Seattle Storm Win WNBA Season Opener Against Phoenix Mercury, 78-71

The Seattle Storm's 78-71 win over the Phoenix Mercury didn't have nearly the flair of last night's matchup featuring Candace Parker and Maya Moore.

Both teams came out rough and there's little doubt that should they face each other late in the playoffs again - as many might expect - they'll both be better, have their full systems in place, and have more rhythm.

"I still think that we have a lot of stuff to learn and we will," said Storm forward Lauren Jackson, who finished with 15 points and nine rebounds.

But as two of the top contenders in the Western Conference, you can bet that the Storm will gladly take a 1-0 series lead.

After the Storm got up by as many as 19 points, the Mercury rallied late by showing better execution and tougher defense overall to make the final score look perhaps a bit closer than the game really was.

So although the Storm simply outworked and outplayed the Mercury for the majority of this game, they weren't able to finish the game as strong as they would like to.

"We didn't address that after the game - I wanted them to enjoy today - but we didn't finish this game off," said Storm coach Brian Agler, whose team allowed the Mercury to shoot 60% in the fourth quarter. "We're better than that. We have the ability to finish off games and it's just a matter of communicating and understanding what we want to get accomplished. But give credit to Phoenix - they've got great players."

Diana Taurasi was as-advertised finishing with a game-high 31 points on 11-for-20 shooting. However, despite word of a stronger post game for the Mercury, the Storm punished them inside for the majority of the game winning the points in the paint battle 45-32.

Camille Little led the effort inside with 18 points and nine rebounds while Lauren Jackson followed with 15 points and seven rebounds. Little left the game late with a sprained knee, according to Agler, and is currently considered day-to-day. But her defensive and offensive effort was critical to the win.

"She is a great complement to Lauren and she can really be a versatile defender when we play against Phoenix, who has players like Taurasi," said Agler. "So when we get in a pick and roll, she can stay with those people."

Storm point guard Sue Bird also had a quietly strong performance, recording her 19th career double-double with 13 points and 10 assists. But ultimately what mattered more than individual performances on the day was the fact that they emerged from their nationally televised season opener victorious.

"For me personally, the last 10 years have been truly enjoyable," Bird said after the game when asked about the pre-game ceremony. "We could have more rings, but two is pretty good. Hopefully, we can get that third one this year."

Seattle Storm Defense Stifles Phoenix Mercury Offensive Attack

The Phoenix Mercury have made some changes to their offense this season, notably focusing a bit more on their interior game.

Whether that will be effective for the year is tough to tell in a first game of the season with both teams noticeably off their game. What we can say is that it didn't necessarily work well against the Seattle Storm this afternoon in KeyArena.

"We had some problems on offense as far as spacing, setting screens, waiting for screens," said Mercury forward Candice Dupree, who had 12 points and nine rebounds in the Mercury's 78-71 loss. "It's nothing that can't be fixed early in the season. If I had to lose, I'd rather lose now than later on. It's early and we have a few new players so we're adjusting. We'll get it."

But some part of their struggles offensively also has to be attributed to the Storm's defense - the Storm held the Mercury to 21.1 percent shooting in the third quarter while also winning the battle on the offensive boards 7 to 5 (which is admirable given the Mercury's 15 missed shots).

Seth Pollack of SBN Arizona also took note of the role of the Storm's defense in the Mercury's offensive struggles.

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The Mercury seemed determined to run more post offense but against Jackson's defense and perhaps a case of opening-day nerves, it didn't work well.

Spacing and ball movement with this new Mercury offense is clearly a work in progress and against the Storm defense was a difficult first test.

Defensively, Braxton and Dupree held Jackson in check (15 points) but Temeka Johnson struggled against Sue Bird and the addition of Katie Smith as a second ball handler on the floor gave Seattle more options than last year's championship team. The Storm still only shot 43.3 percent which is normally going to be enough defense to get the win if the Mercury offense can return to it's normal form.

But again, it's a first team and when you consider where these two teams - the past two WNBA champions - have been, neither one of them will have any problem putting things in perspective.

"We did some good things," said Mercury guard Diana Taurasi, who finished with 31 points on 11-for-20 shooting. "There are a lot of things we still need to work on, which is good because you don't want to peak too early in the season. We're going to go back to Phoenix and work on some things that hopefully will put us in a better position throughout the game."

Seattle Storm's Poise Helps Them To Lead At End Of Third Quarter

One of the Seattle Storm's significant advantages over other teams coming into the 2011 WNBA season was the fact that their starting lineup is entering their third consecutive season together.

It's times like the third quarter where that becomes most evident as they pulled out to a 60-47 lead over the Phoenix Mercury.

While the Mercury continue to search for their rhythm with new players in the rotation, the Storm continued to execute and find better shots to help them stretch their lead. Part of that was finding players in the post, starting with Lauren Jackson.

Jackson got points off of a combination of fast break trailing, a shot within the offense and a 3-pointer to finish with 10 points at the end of the third. Meanwhile, Camille Little controlled the offensive boards with four in the quarter as she continues to lead the team in scoring for the game.

Diana Taurasi will have her first 20 point game of the season, having 20 points at the end of three.

