The Game Notes Of Doom have a bit of a crush on Mike Thibault but are not fond of Husky fans, and Lindsay Whalen continues to be awe-inspiring.
Okay, so maybe Atlanta and Sacramento aren't the greatest tests in the world- not this season, at least- but so far, Thibault looks like a full-fledged genius. And Jenny Boucek looks like she still doesn't know what she has.
I won't bore you with tales of the crazy drunk Russian man who almost made us call the cops to protect the bus driver, so let's start our tale at the arena, with the sheer number of fuzzy, furry, and feathered things wandering around the arena- see, the Sun had declared it Blaze's birthday, so they got mascots from all over New England to help with the celebration. Even if you factor out the sponsor mascots, they got a very impressive group of costumes together. The birthday was celebrated with kazoos (I can't get mine to work, which I'm sure is more my problem than theirs) and a magnificent Blaze-shaped cake that was shown off at halftime. Alas, they did not take the boy's suggestion that the cake be cut up and sold at exorbitant prices at Geno's.
So, Sacramento. Do you guys have to show how much you miss Yo? Because the organization… not so organized. And when is Nicole Powell going to show up and replace the placeholder in her uniform? That was a pretty horrendous shooting display she put on right there. Ticha's lost a step or two, but she's still a far better option at the point than young Miss Franklin, whose name I am afraid I will butcher beyond recognition if I try to spell it. Things seemed better, at least defensively, with Ticha in. I had no idea how small Franklin was, and while she's fast, I don't know if I would have taken the chance on her that Sacramento has. Brunson was exactly what we expected from her, and she added a couple of nice defensive plays with her hands. Adrian Williams-Strong (I'm still not used to her hyphenation) played pretty well, I thought, but that might just be in comparison to the bench, which was. Well. We'll get to that. I've always liked Kara Lawson, so I was glad to see her get her shots and hear her organizing her team. But other than Crystal Kelly, Sacramento's bench was beyond awful. Laura Harper and Kim Smith still have a lot to learn, although Harper has more of an excuse than Smith does. At least Kelly was aggressive inside and drew fouls. Boucek really worked her bench in the first half, but in the second she seemed to have decided to go with an actual rotation. Maybe she'll try that in the first half next time. Fortunately, she wasn't a fashion disaster this time- nothing too tight, nothing too short.
Lindsay. FUCKING. Whalen. I may not like her, but goddamn is she bringing it this year so far. Today she was needed to score, so she put up 21… and five rebounds against Sacto's big front line.. and five assists. She absolutely abused Franklin. Please, please tell me she's in contention for Beijing? And the ball movement was fabulous overall. Any time you get ten assists from your starting frontcourt, you've got your passing game working. Surprised the hell out of me when I looked at the boxscore, because I remembered Whitmore making a couple of passes that were reminiscent of her not-so-good Liberty years- but mistakes are always more noticeable, and she started hitting her shots in the second half- playing her outside took Brunson out of her comfort zone and opened things up inside, especially when Franklin was on Whalen and Whalen could make like she was a forward on the lil bit. So did Barbara Turner, who was canning threes every which way but loose. All of them were, really; there was one point in the second half where Connecticut had hit four threes from straight on at the top of the key. Amber Holt is looking more and more like a brilliant pick by Thibault- as is her second-shift counterpart, Jolene Anderson. (No, seriously, she and Anderson are straight switches, Holt for the first half, Anderson for the second half; he does the same thing with Gardin and Turner.) It's almost a shame that they're all coming in the same year as Parker- the lower-level rookies this year are going to be so overlooked because of the megastars. It was nice to see Page and Swanier come in, and how the Sun immediately ran the first play for Page- I'm just disappointed that Boucek didn't come with Allen in the last two minutes, when the game was out of reach.
I think I would like the Sun a lot better- or at least enjoy the experience of a Sun game more- if it weren't for Husky fans blowing the roof off so disproportionately for Turner and Swanier during introductions. Jones and Raymond, I get, because they both have WNBA track records and Jones is a starter. But when even the PA announcer is showing favoritism towards the UConn alumnae, it's hard to enjoy the game. Where's the love for the actual starters- for Holt, who's giving Blaze a reason to go get his hair done again, or for the hard-working Gardin? Why does a reserve guard who basically serves as the victory cigar get more fan appreciation than the one who flies into the stands for the ball? It's to the point where I don't feel comfortable clapping for Jones or Raymond, even though I've always liked Tamika Raymond and have nothing but respect for Asjha Jones, because I don't want to identify with that element of the fan base.
