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Although Lisa Leslie is injured and Candace Parker is working her way back after giving birth, the Los Angeles Sparks still have veterans Tina Thompson, DeLisha Milton-Jones and Betty Lennox in the starting lineup. And once everyone is healthy, Sparks coach Michael Cooper believes it'll be the reserves that will be key to the team's chances for the championship. ``In order for a team to be successful, it has to have a good bench,'' Cooper said. ``This year, we have a fabulous bench. I think we have a very diverse bench.'' The Sparks (3-5) opened the season as overwhelming favorites to win the WNBA championship, but struggled early on with four straight road losses after a season-opening win at home against Detroit. Then Leslie sprained her right knee in the last game of the streak, at Phoenix on June 19, and is expected to be out until later this month. Parker, who gave birth to a daughter in May, began practicing with the team earlier this week, though there is no timetable for her season debut. So how about the bench players? So far, Cooper likes the versatility he's seen from his new players such as Noelle Quinn and Vanessa Hayden - acquired in separate trades with Minnesota in the offseason - and returning reserves Marie Ferdinand-Harris and Shannon Bobbitt. ``Noelle comes in and she's a utility person we can slide around out there,'' Cooper said. ``Bobbitt comes in and changes the tempo of the game, and Vanessa is that big body we haven't had here in a long time, and she's one that can get in there and score. When we come in with different people off the bench, it adds a new dimension to our game.'' --- STAYING POSITIVE: After reaching the Eastern Conference finals last year, the Liberty began the season with high expectations. However, things haven't worked out so smoothly so far. New York began the season with three losses before getting its first win against a short-handed San Antonio team two weeks ago and then winning at Atlanta. The Liberty then endured another three-game losing streak before beating defending champion Detroit on Thursday night. Still, while wins have been hard to come by, the team is not lacking any confidence. ``We're very confident,'' Liberty forward Shameka Christon said. ``We believe in each other, we trust each other. That shows a lot of character with this team because we did not fold, we have not given up. We went back after every loss and practiced harder and harder and harder.'' A break in the schedule gave New York four days of practice after consecutive losses in a home-and-home set against Indiana last Friday and Saturday, and the Liberty appeared to be energized against Detroit. ``We refocused our team goals a little bit,'' center Janel McCarville said. ``Everyone has goals of making it to the championship and the playoffs, but we went back and re-evaluated and put it to everyday terms.'' Now, New York has another week before hosting Los Angeles on Thursday. ``We have a couple of days off, we'll get back at it (in practice) on Sunday,'' Christon said. ``We just got to maintain our focus and keep our intensity.'' --- MAHORN SETTLING IN: Weeks after taking over as coach of the Shock when Bill Laimbeer resigned, Rick Mahorn isn't worried about his future opportunities. ``Right now, I'm the head coach of the Detroit Shock,'' Mahorn said. ``I don't look anything in the future with it. ... I'm looking at what I have at present.'' Mahorn said he hasn't talked recently to his former Pistons 'Bad Boy' teammate, who stepped down June 15 to pursue a coaching job in the NBA. ``I got a lot of things on my plate to be worrying about what he's doing,'' he said. When asked if he had similar thoughts about going to the NBA, Mahorn replied: ``Those opportunities are always there. If it's an opportunity that's beneficial for me, I'll take it. Right now, I'm focused on what I have at hand this year, this season.'' And what he has at hand is a defending champion that has been struggling with injuries and a suspension along with a coaching change three games into the season. Plenette Pierson, the team's big spark off the bench, was lost to season-ending injury in the opener. Cheryl Ford missed the first three games and is still working her way back after tearing her right ACL last July. Also, Kara Braxton missed the first six games while serving a suspension for pleading guilty to a DUI charge in the offseason. ``We don't use excuses,'' Mahorn said. ``We need to just come with a mental focus and be more prepared. Everybody in that locker room and the coaching staff, we know we got to work even harder to get everybody healthy and also mentally prepared.'' --- PLAYERS OF THE WEEK: Indiana's Tamika Catchings and Minnesota's Candice Wiggins were selected as the league's players of the week for the Eastern and Western conferences, respectively, for the third week of the season. Catchings earned the honor for the 12th time after averaging 18.5 points, 11.0 rebounds, 4.5 steals and 3.5 assists in the Fever's home-and-home sweep of the Liberty. In a win at New York on June 19, Catchings scored 12 of her 24 points in the final 10:14 of the game to rally Indiana to an overtime win after it trailed by 17 in the third quarter. Wiggins was selected for her first weekly award after averaging 23.5 points, 4.5 assists and 4.0 rebounds in the Lynx's wins against New York and Phoenix. She is the second Minnesota player to be honored this season, joining injured teammate Seimone Augustus - who was picked after the first week. --- SCOREBOARD WATCH: Phoenix at Los Angeles, Sunday, 9:30 p.m. EDT. The Sparks entered the weekend 3-0 at home and will be playing their last game at Staples Center until Aug. 4. The Sparks lost the teams' first matchup, at Phoenix on June 19 in a game Leslie injured her right knee. The Mercury have lost three of four on the road, but were tied with Minnesota atop the West standings. ... Washington at Minnesota, Tuesday, 8 p.m. EDT. A matchup featuring two of the surprise teams of the season. The Lynx have persevered despite losing Seimone Augustus to a season-ending knee injury, winning three of their last four. The Mystics have hit a rough patch, entering the weekend with three losses in five games after starting the season with three wins. --- STATS: Seattle's Lauren Jackson entered the weekend leading the league in scoring at 22.2 points per game. Phoenix's Diana Taurasi (21.2) and Cappie Pondexter (20.5) were next. ... Chicago's Sylvia Fowles was tops in rebounding at 9.0, followed by Atlanta's Erika DeSouza (8.2) and Washington's Crystal Langhorne (8.0). ... The Storm's Sue Bird led the way in assists at 6.2, followed by the Mystics' Lindsey Harding (6.1) and San Antonio's Becky Hammon (5.2). ... Jackson scored at least 20 points in the Storm's first eight games this season, tying Sheryl Swoopes (2000) for the second-longest to start a season in WNBA history behind Cynthia Cooper (nine, 1999). Jackson's streak ended when she had nine points in a loss at Los Angeles last Sunday. --- QUOTE OF THE WEEK: ``Well they're the defending champs, they have a target on their back every night. You want to play well against the defending champs. But you know how it is, New York and Detroit, it's always going to be a bloodbath.'' - Liberty coach Pat Coyle, after an 80-64 win against the Shock on Thursday night.
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