Just the Facts, Ma'am: Cappie Pondexter had 22 points, 20 of them in the last twenty-one minutes of the game, to lead the Liberty over the Los Angeles Sparks 77-67. Essence Carson had 18 points off the bench for New York. Candace Parker led Los Angeles with 16 points and 11 rebounds before leaving the game due to injury.
For bleeding eardrums, that hated color, hired guns, and Jantel Lavender's penmanship, join your intrepid and air-conditioned blogger after the jump.
Hello and greetings from beautiful, scenic, downtown Newark! Oh, gods, I can't keep that up for fourteen more games. It still doesn't change the fact that it's an hour and forty minutes from my house with a lot of luck.
If you're willing to spend, Brick City Bar and Grill's a nice place for a pregame meal. The prices are a little high ($14 for a burger, up to $30 for an entree), but the servings are big, and the fries are divine. At least one free refill if you're not in the bar, too!
It has just been brought to my attention- as in, we interrupt these pregame notes to bring you breaking news- that we now have a banner up to represent our three Eastern Conference Championships. This wasn't up before, and it makes me feel a little like we're in the sports equivalent of a hotel.
I think the Prudential Center is going to be fairly popular among the older fans for weekend games. Championship Plaza is a nice place to gather and talk to friends. Not so much for night games, though.
They've rearranged the autograph gathering area a bit, so it's less convenient, but it looks like they also have both teams going through the same entrance. And there was a secondary gathering on the other side to mob Candace Parker. Holy hypothetical baby Jesus, I don't envy that woman. She was swallowed up in a crush, and that's before the kid ran into the tunnel to get her autograph. It was insane, and I don't blame her one bit for not stopping at our end. It looks like Tina Thompson has chosen to identify more with the Sparks than the Comets; the LA and Houston logos are next to each other on the shirt we're working on, and she moved it over to sign solely on the Sparks logo.
I'd recommend one more revamp: designate the bottom of section 6 as the gathering place for the people with the Sharpies and the pictures and the shirts. It's close to the tunnel, it's wide enough to fit enough people, and it has the top of the boards for when it's Devil country to use as a ledge. It's not too much of a detour for the players, and it's convenient to the fans, and it's near enough to where security hangs out that they can intervene quickly. If you split it home/road, do the same thing with section 10.
Attendance looks better than it did last game. Unfortunately, a lot of those people are wearing Parker jerseys. Shoutout to the two ladies in autographed DeLisha Milton jerseys. (No, not Milton-Jones jerseys. Yeah, that's old school.) Surprisingly few people with rainbows. I guess they'll be late to this party after that party.
I'm the only person in the arena wearing a Portland Fire jersey, but I'm okay with that. Pride weekend is a good time to bring out the Michele VanGorp jersey, don't you agree? I also have a rainbow bracelet. (I also have a husband. Mixed messages, I send them.)
Halftime, we have an eight-point lead, and I have no idea how, other than forcing turnovers from the Sparks. We can't shoot, we can't pass, and we can't rebound. However, Cappie Pondexter showed up in the last two minutes of the half in true Cappie fashion. If she does this, we're golden. That's all we've ever asked of her.
In retrospect, doing Dads and Daughters Day on the same day as New York Pride may not have been the brightest idea in the world. And it was exceptionally myopic of them to have Sidney Spencer be the player to get the fans up today. Seriously.
Spoon got the crowd going at one timeout, but if that's all they're going to do, that's a waste of having Spoon here. She's a legend and a firebrand. Honor her and have her get the place rocking.
If we lose this game by five points or less, it's Amy Bonner's fault. It's a bad sign when you're already up to “What are you smoking? This is a non-smoking arena!” in the first half. She's fond of ignoring tackles.
So despite everybody's best efforts, the Liberty pulled this one out. I honestly have no idea how they did it, beyond Cappie Pondexter doing what she was brought to the Liberty to do. I just. Honestly. I really don't know.
Latoya Pringle has unfortunate hair. Words cannot express how little Miller-twin bangs work on skinny black posts. I would have pithy commentary on her play, but she didn't play all that much, and didn't do much when she was in. Natasha Lacy has nice hands on defense, and sliced through the lane on offense, but she is where organized offense goes to die. Jenna O'Hea got loose for some threes, because apparently Liberty fans are the only people affiliated with the team who watch game tape and know that you can't leave her open in the corner, and dinged Cappie Pondexter on a hip check. Jenna, this is not Aussie Rules. Kristi Toliver brought the firepower with the four-point play (though we will have words about that later) but was occasionally not aware that this was basketball, not football, and tackling is not permitted. Jantel Lavender didn't look bad. She looked like she belonged in this league, which is more credit than I was willing to give her when she started. Ebony Hoffman has regressed badly. It's painful to watch. She needs to either lose the weight so she can go back to the 3, or develop some power moves and go to the 4.
