By David Goricki / The Detroit News
AUBURN HILLS — The first move Bill Laimbeer made as Detroit Shock coach could turn out to be an important piece of the championship puzzle. The Shock, the success story in the WNBA, were mired in an 0-10 start last season when Laimbeer was hired to make some noise. He did shortly after his arrival, trading Wendy Palmer to Orlando for point guard Elaine Powell.
“Things happen for a reason, and I couldn’t be in a better situation,” said Powell, who was inserted into the starting lineup and helped the Shock go 7-6.
“I was fortunate I had a coach who put me right in the starting lineup and showed his confidence in me to run the team. It was a big confidence boost for me.”
Now, Powell’s confidence, along with her teammates’, is soaring as the Shock prepare to take on her former teammates — now the Connecticut Sun — in the Eastern Co.ference finals. Game 1 of the best-of-three series is Friday in Uncasville, Conn. Games 2 and 3 would be Sunday and Monday at The Palace.
“I’m looking at it as playing Connecticut, not my former teammates,” said Powell, who averages nine points (45.1 percent shooting) and four assists. “I’m a Shock player now.”
Powell is the solid, all-round type of unknown player the Shock have thrived behind. At 28, she is the oldest starter on a team whose average age for starters is 24, youngest in the league.
Although she isn’t known for winning national championships in college — such as teammates Swin Cash (Connecticut) and Ruth Riley (Notre Dame) — and she doesn’t have a famous father — such as Cheryl Ford, daughter of NBA power forward Karl Malone — nor is a hometown hero — such as Flint native Deanna Nolan — Powell has been, at times, spectacular.
“We just play to our strengths,” said Powell, who runs the top-scoring offense (75.1) in the league.
“We’re athletic and we have players who can go out and run. We also have an inside game and great perimeter game as well.”
Powell had nine points and nine assists with one turnover in Tuesday’s 77-63 victory over the Cleveland Rockers, clinching the semifinal series for the Shock, two games to one.
“My main goal was to be more aggressive at the offensive end,” said Powell, who averaged six points, six assists and two turnovers against Cleveland. “It was important to get Tweety (Nolan) involved because sometimes we depend too much on Swin.”
Nolan scored 26 points in Game 3.
“We have a lot of options and we get the ball to whoever is hot and then all feed off of it,” Powell said. “It was exciting to win (the series), but our goal is to be Eastern Conference champions and play for the WNBA championship.”
But to reach the championship series, Powell must overcome her former teammates.
Powell played in the same backcourt with Shannon Johnson, a three-time all-WNBA second-team point guard, at Orlando. In 2001, Powell averaged 11.2 points on 40.2 percent shooting as Orlando’s shooting guard. But she lost her starting job to Adrienne Johnson last season before the trade.
“I learned a lot from Pee Wee (Shannon Johnson) … how to be aggressive and get people involved,” Powell said. “I’m looking for a great matchup against her. She passes well and does a great job of scoring. You have to play 40 minutes against her because she’s not going to give in.”