Sparks’ Dixon Says She’s Ready to Play

She moved gingerly around the court Friday, doing some light shooting drills and kibitzing with teammates. There was stiffness in her back and her gait. But that Tamecka Dixon could move around at all Friday was good news for the Sparks.

Dixon was unable to play in Game 1 of the WNBA Finals Thursday, won by the Sparks 71-63. She bruised her back and strained the patella tendon in her right knee when she slipped on wet steps while exiting the team bus for the morning shoot-around.

Even though it was raining, Madison Square Garden officials would not let the Sparks’ bus park in a dry area closer to the arena, saying they did not have any bomb-sniffing dogs to examine the vehicle. So the players had to exit the bus in the wet street.

Coach Michael Cooper said Dixon’s availability for Game 2 would be a game-time decision. He’s sure Dixon wants to play.

“Last year it was almost the same kind of thing,” Cooper said. “She got hurt in the first game against Charlotte and came back on crutches. But come game time she said she was ready to go.

“We’ll let the doctors and Tamecka decide. We don’t want the series to go any longer, but the fortunate thing is ... we have two games here. You want to take care of business and not have to use that [Sunday] game. But if she’s not ready to go, then we’ll hold her out. If there’s a third game, she’ll be ready for that.”

If it’s left solely up to Dixon, she will play in Game 2.

“As I shot around my back loosened up,” Dixon said. “I’ll play with some soreness in my knee ... it’s a pain I can work through. As far as I know, I can play unless the trainers pull me out.”

Dixon said she is not hurting as much as she was last year when she came down hard on her right foot and injured her heel. In the title-clinching game against Charlotte, Dixon scored 13 points in 37 minutes.

“There was no pain like the pain I felt in the final game last year,” Dixon said. “If I can get through that I can get through anything. I’m stiff, but the pain level last year was much greater.”

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Lisa Leslie, who said Thursday’s was “the most physical game I’ve played in my six years here,” expects more of the same today.

“The [game] wasn’t consistent with what you experience throughout the regular season,” Leslie said.

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New York set two WNBA Finals records Thursday with seven three-pointers in a half and nine in the game.