Preview: The Lynx (27-7) are the top seed in the playoffs after finishing with the best record in the league. They are meeting Seattle (16-18) for the second time in the Western Conference semifinals. The Storm beat the Lynx 2-0 in a best-of-three series in 2004. Lauren Jackson, still Seattle's main scoring threat inside, had 32 points in the two games.
Lynx at a glance: The Lynx were 3-1 against Seattle, but Jackson did not play in any of those games. ... Without their 6-6 center, the Storm was outrebounded in each game by an average of 10.5 boards. ... The Lynx won their last meeting 86-73 at KeyArena behind Rebekkah Brunson, who had 20 points and 14 rebounds. ... The defending WNBA champions are 16-1 at home and are expecting a lower-bowl sellout for this game.
Seattle at a glance: The Storm is a team loaded with veterans, including three of the four players who have scored more than 6,000 points in league history: Tina Thompson, Katie Smith and Jackson. ... Seattle has won its past three games. ... The Storm's strength is defense. Opponents are scoring an average of 71.4 points and shooting 39.1 percent, both league lows. ... Guard Sue Bird is the Storm's leading scorer, averaging 12.2 points and 5.3 assists. ... Brian Agler coached the Lynx in their first three seasons; Smith and Svetlana Abrosimova are both former Lynx players.
ROMAN AUGUSTOVIZ
