Return of the Jackson

August 25th, 2011

Seattle Storm vs Tulsa Shock

I finally got to see Aussie Lauren Jackson (or LJ as she is known here – 6’6″ tall) play basketball for the first time live (by this game she was 2 games in from a long-term injury which saw her sit out 20 games for the season). She was joined in the game by fellow Aussies Belinda Snell (Seattle Storm – the “shorty” at 5’11” tall) and Elizabeth Gambage (Tulsa Shock – she is 6’8″ tall – gigantor!). The match was fairly close for most of the game (this was surprising as the Shock had lost 19 games in a row to this point!), but a strong third quarter resulted in a win to the Storm 74 to 57.

The result was probably a surprise to the Storm, given they are the 2010 WNBA Champions, but a wins a win! Although Lauren didn’t play the whole game, she made a big difference though when on the court (she is a three-time WNBA MVP and regarded as the best female player in the world) and scored 14 points, including a great 3 pointer (which resulted after she got a bit agro when involved in a tangle with a Shock player, some words were exchanged!).

It is kind of strange when Lauren scores a point. They play a video that says “Aussie, Aussie, Aussie”, the crowd then respond with “Oi, Oi, Oi” (flashed up on the screen) this is then followed by didgeridoo music. Doesn’t seem right hearing mostly Americans doing this! It’s just not cricket!

I am always amused by the Storm’s mascot Doppler, especially when he was pretending to be a swim suit model in an impromptu photo shoot on the court during the break! I am not sure exactly what he is meant to be, other than that he is a weather related creature (the term doppler is associated with radars, but he is a reddish coloured furry creature with retired LA Lakers and NBA All Star Kareem Abdul Jabbar style protective eyewear!)? Very confusing and no-one in the crowd seems to have any idea of what he is either, but it doesn’t really matter as he is a lot of fun!