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STORM/WNBA PLAYOFFS

She has struggled with her shot, and her box score numbers usually don`t scream for attention. But Kamila Vodichkova, one of the biggest players on the roster, still is doing all the little things that have the Seattle Storm on the brink of playing for a WNBA championship. ``She came up with four rebounds, but she got her hands on a ton more. When she didn`t get the rebound, we kept the ball (for a second shot),`` Storm coach Anne Donovan said of Vodichkova`s blue-collar performance on Sunday as the Storm beat Sacramento, 66-54. That outcome knotted the Western Conference finals at 1-1 and set the stage for the decisive Game 3 tonight at 7 in KeyArena. And Vodichkova wouldn`t want to be anywhere else. ``When were a little bit down, they (the fans) just turned it up and started screaming,`` Vodichikova said in reference to Sunday`s vociferous throng of 8,737. ``This is the advantage we`re happy to have.`` Having Vodichkova out there is another advantage, though some might not always notice it. At a muscular 6-foot-4, 185 pounds, she uses her size not only to get inside for rebounds, but to force opponents to change their shot -- or not shoot at all if they go bouncing off of her. Take Sacramento`s Yolanda Griffith, for instance. The 6-4 Olympian forward averaged 14.5 points and 7.2 rebounds in 34 regular-season games, and brought postseason averages of 14.3 points and 9.0 rebounds into Sunday`s game. She finished with 12 points and just five boards. ``She`s very mobile and very physical, and she`s smart,`` Vodichkova said. ``She has long arms, and it`s very hard to box her out.`` But Vodichkova, the Storm`s first-ever draft choice, handled it all in her typical quiet but effective style. ``I thought Kamila did a great job defensively. Yolanda (Griffith) is one of the hardest people to match up on,`` Donovan said. ``Kamila is very focused on maintaining her position, and last night, she was able to come up with a couple more boards.`` Those are the kinds of things Vodichkova has focused on this year. Many nights, she seems to be hexed on shooting, as she hit just 39 percent from the floor during the regular season, as even short-range shots rattled in and out, or rolled off the rim. She is at 44 percent in the playoffs. (She hit the first two shots of the game on Sunday, then didn`t take another one the rest of the night.) But as the season has progressed, she has grown more comfortable with everything about her game. ``I was frustrated when my shots didn`t go in. But I still like defense and I can still help the team -- that`s what`s on my mind when my shots don`t go in,`` Vodichkova said. ``I felt I really didn`t help the team at the beginning of the season. It was hard for me. But I adjusted to my role near the end of the season. ``I think my game is peaking at the right time.``