Matt and Jackie need to tone it down a little, although they're not as annoying as they used to be. Still, don't try to force traditions down fans' throats. As we've already seen in New York, it doesn't work. Connecticut fans are smart enough- or at least I'd like to think so- not to fall for pointless bullshit. If fans can't bring the noise themselves…
I love watching Thibault work- not that we had much of a chance to do so, since our seats were on the Sacramento side. Forget mere killing- I'd commit wholesale massacre to get Mike Thibault as coach/GM of the Liberty.
Ugh, refs. An all-male crew usually guarantees someone who thinks there's a charge circle in the WNBA, much to Kim Smith's dismay. And then there was the offensive foul that was whistled late on Brunson… a) after a Sun player had initiated contact, b) [I]after Connecticut had already gotten the ball back[/I] after the collision. Of course, when they have to redo the [I]opening[/I] jump, you might have a crappy crew on hand. The Connecticut fans were more pissed than I was.
So yeah. I'm going to look pretty damn stupid for having Connecticut fifth in my predictions. Not that I mind, though. :D
Sunday, May 25, 2008
May 24th, 2008: Sacramento at Connecticut
Thursday, May 22, 2008
May 22nd, 2008: Washington at New York
New York Liberty 79, Washington Mystics 60
Taj McWilliams-Franklin is a force of nature, Erlana Larkins is a badass, and there are Liberty players everywhere.
Now that's more like it, Libkids. Not completely perfect- you need to lay off the laying off, and the passing could be a little sharper- but the intensity is much more Liberty-like.
The kid who did the anthem could be good in a few years if she stops trying to sing like she's already finished puberty.
Nakia Sanford's 'tude bothers me. It's one thing to be a badass during the game and get into shit in the post. I get that. But starting a pissing match with the mascot just looks petty. I know she came into the league late, but she's still been around long enough to know better. She was tough, to be sure, and set some mean screens, but any Washington post player was going to be overshadowed by Taj tonight. They say old age and treachery beats youth and skill every time- but it helps to have old age, treachery, and skill. Taj didn't hit every shot she took, but she was always in position and knew how to get the call. It's hard to believe how long she's been around- she was on tonight. And so much for Alana Beard not playing. You have no idea just how low my heart sank when I saw her on the floor and sinking her practice shots. But she and Taj were pretty much it on offense for Washington- 26 and 24, was it? Or 26 and 20? Something ridiculous like that. Monique Currie was just kinda there, aggressive on the boards but not on offense- or if she was driving, she wasn't taking shots and getting fouled, which I recall was her strength in Charlotte. Nikki Blue felt like she was just kinda there. I don't recall Rollins using his bench much, except for Gardner and Miller- I have to admit, I was looking forward to coming home to lots and lots of angry Maryland fans posting on the thread about the lack of playing time Langhorne had, even in blowout time.
Loree needs to either trim the 'fro or restrain it in the braids again. The loose curls are gonna drive me even crazier than the missed passes. I'm enjoying the snazzy moves she's added to her game- the over-the-shoulder pass to Tiffany and the between-the-legs pass to Cathrine (I think) come to mind immediately- but she's got to keep it together all through the game. Shameka- loved the rebounding, and the way she hit the shots at the end of the shot clock, but her feet on her jumpshot are gonna kill me dead one of these days. Cathrine set a Screen Of Where The Hell Do You Think You're Going, Bucko- not a Screen Of Death, but close enough that it brought back memories. We need more Screens Of Death. We also need to box out. Janel- good Lord, Janel's hands on defense! Everyone's hands on defense! Either the Mystics were sloppy with their ballhandling or we were on them like flies on honey, because there were a lot of great, great steals. And Janel brought enough kickass for everyone- I just hope the thumb doesn't cause her too much trouble for the road trip. The racing stripe on her head is a little less noticeable now that it's more of a Mohawk and less of a wannabe Mohawk, but I still prefer her as a redhead, FWIW. Erin didn't play a lot, or make a big impact, but she was hopping mad by the end of the game- she was arguing one of Tiffany's fouls with the ref, and I'm pretty sure I saw her mouth form the word "bullshit". But tonight was about the kids. Lord have mercy, Erlana Larkins. She fears nothing and no one. What's not to love about that kind of enthusiasm? When she knocked down Amber Jacobs- okay, okay, for no good reason and it should have been a foul- I was like "did she just do that? OMG, was that a Screen Of Death?" She still has a lot to learn, and had a lot of work to do with Janel out, but she was most excellent tonight. Tiffany also helped pick up the slack- I love the way she works, just works. And Leilani! That one play where she got the steal and went coast-to-coast through and around the three Mystics- holy HELL! While I refuse to be sold on her until this becomes the rule and not the exception, that kind of grit gave her a little bit of the right to wear the number she chose. (My section has taken to calling her Sue because of it. I'm trying not to turn it into "Little Sue" because that'll turn it into "Little Suzie".) Ashley didn't do much statistically, but Ashley Battle is where difference-making happens. She was involved in one play where Loree threw a crazy pass that she barely snared and shot over to Shameka, who hit the jumper. Shades of Spoon to VJ to Crystal. We didn't see much of Lisa. :( And Essence looks like she's still trying to adjust to the pace of the game and to her teammates.
