Los Angeles Sparks Basketball Team

The crowd gave the Sparks a standing ovation. The players high-fived each other for a job well done. The Sparks' bench then greeted the starters near midcourt. This may have been the middle of the third quarter following a timeout, but it was safe for everyone to express their feelings. The Sparks' 78-63 victory over the Minnesota Lynx before an announced crowd of 9,181 at Staples Center on Wednesday wasn't official at that point. But it was inevitable. The Sparks went on a 9-1 run for a 48-38 third-quarter lead with 5:14 remaining.

The voice gushed with excitement, making it a phone message worth saving. "'Mom, I'm traded to the Sparks!' " Noelle Quinn exclaimed after learning she was leaving the Minnesota Lynx and heading home to L.A. Her mom, Golden Quinn, a Sparks season-ticket holder since the WNBA's inception, has listened to the message a dozen times. "It's her dream come true," the elder Quinn said. "It's a joy to see the sparkle in her eye and her laughter. It's a moment of joy we continue to celebrate."

During every Sparks huddle, center Lisa Leslie emphasizes one thing. "Have no regrets," she repeats. The Sparks have had little to regret lately. Their 75-63 victory over the Chicago Sky on Tuesday in front of an announced crowd of 9,615 at Staples Center was their sixth consecutive win. It was 12 days ago when the Sparks were 8-13 and it was uncertain whether they were playoff-bound. Their latest victory pushes them to a 14-13 mark and three games ahead of the San Antonio Silver Stars and Minnesota Lynx for the third playoff spot with seven games left.

Sparks tonight VS. PHOENIX When: 7:30. Where: Staples Center. On the air: NBATV. Records: Sparks 14-13, Mercury 18-9. Record vs. Mercury: 0-2. Update: The Sparks are looking to extend their six-game winning streak and move closer in securing a postseason berth. The Mercury is the first team to clinch the playoffs and is two games ahead of the Seattle Storm for the top seeding in the West. Sparks guard Kristi Harrower attended her grandmother's funeral in her native Australia on Wednesday and will miss the next three games.

The circumstances were different, but the Sparks had already traveled down this path. They learned the day before their home matchup Thursday with the Phoenix Mercury they'd be without starting point guard Kristi Harrower, who went to Australia to attend her grandmother's funeral. Then the Sparks found out just before tipoff that forward Candace Parker would be absent because of "personal issues that are family-related," said a source close to the team. So came the Sparks' third loss to the Mercury this season -- this one a 98-90 decision in front of 9,586 at Staples Center.

After predicting that energy would be the decisive factor in the Sparks' matchup Sunday with the Connecticut Sun, Coach Michael Cooper saw that variable unfold in many ways. The Sparks displayed it when they stormed to an early double-digit lead. They lacked it when they allowed Connecticut to creep to within single digits in the second half. Cooper monitored it with center Lisa Leslie and guard Noelle Quinn, both of whom were ill with flu and fever, respectively, last week but were deemed well enough to play.

Win or loss, the Sparks huddle together after each game at center court. Following their 84-79 defeat to the Atlanta Dream in front of an announced 8,756 at Staples Center on Tuesday night, center Lisa Leslie provided a quick summation of what just happened. "We got worked on the boards," she told the team. Leslie led the team with 24 points, her eighth game in which she scored at least 20 points, but she blamed herself for the breakdown. The Dream had 20 second-chance points and grabbed 12 offensive rebounds.

Once the game ended, a sense of relief permeated the arena. Sparks Coach Michael Cooper ran up to hug General Manager Penny Toler and discussed what he called a "friendly GM-head coach thing." Center Lisa Leslie hugged forward Candace Parker before making her way to her daughter, Lauren, and husband, Michael Lockwood. Forward Tina Thompson did the same with her son, Dyllan. The Sparks' 76-68 victory over the San Antonio Silver Stars on Tuesday in front of a crowd of 10,476 at Staples Center created a festive mood for good reason.

It became the turning point of her final WNBA season. In a locker-room meeting, three-time MVP Lisa Leslie went from teammate to teammate and dissected how each could help turn things around for the struggling Sparks. That included herself. "I asked each person, 'Is it OK for me to be honest with you? You guys can be honest with me,' " Leslie said. " 'If I'm not working hard and I'm not bringing it, tell me.' " The Sparks (18-16) closed out the regular season winning 10 of their last 13 games and secured a No. 3 seeding in the Western Conference playoffs.

While the team huddled together, Sparks Coach Michael Cooper was about to rip into his players. Before he could, though, his players took care of it. They had a 12-point lead with five minutes 14 seconds remaining in Game 1 of their best-of-three Western Conference semifinals matchup with Seattle. But with the way the Storm kept chipping away at their lead, nothing was safe. Hence, the discussion during a timeout. "Sometimes the team has to do that and take responsibility like a veteran team like we do," Cooper said.