Women's Hoops Blog

Inane commentary on a game that deserves far better


Wednesday, September 29, 2004

Sacramento did a great job swarming all over Lisa Leslie, double- and triple-teaming her, forcing the game into the hands of Mabika, Dixon, Thomas, and Macchi. The Sparks' supporting cast didn't come through, while it seemed like everyone on the Monarchs was making big plays.

Lisa and Yo battled all night long down low. After Yo came out on top, Lisa gave her some advice.

"Lisa said after six years in this league this is my opportunity to win the championship," Griffith said. "But it's not just my opportunity, but for my teammates, the entire Maloof organization and all of Sacramento."

The Sparks and their fans were in a state of disbelief. No one in LA really thought they would go down -- they had never gone out in the first round before -- but the Monarchs thoroughly outplayed them.

"We made history today," said Leslie, who got off only 8 shots as a result of Sacto's impressive defense. "It's a very unusual feeling for us…. but the Monarchs were the aggressors. They took the game from us."

Sacramento will begin preparing for the Storm. "Basketball is all about matchups, and we matched up better against L.A.," Kara Lawson said. "We're going to have to work even harder to beat Seattle."