There were a lot of former Liberty players in the house tonight. Of course, Crystal Robinson was on the opposing bench, sharply dressed (although she does seem to have put on a little weight, but she's wearing it well, if you know what I mean). And then there was Spoon, in her usual place with a lovely lass (I think the same one she brought to the Connecticut game, but my eyes aren't *that* good). And Kym was on the sideline with A'riel (or some other little kid)… and Suuuuuuuuuue! So nice to see her again. She looks good. (We saw her in Penn Station after the game, so yay, closeup view.) I'm fairly certain Sue and Kym used Maddie to pass notes to Spoon. Either that, or they were all autographing something for somebody. But all things considered, if they were using Maddie to pass notes, I would not have been surprised. And then there was Kym's wardrobe malfunction, and I couldn't help but think that yes, it's very Kym to pull one's neckline back up on camera in front of thousands of people. A'riel or her stand-in looked very much like she wanted to be a Torch Patroller when she grows up. So cute, Libkids!
Return of the Golden Maddie! Lisa Willis won round one handily. Cathrine might have stood a better chance if she hadn't broken into a fit of laughter as soon as she was done with her line. Tactical bloopers in Tic-Tac-Toe.
Fleet Week, so water-based military people were saluted.
Denise, we must stop meeting like this. I've already been at three of her games, and at two of them she's had the worst luck with linesmen. Seriously, one guy seemed to think there was a charge circle in the WNBA, which resulted in a couple of bad calls. There were misses on both sides; obviously, I'm going to remember the ones that went against the Liberty better than the ones that went against the Mystics, like the travel on a player who was wrapped up or the block on a very set Shameka.
I had the pleasure of eating dinner with thesixthwoman, mathmaggie, and Keira. However, I've been sworn to secrecy by the cult of the quesadilla, so further more deponent sayeth not. ;)
In conclusion, because you knew I'd get there eventually, I love the enthusiasm, I love the energy, I love the little moments between teammates, but I'm not so in love with the fouls and the unraveling.
Sunday, May 18, 2008
May 18th, 2008: Connecticut at New York
Connecticut Sun 77, New York Liberty 63
The people in Liberty uniforms may not actually be the Liberty, Lindsay Whalen has the disconcerting knack of being very good at what she does, and the Game Notes would like for the Liberty to have a coach.
If you need me, I'll be slamming my head against the desk until we get a coach, or at least someone on the bench who can demonstrate that they know how to coach. I love my team, but sometimes I feel this burning urge to smack somebody upside the head.
Didn't strike a few of us as a good sign that Tiffany and Lisa went out of their way to avoid fans before the game. I keep imploring these kids that we don't bite, but apparently listening is not one of their skills. Nor was it a good sign for those of us who collect autographs that the ushers were hassling us even though they're not supposed to be (the shootaround that's going on when the doors open is open season for autographs and pictures, and the only time you have to bugger off is when the person who's supposed to be in the seat shows up).
Let the record show that Adam (Hirsh.com) is pretty awesome. Explanations for odd league decisions are always appreciated. Even if they do stick to the online ones- just change the background!
The karate, or whatever martial art it was, was very, very cool. The Girl Scout anthem… less so. The kids were very cute, but that was a very bad anthem.
Mike Thibault is a goddamn genius. Have I mentioned that lately? Because I think I'm going to be mentioning it a lot. Yesterday, Turner had the hot hand, so she got the bulk of the playing time. Today, Turner did not have the hot hand, so less ran through her. Our defensive rotation was simply awful, and no one seemed to get clued in that Whitmore was hitting threes, so she just kept going. And Whalen… I don't like the woman, but damn, is she a baller. She does what she needs to do, and no less. Holt and Anderson both seem determined to ditch any scrap of a reputation for being ballhogs or gunners- both of them hustled like hell and were all over the boards. Holt's hair makes me think she's channeling her inner Willingham- remember some of the glorious hairstyles she used to have? Asjha Jones was rock-steady. Tough as nails. And they still think they need extra edge from Whitmore? Raymond was all over the boards and actually hit her shots today. Then again, every Sun player was on the boards- it must have taken effort for Whitmore to only snare two rebounds. They were fighting. We were not.
