MOST POINTS EVER AND MOST IMPROVED, TOO???

It may seem hard to believe but Tina Thompson, the WNBA's all-time leading scorer, deserves consideration for the league's Most Improved Player award in 2013. Tina was supposed to contribute off the bench for Seattle this season, but major injuries to Lauren Jackson and Sue Bird, forced Thompson into a starting role for the Storm and she has stepped up big time!

Tina has already started 30 games- 25 more games than in 2012.
She is averaging 29 minutes- 10 more per game than last season.
Thompson is putting up 14 ppg- 5 points more than last year.
She is pulling down 6 boards per game- 3 more than in 2012.
Tina's Fg and 3pt fg percentages are down a bit from last year's numbers, but she has made more field goals, 3pt field goals, and free throws than she did during the 2012 season.

Tina Thompson plans to retire after this season, but you can put the rocking chair on hold for awhile. This lady is 38 years old, but she is Seattle's leading scorer and rebounder this season and she has been a driving force to get the injury depleted Storm into this year's playoff picture. (Seattle clinched a playoff berth Saturday night when San Antonio lost to L.A.) Seventeen years in the WNBA and Tina is still going strong!

** 

I recommend  that the L.A. Sparks adopt  Tom Petty's 

"I WON'T BACK DOWN" as their official theme song. The lyrics just seem to fit, especially after the team's heroic come-from-behind victory over the Shock. 

Pic courtesy of Noah Graham/ NBAE/ Getty Images

The Sparks were down and out and playing terribly, but they refused to back down and pulled out the win.

"I WONT BACK DOWN"

"Well I won't back down, no I won't back down

You could stand me up at the gates of hell

But I won't back down

Gonna stand my ground, won't be turned around

And I'll keep this world from dragging me down

Gonna stand my ground and I won't back down

Chorus: Well I know what's right, I got just one life

In a world that keeps on pushin' me around

But I'll stand my ground and I won't back down 

Hey baby there ain't no easy way out

Hey I will stand my ground

And I won't back down"

**

LB note: As much as I enjoyed calling the Sparks amazing victory, I can't help feeling bad for the Shock. That team plays too hard to be 0-5 in overtime games and have just  9 wins this season!

**

TALKIN BASEBALL- LAWRENCE "YOGI' BERRA!

I taped some interviews recently for Bio.com.

It wasn't the fanciest studio setting, but I was pleased to be asked to offer my thoughts and opinions for their mini-doc series on several sports legends. This one is all about Yankee great 

Yogi Berra.

http://www.biography.com/people/yogi-berra-9210325

 I'll be posting more from the Bio.com 

sessions here in future blogs.

**

MORE BAD NEWS FOR DELLA DONNE!

Elena Della Donne had an MRI, Wednesday, that revealed a mid-foot sprain of her left foot. The super-rookie could be sidelined for several weeks.

Tuesday night, Elena put up 9 points and 3 rebounds in less than 11 minutes of play before suffering the injury in Chicago's game against the Sparks in Los Angeles. Who knows what numbers EDD might have produced if she had not been forced to leave the game? Who knows what the final result might have been if EDD had been on the floor in those crucial moments of the second half? Think about it. Chicago only lost to the Sparks by 4 points with their top scorer unavailable for most of the game.

This is not the first injury that Della Donne has suffered in her rookie season. Just before the All-Star break, EDD went up for a jump shot v Washington, came down in tight quarters, and cracked her head on the Verizon Center floor. Elena told me that is when everything got really fuzzy!

Elena Della Donne: "Assistant coach, Christie Sides, was trying to tell me what to do on offense and I was just staring at her with this blank look. I had no idea what was going on . She said, 'What is wrong with you' and I told her, 'I hit my head. I'm sorry.' She said, 'You NEED to see the doctor. There is no way you can play the rest of this game."

EDD had a concussion that was going to keep her out of action and out of the WNBA All-Star game in late July. Bad news for any player, but even worse for Della Donne who was the first rookie ever to be the league's top vote-getter for the stellar affair. Even after the fall, she was planning to fly to Connecticut, but doctors told her EDD that all the noise and activity at All-Star weekend might slow her recovery.

