Not surprisingly, the keys for the Seattle Storm against the San Antonio Silver Stars are pretty much exactly the same as they were a week ago.
However, Kevin Pelton of StormBasketball.com reinforced one of the major keys for the game with his summary of the Storm's 69-66 loss to the Silver Stars last Thursday.
In Head Coach Dan Hughes' style, San Antonio forces relatively few turnovers, putting pressure on the defense to force misses and complete the stop with a defensive rebound. The Storm's sloppy play in the first half last Thursday allowed the Silver Stars to add steals to the mix, which produced both empty possessions for the Storm and transition buckets for San Antonio. When the Storm got the turnovers relatively under control in the second half, the team was able to take control of the game.
That pretty much summarizes the most significant factor in that last game and a general key for the Storm this season.
Three keys for the Seattle Storm:
- Cut down on the turnovers: The Storm turned the ball over 20 times last Thursday, which is an extremely high rate for any team. As inconsistent as the Storm's shooting has been, throwing away possessions is something that they can afford even less than most teams.
- Win the rebounding battle: The San Antonio Silver Stars rebound at the second-lowest rate of any team in the league. But last week against the Storm the Silver Stars managed to beat the Storm on the boards 35-34 overall and 12-10 on the offensive boards. That gives the Silver Stars the type of second chance shots - and free throw attempts - that rookie All-Star Danielle Adams feasts on around the basket. The Storm have proven they can rebound far better than they did against the Silver Stars and it's difficult to imagine them winning if they get beat on the boards again.
- Remain aggressive, get to the free throw line: Again, the Storm are not shooting consistently this season but that problem is compounded when they start settling for jumpers instead of going to the basket. The Storm have the personnel to get to the free throw line, as forward Swin Cash and guard Tanisha Wright have shown on multiple occasions. The Silver Stars did an outstanding job of clogging the area around the basket, but the Storm have to remain persistent in attacking the basket.
For more on the game, visit Pelton's preview at StormBasketball.com.