Finals Open in Russia

Game 1 of the Russian Superleague Finals has gone to CSKA Samara. The hosts defeated Spartak, featuring Sue Bird and Lauren Jackson, 83-70 today. Jackson had 20 points and led all players with 14 rebounds, but Bird was outplayed by former Storm backup Edwige Lawson-Wade. Lawson-Wade scored 20 points with four three-pointers and five steals; Bird scored nine points, but on 2-for-8 shooting with just one assist.

In the third-fourth matchup, UMMC Ekaterinburg beat Dynamo Moscow 83-70.

Game 2 in both series will be tomorrow.

Thanks to Paul Swanson of the Minnesota Lynx (aka p_d_swanson), we now have a schedule for the finals in Turkey involving Barbara Turner (playing for Fenerbache). Make of this what you will, but the Turkish playoffs open with the higher-seeded team leading 1-0. So it's a best-of-seven series, but at most six actual games.

The schedule:
May 3 - at Fenerbahce
May 6 - at Besiktas
May 8 - at Besiktas
May 10 - at Fenerbahce (if necessary)
May 12 - at Besiktas (if necessary)
May 15 - at Fenerbahce (if necessary)

Root for a Fenerbache sweep.

In Poland, the series involving Betty Lennox is now at 3-2 Lotos with Game 6 tomorrow and Game 7 - if necessary - on Saturday.

JB is Back

Janell Burse arrived in Seattle last night and practiced today for the first time. Afterwards, she told the media she's glad to be back in the United States after spending her off-season in the Czech Republic and happy to have rejoined the Storm.

Anne Donovan is equally happy to see JB and said she looked very good in her 2007 debut

With Janell in camp, the Storm now has most of its post players here, Lauren Jackson being the notable exception. The perimeter spots remain thin, as Tanisha Wright is day-to-day and a few days away from being able to practice or play. Her status for Saturday's game at Indiana remains very much up in the air.

A reader asked about the status of JB's left shoulder, which forced her to miss seven games last season. She said she has really strengthened the muscles in her shoulder. It did slip a couple of times during the season, but the injuries weren't as big of an issue as when she hurt it during the Storm's campaign.

I asked JB about her first impressions of Katie Gearlds, and they were similar to everyone else who has been around the Storm's training camp.

"She didn't miss a shot," said Burse. "I don't remember her ever missing. I was like, 'Wow, she really is a good shooter."

Previously non-committal, Coach Donovan said today that if Shyra Ely makes the team, it will be as a perimeter player. That makes the battle between Ely and Barbara Turner - the subject of today's Audio Camp Report from Alan Horton - even more clear.

Pardon our Dust:
Hopefully you've noticed a new look for storm.wnba.com today as we reflect this season's advertising, which is maintaining the "Seeing is Believing" theme but focusing more on red and oatmeal after last year's stark black and white look.

Some of the features are not yet completely changed over, so please bear with us as we work to make storm.wnba.com beautiful.

Practice Observations

Great to see Janell Burse back on the court, looking like she's never left.

We've been let in for a three-player weave drill, with a couple of practice squadders subbing in to help build the numbers. There are eight Storm players on the court, with Tanisha Wright again riding an exercise bike on the sidelines.

Alright, turns out there's not more to come. After the Storm made 64 buckets in the drill, practice is finished.

More after we talk with Coach Donovan and the players.

Wright Has Pulled Groin

What Anne Donovan calls "by far the strangest camp I've ever had" got, in her mind, the worst-case scenario when Tanisha Wright suffered a pulled groin during Saturday's practice. Wright had been expected to almost all the reps at point guard after the Storm waived Yolanda Paige earlier Saturday.

"It's a pulled groin, so it's going to take some time to heal her," said Storm Coach Anne Donovan. "She's doing what she can do - she's in the pool, she's on the bike. But I'm committed - as I hope T is - to make sure this thing is healed before we put her back out there. T is such a worker and so antsy that that's my biggest concern, is that she tries to come back too soon."

"Right now, it feels good and I'll take it as slow as I need to take it to get back," said Wright, who is admittedly frustrated to have to miss time following a productive first week of training camp.

Without Wright, the Storm's options at the point are limited.

"Fortunately, we have a good practice player (Jason) that's a smart player and knows our system, so we're continuing to use him with our perimeter players rotating in," said Donovan. "We're getting great reps, so these players are getting great preparation right now. They're going to be very ready come time for Lauren and JB and Betty and Sue to come back."

Rookie Katie Gearlds has also worked at the point for the Storm.

"Katie's done great at the point," said Donovan. "We really haven't put her in too much full-court. She did some today. It's really about her getting comfortable there, but she's doing a great job."

Updated Returns

The Storm is getting its regulars back slowly. A second starter, center Janell Burse, will arrive tonight. Burse will practice tomorrow, with that session moved back to 1-4 p.m. to allow her to complete a physical prior to the session.

The hope is that Betty Lennox will be back by the end of the week, before the Storm travels to Indiana for the preseason.

