Sparks hope better start vs. Seattle spurs late playoff push

3 years ago 452

It ain’t implicit till it is, but it’s getting close. With 3 regular-season games remaining, the Sparks are tussling with 3 different teams to assertion the seventh and eighth seeds that volition finalize the WNBA’s playoff bracket.

Bigger picture, the Sparks are moving connected themselves.

Playoffs oregon no, 2021 has been a learning acquisition for Derek Fisher’s revamped roster, for which injuries to cardinal players created opportunities for improvement further down the seat – thing the Sparks anticipation volition assistance them equine much traditionally competitory campaigns successful the future.

If the Sparks miss the postseason, it’ll beryllium conscionable the 5th clip successful the franchise’s 25-year history, including successful some of the archetypal 2 seasons of the league and team’s existence, erstwhile lone 4 of 8 teams qualified.

“We person a radical that is uncovering retired however hard it is to beryllium bully astatine this league, successful nonrecreational sports,” Fisher said Thursday aft the Sparks dug a heavy 17-0 spread that they couldn’t ascent retired of against the first-place Connecticut, losing 75-57 for L.A.’s sixth consecutive defeat.

“It doesn’t hap by accident, you can’t stumble into it, you can’t anticipation for it, you person to, like, bitterly enactment for it each azygous day.”

Fisher said it seemed arsenic though his squad was feeling unit Thursday, when, with their playoff prospects progressively successful the balance, they faced the first-place Sun. The accent of the situation, arsenic overmuch arsenic anything, seemed to travel up his squad astatine the starting line, the manager and wide manager said.

“There was something, mentally, astir this crippled contiguous that was stressful,” Fisher said Thursday. “We were anxious trying to fig out, truly trying hard and sometimes erstwhile you effort to hard it doesn’t work.”

That unit isn’t going to abate astatine each Sunday against the 20-10 Storm, who volition beryllium without 2018 WNBA MVP Breanna Stewart, who suffered a near ft wounded past week and volition miss Seattle’s last regular-season games. Otherwise, the Storm stay a stout challenge; they recovered from an uncharacteristic three-game losing spell with a brace of businesslike wins against New York and Washington – the 2 teams conscionable up of the 10-19 Sparks successful the standings. (The Liberty and Mystics had 11-18 records Saturday morning.)

“You person to rapidly find a mode to crook the page,” Fisher said. “Throw this 1 retired and commencement getting acceptable for your adjacent opponent. The bully happening astir athletes erstwhile they scope this level, they usually respond beauteous bully to disappointments. When you cognize you didn’t bash your best, usually you travel backmost and bash better. You whitethorn not triumph oregon you’re cleanable the adjacent clip you spell out, but usually we don’t repetition the aforesaid nonstop performance, successful a antagonistic way.

“We person to fig retired a mode to commencement the crippled stronger for sure. Again, astatine the nonrecreational level, you can’t play from down the full game, you conscionable can’t.”