant, who earlier in the day was named WNBA coach of the year.
“I know they had some problems this year but they’re still a gifted team. And they’ll be back full force in the future.”
Bryant, who took over the team Aug. 17 after the firing of Henry Bibby and helped Los Angeles reach the playoffs, saluted a Monarch squad that won five of the six meetings between the teams in 2005.
“The tough thing is it is such a short series,” Bryant said. “But, defensively, Sacramento played very well. ... I really think their defense is their offense. The create so much havoc defensively it creates opportunities.”
Bryant, who will spend the off-season coaching in Japan, said he hoped Spark management would consider keeping him around for next season.
“Hopefully next year, as I talk with the Buss family, if there’s some capacity they’d like to bring me back as -- head coach, assistant coach or someone around to spend time to help keep their positive energy up -- I’d like to do it.”
Bryant’s did make one notable adjustment Friday, shaking up the Spark backcourt by starting Nikki Teasley and Raffaella Masciadri instead of Mwadi Mabika and Tamecka Dixon. Teasley delivered 14 points and five assists, and Masciadri scored a career-high 13 points.
Los Angeles again was unable to keep Sacramento from racing out to an early lead, this time 10-2. This time, however, the Sparks fought back early, and actually took their first lead of the series, 15-13, on a three-pointer by Laura Macchi.
The Sparks would have one more lead, 17-16, at the 9:47 mark. But shortly after that Lisa Leslie got her second foul and went to the bench. And the Monarchs took off on a 20-4 run over the next five minutes.
By halftime the Monarchs’ lead was 43-29 and the Sparks’ frustration was high. Leslie and Chamique Holdsclaw were a combined 0 for 6 from the field, and the Sparks had made only seven of 21 shots and had been outrebounded, 17-9. They already had 11 turnovers. There was little to suggest things would be different in the second half.
But Los Angeles came out breathing fire. Holdsclaw and Leslie each made her first basket as the Sparks tore off on an 18-5 run to get back within 48-47, with 13:14 to play.
But it turned out to be a last gasp. Over the next seven minutes, the Monarchs outscored the Sparks, 26-7. Bryant and Teasley were called for technical fouls, the Sparks kept missing open shots, and the Monarchs rolled into the conference finals for the third straight year.
“Form where we started to where we are, we had a lot of ups and downs,” said Holdsclaw, who finished with seven points and seven rebounds. “A lot of unfortunate situations. We knew coming in that Sacramento was tough team, but ... we just came up short. It was kind of the tale of the season, in a sense.”