Recent Stories with tag storm

We're headed for a "very wet Monday afternoon" says KING 5's Rich Marriott, as a storm blows in with wind and rain. Up in the mountains that means snow, and if you're planning on a trip through the passes, consult with WSDOT first. Higher elevations are expected to get some six to twelve inches of snow from this storm. 

Speaking of the weather, Cliff Mass is excited about two new ways you have to track weather online. There's a radar aggregator the UW has cooked up (that's where the screenshot comes from), and the kids in atmospherics have put together WINDWATCH, which...well, the name is fairly self-explanatory. 

It's also timely, since this storm is expected to bring high winds just north of Seattle, and you can see what the models predict. Looks like the worst of it is supposed to come around 10 p.m. this evening.

Half Moon Bay getting hammered, as of this afternoon, courtesy of WestportCam

Thanks to 30-foot swells, the AP reports, "the Coast Guard has closed the Columbia River bar and most other entrances to coastal ports in Washington and Oregon." Cliff Mass notes that ocean buoys give readings of waves 40- to 45-feet in height. Says Mass, in a post titled, "Giant Waves":

This is really turning into an extraordinary event. I can't remember over many years seeing this situation...a very deep system, slowly dying, that is sitting right off our coast for days.

Let's go take a look! First up is Ocean Shores:

Then we swing by La Push:... (more)

Storm-watchers will be packing up and heading to the north coast this weekend, as a major low may bump right into us on Sunday. It's "what we call an extratropical cyclone in the business," reports Cliff Mass, with barely disguised anticipation.

You can watch an animated model here, but the short story is that if conditions are right (or wrong, depending on your perspective), the coast will get hit with sustained winds up to 45 knots, with 30- to 40-foot waves. That would likely bring power outages from downed trees and tree limbs, and attempts by surfers with poor risk/reward estimation to hit the beach.

Meanwhile, inland, all we get is a pretty good chance of showers on Saturday, increasing on Sunday. Mass explains why it doesn't look like we'll get in on the action:

I should note a rule of thumb of local meteorologists: to get strong winds over Puget Sound and the southern interior the low pressure center must cross the coast south of central Vancouver Island (my book has more on this).

No room on the bandwagon!

With the Storm in the playoffs (Game 1 is Wednesday), it's time for the annual "You should watch the Storm" columns in local sports media. I don't need the sports section to tell me what to think--I have Drudge Report for that--so I've always found these articles less than compelling.

I have a different message for you. If you are some sort of flaccid bandwagon jumper who makes your sports entertainment choices based on what a newspaper columnist tells you, please stay away from the Storm's postseason run. If you are going to the Storm just to see what it's like, or because it's suddenly trendy, don't bother.

Doesn't worry me: The fewer people who go, the better seats I'll get.

On the other hand, if you want to join a few thousand rowdy, passionate fans in screaming your head off in support of skillful Sue Bird, talented Lauren Jackson, energetic Swin Cash--and against The Hated Los Angeles Sparks--come on along.... (more)

I have this common experience every time I go to a Seattle Storm game. At some point, I think, "Well, they are going to lose. There's just no reason for them to win this game."

Like last night. The Storm--who have nothing tangible to play for, having clinched home-court advantage through the playoffs--were trailing by 16 to Minnesota, a team needing a win to remain in the playoff race. The refs were taking the night off. Storm point guard Sue Bird was having one of the worst games of her career.

And yet the Storm came back for another victory. Lauren Jackson's three-point shooting kept the team close, and Camille Little and Swin Cash kept the team's spirits up with feisty defense. Strategically, the Storm were able to finally exploit Minnesota's aggressive offensive rebounding by pushing the ball in transition and getting open shots for Jackson.

The Storm clawed back into the game with a 24-point third quarter, then tightened up on defense, holding Minnesota to just two points in the final 4:37. Lauren Jackson found Swin Cash cutting to the basket for the go-ahead basket with just under a minute to go, and the Storm defense held on from there. 68-64 Storm, who move to 26-6 on the year, 16-0 at KeyArena.

It's been 15 years since the '95 Seattle Mariners inspired the motto "Refuse to Lose," winning 24 of their final 35 games. The Storm have refused to lose for the entire season--they have now won 13 times when trailing after three quarters.

The Storm have two regular season games left: Friday at Phoenix and Saturday, back at KeyArena, against Los Angeles, where they can break the WNBA record for home wins. After that, the playoffs commence.

