SEATTLE, United States (AFP) - Australian center Lauren Jackson, the season and playoff scoring leader, guides the Seattle Storm into the Women's National Basketball Association Finals against Connecticut starting Friday.
Jackson, who sparked the Opals to silver behind the United States at the Athens Olympics, will try to win her first WNBA crown in a best-of-three series starting at Connecticut and continuing here Sunday and Tuesday if needed.
"It's tremendous to be going to the finals," Seattle guard Sue Bird said. "Who would have thought when Lauren got drafted and when I got drafted that two years later, we would be sitting here right now?"
Jackson led the league with 20.5 points a game during the season, which was halted for the Olympics, and is setting the playoff scoring pace with 22.6 points as well as contributing 7.2 rebounds a game.
The Storm has some good omens in trying to set down the Sun. The club led the WNBA in point differential in the regular season, something every champion has done since the league was formed in 1997.
Jackson, who could win her second consecutive league Most Valuable Player award on Friday, would be the first woman to lead the playoff and season scoring since 1999, when Cynthia Cooper did it in leading Houston to a title.
In addition, all WNBA titles have been won on the champion's home court and the series must finish in Seattle.
Jackson is Seattle's deadliest 3-point shooter at 45.2 percent with Bird, who broke her nose in a first-round game and plays with a mask, at 43.8. They were third and fourth in WNBA season 3-point accuracy.
"I'm a 3-point shooter," Jackson said. "I have been throughout the year."
Seattle and Connecticut split two regular-season meetings, each winning at home. The Storm won in June 68-63 with Jackson scoring 22 points but the Sun avenged the loss last month 71-64.