Perfection is the name of the game for the Los Angeles Sparks of the WNBA, 19-1. They are unbeaten on the road (7-0) where they have four more games before going into a long one-month break for the Summer Olympics.

“I have been through this before,” said Sparks coach Brian Agler said of the Olympic time-out.

“You can’t practice every day. We will practice two days then take one day off.

“Then we will practice three days and take off two days until we get closer to returning to the regular schedule.”
Without game action, Agler will try to keep the players focused on day to day duties.

“I try to talk only about what’s happening today,” he said. “Everything else is a distraction.”

With a deep roster, the Sparks have been healthy through the first 20 games, and the two factors may be related.

“We have good players who are not playing a lot,” said Agler. “It’s impossible to get everyone playing time.
“Every player must be ready because you never know what’s going to happen.”

One reasons the Sparks are winning is the team has been able to stay healthy. “We have had no major injuries, and that has really helped us along with our defense,” said Jantel Lavender who scored 20 points off the bench against Washington in a win at the Staples Center last Sunday. “Our team identity is defense. On the road, that’s the key. You have to play great defense because your shots might not fall but you have to get stops on the defensive end.”

The coach and all the players think they can improve on rebounding although the Sparks out rebounded the Washington Mystics 32 to 29 in the 93-82 win.

The Sparks started the season with a four-game road trip, and they think they can have success on their current trip.

To complete their pre-Olympics schedule, the Sparks visit Connecticut on Friday, Atlanta on Sunday, Indiana on Tuesday and Washington next Friday.

Mr. Finley may be contacted at sfinley50@aol.com