EDD:  It was very upsetting because it was such an honor to be the #1 vote-getter and to be in my first All-Star game, but  everything happens for a reason and I was able to rest a little bit and get ready for the second half of the season. That's all I did during the All-Star weekend. I rested in a dark room where I wouldn't get too much of a headache. I was trying to get my symptoms down, but I just kept thinking about when I could play again. That was tough because a lot of times the symptoms didn't seem to be there, but you have to go through this whole process to get back on the court, so I had to be patient and realize that my brain is very important. My coaches were helping me through that."

In spite of Della Donne's bump on the head and a sprain of on the foot, her transitions to the WNBA has been almost seamless. She is Chicago's leading scorer, is posting 18 points and 5 rebounds per night, while leading the WNBA in 3 point shooting and free throw percentage. 

EDD: "It's been a pretty smooth transition. Obviously, there's been some ups and downs as a rookie, but my teammates have really helped me along the way to make it as smooth as possible. I thought I would fit in really well with this team, so I am not really shocked that I have fit into the system and been able to produce. I'm just glad that we've been able to be successful and gel the way we have.

The Sky players give EDD credit for making them better and Chicago's record proves it. Della Donne brings a versatile skill set to the game that is rare to find. Since elementary school, she has worked with a personal coach to improve her footwork and ball-handling ability, but EDD feels that her new teammates are making her an even better player and making her transition to the pros as simple as possible.

EDD: " I am 6-5 and I've got guard skills, so that really helps me. It give me some extra room to work, but my teammates are amazing! Everyone on this team is so spectacular, so it makes my life a whole lot easier. The toughest part for me has been the travel. It is tough on your body and you really have to get your rest and  revamp for the next game because you probably have only one or two days  between games and then it's time to play another one. I am still getting used to that." 

**

LB note: Seattle Storm head coach & GM, Brian Agler told me that, "Della Donne was the most talented player in the 2013 WNBA Draft. She has become the go-to player in Chicago. Britney Griner will never be the go-to player in Phoenix as long as Diana Taurasi is there." 

**

 The L.A. Sparks get back to work Friday night at Staples Center and I will too when Tamika Catchings and the Indiana Fever come to town. The Sparks "starved the Fever" in Indy, last week, held Indiana to 34% fg, and won on the road 74-64. The rematch is set for 8pm (pt) and I'll have the play-by-play call on TWC SportsNet. Pre-game coverage begins at 7:30(pt).  

**

 

SPARKS V CHICAGO- FOWLES AND DELLA DONNE!

The L.A. Sparks are back home Tuesday night to host Chicago  in a 7:30 game that I'll be calling on Time Warner Cable SportsNet at 7:30pm(pt). Jantel Lavender was the star of the Sparks 4-1 record on the road trip. 

Lav averaged 15/8 and shot 56% fg in the four wins. She is playing with great confidence and decisiveness and is starting to look like the dominating force that she was in her college days at Ohio State.

The Sky is in first place in the East and they are coming in after an exciting overtime win over Minnesota that helped move the Sparks  within 1.5 games of first in the West.

Elena Della Donne canned the 3 pt shot that forced overtime with the Lynx. She finished with a career high 32 points and Sylvia Fowles added 31pts and 9 boards. I talked with Fowles at the All-Star game and she was happy to talk about the Sky's red-hot rookie

Fowles:  Having Elena there makes my job a whole lot easier. Elena is a big frame. She can stretch teams and shoot from behind the 3 point line, but she  can also get inside and post up. She blocks some shots and can play anywhere from the 3 to the 5. That is something that we've been missing: A. a true 4 player  B. a true 3 player and now we have both in her.

Elena has had a lot of impact on our team. You can see where we are standing at right now. She makes a difference! We can be really good, but with that said and as scary as that sounds, I still don't think that we have reached our peak."

**

The Sky beat the Sparks in their first meeting of the season, back in June. Fowles and Della Donne combined for 37 points and 13 rebounds in the Chicago victory.

**

Still to come in LarryB'sblog 

" Tales From the Trip"

My personal pictorial look back at the Sparks' recent road adventures

**

NEW YORK, NEWARK!!