Storm Vs. Mercury Halftime Score: Katie Smith Helps Storm To 40-35 Lead

Ever since the Seattle Storm traded to acquire Katie Smith this off-season, there have been questions about whether she was too battered, old, or accustomed to starting to be effective.

She has maintained that she is willing to take on whatever role the team needs and in the second quarter she gave Storm fans a nice glimpse into what she offers as the Storm mounted a 40-35 lead while shooting 48.3 percent from the field.

Smith gave the Storm a scorer off the bench that could work off the ball to find gaps in the zone or float to open spots for shots without dominating the ball. In a game such as this with plenty of first game jitters to shake off for both teams, Smith's poise and presence of mind on the court was a huge boost in the second quarter as the Storm began to gain some separation. She gives the team another veteran ball handler next to Bird to help run the offense.

Smith added another three from the wing and a jumper in the second quarter to finish the half with eight points on 3-for-6 shooting and three rebounds. Camille Little scored six of her 10 points in the second quarter.

For the Mercury, this game is moving at the pace they typically like, but the Storm are finishing the fast breaks better with a 9 to 6 fast break points advantage. Diana Taurasi leads all scorers with 14 points and Penny Taylor ended the half with nine.

Storm Vs. Mercury: Storm Bench Gives Them A Boost To Take A 18-16 First Quarter Lead

KeyArena was ranked second to last in a recent Swish Appeal article about the top WNBA facilities, for reasons that you're probably well aware of.

However, what that ranking didn't take into account was the atmosphere in the building when the lower bowl is full of amped up Seattle Storm crowd.

After their 2010 WNBA championship ring pre-game ceremony - with a little egging on by the PA announcer prior to tip-off - fans were cheering their team on in mid-season form almost immediately.

But the teams showed that they still had to shake off a little rust before hitting their stride this season on the court.

In a game that got off to a fast and chaotic pace, both teams struggled to hit shots out of the gate with shots sailing over the rim or even careening off of the side of the backboard. However, the Storm ended the quarter with a 18-16 lead at least partially because of their bench.

Newcomer Katie Smith came off the bench and immediately hit a 3-point shot with 4:50 left and helped lead a 7-0 bench advantage for the Storm. Camille Little and Swin Cash led the Storm with four points apiece. However one problem the Storm will have to solve is the Mercury's two stars: Penny Taylor and Diana Taurasi had six points apiece.

Seattle Storm Host Phoenix Mercury To Open 2011 WNBA Season (Noon, ABC)

Of all the threats facing the Seattle Storm in their attempt to defend their 2011 WNBA title, the Phoenix Mercury are widely considered among the most dangerous.

The reason should be obvious for most basketball fans: a well-rested Diana Taurasi.

After a highly-publicized mix up while playing over in Turkey during the WNBA off-season, Taurasi has had months of rest and is more ready than she's ever been to a third WNBA title to her resume.

"Her training camp we started her off slow because she was off a couple months because she wasn't playing in Europe," said Mercury coach Corey Gaines during the WNBA preseason media teleconference. "So she came out, and made sure we didn't want to do too much too fast. But she's looking good. I will say this much, she's rested.

"For my team the way we play, it's important for my players to be rested. In the past when we've had a training camp and the players have had a month to come in and get some time off from Europe, it's helped my style that I learned how to coach through Paul Westhead, and I think this year's the same thing."

Although the Storm dominated last season, the Mercury came on strong late in the year after fully integrating some of the players they'd acquired via trade. So with Taurasi rested and the Mercury returning many of their contributors from last year, there's no question that this is going to be a strong team this season.

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Diana Taurasi, rested, and motivated, are words opponents will not like seeing together. Phoenix continues to evolve, adding bench pieces Nakia Sanford and Marie Ferdinand-Harris much like Seattle added Le'Coe Willingham and Svetlana Abrosimova last year. Temeka Johnson is the perfect point guard to run this team, and Kara Braxton with a full year in camp could finally break out like people have been waiting.

For all the focus on the Mercury's perimeter game, it could well be their interior presence that really makes them a better team this season. While rebounding is unquestionably necessary to run the way they like to play, they're also finding ways to integrate them into their offense.

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A new wrinkle to the pick and roll game will be Braxton herself. She obviously can set some of the best screens in the league but so far in camp has been working on rolling off those picks and finishing. It was a part of her game we didn't see last season.

"They got me in a lot more (pick and rolls) this year. Should be cool," Braxton said. "I can actually (finish on the move). That's a phase of my game that they're bringing out of me and helping me out a lot because usually I'm down low on the basket but now I'm getting the ball a little bit more, doing a little bit (on the move) and stuff like that. It's a good look."

After an outstanding game of basketball last night between the Los Angeles Sparks and Minnesota Lynx in budding superstar Maya Moore's debut, today's game promises to be exciting as well. While Storm coach Brian Agler said yesterday in practice that free agent acquisition Belinda Snell is not likely to play, decorated veteran Katie Smith has been practicing and will likely suit up in KeyArena for the first time this season. 

And against this Mercury team, the Storm will need to be at their best right out of the gate.

"I think they're as good as anyone in the league," said Storm coach Brian Agler about the Mercury after practice yesterday. "We've always had interesting competitions with them."