The Mystics continue their (so far successful) road trip tonight. At 10 PM, in a game televised on NBAtv and webcast on WNBA.com, a highly-motivated Washington team faces a highly-motivated Seattle team, in a game that carries playoff implications for both squads.

In case you're wondering about Lauren Jackson . . . yes, she's baaaack! You may recall LJ's phenomenal performance at the Phone Booth, where she lit up the Mystics for 47 points, only to lose the game in overtime. To say that she and her teammates are looking for a different result tonight is stating the obvious. And if that weren't enough to motivate the Storm, thanks to yesterday's Sacramento loss to Houston, a win tonight would clinch a western conference playoff spot for Seattle. According to Jayda Evans's article in today's Seattle Times, it seems her local team is also convinced that Alana led with her elbow (a no call) in her victory-sealing drive late in the previous meeting. The Storm are not happy. But they are motivated.

Fortunately, Seattle isn't the only team with motivation. As our loyal readers already know, with only 5 games left in this roller-coaster season, every game for the Mystics is a must win. Despite the 2-game lead the Mystics hold on New York in the standings, they haven't clinched, but a win over the Storm would certainly put them in very favorable position to do so . . . and soon. So the Mystics have some pretty strong motivation of their own. As Coach Tree Rollins told Mark Medina of the Washington Times,

. . .the key is for the Mystics to sustain their momentum. "We try to remember what our goal is," he said. "Even though we have our foot in the door now over Chicago and New York, we can't look back."