The L.A. Sparks are staying in NYC, 

but since Madison Square Garden is still being renovated, they'll be closing out their five game road trip on Saturday against the Liberty in Newark, N.J. at the Prudential Center.

Not that Liberty!. The NY Liberty led by Cappie Pondexter and Kara Braxton. Television coverage begins at 9:30 AM(pt) on TWC SportNet

You can catch my call at 10 AM(pt) as the Sparks try to go 4-1 on the trip and gain some more ground on first place, Minnesota, in the west.

**

CANDACE & CAPPIE! SPARKS & LIBERTY!

Candace Parker was back and the Sparks picked up a big road win, Thursday night, when they knocked off the Fever 74-64 at Indy. CP posted 17/6/4 in her return from a bruised wrist and the Sparks got a huge lift off the bench when Jantel Lavender chipped in 18/9 in a 25 minute stint. The win put the Sparks at 6-5 on the road this season. They are 3-1 on their road trip which ends Saturday in Newark, N.J.

The Sparks will face the Liberty in that 10 A.M (pt) tilt that I will call on Time Warner Cable SportsNet. The Sparks ran over NY (97-89) when they met on July 4th at Staples Center. Kristi Toliver canned 29 points and L.A. outshot the Liberty 65% to 48%.

One of the few bright spots for NY was the 34 point performance by Cappie Pondexter. 

The 8th year pro who played her college ball at Rutgers in N. J., has shifted to "lead guard" under new head coach, Bill Laimbeer. The Libs are sitting at 9-12 right now and trying to snare a playoff spot in the east. Cappie talked with me about the new head coach and her new role in NY. 

Cappie: "It has been up and down. We are still trying to find our identity as a team. Bill's won championships in Detroit and I've learned a lot from him.  I switched positions on the court. He feels the team is better off with me playing the "lead guard" and I am embracing that. In the past I have said that "I am not a point guard or a lead guard. That is not what I do," but now I am accepting it because I want to grow as a player and I feel that my skill set and my vision can help my team to be better.I'm not a typical point guard because I am looking for myself first and that allows me to open thing.s up for my teammates. It is a learning curve- good and bad."

Laimbeer is know for his "bad boys" days and his championship ways playing for the NBA's Detroit Pistons, but he also won three WNBA championships as head coach of the Detroit Shock. He is  known for having a bit of an "attitude" and for being a no nonsense kind of leader. Cappie has seen both sides of her new head coach.

Cappie: "Definitely! He is a determined guy. He doesn't settle for mediocrity. He wants to win. He sets rules. He is straight forward. You are never second guessing where he is coming from. I never have to question what he expects from me. He knows the game very well. He is very intelligent and he has brought out a different side of me. I am enjoying that aspect of Bill, just getting to learn more about myself as a player and expand my game in different ways. We have a great relationship.We are still learning each other, but I like where we are headed."

Cappie Pondexter and the Liberty are headed for a Saturday showdown with the Sparks. 

She is New York's leading scorer at 18 points per game. 

**

Coming in a future blog: Chicago's "Big Syl"- Sylvia Fowles 

**

CATCHING UP WITH TAMIKA!!

The L.A. Sparks shoot for their third straight win, Thursday night, here in Indianapolis. They are 2-1 on their five game road trip and they have played all of those games without Candace Parker who was sent back to Los Angeles after the Tulsa loss to get treated for a bone bruise to her right wrist which was limiting CP's motion and causing the Sparks leading scorer and rebounder a lot of pain.

Candace is still listed as day-to-day, but her husband, Sheldon Williams, and her daughter, Lailaa, were on my flight to Indy today and I saw CP's mom at the team hotel tonight. Can Candace Parker be far behind? Could she be back in action against the defending WNBA Champs at Bankers Life Fieldhouse?

One All-Star who will definitely be playing in that game is Tamika Catchings. The WNBA Finals MVP has been holding down the Fever's fort while they try to overcome a rash of injuries to key players including Katie Douglas, Jessica Davenport and Erin Phillips. 
Indy started the season 1-7 (worst start in franchise history), but they are getting healthy now and have won 9 of their last 12 outings. Catchings told me that it was not easy going from the top of the WNBA world to the bottom of the heap.