Cathrine, please go find the badassery you brought against Washington. Or maybe you and Janel need to share the aggression equally instead of giving it all to Janel? There was one play where Connecticut missed a shot and Cathrine just stood there as if she were superglued to the floor. Not on, Miss Kraayeveld. Not on. And Janel came on like gangbusters, but got too aggressive and fouled out. Shameka, with hair a-go 'splodey, was really kinda streaky. I think she tried to do too much, knowing that she didn't have Janel to fall back on inside. Didn't help that Loree was out of sync, either- that wrap on her shooting/dribbling hand really worries me, and probably explains the inaccurate passes and the bad shooting. But she had to play, because Leilani Mitchell showed me nothing that gives me any reason to believe in her as the backup over Megan Duffy. By the end of the game, from my seat in the back row of section 209- basically, the highest possible vantage point without being in forbidden sections- I could see how soaked with sweat her jersey was, to the point where I could make out the line of her sports bra. Please do NOT run the starters into the ground, okay? Erin was just… kinda there. Considering I had her in Pick One today, I'm not pleased about this, but then, I didn't expect the Liberty to only play one quarter today, or throw passes into the seats. And then there was the completely illogical use of the bench. Near the end of the second quarter, my mom was seriously considering using her cane against That Moron if Ashley Battle didn't see any playing time. (Mom has her favorites, shall we say.) And then in the second half she had one long stretch of time while Essence was barely being used. The universe will not end if they both play in the same half. It might not even end if they play at the same time, with Ashley in for Erin and Essence in for Shameka. And what of Erlana? With Janel hobbled by foul trouble and Cathrine being of questionable effectiveness, we needed someone alongside Tiffany to pick up the slack.
There but for the grace of Tiffany Jackson. She was wonderful today. And then, when Ashley finally got IN the damn game, things changed in the blink of an eye, and don't try to tell me it was a coincidence. Ashley makes things happen.
A Liberty team that does not play defense, that consistently screws up on rotations, that backs down (Cathrine, Lisa, I'm looking at you) is not the New York Liberty, but a bunch of pretenders in bootleg jerseys. When they brought it, when they pressured the backcourt, they were on. (Of course, Connecticut then adjusted and put their ballhandler in the backcourt instead of having the posts bring it to halfcourt.) The offense was scattered, but Liberty offense has always been a catch-as-cat-situation. Defense has always been this team's bread and butter, from Spoon, Sue, and Kym, to VJ, Crystal, and Tari, to Loree and Ashley.
And I think the veterans noticed it, too. When the camera panned to Kym and Spoon, Kym didn't notice for a few seconds, and for those few seconds she looked like she wanted to kick off those heels, snatch a pair of sneakers, and start throwing her body around on the floor. Then she put the smile on, but she was more real when she was glaring at the court.
Things that are not cool: turning off the escalators. This nonsense about standing and clapping until the team scores- y'all did notice the number of fans who have canes and whatnot? Not to mention the little problem of a slow-starting offense. The increased advertising taking away stat space, including far too often on the jumbotron. Not putting the lyrics up to "Gotta Get Up"- not everyone knows they're at nyliberty.com. Janel's racing stripe, which is even more questionable up close.
Things that are cool: the Torch Patrols' halftime number. The new choreography for the dancers. Any segment that ends with Shameka Christon hitting someone with a pie in the face. The new graphics.
After the game, a bunch of us- including sportsfanswhine- got together and pretty well savaged Coyle's decision-making and the general lack of hustle this team showed. Really, it was one of the better parts of the gameday experience.
Saturday, May 17, 2008
May 17th, 2008: Atlanta at Connecticut
Connecticut Sun 100, Atlanta Dream 67
Welcome to the WNBA, Atlanta! Here's your ass-kicking. Please enjoy. The Connecticut frontcourt, in both senses of the word Connecticut, goes to town on the Dream, and the Game Notes come home somewhat sore but somewhat wealthier.