Meanwhile, the 2010 Mariners also deserve the motto of "refuse to lose"--if you mean "refuse" in this sense.

You aren't supposed to win when you're down 18 points at halftime. "I don't know how we did it," Lauren Jackson told an overjoyed KeyArena crowd after the game. Here's how, Lauren: Your offense was your best defense.

In the first half, the Storm couldn't hit a shot. The errant attempts, many by the team's lesser players, resulted in multiple Phoenix fast breaks, letting the Mercury drop 56 points in the first half. In half two, Storm stars got greedy, and their shots began to find the basket. Forced to inbound from the baseline, Phoenix couldn't streak down the court. They went ice cold.

At one point, the Mercury missed 17 consecutive shots. The Storm increased their on-ball pressure and held Phoenix to just eight points in the third quarter, an amazing defensive effort against a team that had broken the league scoring record twice in the past week.

Lauren Jackson finished with a season-high 33 points, on just 23 shots. Sue Bird added 16, including several key fourth-quarter buckets.... (more)

Former Sonic Nate McMillan was a lock-down defender and capable backup point guard. Overshadowed by Hall-of-Fame teammate Gary Payton, "Mac-10" nonetheless won the affection of Seattle fans and earned the name "Mr. Sonic."

Tanisha Wright

Current Storm Tanisha Wright is a lock-down defender and capable back-up point guard. Overshadowed by Hall-of-Fame teammate Sue Bird, "T-Wright" has been the target of Storm fan emnity since her first year with the team. I hear her called many names by Storm fans, few of them affectionate.

Wright is unpopular because she isn't Sue Bird. When Wright has played the point in previous years, she's struggled to get the offense set up in a timely fashion and made poor decisions. The contrast to Bird, one of the best point guards in league history, is obvious enough to rile up fans.

McMillan suffered in comparison to Payton as well, but only because he didn't possess GP's offensive talents. If you were just looking for a distributor and someone to run your offense, McMillan may have been the better choice.

Wright won't ever match Bird in that department, but she's shown dramatic improvement this season. With Bird out with back spasms for the June 29th game against San Antonio, Wright assumed the point guard duties and had a career-high 12 assists in a Storm win.

McMillan and Wright share a commitment to defense that makes them both coach favorites. Wright is tall for a WNBA guard (5'11") just as McMillan was tall for an NBA one (6'5"). Both Wright (165 lbs.) and McMillan (played at 195 lbs.) have strong frames that allow them to body up defenders, but aren't so bulky that they sacrifice speed.... (more)

The Storm are 14-2. Let's get to know a little more about them, shall we?

I thought about titling this "Sue Bird is the Gary Payton of the Storm," in trying to keep with a Sonics theme, but Sue Bird really isn't like Gary Payton. She doesn't post up as much as Payton and she doesn't trash talk. Then I thought about Steve Nash, but Bird isn't quite as improvisational as the Suns star.

What Bird is is this--among the best point guards in the history of her league. Like Jason Kidd. Like Kidd, Bird is unflappable dribbling one-on-one against defenders. Once she gets up court, like Kidd, she looks to distribute before she looks to score. Bird is second all-time in WNBA career assists; Kidd is second all-time in NBA career assists.

But, like Kidd, Bird will punish you if you sag off of her by making jumpers. And if you press her too tightly, she'll take advantage by driving past you for easy baskets. And, when the situation calls for it, usually late in games, Bird can create her own shot. All facets of Kidd's game. For her career, Bird has averaged 13.5 points per 36 minutes; Kidd 13.2.

Where Bird gets the jump on Kidd is in rings. Both have won two Olympic gold medals, but Bird won two NCAA championships at UConn, her one WNBA title with the '04 Storm, and a Russian SuperLeague championship. Kidd's Olympic golds are his only team championship.

Kidd does have a slight edge on Bird in rapping ability; or maybe not--judge for yourself below via a YouTube (blessed YouTube) video of the 1994 classic "What the Kidd Did."... (more)

The Seattle Storm are a WNBA-best 14-2, and have won all ten games at KeyArena. Let's learn a little more about them, shall we?

Lauren Jackson

As a Sonics fan, your pleasures come from the past. Like checking out Shawn Kemp's 1995-96 game log. Kemp dominated opposition that year, scoring 20 points or more in 41 games and leading the Sonics to a franchise-high 64 wins.

