Seattle favorite in WNBA postseason

Associated Press

The Seattle Storm got off to such a dominant start, they clinched the top spot in the Western Conference before the end of July.

With a chance to rest key players down the stretch, the Storm are poised to make a run for their second WNBA championship when they open the playoffs against the Los Angeles Sparks tonight.

“Even though as a team we’re proud of the things we’ve done in the regular season, the only thing that really came of it is home-court advantage,” Seattle’s Sue Bird said.

The Storm opened 22-2 to tie 1998 Houston Comets for the best 24-game start in league history. They clinched home-court advantage in the West on July 27 — with 11 games remaining — and then lost four of their last 10. Seattle (28-6) tied the league record for wins set by Los Angeles in 2000 and 2001 when teams played a 32-game schedule.

“We have definitely relaxed a little bit — as much as you don’t want to,” said forward Lauren Jackson, who missed the playoffs the last two years due to injuries. “It wasn’t a fluke that we won as many games as we did. We have to get back at it and play the game and play it the way we know how.”

As the only team in the West to finish with a winning record — second-place Phoenix was 13 games back — the Storm’s dominant play has created lofty expectations for a franchise that has lost in the first round each year since winning the title in 2004.

“This year’s team is focused on one thing,” Bird said. “At first it was we really wanted home-court advantage. It’s no secret we play better at home.”