So we missed the hoopla of the season opener because we were trapped on a bus in Connecticut. You'd think leaving Lower Manhattan at 12:30 would leave enough time to arrive for a 4:00 tip, but noooo. So I still don't know who started- Haynie or Latta, Feenstra or anyone at center. We only found out that Kristen Mann had the historic first basket from fans who did get there on time, and even then the boxscore proves our informer a liar. We are not amused. Our late arrival also means you won't get my usual critique of the anthem. I'm sure you miss all these fine details.
Atlanta has a problem. They don't seem to know what a rebound is. At one point, the boy swore that Katie Feenstra was afraid of the ball, and I'm not sure he didn't have a point. She had a lot of trouble tracking and keeping passes, and then there was the shot Lindsay Whalen blocked on her. One hustle play where she got the ball out from Ann Strother stands out, though. I'll give her credit for that. Stacey Lovelace was surprisingly effective as a post player, but after the play where she hipchecked the hell out of Whalen, she was pulled from the game and seemed to lose her groove. Liked Camille Little's hustle, but she showed the rust of being on San Antonio's bench. We missed most of Jennifer Lacy's effective minutes. Iziane Castro Marques had some gorgeous shots. I love to watch her play- I think she'd be the first guard off the bench for my fantasy "this is the team I would happily fork over my entire paycheck every fortnight to watch" team. Lennox looks… well, like Lennox, although she bricked a shot she ought not to have bricked. Kristin Haynie seems to have won the starting point guard job, and it says a lot both about Atlanta's frontcourt and their backcourt that Haynie and Lennox were the two best rebounders on the floor. Nnamaka didn't show me much. Strother showed me that Husky fans really have issues trying to focus. Atlanta in general- okay, okay, according to Lennox this was the first time they'd all played together, but still. Although maybe that's why things went more smoothly when Feenstra and Latta were on the floor together, and when Lennox and Castro Marques were on the floor.
Tamika Whitmore decided to show up on offense today. I question her shot selection, though; Atlanta brought three very soft post players, and she's talking about how tough she is, so why isn't she going inside to beat the hell out of them? Her defensive lapses also forced Whalen to work harder on defense than she should have had to. But Thibault knows a hot hand when he sees one- Turner was hot from all over the field today, so he played her over the rookie starter Holt. Good choice, sir. Whalen, at least at the offensive end, actually got a chance to step back and play pure point, only shooting when necessary, because she had such good offensive options in the post. Lots of pretty passes in the game- then again, pretty passing is a staple of Connecticut posts, so I shouldn't be as surprised as I am, especially as the proud wearer of a Rebecca Lobo jersey. Jones was badass. Raymond would have been just as badass if she had the ability to hit a damn layup. Seriously, she bricked two or three she should have had. Her :60 feature was hilarious, however. It's nice to meet a fellow worshiper at the altar of bargain prices. I really like Gardin. Really really. As in I think I'm taking her in Pick One the next game I see the Sun with a marked advantage in the post. The Connecticut fans I was hanging out with after the game were bitching about Jamie Carey's playing time, because they thought Swanier should play more, but Carey quietly and efficiently got the job done. And Jolene Anderson was a very pleasant surprise- I know she came in with the reputation of being a gunner, but she worked her ass off rebounding, almost running out of the arena at one point after a rebound. If she does that on a regular basis, I can see why he didn't think he needed Gahan.
Okay, so maybe whooping ass on an expansion team that's still working on nametags isn't a big deal, and maybe the Connecticut posts won't look nearly as sharp against Janel McCarville, Erlana Larkins, and Cathrine Kraayeveld (if you count her as a post ;)). But to me, this showed Thibault using his personnel to the max, and said personnel taking full advantage of the lineup.
Afterwards, we went to hang out with Connecticut's version of the Usual Suspects. One Dream player went by with a couple of state troopers wandering in the same direction; another had a kid by the hand. And Danielle Page still seems to be holed up in the hotel, which makes me think that yeah, she's the odd woman out when Gruda and Maltsi make their entrances.
Yes, Teresa Edwards most definitely called the game… and she seemed to be accompanied by one of her former Lynx teammates, Svetlana Abrosimova. At least the woman she was with looked an awful lot like Abrosimova.
No rosters. Connecticut's always managed to suck at giving out rosters, but one woman I was talking to said she heard that the WNBA isn't printing them anymore, which would BLOW. That's one of the little things that really makes me enjoy the league. Besides, now what am I going to have the rookies sign? :P
Oh. WHERE THE HELL WAS EVERYONE?! There were a LOT of lower deck seats in small clusters open. Who the HELL no-shows opening day? Come ON.