Lauren Jackson is replicating Kemp's best season with the Storm this year. Like Kemp, Jackson easily posts up slower or smaller defenders. Or she steps back and shoots from outside. Jackson can dominate the boards, as she did last night against San Antonio when she grabbed as many offensive boards as the entire Silver Stars team.

Jackson's game has a facet that Kemp's never did--three-point shooting. Left alone 22 feet from the basket against San Antonio, L.J. didn't hesitate to fire in a three-pointer. She has 29 for the season, tops on the Storm.

In truth, Jackson is more dominating than Kemp ever was. Jackson has won two MVP awards, and looks headed for another this season. She won WNBA player of the week last week for the 17th time in her career, most in WNBA history.

Jackson's sporting a new look this season. Red hair, for one thing. But she also seems a step faster. Storm broadcaster Dick Fain speculated on last night's broadcast that this could be because Jackson played in her native Australia during the WNBA offseason, a much less strenuous task than her usual offseason stop, Russia. Hope is that the reduced wear and tear will allow Jackson to play a full season, something she hasn't been able to do the past two years. Injuries kept Jackson from playing in the playoffs since '07. Not coincidentally, the Storm have lost in the first round of the playoffs each year.

Jackson finished with 31 points and 15 boards in the Storm's 86-72 win over San Antonio. The Storm have won five games in a row. They next play Saturday at Los Angeles, a game to be televised on ESPN2.

First of all, if you're feeling a little out of sorts with the weather, it's not just you. And you can tell the "It's spring in Seattle, stupid, it's always like this" crowd that that's not true either. Cliff Mass has done the numbers and "For the past ten days the maximum temperature has stayed well below normal."

That said, buckle up, because there's more wet on the way. Tonight and tomorrow should bring a good soaking, we get Thursday off, and then Friday another storm seems to be shaping up that could bring strong winds as well as rain. I'll keep an eye on Cliff's blog and report back when he updates closer to the weekend. In the meantime, keep the galoshes handy, and be prepared to sprint outside on Thursday for sunbreaks.

GRAB THE BALL! GRAB IT!

Note: Today's Sports Shot made possible by the free wi-fi at SeaTac. Attn: Port Commissioners! You can take all the bribes you want as long as you keep giving us free airport wi-fi.

Oklahoma 6, Husky Softball 1 [box]
Danielle Lawrie picked a bad time for the worst start of her season--the reigning Nat'l POY allowed five homers, three to this 5'4" chick, and UW dropped the first game of their best-of-three super regional. The Dawgs offense wasn't much better, getting just two hits. The Huskies now must beat Oklahoma twice today, at 5:30 (ESPNU) and again at 8 p.m. (ESPN2, if nec.), if they are to advance to the College World Series.

Chicago 84, Storm 75 [box]
The Storm lose their first of the year, once again falling behind double-digits in the second half. They couldn't come back from this one, though. The Sky shot nearly 50 percent against a porous Storm defense. Storm 4-1, first place West. Conf. Next game Sunday @ San Antonio.

Lakers' Win Stirs Bad Memories
Friend David texted me after Artest's putback: "What was Femerling doing on the court?" (If you don't get the reference, trust me, you're better off.)

HEY! Just saw Pete Carroll walking by down here at "The Sports Page" near the Alaska D gates. Striding purposefully, wheeling a black rollybag behind him. SPORTS!

Storm come back again, stay undefeated [box]
The difference between last year's Storm and this year's? The reason why they won this game despite awful first-half performances from Sue Bird and Lauren Jackson? My Storm fan friend Janey has it right: "They finally have a bench." Le'Coe Willingham (r.) had 8 points and 3 big o-boards from the pine last night. The Storm also have a terrific home crowd, who stomped, stood and cheered the team back from a 10-point second half deficit. Storm 4-0, 1st place W. Conf. Next game Thurs @ Chicago.

Griffey-less and Sweeney-less, M's not punchless [box]
With Milton Bradley at his national position--DH--for only the 4th time this year, the M's scored in bunches. Well, for them. 5 runs, 3 of them driven in by Bradley, who homered in the 1st and plopped a Justin Verlander change into right to plate Figgins with the go-ahead run in the 8th. AL ERA leader Doug Fister didn't get the win, but threw 7 and allowed just 3 runs. M's 17-28, 4th place, 8.5 GB. Next game: Today at 12:40 p.m. vs. Detroit, Vargas v. Bonderman.