The news is not good on Barbara Turner, whose team, Fenerbahce, is playing in the Turkish TBBL Finals. That series will start later this week, which could push Turner's return to the middle of next week. Meanwhile, Shyra Ely is in camp and gaining on Turner with every practice she completes.

"I temper that," explained Donovan, "with we know Barbara well - she's been with us for a year. We've invested a lot in Barb. But I'd be lying if I said I wasn't disappointed she's not here. We're just going to play the scenario out and see when it is she shows up."

Practice Observations

10-minute scrimmage right now. The Storm starts out with one of the practice squadders at the point joined by Katie Gearlds, Iziane Castro Marques, Wendy Palmer and Ashley Robinson. Brooke Queenan and Tye'sha Fluker are available as reserves, while Tanisha Wright is working the exercise bike. Shyra Ely went to the training room after, I'm told, apparently getting popped in the nose.

Shyra is back from the training room and ready to check in to the scrimmage.

Johan Petro is watching the action from a room upstairs looking out on the floor.

Great offensive rebound by Brooke Queenan, who joined camp late last week. Her putback attempt rolls around the rim and cruelly bounds out. Anne Donovan was not happy with her team's attention to the glass beyond Queenan, reminding them, "Our first job is to rebound."

Oh, and Mickaël Gelabale - the other half of the Sonics French Connection - is up there watching as well. Gelabale is wearing his game shorts. I'm really not sure why that is.

Anne takes timeout with a little less than four minutes left in the scrimmage and the practice squad just having taken a 12-11 lead. Penetration has been a problem for the Storm on defense during this scrimmage, and Anne wants to get that shored up.

Quick release from Katie Gearlds to beat the shot clock. It doesn't fall, but the Storm scores on the putback. Gearlds' form is so pure. She's running the point now.

Wendy Palmer with a pair of elbow jumpers. It doesn't appear her touch has suffered for her time off the court.

The Storm holds on for a 22-18 victory, with a Shyra Ely three-pointer in the final minute giving them the lead for good.

10 minutes on the clock as we start a second scrimmage. Katie opens up at the point once again.

Very pretty play in transition as Katie Gearlds draws the defense, then kicks to Izi Castro Marques for the three-pointer.

Izi is on fire from three-point range today, hitting at least three of them and maybe four between the two scrimmages. Still, it's Katie who has opened eyes with her shooting. Darren Fessenden of the P-I and I are shaking our heads at how cleanly her threes have a tendency to rip through the net. Double-teaming LJ and Sue has gotten a whole lot harder.

The second scrimmage is all Storm - final score 29-11. Really impressive shooting against the zone Coach Donovan asked the practice squad to play.

After splitting into posts and perimeter players (just three of them - Castro Marques, Ely and Gearlds) for shooting drills, we're done. Check back for an update after media availablity.

UMMC Defeated

Adia Barnes' UMMC Ekaterinburg squad fell 80-64 to CSKA Samara Sunday in the winner-take-all Game 3 of their Russian Superleague semifinal series. CSKA, which led by 28 after three quarters, avances to the finals to take on Sue Bird, Lauren Jackson, Francesca Zara and Spartak.

Ann Wauters had 19 points and eight rebounds to power Samara. Barnes had five points and four rebounds off the bench.

UMMC will play Moscow Dynamo in the matchup for third and fourth place.

Here's the schedule for the finals:

Game 1 at CSKA - Wednesday, May 2
Game 2 at CSKA - Thursday, May 3
Game 3 at Spartak - Sunday, May 6
Game 4 at Spartak - Monday, May 7
Game 5 at CSKA - Thursday, May 10

And watch for an update in the near future from Adia in her blog for storm.wnba.com.

Happy Belated Birthday

While posting the Storm's training camp roster, I discovered I share a birthday - April 10 - with newcomer Brooke Queenan (though not the same year).

Since then, I've been planning a post on others who share our birthday. That project took on somber overtones last week, when one person on that list - journalist David Halberstam - passed away in a car accident at age 73. Halberstam, a Pulitzer Prize winner, wrote a pair of terrific books about the NBA, The Breaks of the Game and Playing for Keeps. I've read both of those books and four Halberstam works in total and always greatly admired his work.

Besides Halberstam, here are some other notable April 10 births (with the help of Wikipedia):

1847 - Joseph Pulitzer, American journalist and publisher
1921 - Chuck Connors, American actor
1936 - John Madden, American football coach and broadcaster
1938 - Don Meredith, American football player and broadcaster
1950 - Ken Griffey, Sr., American baseball player
1951 - Steven Seagal, American actor
1958 - Kenneth "Babyface" Edmonds, American music producer, musician, and film producer
1959 - Brian Setzer, American musician (Stray Cats)
1970 - Q-Tip, American rapper and actor
1980 - Kasey Kahne, American race-car driver
1984 - Mandy Moore, American singer/actress
1988 - Haley Joel Osment, American actor