Storm Can Top Sonics for Best Pro Hoops Start Tonight

Your local hoops team is off to a 20-2 start and play tonight against Phoenix at Seattle Center. It could be today, or it could be December 23, 1993. Then, the team was the Sonics, the opponent was the Phoenix Suns. Tonight it's the Storm facing the Phoenix Mercury.

The Sonics lost game #23 (Thunder Dan Majerle went off for seven threes). So with a win against Phoenix tonight, the Storm can claim the best start in Seattle pro hoops history. 

Won't be easy. The Mercury come into the game scorching hot on offense. You think I exaggerate? I do not. As Kevin Pelton reports on StormBasketball.com, the Mercury have set the WNBA record for points in a game twice in the last week. The last game between these teams, less than two weeks ago, went to triple-overtime.

Other fun Seattle/Phoenix stuff: The Storm's Sue Bird and the Mercury's Diana Taurasi are close friends and teammates in the Russian SuperLeague.

Storm Lauren Jackson and Mercury Penny Taylor, Aussies born 13 days apart, have played against each other since age 11 and will be teammates at this fall's FIBA World Championships. To me, the most interesting Mercury player is DeWanna Bonner, a bean-pole forward (listed at 6'4", 136 lbs.) (!!!) who is a tough matchup for the Storm. Bonner has 54 points on just 33 shots against Seattle this year.

At worst, this will be a high-scoring game. Stands a chance of being one of the most memorable basketball games in Seattle hoops history.