Boca comes to Qwest tonight
The legendary Argentine club faces our Sounders at 7:30 p.m. You can still get tickets. Kasey Keller says he'll only play the first half, same probably holds true for most of the top Sounders. As for Boca, Sounders broadcaster Arlo White says to keep an eye on striker Sergio Araujo, center-back Ezequiel Munoz and left winger Pablo Mouche, all of whom are being scouted by EPL teams. Our own Argentine soccer correspondent shared his thoughts about Boca yesterday.

Nate Robinson needs a party planner [Twitterverse]
"Not sure what I should do for my bday, Any ideas? Speak to me #wordaapp!"

Beach and Nets star Terrence Williams, either at the Hard Rock grand opening or trying out for the Village People

Ichiro looks like a lock to make his 10th All-Star Game (9th start). He's leading a pretty weak crop of AL outfielders in fan voting. Nelson Cruz is in third place, for God's sake. Griffey's third among DHs.

Former Husky hoopster Elston Turner Jr. will transfer to Texas A&M.

Harborview and UW doc Richard Ellenbogen, the NFL's new concussion specialist, got a rough reception from a skeptical Congressional panel.

The state 3A and 4A baseball final four is at Safeco this weekend, here's all the details.

The Everett Aquasox want your suggestions: "We are working on our promotional list now - what fan games on the field/video board movies do you want to see this season?" For on field fan games, I'd enjoy a between-innings fight to the death, a contest to see which nine-year-old can smoke a pack of cigarettes fastest, and mock naval battles. As for movies...Shrek IV. Nothing but Shrek IV.

In case you missed it, Carlos Silva is now 6-0 for the Cubs. This is enraging. Local folkie Ken Bochte's written a song about it, you can hear an excerpt on his MySpace.... (more)

I'm a little shell-shocked by the change in the weather. We went from this (above) as of 12:30 p.m., the deck at Azteca on Eastlake, to this (below), the Space Needle cam view of Lake Union as of 3 p.m. Here's KIRO 7 TV's interactive radar map, so you can see the front move through at neighborhood resolution.

The National Weather Service has a wind advisory out for the Seattle area, in effect from 1 p.m. today until midnight:

LIGHT NORTHEAST WINDS ACROSS THE REGION THIS MORNING WILL SHIFT TO SOUTHERLY MIDDAY AND RISE QUICKLY DURING THE EARLY AFTERNOON...WITH LOCAL WINDS OF 30 MPH AND GUSTS TO 45 MPH CONTINUING THROUGH LATE EVENING. THE WINDS WILL EASE AFTER MIDNIGHT.

It's a little disconcerting, the all-caps format from the NWS, isn't it? You can almost hear the Telex chattering as they stare into a monochrome CRT monitor. Anyway, expect wind, cooling temperatures, and some rain in your face as the afternoon progresses.

Cliff Mass has been watching this storm's development--it's primarily aimed at the coast, and models show an even stronger storm on the way than forecasted yesterday:

Here is the latest forecast for 5 PM tonight...pretty amazing. 989 mb low and a huge pressure gradient to its south and southeast. The simulation indicates even stronger winds than last night, with areas immediately offshore experiencing 60 kt sustained winds and hurricane-force gusts.

Yesterday he explained the wind-generating dynamics. While the low moving in doesn't pack the punch of a winter storm, our springtime "environmental pressure" is high, so there's a big differential between the two air masses. That, friends, means wind with a capital W! The coast will most likely see power outages--and we could see local outages, too, from small trees or big branches.

NO, NOT YET

UPDATE: As of 11:15, sustained winds at 520 have picked up to 20-25 mph. 12:36 brought a 37-mph gust! 1:20--winds are keeping around 30 mph, with gusts up to 39. 1:40ish: new gust record of 48 mph! WSDOT's rules for bridge closure, by the way, are as follows: "The criteria for closing the bridge to traffic and opening the draw span is 50 mph gusts sustained for 15 minutes. When a 40 mph gust is sustained for one minute, a warning alarm calls crews to the bridge for inspection and monitoring."

Hurrricane Ridge's web cam view

A few days ago, I rang up Seattle City Light to see if the winter storm pummeling the Olympics and Cascades was doing anything to replenish our snowpack--and hopefully keep the hydropower running strong this summer. The upshot was, we were going to need more than one storm.

Well, buckle up. Cliff Mass's post is titled "Stunning Day of Convection and BIG Storm Coming."

