Sunday, September 21, 2008

Postgame Odds & Ends

Check out the video from postgame press conferences:
- Storm Head Coach Brian Agler
- Storm guard Sue Bird
- Sparks Head Coach Michael Cooper
- Sparks center Lisa Leslie

Also listen to our locker-room interview with Sheryl Swoopes.

I only caught Leslie's press conference. She and Swoopes took contrasting views on which side was responsible for the physical nature of the game, which ... well, it's not exactly a surprise at this point of the season. Leslie downplayed the notion that the Sparks were frustrated, but it certainly looked that way when she drew a technical foul. Cooper and Candace Parker were close to getting T'd up themselves.

Swin Cash's Game 1 T was out of character for the Storm, who - with the possible exception of Lauren Jackson - rarely draw technicals. According to Dougstats.com, Storm players were whistled for five technicals in the regular season (two by Jackson), while L.A. was called for nine (three by Leslie). They don't have the numbers on coaches, but I can only think of one from Agler, that coming in the closing seconds of a loss at Houston.

- If you were at the game, you saw the introduction of the Third Annual Stormy Awards during a timeout. Even if you weren't there, you still have the ability to check out and vote for the three candidates here on storm.wnba.com through Tuesday. I'm still not sure which direction I'm leaning.

- I haven't mentioned that Connecticut's Mike Thibault won Coach of the Year honors yesterday, edging out San Antonio's Dan Hughes and Agler, who finished third with five votes. I think any of the top three would have been very deserving winners. I was a little surprised the vote went so strongly to Thibault (he received 24 of the 45 votes), but maybe that's a result of having only one vote as opposed to voting first-second-third or something like that.

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