SB Nation Seattle - Storm Lose Consecutive Games For The First Time In 2010 With 84-75 Loss In Tulsahttps://cdn.vox-cdn.com/community_logos/48997/seattle-fave.png2010-08-04T11:13:45-07:00http://seattle.sbnation.com/rss/stream/13678562010-08-04T11:13:45-07:002010-08-04T11:13:45-07:00Shock Outworked The Storm In Tulsa
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<p>The consensus from Tulsa last night: the Shock were just a little bit hungrier than the Seattle Storm.</p>
<p>“Tulsa has played hungry all year long," said Storm coach Brian Agler. "They work hard, they play hard, they try to make things happen, and tonight they did. They really took advantage of their opportunities.”</p>
<p>One area that "hunger" shows up is on the offensive boards -- while the Storm beat the Shock on the offensive boards 7 to 2 in the first half exerting a strength on one of the Shock's weaknesses, the Shock played relatively even on the offensive boards in the second half at 2 to 2. The turnovers were still the most significant factor throughout the game, but the shift in offensive rebounds demonstrates that the Storm were being outhustled and outworked, as stated by point guard Sue Bird in the video above.</p>
<p>“We didn’t settle down and just play defense," said Storm forward Camille Little. "They were getting offensive rebounds and loose balls. It’s hard to stop any team when they get those extra opportunities.”</p>
<p><i>For more on the game, see Kevin Pelton's link roundup at <a target="_blank" href="http://tracker.stormbasketball.com/?p=1479">StormTracker, the official blog of the Seattle Storm.</a></i></p>
https://seattle.sbnation.com/2010/8/4/1605211/the-hungrier-team-won-in-tulsaNate P.2010-08-03T20:43:56-07:002010-08-03T20:43:56-07:00Turnovers Doom Storm In 84-75 Loss In Tulsa
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<p>The Storm dropped their second consecutive game on the road tonight,<a target="_blank" href="http://www.wnba.com/games/20100803/SEATUL/gameinfo.html"> losing 84-75 to the Tulsa Shock</a>, who had played them well in a previous meeting in Tulsa.</p>
<p>The Storm matched a season-high 24 turnovers -- previously set in Tulsa on June 27th -- and were quite badly outshot in the first half.</p>
<p>More on the game from SBN's Swish Appeal:</p>
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<p><a href="http://www.swishappeal.com/2010/8/3/1604225/statistical-summary-turnovers-calm" target="_blank">Statistical summary: Turnovers calm the Storm in Tulsa - Swish Appeal</a><br>As surprising as the Tulsa Shock's 84-75 win over the Seattle Storm tonight might be, the manner in which they won it was quite predictable.</p>
<p>Maybe you can dismiss the pre-season game in which the Shock's 40 Minutes of Hell forced the Storm into 32 turnovers. But it's much harder to overlook the Storm's season-high 24 turnovers in Tulsa during their 83-72 win in which they needed a 4th quarter rally to win.</p>
<p>Again tonight the Storm turned the ball over 24 times but this time the 4th quarter rally never came -- despite holding the Shock to 2-12 shooting in the 4th quarter, the Storm turned the ball over while putting the Shock on the free throw line 12 times allowing the Shock to hang on to the 9 point lead they entered the quarter with.</p>
<p>So while the opponents' free throw rate might be among the biggest commonalities between the Storm's consecutive road losses, the bigger issue is that they lost the turnover battle in both and particularly badly against the Shock.</p>
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<p>The Storm will return home for their first game of the season against former UConn center Tina Charles and the Connecticut Sun on Thursday and then host the Shock again on Saturday looking to return tonight's favor.</p>
https://seattle.sbnation.com/2010/8/3/1604314/turnovers-doom-storm-in-84-75-lossNate P.2010-08-03T15:58:49-07:002010-08-03T15:58:49-07:00With Win Streak Behind Them, Storm Hoping To Rebound In Tulsa
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<p>Seattle Storm point guard Sue Bird suggested that with their loss to the Minnesota Lynx on Sunday, the Storm could relax and get back to focusing on the things that earned them a 22-3 record and home court throughout the Western Conference to begin with.</p>
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<p><a href="http://www.blueridgenow.com/article/20100802/APS/1008020940" target="_blank">Storm-Shock Preview | BlueRidgeNow.com</a><br>Seattle (22-3) had its 13-game winning streak snapped with a 72-71 loss at Minnesota on Sunday. While the Storm have already clinched the top spot in the Western Conference, they were trying to move closer to breaking the league record for the best start set by the 1998 Houston Comets, who opened 25-2 and finished 27-3.</p>
<p>After taking an early lead Sunday, Seattle trailed by 11 with 4:23 remaining in the fourth quarter and couldn't complete a late rally. Sue Bird scored 16 points while Jackson, second in the league with 21.5 points per game, finished with a season-low 12 after struggling with a sprained left thumb she suffered earlier.</p>
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<p>That might be unfortunate for the the 4-22 Tulsa Shock.</p>
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<p><a href="http://www.wnba.com/storm/news/preview100803.html" target="_blank">STORM: Insider Preview - Storm at Tulsa</a><br>While these newcomers have shown their talent, what Tulsa is badly missing is a star player to create offense on a regular basis. The Storm has three players who average more points than Robinson, and the team can count on them to score on a nightly basis. The Shock lacks such a consistent threat and a player who can go one-on-one with the shot clock running down. That explains why Tulsa's is the league's worst offensive team on a per-possession basis.</p>
<p>At the other end of the floor, Richardson's desire to put pressure on the ball has translated into open looks beyond the arc for teams that can reverse the basketball and get it to the weak side. Nobody is better at this than Phoenix, which explains why the Mercury twice set new WNBA scoring records in fast-paced games against the Shock. The Storm has done something similar, making 19 three-pointers in two matchups with Tulsa, including 10 from reserve Svetlana Abrosimova.</p>
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<p>Although Storm center Lauren Jackson left the game early with a strained right thumb, she is expected to play tonight.</p>
<p><i>To follow the game, please see the game thread at <a target="_blank" href="http://www.swishappeal.com/2010/8/3/1603769/game-thread-tulsa-shock-4-22-vs#comments">SBN's Swish Appeal</a>.</i></p>
https://seattle.sbnation.com/2010/8/3/2318818/with-win-streak-behind-them-storm-hoping-to-rebound-in-tulsaNate P.