Great Win . . . and Wall!

While many basketball fans around the DC-area were partying while watching tonight's NBA draft, the Mystics and their fans were busy holding their own party right inside the Verizon Center. A Washington #1 pick (albeit not #1 overall) led the Mystics to a decisive win over the visiting Los Angeles Sparks, 68-53.

Wizards fans (including plenty of us in the Phone Booth) were celebrating what we hope will be the future greatness of #1 John Wall. Meanwhile, Mystics fans saw some greatness on display in the person of Crystal Langhorne, who had a career-night, not just in points scored (27), but also in notching her first ever WNBA three-pointer!

Yes, the same Crystal Langhorne who in college practically never took a shot further than a few feet from the basket. That Crystal Langhorne, tonight, with about a minute left in the game and the shot clock winding down, swished a beautiful trey! The fans erupted, Lang's teammates cheered, and Lang herself smiled, looking a bit sheepish, almost like she was thinking, "Did I really just do that?" It was a fitting end to her impressive night's performance, and a fun ending to what, for the most part, was a pretty enjoyable game.

Lang not only hit a career high and led all scorers tonight, but, taking full advantage of Candace Parker's absence, she dominated in the paint, posting a double-double before halftime. She finished the game with 14 rebounds to go along with her 27 points. Lindsey Harding was the only other Mystic in double figures (16).

Adding to the enjoyment, for those of us who are also Terps fans, Kristi Toliver led the Sparks with 11 points, nailing several threes as we've seen her do so many times. Before the game, we were hoping that KT would have a good outing, but that the Mystics (of course) would win. We got our wish.

Since Basketball is Basketball, it came as no surprise that the fans in the Phone Booth were also interested in what was happening with the NBA draft. The Wizards' pick of John Wall was shown on the Megatron during a time out and the arena erupted in cheers. That was followed by a cool video of notable Washingtonians doing the John Wall Dance, including Dr. J, a few Mystics, and plenty of other sports celebrities, welcoming Wall to Washington . . . more cheers. And then we were told that following the game, every one of the more than 8,000 fans in attendance would get a free "Wall: Game Changer" T-shirt. (Which we did.) Who doesn't love a free T-shirt? If this is an example of that cross-marketing that Ted Leonsis promised, then we like it already!

Tonight's win was the fourth in a row for the Mystics, their longest win streak in several years. They'll look to extend that streak tomorrow night in Chicago when they take on the Sky at 8:30PM ET in the second half of a back-to-back.

Go Mystics . . . Beat the Sky! (And Welcome John Wall!)