Ending On a High Note, V. Sparks

WNBA Playoffs... they ain't what they used to be!

Both teams out of contention, the Comets and Sparks closed out their seasons together in LA Sunday night, and the Comets came out on top, 82-72.

Tina Thompson led the scoring with 22 points and with her seven rebounds, Tina became only the fourth WNBA player (joining Margo Dydek, Yolanda Griffith and lisa leslie) to reach 2,000 career rebounds.

Turnovers: Comets 15, Sparks 20
Steals: Comets 10, Sparks 5
Blocks: Comets 2, Sparks 6
Fast Break Points: Comets 8, Sparks 4
Biggest lead: Comets 10, Sparks 10
Unanswered Points: Comets 8, Sparks 0
Lead Changes: 5
Times Tied: 4
Points in the Paint: Comets 44, Sparks 32
FG%: Comets 48.4, Sparks 43.5
3FG%: Comets 33.3, Sparks 25.0
FT%: Comets 77.3, Sparks 75
Rebounds: Comets 32, Sparks 30

And with four players in double point figures and almost everyone else both playing and scoring, the Comets played hard to the very end. (If the season was 30 days longer, I think we would definitely be in contention).

Tina Thompson 22
Hamchetou Maiga-Ba 15
Tamecka Dixon 12 (all hail that decision!)
Michelle Snow 10
Crystal Smith 6
Erin Grant (aka PeeWee) 5
Roneeka Hodges 5
Latasha Byears 3
Sancho Lyttle 2
Mistie Williams 2

Ashley Shields played but didn't score. Swoopes (in spite of rumors) and Turner didn't play.


Sherill Baker led the Sparks and scored a season-high 16 points and seven assists. And my favorite Spark, Jessica Moore, added career bests of 13 points and eight rebounds.

Swoopes Might Play At This Late Date

From the Houston Chronicle:

Sheryl Swoopes has missed all but three games this season with a lower back injury. On Sunday, when the Comets play their final game of the season against the Los Angeles Sparks, coach Karleen Thompson hopes to see Swoopes on the court.

"She has worked really hard to get better this year, and I know it's been tough for her to be watching from the sidelines," Thompson said. "I don't know if she will be playing on Sunday, but I really hope she is."

I'm sitting on my hands to keep from interjecting my own thoughts. Oh... what the heck!:

I would love to believe that Swoopes wants to return to the Comets. I would love to see her back in that uniform. I would absolutely love it. I'm just not so sure she feels that way.

Time will tell.

Comets Top Sparks, In Sleeper

The Comets defeated their (historically) arch-rivals Sparks, 66-56.

It was bound to happen eventually, but I'm not sure anyone expected it: the most boring game of the year, and it was played against the LA Sparks. Another first?... I felt little competitive emotion, and to the contrary, I actually felt sorry for the Sparks... just a little bit.

The first quarter should be billed as a desparate fight for first draft pick, and while the pace picked up a bit, the overall game was still what I would term a 'sleeper'.

Turnovers: Comets 19, Sparks 11
Fast Break Points: Comets 2, Sparks 13
Biggest Lead: Comets 12, Sparks 0
Points in the Paint: Comets 28, Sparks 20
FG%: Comets 32.8, Sparks, 28.6
3FG%: Comets 25.0, Sparks 14.3
FT%: Comets 71.4, Sparks 73.7
Total Rebounds: Comets 50, Sparks 37

Tina Thompson led with 13 points (10 rebounds), and Tamecka Dixon was the only other Comet with double points, with 12 (7 rebounds).

Tina Thompson 13
Tamecka Dixon 12
Sancho Lyttle 9
Michelle Snow 9
Hamchetou Maiga-Ba 6
Roneeka Hodges 5
Crystal Smith 4
Erin Grant 4
Barbara Turner 2
Mistie Williams 2 (yippeeeeee!)

Mwadi Mabika (who if history is any predictor, will soon play for the Comets) was lead scorer and the only Spark in double points, with 10.


*Game Side Note: I had the sincere pleasure of meeting L.A. Forward-Center Jessica Moore's mother tonight. And after visting with 'Mom'... Jessica has a new fan!

*Photo Credit: Bob Levy, Houston Chronicle: Michelle Show shoots over Taj McWilliams-Franklin.

Comets Fire Up First Win Against Sparks

We did it! We really did it!

Not only did the Comets log their first W, but they soundly defeated l.a. in the process!

The final score was 74-64 and while Michelle Snow (21, 9 rebounds, 4 assists, 3 turn overs) and Tina Thompson (20, 8 rebounds, 1 assist, 1 turnover) led by far in points, almost everyone who played, scored:

Hodges (9, 4 assists, 1 turn over)
Smith (8, 1 rebound, 4 assists)
Byears (5, 2 rebounds, 1 assist)
Maiga-Ba (5, 1 rebound, 3 assists, 6 turnovers)
Moore (5, 3 rebounds, 3 assists)
Shields (1)

The exceptioins: Sancho Lyttle started, played 13:40, snatched 6 rebounds, caused 3 turnovers and didn't score. Tari Phillips played 3:09 and didn't score but didn't cause any turnovers.

