NFL
By: Joe Cardoso
One question that fans ask every season is, could this season be something, if only everything clicked at once? Well, for fans of the LA Sparks, things are clicking.
Los Angeles has grabbed back-to-back wins, knocking off the Phoenix Mercury 97–88, then in a classic battle in Las Vegas, stunning the Aces 101–95. To me, it is not a fluke. That’s a statement.
Kelsey Plum: She Never Left, But Now She’s Home
If you watched that Aces game, Plum Dawg put on a show on the offensive side of the floor. Thirty-eight points. SEVENTY PERCENT from the field. Six of seven from three. Nine assists. Perfect from the free-throw line. Against her former team, IN their building.
She sent a loud and clear message. Plum has always been one of the most dangerous guards in the league, and right now she’s playing with the kind of edge and efficiency. She followed it up with 16 points and 7 assists against Phoenix, running the offense with poise and purpose. When Plum is locked in like this, the Sparks are a different team. And keep track of how this is not just hero ball or stat padding, she is getting her teammates involved, check those assists numbers, kids.
Cam Brink: Answering the Bell
Here’s the subplot that serious Sparks watchers need to pay attention to: Cameron Brink is responding. After her coach publicly called her out for not living up to her potential, the second-year big didn’t whine about showing up. Against the Aces, Brink put up 16 points on 63.6% shooting, snatched down 8 rebounds, and was a force on the open floor, converting two fast break opportunities.
The conversation around her has shifted from what she could be to her starting to figure it out. That development may end up being just as important to this team’s ceiling as anything Plum does. Loving what I am seeing from Cam, even a bloody nose wasn’t stopping her from showing out.
Where the Sparks Stand
At 3–3 in the Western Conference, the Sparks sit right in the thick of the playoff picture. The West is loaded. Minnesota, Las Vegas, and Golden State are all at 4–2. LA has just proven they can beat one of those teams on the road. This isn’t a bubble team anymore; they’re a genuine contender for a postseason spot IF this momentum holds.
The Road Ahead
The schedule doesn’t let up. LA faces the Washington Mystics on the road Friday before a home game against Connecticut on Saturday, and then back on the road at Washington again later in the week. The Mystics and Sun are both struggling. Washington sits at 2–3, Connecticut at a rough 1–7, so these are the kinds of games a team building momentum needs to win. If the Sparks handle business, they could be sitting at 5–3 and knocking on the door of the upper half of the West standings.
The fire is lit in LA. Plum is scorching, Brink is answering her critics, and the Sparks are playing basketball worth watching again. Don’t sleep on them.
