A perfect storm The Seattle Storm is gaming the system with one legend after another

After the worst start in team history, this is just what StormCrazies needed to read before tonight’s game…

It’s crazy how accomplished the Storm are. At point guard, Sue Bird, college player of the year for the undefeated UConn Huskies in 2002 and seven-time WNBA All-Star. At shooting guard, Katie Smith, member of two title teams in the WNBA and the all-time leading scorer in professional women’s hoops. At center, Ann Wauters, five-time European player of the year. Coming off the bench, Tina Thompson, four-time WNBA champ and the leading scorer in league history. And returning after the Olympics, Lauren Jackson, winner of MVP awards on three continents, including three times in the WNBA. Four of these five players (Bird, Jackson, Thompson and Wauters) were the No. 1 overall pick in the WNBA draft. An overlapping group of four (Bird, Jackson, Smith and Thompson) was named among the top 15 players in league history last year. It’s hard to think of any team in any league, ever, whose members collectively rank so high in the history of its sport. Maybe the closest: the 1977 New York Cosmos, who brought together Pele, Franz Beckenbauer and Giorgio Chinaglia.

Why you should care about the Seattle Storm

In my opinion, the title of the article doesn’t really match the written piece.  The article talks more about the different Storm players (mostly about the veteran players). Who they are as people not just as athletes, the scheduling difficulties on an Olympic year, and the challenge of building rapport due to all the new faces this year.

Here a few excerpts from Tina [gotta love the StormCrazies comments!]:

“I think that our fans are there because there’s a genuine care,” Thompson said, “not because there’s this kind of superficial idea that they have to support this guy because they see him on all the magazines or on the TV, and they think that he’s cool because of that. I think that our fans generally, I mean, really know who we are. You know, as people, as athletes. There is a true connection that you don’t get in the NBA or in most professional sports in general.”

“The Storm Crazies! They are a little crazy, yeah. So, I’m definitely excited,” Thompson said. “I’ve actually run into a few of the Crazies at Starbucks and the grocery stores. … And I’ve kind of been getting the same couple lines: ‘Oh! I’ve hated you for so long! It feels so good to now love you and be able to cheer for you! Well, actually I did love you but I couldn’t really love you, you know?’

“So it’s really funny — but totally genuine though. They’re really serious. Like, it’s not a game: ‘I really did hate you even though I think that you’re good, and I’m glad that I can cheer for you.’ So it’s kind of funny and cool at the same time. I haven’t really gotten down the response. You know, just kinda like, ‘Thank you?’”

Bird, Cash lead Storm past Silver Stars, 70-60

Sue Bird continues her run for 2011 MVP while Swin Cash finally broke out of the offensive slump that was getting to her nerves!  Today’s double-double from Swin was key for Seattle’s win. I sat to watch history in the making on my computer in Seattle.  Swin surpassed her 4,000 career points! Thank goodness for WNBA Live Access. I wonder if the pressure of the milestone was what put her in the recent offensive slump. The good news for Seattle is that she appears to have broken the spell. If all is good by this time next year she’ll be approaching the 2,000 career rebounds milestone.

Another one that is quietly approaching a milestone is Katie Smith, about 28 points away from reaching 6,000 career points! I hope she doesn’t cave to the pressure and that I can get to witness it happen this year at the Key.

Katie Smith Eyes Career in Nutrition

“I spent some years trying to figure out exactly what I want to do,” Smith explained. “Really, this past offseason was the most brainstorming and the most talking - trying to figure out what I wanted to do for the rest of the life and how to incorporate the things I enjoy and things I can share that are important for me. A combination of a lot of things went into it, but (nutrition) is something that goes hand in hand with being active, with being healthy and trying to stay fit.”