Betty has very cool Dream-colored sneakers. Ivory Latta knows how to work a small crowd. Huh. And it just occurred to me that both of the advertised Dreamgirls are now coming off the bench. Let's see how long *that* lasts.
I can't wait for the next game. But I never can.
Thursday, May 8, 2008
May 8th, 2008: Washington at New York (preseason)
Washington Mystics 58, New York Liberty 52
The kids are definitely all right, Megan Duffy is a point guard, Lindsay Bowen is not a point guard, and the Mystics are caught using cheap knockoff rookies.
So that was an interesting hybrid of an exciting game and a preseason mess. To say the least. Clearly, both teams were missing the steadying presence of their starters- but the Liberty missed Loree Moore and Janel McCarville a lot more than the Mystics missed Coco Miller and Nakia Sanford.
Lots of kids. Lots of screaming kids. My eardrums are still weeping in a corner for the abuse they suffered today, and devoutly wish we'd all gone to the office. This is, however, a minority opinion.
Got to watch shootaround from courtside, thanks to lackadaisical security and Ali's season seats. Everyone knows Ali. You probably know Ali, even if you don't know you know her. Shay is a freakin' ninja- I looked over, saw Erin shooting, looked over to the tunnel, looked back again, and suddenly Shay was perched on the scorer's table wall thingy like she'd been there for two hours. Chandi Jones had very obviously just gotten off the plane- near the end of shootaround, she stopped to sign a card for me, noticed that I had an Amber Jacobs card right next to hers, and said, "Oh, she's not here today." Which would have been a lot less funny if Jacobs hadn't just sprinted down the ramp behind her. She'd managed to mix Jacobs up with Coco Miller (who, um, was there, but didn't play, so half-credit, I guess).
Does Alana Beard seriously expect anyone to believe she finished last season with a crop and started this season with a shoulder-length ponytail naturally? If a white-ass white girl like me can tell that those are extensions, you might want to do a better job with your extensions. She played more sparingly than usual, no surprise, and looked good doing it. Taj has, I'm convinced, found the Fountain Of Youth, because she looks as good as she did when she started- she still has the moves, although either she's slowing down or Cathrine Kraayeveld was on her game liek woah. Currie also played less than she would have if this were a regular season game, and she looked very solid, although she did have one knockdown of… I think it was Erin Thorn? Yeah, I'll admit I don't like Currie much. Blue looks really good- I don't think the Mystics are as screwed at PG as they thought they were at the start of this offseason/season cycle. Gardner played really well- I think she's shouldering her way into the roster discussion with a bit more force than the other posts expected. I liked Vaughn, too. Jacobs had a backbreaking, heartbreaking shot to end the first half that had the refs checking the monitors to confirm that, alas, it was good. And then she was left wide open to start the third quarter. And Koehn kept getting open looks, too. PEOPLE. It's not rocket science. If Board Junkies can figure it out, y'all can figure it out. We did not get to see Crystal Langhorne in this game. We did, however, see a cheap knockoff version of her- you could tell she was a fake, the name on the jersey was Longhorne, not Langhorne, and everyone knows that's how you can tell knockoffs. Hopefully this will be remedied by the 22nd, because she really didn't have much of a presence in the game- Gardner and even Vaughn played better. Taylor used her height effectively on offense, less so on defense. Not a lot of James, not a lot of Pluimer.
Cathrine Kraayeveld. Girrrrrrrrrrl. She was working her ass off out there. I'd have to get a boxscore to count all the blocks she had, but she was all over the place. She looks good. Shameka still seemed a little discombobulated, like some of her brain was still overseas- she was on the boards well, but she took a few stupid shots and made a few stupid plays, not to mention the antics whenever she was called for a foul. Way too much Tiffani Johnson. Just. No. Make the hurting stop. Erin was very quiet- if she weren't a veteran, I'd say she was on the bubble, but I have learned not to doubt the staying power of Erin Thorn. Lindsay Bowen- nice player, but too prone to dumb mistakes to be a point guard. We're talking about backcourt, shot clock, clock management mistakes here. If we were evaluating her as a shooting guard, then she wasn't bad- but Erin, Essence, and Lisa are all above her on the depth chart, and that's counting Ashley as a forward. Yeah, no. But we were loving us some rookies. Essence was all over the place, and though I thought she overdid some of her hitting the floor, said hitting floor occurred often, including one incident where she ended up in the second row and almost took out Spoon. Essence does not get involved easily, we noticed- I sat with Ali during shootaround and the first quarter, and Ali has a tendency to whoop and holler at everyone. 'Most everyone at least looked over, even if they didn’t turn and wave. Essence? Her eyes barely moved. Cold. And we loved Erlana in the paint. Now there's someone who belongs in #24. I liked Megan Duffy as the point more than I liked Bowen. Lisa came off the bench like she was tired of not playing. Either that, or she has a bet on with Nikki Blue. Now, if we can get her to put half as much focus on defense, we might have us a real player out there. LaToya Davis… I'll take a pass. Really, I will. Leilani Mitchell still doesn't seem to be a WNBA player to me. Her size is killing her, plain and simple- she can't make the plays she knows how to make, because she can't see over or around. Also, seriously, Leilani. We know you couldn't have claimed your Phoenix number, especially not with the original owner across the way from you. But #23? #23?! I give up. You've gotta be just looking for trouble.