At this point, there is no excuse for anyone not to know that Tina Thompson has range. Not at all. She's been in this league since the current batch of players were kids. (This goes double for you, Essence Carson, given how proud you are to have been a Liberty fan before being a Liberty player.) You can't leave her open for a jumper. It just doesn't make sense. She doesn't have the power she did in her younger days, but she's still a dangerous player. Candace Parker had a phenomenal first half, but went out in the third quarter with a knee injury. It looked like an ACL at first, with the way she was clutching at her knee, then at O'Hea, but she put enough weight on it that I suspect it was something else, maybe a hyperextension or something with her meniscus. But I am not a medical professional, though I was once mistaken for one on a message board because I used the word “exacerbated” correctly. DeLisha Milton-Jones got the elbows going and the little shoves in the back going, and at one point I thought she and Essence Carson were going to drop the gloves, but they were both smiling at the end. Ticha Penicheiro looked like the master conductor of offense that she is, but her unwillingness/inability to shoot is more of an Achilles' heel than ever. I think half the reason she was able to get as much done as she did was because she was facing an itty-bitty defender. Noelle Quinn was solid, albeit unremarkable. I don't remember much that she did.
And here Whiz was doing so well with putting Spencer in at the right times. The beginning of the second quarter is not the right time to put her in. Not when she has no foot speed and we're forcing defenders to make long runs to the corner to seal off the open three. Quanitra Hollingsworth put in some very nice work today off the bench, pulling down boards and sneaking in for baskets. She looked good defensively, too, which was her strength at VCU. She still needs to work on teammate recognition, but give her time on that. Alex Montgomery actually had offense! I am confused by this! She did her work defensively, but also got into the lane for shots and dishes. And then Essence Carson continued her streak of completely demolishing the reputation of Rutgers by going nuts on offense and slacking off on defense. Slacking off might be a little strong, and it didn't help that she was caught in a lot of mismatches with Milton-Jones or other big players, but she wasn't as strong defensively as she usually is.
Someone needs to fine-tune Nicole Powell's programming. I think she's been infected with a software virus that's affecting her shooting ability. (Yes, I'm going to keep making robot/android jokes about Nicole Powell until she demonstrates emotion, or at least a consistent shot.) She was useless. She was almost beyond useless, except for the steal and the one bucket. We could have had Rebekkah Brunson. We could have kept Shameka Christon. *trails off in incoherent rage*
Incoherent rage complete. Kia Vaughn was, obviously, not nearly as dominant as she was against Tiffany Jackson and Jennifer Lacy, and it didn't help that she was missing a lot of the easy shots that she needs to hit. Plenette Pierson abused the backdoor, and then started hitting outside shots. She needs to lay off the twisting hooks and finger rolls- there are no style points in basketball. Leilani Mitchell tries so hard out there, but it's hard out there for a 5-5 guard going against big guards like Los Angeles has. Toliver was more of a fair match for her, but Toliver plays mean. Cappie Pondexter slept through the first quarter and change, then woke up suddenly in the last minute of the second quarter and gave us the win. That's what we brought her in to do. That's what she's paid to do. That's all I ask of her. Kick butt, take names on the court, and try not to spew stupid comments off it.
The officiating seemed more unbalanced in its failure than usual. There were a lot of ticky-tack calls against the Liberty, while the Sparks got away with two tackles. Amy Bonner was egregiously bad in the first half, but Greene was worse in the second. We also had clock problems, but that's nothing new in this league.
We will not speak of the anthem, or of the unnecessary rendition of “God Bless America”. I'm going to have to pretreat my laundry to get out the bloodstains from where my eardrums popped and bled. And both of them screwed up the words, too. Unacceptable.
We've gotten used to Anne Donovan and her staff, and Chelsea Newton representing Rutgers, but it was a pleasant surprise to see Val Ackerman there. Huzzah for our first president!
We really tried our best to give it away in the fourth quarter, but Cappie was enough. This might well be the story of our season. That, and Nicole Powell's sorry excuse for basketball.
Sunday, June 26, 2011
June 26th, 2011: Los Angeles at New York
Sunday, June 19, 2011
June 19th, 2011: Chicago at Connecticut
Just the Facts, Ma'am: Tina Charles's 31 points and 12 rebounds powered the Connecticut Sun to a 83-68 win over the Chicago Sky. Sylvia Fowles led Chicago with 23 points and 10 rebounds.