TC- "It was definitely a test of character for us as a team. We just had to keep our confidence high. When we were going through our losing streak, we did not want to focus on the losses. We had to focus on getting better every game. When we started doing that, we started winning. We won a game and said, 'Okay, now let's focus on the next game,' and we got another win and another. We built on that and now we've got Erin and Jeanette back. Hopefully, we'll get Katie back soon."

Last month, Tamika Catchings became an All-Star for the 8th time. She has been the WNBA's Defensive Player of the Year five times. She is the league's all-time leader in steals (TC needs one steal v Sparks to become the first WNBA player to reach 900 steals). Catchings is #4 on the WNBA's all-time scoring list. Last year, in her 12th season, "Catch" finally captured the WNBA championship that she coveted and earned a visit to the White House. Now, at the age of 34, what motivates the Fever's star during this roller coaster season?

TC-" My goal now is to continue to be a better leader and work on those skills. I talked about the test of character. There were a lot of times, this season, when I questioned myself as a leader just , 'How can I get the most out of my teammates that are playing right now?' It came down to challenging everybody individually. It wasn't like, 'WE WANT TO WIN! WE NEED TO WIN,' but rather 'What can you bring to this team?'

When everybody started stepping up to the plate, we started winning games, our confidence was high, and we started seeing the potential of every single player and what they could contribute to making us successful."

**

Catchings and company will be in action against the Sparks Thursday night on Time Warner Cable Sports Net. Coverage begins at 3:30 (pt) with my play-by-play to follow at 4:00 (pt)

**

SPARKS v SUN TONIGHT WITHOUT PARKER!

The L.A. Sparks will tackle the Connecticut Sun tonight at the Mohegan Sun Arena. The Sparks had a longggg  Sunday might bus ride after their impressive win in Washington, but they were energetic in today's shoot-around and they are hoping to replicate their effort against the Mystics. In that game, the Sparks got dub-dubs from Ogwumike, Harding and Lavender (who started in place of the injured Candace Parker and chipped in 13 pts & 11 boards). 

Btw- Harding's 14 assists in that game was a career high and just two away from tying the WNBA record of 16, set by former Sparks' point guard, Ticha Penicheiro. The Sparks also got double digit points from Marissa Coleman and Ebony Hoffman off the L.A. bench.

Nneka Ogwumike will line up against CT's Tina Charles tonight. Charles leads the Sun in points and rebounds and she leads the WNBA with 13 dub-dubs. N.O. & T.C.  squared off in the Polish Championships during the offseason and Ogwumike's team won the title. The last time Charles played against the Sparks when they were in CT without Candace Parker? It was June 28, 2011. The Sun won the game and TC finished with 22pts & 23 boards.

Parker is still back in Los Angeles dealing with the injured right wrist. She will miss her third straight game tonight and is listed as day-to day. Hard to believe it was just over a week ago that  CP was winning the MVP award right here in CT. at the WNBA All-Star game. She has not played since that game.

LB Note: Sparks' GM, Penny Toler, will be a featured speaker tonight, here in CT, when the National Basketball Retired Player's Association, makes an announcement that will impact the WNBA's retired players.

Be sure to catch my call of the Sparks v Sun game on Time Warner Cable SportsNet. Pre-game begins at 3:30(pt) and Tracy Warren and I will be tipping off our coverage at 4pm(pt).  

**

WASHINGTON'S "MAGICAL MYSTICS" TOUR!!

Our government is refurbishing the Washington Monument and Mike Thibault is trying to put a face lift on the Washington Mystics, in his first year as the team's head coach.

 The Mystics won only 5 games all of last season. This year, they have already won nine and they'll be shooting for double digit wins when Washington hosts the L.A. Sparks this afternoon.  I'll be calling that game on Time Warner Cable SportsNet. Pre-game coverage begins at 12:30(pt). Candace Parker is a question mark for today's tilt because of a sprained right wrist.

Just as the man who inhabits this house is trying to solve problems, Thibault is trying to put the right puzzle pieces together for a team that was dead last in WNBA scoring last season at just 68 points per game. Washington has All-Stars in Ivory Latta and Crystal Langhorne, but Thibault says, unlike the Sparks, the Mystics don't have any "stars", but rather a "bunch of Chris Bosh's and no Lebrons". Still, Washington is getting better, the Mystics that is. Our government might want to take a page out of Thibault's book.

