by Matt Levin
The Arizona Republic
Temeka Johnson walked over to where the Los Angeles Sparks were participating in their pregame warmups. The Phoenix Mercury point guard greeted her former teammates and hugged Vanessa Hayden, a former college rival in the Southeastern Conference.
A half hour later Johnson returned to the court – to play her best game of the year. She lit up the Sparks for 18 points, including 10 in the fourth quarter to ignite a pivotal run in the Mercury’s 89-80 victory on Friday night at US Airways Center.
“I told her before the game that I was going to change some things at the end, so just wait for it, ” Mercury head coach Corey Gaines said. “She waited, and I called her number a couple of times, and she came through for us in the end.”
It was a spectacular performance, but Johnson promised there was no extra motivation in playing her old team. And that’s fair. But after a tumultuous 2008, coming to Phoenix (5-1) has certainly provided a rebirth for the 5-foot-3 guard. She’ll try to continue the hot streak going tonight as the Mercury host the Seattle Storm (4-2).
Last year Johnson lost her job as the starting point guard for the Sparks. But Johnson faced a much tougher loss when her grandmother, Jewel, who raised Johnson, died on July 14. Coping with the loss helped her develop a new philosophy for this season.
Read the full article on AZCentral.com.