September 13th, 2008: Washington at Connecticut

Connecticut Sun 87, Washington Mystics 81

The Sun bench comes up big, while the Mystics make some questionable decisions in regards to personal grooming.


In case anyone needed the obvious belabored, Connecticut is a very good team, and very strong with the additions of Abrosimova and Phillips. Granted, the opponent was Washington, but the Sun elected not to dress Whalen and Jones- considering the injury situation, and Washington's regrettable tendency to break the Sun, and the fact that the seeds are locked, I think this was the best move for Thibault- and they still won. I shudder to think what the score would have been with one or both of the two. The entire fourth quarter probably would have been Danielle Page time.

I'd like to state for the record, and especially for FFO's benefit, that the Sun do Fan Appreciation Day right. I recognize that the Sun's casino affiliation gives them access to lots of cool things that most teams can't pull together. That being said, the t-shirts are sharp, the glossy photos were very snazzy, some of those prizes were very, VERY nifty (I can haz retro jersey naow?), and the messages were on point (though I doubt LA or NY would have appreciated Whitmore's comment about there being no drama in Connecticut). Also? Big Red was back behind the mic, though with a roster that was almost entirely new to him. I love the way he does intros- we recognized him as soon as he did a promo involving Whalen and Jones's names, because the sing-song he gives Whalen and the way he draws out Asjha is unmistakable. I don't know how long he's going to be back, but I hope it's a long time.

Not so great? Anthem. Seriously, if that shit's charting, anyone can get a record deal. Also- please do not screw up the lyrics when they are being played directly above your head. This is not rocket science.

For the Mystics- honestly, I think the most valuable folks might have been the few, the proud, and the certifiable who made the trip up to Connecticut. We were a couple of sections over from them, and their enthusiasm was awesome. Fans like that deserve a better team than the dysfunction junction the Mystics seem mired in. I keep forgetting how little I like most of the individual Mystic players until it's actually game time and Nakia Sanford does something stupid or Monique Currie starts whining. Sanford was really mixing it up inside with Whitmore, and I honestly thought there was going to be a throwdown by the end of the game. Currie hit some unbelievable shots (and got some questionable calls in her favor, but I'm trying to accent some of the positive here)- when she's on and she's got her head together, she reminds me a little bit of Taurasi or Janel in the way she finds room to take and often make a shot that no one in their right mind should ever try at home. But she's got a chip on her shoulder the size of a redwood, and no good reason for it to be there, so far as I can tell. Beard started really slow, then started heating up, then started getting heated, and eventually fouled out of the game. She also appears to be rocking the fauxhawk, though I didn't get close enough to be certain. If such is the case, then shine on, you crazy Mystic- but Janel's is still better. Humphrey looked the best out of all of them- nice range, nice touch, nice size; she just needs to learn how to use everything she's got a little more smartly. Laimbeer probably would have been better for that than anyone in Washington, but you never know. Blue did not impress me. If anything, the reserve guard who stuck out most for me was Crystal Smith, and the one who kept the offense the steadiest seemed to be Coco Miller. Langhorne played well off the bench, I thought- I like the way she gets inside and finds the ball. Appropriately enough given today's game, she reminds me a little of Tamika Raymond. I suppose the questions there are 1) is there still a place for a pure garbage collector in this league, and 2) if there is, should you be using the 6th overall pick on one? (Oh, hello. I just realized a parallel between Raymond and Langhorne.) Mosby I mostly saw as an offensive switch, which really confused me, because she was switching with Currie, who's a genius at creating (or simulating) contact. Gardner set a very nice screen, and that's really all I remember about her on the court- off the court, she seemed to be constantly stretching- what's up with that? Does she have the tightest muscles known to man, woman, or physical trainer, or something?

Jessie. Seriously. What the fuck was that outfit? You are not a swashbuckling pirate queen, you're the coach of a sinking ship. And if you are a swashbuckling pirate queen, get a cutlass and cut some lasses.

Great balance for the Sun. I never thought they'd take second with this roster, I admit it, but Thibault just knows how to pull the best from every player he has. Of course, picking up a couple of Olympians after the break probably helped too. ;) Starters were Carey for Whalen, Raymond for Jones, Gardin, Holt, and Whitmore. Raymond started off on fire- she even hit a jump shot from right near the free throw line, and I was all "when did she learn to do that?" Carey started, but didn't play much- good move by Thibault, I'd be worried about someone kicking the shit out of her for no good reason if she was in near the end. Likewise Holt, who appears to have found the rookie wall and is applying herself diligently to running repeatedly into it. She'll be right, though. She seems to have a good head for the game. Gardin was shaky- I still like her style, though. Whitmore had a rough day- a lot of BS calls, and she had to match up with some of Washington's… ah, most charming, shall we say… players. (Personally, I'd have put her on Humphrey and let Raymond or whoever was out there at any given time take Sanford or Langhorne- Whitmore's the most perimeter oriented of the posts not named Asjha Jones. But I am not Mike Thibault and the Sun came away with the win.) The bench was crucial, critical, key, clutch, and many other words. Phillips is fucking awesome. That is one of the most unconventional releases I've ever seen in terms of footwork, but considering she only missed one shot, I'd venture to say it works. I love her moxie. And when did Abrosimova grow the brass ones? She played some dazzling defense and on one play went toe-to-toe with Sanford. I just wish she'd shot more- not only would my fantasy score have been much improved, some of those Connecticut turnovers would not have happened. Turner was the clutchest of the clutch- I knew she scored big in the fourth, but somehow it didn't click that all of her points were in the fourth. She turned the tide. Gruda seemed a little… not slow, not necessarily uncomfortable, but out of place a bit? I think she's still a little disconcerted by sudden random Aussie and Russian. Page hustles. Page has really bad hands. Page gets called for bullshit fouls. But she seems like a nice kid.

Very inconsistent refs, very incompetent refs. Twardoski is shooting up the list of "names to swear at really fast". I do think Turner would actually have gone batshit on the crew if she'd been called for a charge on the one play they were especially unsure on- they eventually got it right and assessed Beard with the foul, but it was a close thing and Turner was righteously indignant. Whitmore was peeved for much of the game as well. I think that's the real reason Page came in with fourteen seconds to play- not to get her in, but to get Whitmore out before she lost her cool.

Much love for the other brunette in the Rebecca Lobo Liberty jersey (and, for that matter, I suppose, the original brunette in the Rebecca Lobo Liberty jersey ;)). And for the woman in the Miracle shirt. And again for the crapload of Mystics fans who came up to watch their team lose… again.

See you next week, Connecticut!