Wouldn't that be a "capitol" idea. My next blog will come to you from Connecticut where the Sparks will face the Sun, Tuesday night, on Time Warner Cable SportsNet.

**

THIS IVORY IS NOT "COASTING"!!!

The L.A.Sparks, without Candace Parker- injured wrist, got tripped up in Tulsa Friday night at the start of their five game road trip. Now it is on to Washington, D.C. for a Sunday meeting with the fast-improving Mystics. Ivory Latta is Washington's floor leader. She was the point guard and the puzzle part that Head Coach, Mike Thibault, was looking for during the off-season. Latta told me that she was excited to make the move from Tulsa to the nation's capitol.

LATTA: "It was more of a career move and me being happy more than anything else. Coming back to the east coast is nice too, being closer to home and my mom and dad. I wanted them to see me play as many games in the WNBA as possible while they are still here.

It was a great move-playing for a coach like Coach Thibaut. He just motivates me. The great thing about him is that I know that he believes in me. That gives me the utmost confidence to go out there and  give it all I got  and lay my body out there on the line for my team." 

Thibault thinks Latta has a great upside. He likes her play and feels that, eventually, his point guard can average 15 points and 6 assists per game. She has already paid dividends for the Mystics and earned herself an All Star bid. 

LATTA: "It is a good fit because I am able to play my game now. Coach T told me, “ I’m not going to change anything about your game. I’m going to improve your game and help you become a better point guard.” I thought that was so cool,  You’re the first coach who ever told me that.” Other coaches have tried to change me into something that I knew I couldn’t be and I knew it wouldn’t make me a successful point guard in the WNBA. So, it is a great thing that I have a coach like him now."
 
The Mystics won only five games all of last season, so Latta is excited about the progress that the Mystics have made already this season.
 
LATTA: "It is pretty amazing. We still have a lot of work to do. We’re not going to get complacent with where we are at right now. We can always get better. Like Coach says, he "doesn’t want us to be a good team. He wants us to become a great team.
We’ve improved a lot as far as extra leadership in the locker room. Our rookies! Hey! You can’t count them out. Man! We’ve got 3-4 good rookies who are playing really well right now. The bench is doing good. It is like everybody complements each other really well. 

The second half, we’re gonna have to clean up a lot of little things, focus more on details and I think everything is going to be cool."

  Latta often acts like a coach on the floor and next fall she will be acting like a coach on the bench when she becomes an assistant to Sylvia Hatchell at Latta's alma mater, the University of North Carolina. 

LATTA: "It was all about a great opportunity. Me and coach Hatchell Had been talking and the opportunity presented itself and I wasn’t going to turn it down. I feel like it is another step in my career and in my life that I want to take. I’m excited about getting back up there and starting to work with the girls and get into them  calling me 'Coach Latta'.  That is going to be very weird!"

Ivory Latta scored 15 points and knocked down 4 of 7- 3pa for the East in the WNBA All-Star Game. Her skills will be on display on Sunday at 1PM (pt) when I call the Sparks v Mystics game on Time Warner Cable Sports Net. I hope you will tune in.

** 

  In future blogs, I'll be chatting with Tamika Catchings, Cappie Pondexter and Sylvia Fowles. 

  **

A GLORY-OUS ALL-STAR BIRTHDAY CELEBRATION!!

Friday night, the L.A. Sparks get back on the court for their first post All-Star game tilt. They will be taking on Glory Johnson and the tough Tulsa Shock. Johnson is averaging just a tad under a dub-dub this season (16pts/ 9.9 reb). Sunday, she played in the All-Star game in CT, dunked in pre-game warmups and, after the game, celebrated her 23rd birthday thanks to an assist from Britney Griner and Candace Parker in the West's locker room. I'll bet you didn't see this on ABC's coverage!

The L.A. v Tulsa contest is the first stop on the Sparks' five game road trip. I will join the team in D.C. to call Sunday's game (1pm-pt)with the Mystics on Time Warner Cable SportsNet and we'll be televising the rest of the road trip for you, too ( Tues @ CT  Thurs @ Indy  Sat @ NY)

**