Leslie, Sparks seek back-to-back titles

LOS ANGELES -- Having ended Houston's four-year reign as WNBA champions last season, Lisa Leslie and the Los Angeles Sparks' next goal is a few more titles of their own.

Especially since some people think the Sparks' first championship was a fluke.

The critics mention how Houston star Sheryl Swoopes missed last season with a knee injury, leaving the Comets vulnerable in a first-round sweep by the Sparks. Then Charlotte upset Cleveland in the Eastern Conference finals, supposedly easing the Sparks' path to the title.

Los Angeles swept Charlotte 2-0 in the finals.

Such talk riles All-Star guard Tamecka Dixon.

"People haven't really outright given us the title yet," she said. "With Sheryl healthy and with Cleveland and everybody full-throttle, now we can go do it again and let's see what people say."

Sparks coach Michael Cooper has upped the ante this season, which opens May 25 when Los Angeles plays New York. He wants his team to separate itself from Houston's consecutive titles by being the first WNBA team to go undefeated.

"I'm a firm believer if you don't talk about it, it won't happen," he said after a recent practice. "We want to win five, six, seven (titles) in a row."

Cooper won consecutive NBA titles playing for the Los Angeles Lakers. The key, he says, is being mentally prepared for each game. That's why practices are less fun this season.

"It's all serious business, that's the major difference," forward DeLisha Milton said. "Last year there were a lot of good times, but this year we know it's going to be even harder for us to do what we did last year."

An MVP sweep for Leslie

No more so than for Leslie, who became the first WNBA player to be recognized as most valuable player of the regular season, All-Star game and the playoffs.

"I have fulfilled a lot of the goals I have set," she said. "But even when I found myself the best at certain levels, whether high school, college or the pros, there is always something I could learn and do better.

"That's my attitude. The day I stop doing that is the day I'm going to be done," she said.

Leslie spent the off-season in rigorous workouts and one-on-one drills against Cooper. She also played four times a week against Magic Johnson's touring team at UCLA.

"That spirit and that drive hasn't dropped off, actually it has increased," Cooper said.

The Sparks will keep their uptempo style of play. They added guard Sophia Witherspoon, who averaged 12 points for Portland last season, and rookie guard Nikki Teasley from North Carolina.

"Nikki is going to be a great addition," Cooper said. "She's only going to get better as our team gets better. She knocks down the three, which is what Ukari (Figgs) did. She's an excellent passer."

Gone are point guard Figgs, who was traded to Portland, and backup center Rhonda Mapp, who couldn't agree with the WNBA on a new contract. Forward Latasha Byears will miss the season opener as the result of a one-game suspension for reckless driving.

Byears refers to this version of the Sparks as "same soup, reheated."

"It's the same style of basketball, with a little bit of chili pepper on top," Milton said.

Milton played in Italy during the offseason with Sacramento's Yolanda Griffith and Ticha Penicheiro, who reminded her that last season was supposed to be the Monarchs' year. Sacramento lost to the Sparks in the Western Conference finals.

"Just hearing that from them lets me know that people still don't respect what we've done, so the only thing we can do is go out and get another one and just shut everybody up," Milton said.