Sparks hope their first road victory a sign of things to come
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“Some people just aren’t cut out for life on the road” -- Lloyd Christmas in “Dumb and Dumber”
Before you feel tempted to consider the source, Lloyd’s thinking may be something the Sparks want to ponder even if their circumstances are much different.
Lloyd and his friend Harry drove cross-country to return a ransom mistaken for lost luggage to his dream girlfriend. The Sparks are currently going through a six-game road swing through July that started Thursday at New York, and then continues Saturday at Washington and at Connecticut. Los Angeles then returns west, going to Seattle (July 22), Minnesota (July 28) and Chicago (July 29).
The Sparks picked up their first road win, a 69-60 victory over the Liberty, but Coach Michael Cooper acknowledged his thinking that the team must go 3-3 before considering the road trip a success.
Sparks guard Noelle Quinn remembers her reaction when she first saw the schedule that entailed only one home game in July: “Wow, we’re going to be gone the whole month,” she recalled.
“I always try to look at things optimistically,” Sparks owner Kristin Bernert said. “Why complain because it’s not going to do anybody any good.”
“To be able to see the full team play for our home playoff stretch is pretty darn good.”
That includes 10 home games in August, including five games in 10 days (Aug. 4-14). That prompted Bernert to joke that the team is going to rent out cots at Staples Center, not exactly likely their home venue will soon become a time share option.
Nonetheless, the Sparks hope they take advantage of that prize at the end of their excursion, something Lloyd and Harry didn’t do when they passed up an opportunity to be oil boys for bikini models on their return home.
The Sparks expect to reap the benefits from experience after starting four of their five games away, but picking up a 1-4 record.
“I think you’ll see a changed team compared to what you might’ve seen the four games that we lost at the start of the season,” Sparks guard Kristi Harrower said. “We’ll be a different team out there now.”
For starters, forward Candace Parker made her first start Thursday since coming off the bench in her six-point debut Sunday. She returned to the court only 53 days after delivering her daughter, Lailaa. Cooper so far has fielded six different starting lineups, partly to address the absence of Lisa Leslie (sprained right knee) and partly because of the team’s versatility and depth. And lastly, Leslie is expected to return July 22 against Seattle.
But it remains unclear whether the Sparks will benefit from a road-heavy July and a home-filled August. After all, that’s why Bernert jokingly warned her optimistic outlook may change after the games are played.
“Talk to me in August and you may get an different answer,” she said.
-- Mark Medina