And again, the other team adjusts to us and we don't adjust to them. That's on everyone, but more on the coaching staff than the players. And endgame clock management- my eyebrows nearly went through my hairline after the last Liberty possession, when Coyle was talking to Bowen and Erin came over and was very animated at Bowen for a while.
I'm not amused by not playing Shay and Megan Darrah. Come on. It's preseason. Give everyone a little run and see if game scenarios change their performance. Besides, Darrah's got the brass balls to claim #25. That's gotta be worth something.
Red is a very good color for Jess. And she looks exceptionally trim. I wasn't as enthusiastic about Tiffany's outfit- something about flare khaki capris just seems unnatural to me. Patty's suit would have been fine if she'd bought it one size larger. There are things in this world I do not want to see, and bra outlines are right up there. Rollins didn't seem to be taking the game seriously, judging from the casual clothes he wore. I think I was better dressed than he was, sheesh.
As mentioned, Spoon and a very attractive friend. Oh, and Kym was there too. ;) They were a riot when one of the team ads with them appeared- this whole piggyback ride thing seems to be a tradition of sorts, although the hysterics the two of them were in by the end of it suggested to me that they'd been told, "Oh, we'll toss that in with the outtakes, don't worry about anyone seeing it." And then the two of them chatting it up with Denise Brooks-Clauser, who must be wondering who she pissed off at HQ to get the idiot linesmen she's gotten. And Spoon playing fetch with Maddie. I have missed my team so very much.
I think the image I will take away from this is actually from pregame intros: the rookies, all staring at the screen in various states of awe and excitement, either grinning like they just hit Powerball or with their jaws dropped… and Shay and Tiffany chatting with each other with knowing looks on their faces; I kinda wanted to caption that, "Remember when we were rookies and we looked like that?"
Grade incomplete. But please, no more Lindsay Bowen at the point.
Sunday, May 4, 2008
May 4th, 2008: Phoenix at Connecticut (preseason)
Connecticut Sun 94, Phoenix Mercury 66
Some miscellaneous players in Mercury purple, orange, and silver take on some miscellaneous players in Sun white and red. Tracy Gahan, Mike Thibault, and the Game Notes Of Doom all have the magic touch.
If more than eight of these players are physically present in the arena the next time these two teams play, and if more than six of them are on the active roster, and if more than four of them actually play, I'll eat my hat. And it's a nice hat. I know preseason games have a distressing tendency to lack players who have any significance whatsoever, but the Mercury were without Taurasi, Pondexter, Miller (either Miller, as far as I could tell), Smith, Mazzante, Snell, Willingham, or Pringle. Connecticut wasn't much better off; I didn't even see Whalen or Whitmore in the building, and Carey didn't play. This was definitely a get-out-the-kinks game, and both coaches well and truly treated it as such.
Y'all don't care about the trials and tribulations of your traveling chronicler, or about the most amazing speedrun ever on Sunflower Express. Suffice it to say that despite losing nearly an hour in Manhattan, we still made it to Mohegan Sun in time for the anthem and intros. I… really wish we'd missed the anthem. It was bad. It was really bad.
Starters for Phoenix: Jen Derevjanik, Barbara Farris, Amy Lewis, Marscilla Packer, Brooke Smith. If more than Derevjanik and Farris are still on the roster come opening day, color me surprised. Lewis really didn't impress me at all- neither she nor Packer seemed to have a lick of sense when it came to being on the floor. Smith at least had a better idea of the positioning concept, but she's a one-trick pony with a propensity for getting physical in ways that don't help her team. Crockett was aggressive, but a little too aggressive- this is why having LA as your first WNBA team will scar you forever. Mitchell would be a solid guard if she were bigger, but she doesn't know how to adjust for her lack of size, which resulted in bad passes and extra steps. She's a goner. I liked Oga's style of play, and she seems willing to learn how to adjust to American basketball- I hope she sticks. Phoenix, in general, had a helluva time finding the basket. Some ugly shots went up. Right now, I'd say maybe four of these players will stick: Derevjanik, Farris, maybe Oga, maybe Jaysie Chambers, who was at least willing to bust ass out there. The rest of them are in over their heads.
