After Drama, Familiar Ending for the Sparks
Regular season titles don’t mean as much as they used to, and rightfully so because usually teams are remembered only for what they do in the playoffs.
The Sparks, who beat the San Antonio Silver Stars, 83-70, Saturday night before 10,150 fans at Staples Center, will probably enjoy their 2003 Western Conference regular season title. Not just because it’s their fourth in a row, but for everything they had to endure to win it.
They experienced more injuries to more key players than the last two combined.
They experienced more controversy, with the revelation that Latasha Byears, formerly a key reserve, was under investigation in the alleged sexual assault of a former Spark teammate.
The controversy didn’t end there; Rhonda Mapp, another key reserve, was dismissed from the WNBA on Friday for violating the league’s drug policy.
The Sparks (23-10) wrapped up the top seeding in front of an audience that included Lakers Shaquille O’Neal and Derek Fisher (who wore a Kobe Bryant jersey) and rendered meaningless Monday’s regular-season finale against the Houston Comets.
“It’s very special to me,” said Spark Coach Michael Cooper, on winning the conference. “We’ve been through a lot this year with this team. It’s nice to see we can respond to adversity and tough situations, and still maintain a professional attitude about what we have to do.”
The players were more low key.
“I never thought we wouldn’t win it,” said Tamecka Dixon, who along with Leslie and DeLisha Milton was one of the key players who got injured. “That’s one reason we came out the gate the way we did (9-0), to have a little cushion. Nobody could guess we would have the injuries and the adversity, but we weathered the storm.
“But the ultimate prize is the [WNBA] championship. Other teams may hang up their Eastern Conference or Western Conference banners, but we don’t even celebrate it. It’s not the ultimate goal we want to accomplish.”
The Comets had already given the Sparks the West by losing earlier in the night to Seattle, 71-64. But the Sparks, who got a season-high 31 points from Lisa Leslie and 16 from Mwadi Mabika, didn’t know that -- which probably was a good thing.
It meant the Sparks, who led, 45-34, at the half, had to keep their minds on the business at hand. The 12-22 Silver Stars, who got a career-high 27 points from center Margo Dydek and 16 points each from Marie Ferdinand and Adrienne Goodson, were playing their final game with nothing to lose, and were intent on matching Los Angeles elbow for elbow and bump for bump.
San Antonio got as close as 63-57 with under six minutes to play, but a three-point basket by Nikki Teasley (13 points) with 6:24 to play put to rest any chances of a Silver Stars’ comeback.
Now the Sparks, who will face the Minnesota Lynx in the first round, will find out how much left is in the playoff tank after a trying regular season.
“It hasn’t been easy this year,” said Leslie, who had 21 points in the first half. “But to raise that championship banner will make it all that much sweeter.
“Now we’re preparing for the playoffs, so I don’t think we’ll be holding anything back on Monday -- especially on defense. We might as well as get into our playoff rhythm on defense. I expect [both Houston and Los Angeles] will be doing that. No one just wants to give up a game; at least not these two teams.”
Before the game the Sparks re-signed Lynn Pride to replace Mapp.