In a game that was equal parts lackluster and brilliance (because we never fell behind), our girls came out and played four complete quarters. They actually got the crowd in the game, for the first time all season. And when the final horn sounded, you would have thought we had won the Championship!

Congratulations Karleen and Hilton... on your first win. (I heard on the radio that Hilton got the game ball. I'm thinking he deserves it because the checks must have cleared!).

Lestlie's Baby

(If only she shared the name of an herb... the title of this post would pack a lot more satire).

Lisa Leslie (and husband Michael Lockwood) had a baby girl. Laruen Jolie Lockwood came into the world, weighing 8 pounds 11 ounces, at 4:05 am this morning.

There's nothing more important or self defining... than motherhood. A close second might be the respect you pay those that pass this life, into death, before you.

I have more than a little difficulty celebrating with, let alone, respecting a woman who could fling military salutes and reap such pompous joy over the defeat of an emotionally vacant Houston Comets team, on the night of Kim Perrot's death... yet I pray each day for those that might be touched and transformed by this day's events.

In so doing, I also extend my very best and hearty well wishes to Lisa, her husband and her baby daughter.

Photo by Soul Brother / Filmmagic.

Enough is Enough, and Eight is Enough

Of all the games for us NOT to break the streak, it was last night's game... Sparks 74, Comets 71.

We trailed by 13 at the half but rebounded to take a 62-60 lead with 8:33 left. LA then sparked up a 10-0 run to take the lead 70-62, with 4:55 left. We narrowed that lead with a 9-2 run, and were down by 1 with 16.3 seconds remaining.

But we fouled and they made both free throws. Roneeka Hodges had the opportunity to tie the game with a 3-pointer, but we all know that story...

Only Tina and Michelle were in double digits, compared to four of the Sparks (3 starters and a bench). Sigh.

New Sparks Owners Are Fans First

Season ticket-holders, Kathy Goodman (left) and Carla Christofferson are the new owners of the L.S. (Photo Courtesy of Robert Durell , LA Times, Article by jerome.crowe@latimes.com ).

This is an awesome story of fan(s) and fantasy! And I think it's just terrific that these women have, among their assets, the STH perspective!

In fact, they apparently entered the arena for their June 2nd game and walked right past the floor seats set aside for them and cheered for their team from the upper reaches of the lower bowl, among the throngs of Sparks fans!

Highlights from the article:

When asked what's the best thing about owning the Sparks, Goodman replied, "If I'm going to be a geeky fan about it, I would say, the players saying hi to me," she said. "And hanging out with Michael Cooper. It's very cool."

And their top priority seems to be the fans. Goodman said, "I feel like I'm responsible for them. Like, 'OK, they need to have a good time and it needs to be a good game.' I sort of feel like I'm throwing a party and if people don't have a good time, I'm not a good host."

Happy Houston Comets Final, 77-51

The Comets clinched third seed in the Western Conference with a 77-51 win tonight over our arch-rivals, the LA Sparks.

We had 100% shooting with 6 minutes into the first half, and our bench played much of the game. Sheryl wasn't feeling well, and she sat out altogether.

To top it off, my section won the Party Zone celebration!!! We had balloon hats and tons and tons of signs and crape paper. It was a blast!

O... tonight was fan appreciation night, and the first folks through the door got Cynthia Cooper bobbleheads... a nice addition to the collection!

Playoff Game A v. Seattle is here on Tuesday night at 8:30pm. GO COMETS GO!!!

Comets v. sparks Tonight

In thinking about the comments I made last night, about the game tonight, there are some things I should have said.

Although the Sparks' season hasn't gone as well as the last few have for them. The Comets have an 0-3 record against them this year. For some reason, we just can't pull it together against them. And on their behalf, they have have outplayed us. In the game played here in Houston, it seemed like they just didn't miss a shot!

So, tonight is going to be a showdown. I hope we have a happy final, as they say on SportsRadio 610!

Gearing Up: Tomorrow Night v. l.a.

Alas, the last game of the Comets regular season is tomorrow night.

The girls were really fun to watch this year. (I wish I could say the same for the single game attendees that have parked their obnoxious behinds in my section this year... but that's a post for another day).

We play l.a. tomorrow night. The Comets-sparks rivalry goes way back. Some of my most memorable games from the early days are end of season and playoff games against la. I think all of the founding season ticketholders will never forget the game on the day Kim Perrot passed away. For that reason, alone, I cannot support the sparks. Talk about pitiful sportsmanship... The next game that we played them at home, during the playoffs, made up for it, though. Smirk.

And and another thing about the game tomorrow... their new coach, you know... Kobe's daddy, Joe Bryant... had better not try THIS again!!! I'm sorry, but the sparks are among the dirtiest in the league. If you're playing them, you've gotta step your aggression up a dozen notches, to stay in the game!

Fortunately, we secured a playoff berth Thursday night. l.a. will be fighting hard, because their post-season play depends on the game tomorrow night. It will be a nail biter, for sure!