Starters for Connecticut: Jessica Foley, Kerri Gardin, Amber Holt, Tamika Raymond, Ketia Swanier. Holt looked really good. Very strong, very aggressive. Gardin also impressed me- are there any Sky fans who can clue me in as to why she didn't make the team there? She's got great hustle (and reminds me disconcertingly of a larger Monique McLean [St. John's small forward], which makes me wonder what will happen when Sista Christon and Big Little Sista Christon meet on the 18th). Raymond was pretty much all glass, no score, which I'm given to understand her game has essentially become in recent years. Swanier- damn, she's fast. Yes, I know, belaboring the obvious, but I hadn't seen her all that closely. There was one play where her speed actually did her wrong- she took one too many steps, took her layup- and watched it hit off the side of the backboard. Eurgh. She can be a good point guard if she's given time, I think, but with Whalen, Carey, and Phillips, is Connecticut the place she's going to get time? Turner… I guess she played well in statistical terms, but things seemed to grind with her on the floor. No matter how many points she put up, I just couldn't shake the feeling that she was actually playing badly. I will say this: the Huskies on the floor all seemed to know where they all were. Swanier pulled off a couple of impressive passes to Turner. Where the hell did Tracy Gahan come from? And if anyone says Iowa State and/or the WNBL, I will beat them with a stick. How come she couldn't be this good when the Liberty drafted her? hjkdffklsdhg. Love her hustle. Love the way she works. Page got a lot of shots, but I don't know if that translates into anything. Again, you've got maybe four or five roster makes here: Gardin, Holt, Raymond, Swanier, Turner, and maybe Gahan if Maltsi isn't coming or if Thibault can move Carey.
I wish the Sun would make up their mind. Do they have a part-share in one of the most well-read fanbases in all of women's basketball, one that considers itself to be among the smartest in the land? Or are they going to go straight for the lowest common denominator? In the last few years, Connecticut really seems to be underestimating the intelligence of its fans and increasing the schtick they use during timeouts. The boy found himself missing Scottie B., that's how on-edge Matt and Jackie had us. Connecticut fans- if, as player acquisitions would seem to suggest, they're also Husky fans- should not need to be whipped into a frenzy by this kind of nonsense.
Still clearly preseason- they've got to work some bugs out of the previously mentioned entertainment, along with the scoreboards, which seem to have shrunk, much to our dismay, replaced by additional advertising space. Come on. Queenie wants her stats.
The rummage sale looked pretty interesting, and if I'd won money on my free bet before the game instead of after, I might have gone shopping. Old jerseys and the like always pique my interest.
The new side panels are ugly as sin. On the home whites, it's just Connecticut up the side, in a blue or black font that does not go with anything else on the jersey and looks suspiciously like UConn's font. Seriously, wouldn't someone from another Big East team take some kind of offense to this? Setting that aside- it doesn't go with the rest of the jersey. Gack.
Major, major props to the collegiately-clad family we ate next to at Geno's, especially the woman and the young lady with the big brass ones. There's moxie, and there's moxie, and then there's going to Geno's food court, surrounded by UConn history and UConn fans… in a Tennessee t-shirt or a Rutgers hoodie. Less props to the old guy who saw my jersey, accosted me, accused my team of wearing Rebecca Lobo down, and refused to believe me when I told him that she tore her ACL, yes, really, you cannot blame the coaching staff for a freak knee injury 43 seconds into the season, yes, REALLY, she tore her ACL, don't try to tell me she didn't, I was there and saw her writhing on the court, YES REALLY.
Autograph hunting would have been exceptionally pointless on accounta 1) barely recognizing anyone and having the autographs of anyone I would already, and 2) not really having anything to sign on accounta Connecticut not giving out rosters. The only reason I could identify anyone was because I brought my own printouts… and trying to print anything from the Sun website on a printer with no color ink in the cartridge is just a recipe for disaster. I had to write in the names (which were in yellow on the site) with the information I was given in terms of numbers, schools, and size. And then Meredith Alexis wandered in from nowhere and really bollocksed the whole thing up.
And then we went off and actually won money, so all in all, a pretty interesting day.