Major weather changes are in store Friday and Saturday. Moderate to heavy precipitation over the region...with a very strong low moving just north of us. Winds will be very strong over the coast (40-60 kts), northwest Washington (30-50 kt) and breezy (20-40 kt) over the PS lowlands on Friday.

The National Weather Service has Seattle under a High Wind Watch for most of Friday; they say gusts might hit 55 mph over western Washington, and if that's the case, we can count on some power outages as trees and tree branches take down power lines.

ProbCast also has our daytime chance of precipitation at 85 percent, so it sounds like Friday should be quite a day. Raincoats, yes. Umbrellas, not so much.

Rain is general over Washington (see webcams), and meteorologist Cliff Mass is watching the weather models like they are presents on Christmas Eve. At the moment, wind is running 50 knots about 3,000 feet above Seattle--not gusts, sustained--and Mass says a series of disturbances could bring hurricane-force gusts to the Washington coast. KIRO TV says Hurricane Ridge could see 90-mph gusts today.

The National Weather Service is keeping most of Western Washington on flood watch through Saturday afternoon, and even if you're a blue-tarp camper, now is not a good time to visit the banks of the Skokomish River.

Storm mascot Doppler hands Simmons swag

ESPN.com's Bill Simmons, a.k.a. "The Sports Guy," was in Seattle on Tuesday to sign copes of his new bestseller, The Book of Basketball.

Kevin Pelton, who writes for the Seattle Storm (where he explained Doppler's appearance at the signing) and Basketball Prospectus (where he reviewed TBOB last week) was in attendance and shares this report.

Sport Restaurant was a great venue for Bill Simmons' book signing in all respects but one: It turned out to be far too small to hold the masses of Simmons' faithful readers who descended on Sport to get an autograph and share a brief moment with their favorite writer. By the time I arrived, at 5:30 p.m., a line was already forming an hour and a half before Simmons was scheduled to begin. By the time he arrived, people snaked through the lobby of the Fisher Pavilion and the line continued out the door and outside around Sport despite the persistent rain.

Of course, short of KeyArena, I'm not sure where that many people could comfortably fit. By the time I left, around 10, the line was still going strong, though no longer outdoors. I'm told by others who lingered longer that it took nearly four hours before the last book was signed.

The response was fueled in part by the fact that Simmons, as Steve Kelley wrote about for The Seattle Times, has been the major media figure most supportive of Seattle in the wake of the Sonics' departure. In his brief remarks to the lucky handful of people who got spots inside Sport before the signing, Simmons declared that Seattle was a natural stop for his tour because he still considers it an NBA town. Fans demonstrated that by pulling their Sonics jerseys and other memorabilia out of their closets, and Simmons happily took shots at the former ownership group in the books he signed.

With any tour, there's a natural tendency for each stop to become "the favorite one," but Simmons' fondness for Seattle and empathy for Sonics fans is legit. He even talked up Seattle during a video interview he taped at last night's Portland appearance with The Oregonian. (http://bit.ly/1I0SxF) Now, if only Simmons would have ranked Gary Payton a little higher in his Hall of Fame pyramid ...

[ED NOTE: Simmons may be thinking a little less fondly of Seattle after being pulled over for speeding on his way to Portland.]

Break out the galoshes.

Back on Friday, Cliff Mass was predicting a major pineapple express "event" starting today through Wednesday. His update post yesterday forecasts heavy rains on the southwest side of the Olympic mountain range. Heavy in this case means 2-5 inches on Monday and 10-20 inches on Tuesday. The North Cascades will also likely get flood-producing rain, though it looks like the Green River valley area may duck the brunt of this storm.

In Seattle, we will awake to a suddenly balmy (well, upper 50s) Monday, with the attendant winds produced by major temperature shifts. The National Weather Service has nothing but rain and showers for Seattle today through Saturday. That's a whole week of stomping in puddles!

If you want to stomp in puddles for the civic good, join the city's Adopt-A-Drain program and help keep your street's storm drains clear of leaves and debris.

"Taillights through the rain" courtesy of The SunBreak Flickr pool member Great Beyond

As of Friday evening, mayoral candidate Mike McGinn was looking like a winner, with a lead of 2,384 votes over Joe Mallahan. This makes the news of 860 ballots found in a ballot drop box with a vandalized lock less earth-shattering. In general, the election results were pleasing for King County's right-thinking lefties, with R-71's "everything but marriage" approved, I-1033's "government-spending straitjacket" rejected, and Prop. 1's "homelesss housing" passing handily even in a recession.

