July 24th, 2006: Connecticut at New York

Connecticut Sun 89, New York Liberty 71

OMG ERIN THORN.


This was the most strangely satisfying blowout I've ever watched my team suffer. I don't know what it was- after all, we lost by 18- but it was actually fun being at the game. Okay, except for the lady who kept yelling at me to bring my "Deeeeeeeeeee" (as in defense) down an octave when she had a higher-pitched voice than I do. Oh, and getting through the gates 15 minutes late because there was an exploded faucet in one of the bathrooms (which also meant that one of the women's restrooms was closed, which was not cool). And yet I had fun.

Katie Douglas- man, she's tough. One play, Loree nailed her good in the shoulder, to the point where we thought she had dislocated it, and she proceeded to make the steal on the next Liberty possession and throw up a nifty right-handed shot. She's awesome and if I were picking players for a game of pickup, I'd take her in a heartbeat. Taj was also amazing- she got pissed off at one call (there were some very late whistles in the game) and turned into a force of nature. For that matter, Asjha was pretty tough; Connecticut's not going to lose much when Taj finally hangs them up. Margo didn't shoot very well, but she did that rebounding thing she does, and she and Maddie seem to be settling into a strange relationship. Goddess help us all if she ever comes to New York. Whalen… don't get into a game of HORSE with her unless you're up for a real challenge, because she loves those circus shots in the lane, but despite her gaudy numbers, the only play of hers that stood out to me was the behind the back flip to Taj. The fifth starter was Erin Phillips, presumably to match up with Sherill, and she was a pesky little thing. Reminded me a little of another little #31 who played a bit in Australia. The rest of the Sun bench, they looked good. Carey's stubborn, isn't she? She was very tenacious on defense.

Tonight seemed to be "shut the boardsters UP" night for the Liberty. Erin played well, Cathrine actually played in the paint, and Shameka actually played like a forward. Those two- TWO!- shots by Erin were amazing. I thought the banker at the end of the first quarter was amazing, but that over-the-head heave at the end of the third? I mean, dude. Nothing but net. Je suis incoherent. At the end of the quarter, when they kept replaying it, Kiesha and Ashley were watching again and again, and after the second replay, Ashley did the whole heave motion, and Kiesha kept looking back at the Jumbotron like "are they going to show it again? huh? huh? are they going to show it again?" Does her defense leave something to be desired? In a set play, one-on-one situation, yes. So does most of the team's. And Cathrine! She drove the lane! She got rebounds and putbacks! And then she stepped outside and hit! It's like a brilliant game plan or something! Now, if she would just *keep* doing that, we might have something. As for Shameka, I've been very pleased with her defense the last few games- that block on Dydek was nothing short of amazing! I like that she's become more willing to go inside, to go for layups, to go get rebounds. I can deal with her offensive game suffering (even though I can't deal so much with the fumbles) if it means she's keeping the other team from getting those points at the other end. I don't mind a low-scoring game. Sherill is making me crazy with her ballhogging the last couple of games. I realize we don't have the world's greatest assemblage of talent, but that doesn't mean you take crazy or stupid shots or pass into a double team because you've been catching hell for not passing. She's got to relax and learn to trust her teammates. As for Loree, she seems to be regressing back to '05, and we can't have that, not when she's the only player who's shown measurable improvement since last year. I also don't like the more physical nature of her play; she's become rather reckless. Not cool. I really don't want to talk about our post players, other than Cathrine, because Barbara's continued inability to hit a fucking layup makes me see red, Christelle is so raw it hurts, and Iciss has way too many moments where she looks like she's not quite sure why she's on a basketball court. (However, Iciss involved herself in a backcourt trap with Ashley on Phillips, which made me squee and think fondly of Sue and Becky in 2001.) Ashley played some excellent minutes tonight. Remind me again why she doesn't play all that often? Oh, that's right. PATTY IS AN IDIOT. I'd love to see more of AB and much more of the backcourt trap/full court press. Full court presses are sexy.

Didn't see Keesh on the Sun bench, and didn't catch Brungo's outfit, but I was lovin' Schuey's Capri pantsuit, even if I am perpetually seized with the urge to attack her with a hairbrush when I see her with her hair loose. Becky seemed to be presentable.

Lots and lots and lots of Sun fans. There was a large obsession of them in the section next to ours. Very cool gear, including one guy in a Megan Mahoney shirt. That, my friends, is fan devotion. And one of them left a Courant, which allowed me to see that they commissioned an article for the San Antonio game. Jeez, we can't even get home coverage, and they get road coverage. Graaaaah.

Interesting note: they did NOT play the rally song tonight, though they tossed the tees. I think they got one too many complaints about breaking the tradition. But was there an autograph section?

Ah yes, the 1st Annual New York County Spelling Bee. Becky: "Cathrine Kraayeveld... can you use that in a sentence?" Asking poor Christelle to do it was just mean. Barbara, on the other hand, is probably in soooooo much trouble for not even getting the C part of Cathrine right (she seems to think #33 is a Katherine).

For the first time in a while, this team showed fire and passion. We still got our asses handed to us by a more talented team, but it was so very nice to see that the Liberty still cared.