On the same day as the police procession to honor slain Seattle police office Timothy Brenton, just as his memorial at Key Arena ended, in fact, police confronted a "person of interest" in the shooting of officer Brenton, who was shot by police after drawing a handgun. (Monfort's now in critical condition.) The Seattle Times reports that bomb-making materials, linking Christopher Monfort to the October 22 pipe-bombing of SPD patrol cars, have been found in his apartment. Seattlepi.com worked up their own profile.

Arson flared up twice in Greenwood, making a total of seven arson-related fires over the past few months. Just two weeks ago, four Greenwood businesses were burnt out. This time, the businesses were an accountant's office and a guitar shop.... (more)

Our volunteers reenact the fall from a 20-foot wave. Photo courtesy of the Seattle Municipal Archives.

Cliff Mass posted last night about a big storm over the ocean on Thursday: "They don't call these storms hurricanes because they aren't tropical, but they pack a bigger punch. Huge size and big winds. And very, very dangerous to be near them on the water."

Models show 40-foot waves out on the ocean proper, and 20 to 30-foot swells which will roll up the Washington coast. Mass suggests Westport or Ocean Shores for a front-row seat on the maritime action. The mention of surf spot Westport made me wonder if any of the big wave riders are hastening that direction.

I'm not a strong swimmer, so I am far from encouraging anyone to take to their board--in fact, if you go just to watch, I'd suggest you keep your distance. People have been washed away and drowned by swells a lot smaller than you'd think would do the trick. And that's not even mentioning those crushed by drift logs. It's probably safest just to stay home and watch this Ocean Shores webcam, come to think of it.

They do like to keep busy at Seattle Storm HQ. The Storm secured the #2-seed in the WNBA Western Conference playoffs last week, with a couple of games left to play, which would seem an excellent opportunity to have an office-wide laser tag game and/or prank contest.

Instead, the Storm have made two key signings to set the future of the team. Thursday, they announced that Sue Bird had signed a two-year contract extension. The deal keeps the team's point guard in the fold through the 2011 season.

And yesterday, they announced yet another two-year extension, this one for coach/GM Brian Agler. Agler is now inked through 2011 as well, and the Storm can bring him back in 2012 if they want.

With the future seemingly set, we turn our attention to the present -- an impending best-of-three playoff series against the hated Los Angeles Sparks.

The Sparks knocked the Storm out of the playoffs in the first round last year, though the Storm were without star Lauren Jackson. Unfortunately, it appears that the Storm will... (more)

First things first: Tickets for the Game 2 of the Storm's upcoming playoff series go on sale today at 10 a.m. at the Storm web site or at 877-WNBA-TIX. The game would be either Friday 9/18 or Saturday 9/19. Tickets start at $16.

Before that, the Storm have two meaningless regular season games left--they've already secured the #2-seed in the playoffs and can't reach Phoenix for #1. And in those games, they'll be playing without their top three players.

Swin Cash will leave the team to attend the funeral of her grandmother.

Sue Bird has a sore neck and probably will rest until the playoffs.

And star Lauren Jackson remains sidelined with two fractures in her back (one new, one from her youth that doctors just discovered). Jackson looks unlikely to play in the playoffs.

Asked about the possibility that Jackson would play in the postseason, Storm coach Brian Agler told the Times' Jayda Evans: "I don't even want to go down that path. I'm going to stay the same and say she's out indefinitely. I do think she's feeling... (more)

The Storm's loss at Minnesota, coupled with Phoenix's win over Atlanta, means that the Mercury have clinched the #1-seed in the Western Conference. The Storm, who had a mathematical chance at catching Phoenix as they host them Thursday at KeyArena, are now consigned to the #2-seed in the conference. They can't drop lower than that.

As a #2-seed, the Storm would play the #3-seeded team in the Western Conference in a best-of-three series, with games 2 and 3 (if necc.) at KeyArena. This Wikipedia article has great info about the WNBA playoff format.

The Storm's playoff opponent has yet to be decided -- it will be either Los Angeles, who eliminated the Storm from the playoffs last season, defending Western Conference champions San Antonio, or Minnesota. Here's the WNBA's helpful playoff picture page.

Lauren Jackson again didn't play for the Storm, it's now a sure thing that she'll rest her injured back until the playoffs, which begin September 16. Sue Bird didn't play against Minnesota either. Tanisha Wright led... (more)