For things people ought to know, somewhat random jerseys, buzzkills, and a lingering lack of Girl Scout cookies, join your intrepid and employed blogger after the jump.
If one more person asks me if I work here, I will not be held responsible for my actions. I have a tiny handbag and a Detroit Shock jersey, WHY DO YOU THINK I WORK AT MOHEGAN SUN? And if I do answer your questions out of the kindness of my heart, do not ask me if I said something completely different from what I said, and then get all huffy that I'm treating you like you just got off the short bus.
(Yes, a Detroit Shock jersey. Cindy Brown. After last week's territorial pissing match with one of the Sun fans, I decided to blow her tiny little mind. Besides, Dominique Canty might appreciate it.)
Lots of Father's Day stuff going on here. On one hand, good for them, on the other hand, my dad's mildly annoyed at him that I blew off Father's Day for a game.
I'm not sure if I like Chicago's approach under Chatman. All of them come out fairly late, all of them come off together, and Erin Thorn runs interference so everyone can get off without being bothered. Carolyn Swords, I think the kid with the sign in one hand and the Sharpie in the other might have been looking for more than a tap on the back of the hand.
We had trouble with one of the stanchions for much of the pregame. The clock was off, and they ended up having to lower it and manually do something. But we have two clocks now, and that's good.
Chicago, I'm sorry, but you cannot work that yellow with this many blondes on your team. It is heinous. It is almost as bad as Erin attempting to dance. Yes, Erin, we see you. Dominique Canty you are not.
Connecticut's up 15 at the half, and I'm really surprised at Chicago. You would think Pokey Chatman would have a better notion of how to use Fowles in the paint, but she keeps bringing her out high. I don't get it. Vandersloot also looks like she might be in over her head. She's relying a lot on speed, and that's not going to do her any good.
And if this woman in the row in front of me turns around and gives me any more dirty looks because I have my computer out, there are a few places I'd like to tell her where to go in language more colorful than a rainbow flag and saltier than an arena pretzel. But we'll probably be going into more detail about that later. Lots more detail. David and Holly are not going to be happy with me.
Well, the posts woke up in the second half, at least offensively, but the Sky's rebounding went absolutely dead. I don't understand it.
So, anthem notes: beautifully done by a middle school choir. I approve this message, but not the people who came in late during it.
I suppose it's a natural reaction for someone who gets into a league, this sudden realization that the players you remembered as young, wide-eyed rookies are now the seasoned veterans at the end of their careers. That's the double-take I always do with Tangela Smith, Ticha Penicheiro- and Dominique Canty. It's odd to see the end of a career when you remember its beginning. She played sparingly, at the ends of quarters and halves, as a veteran presence. Same deal with Erin Thorn, who was in as a spot shooter. There was a hilarious moment in which Cathrine Kraayeveld blew a play and Erin was exceedingly not amused. I think she might have even said “darn!”. Carolyn Swords is awfully grabby. I think I remember her being that way at BC, so I'm not surprised, but she's going to have to control that instinct if she wants to continue being a reserve in this league. Lindsay Wisdom-Hylton was their sixth woman, and brought a lot of hustle off their bench. Not always the greatest judgment, but she seemed to be in the right place at the right time a lot of the time.
Cathrine Kraayeveld needs to stop admiring her shot. It's a nice shot, but it's not drop-your-jaw-and-stare gorgeous. Stop admiring and start following your shot, or I'm going to hunt you down and slap you upside the head, and then run very quickly away because you're the 6'4” daughter of a football player. Courtney Vandersloot struck me as a player who will eventually be a point guard of epic win, but for now she's a young point guard who doesn't completely know her roster and the speed of the game, and might be in over her head a little bit. She's fast and she's smart, and she needs seasoning. Michelle Snow, please, enough with the feigned innocence. If you horse-collar tackle a player to the ground, it is a foul. Stop acting like it isn't. I really thought she and Asjha Jones were going to throw down in some good old fashioned UConn-Tennessee hatred. They were going back and forth with the forearms and the pushes. People in Connecticut really need to realize that Epiphanny Prince can hit the three. You'd think they'd have remembered this for some reason. It's like she played at a school that played against Connecticut a lot. I have no earthly idea why she was bringing the ball up at any time that Vandersloot was in the game. I think her decision-making suffered in the second half when she got tired- she played almost the entire game. Sylvia Fowles spent far too much time in the high post and outside the paint in the first half. She was much more assertive in the second half, and more willing to go inside. She was big on deflecting offensive rebounds out to the three-point line- it worked two out of the three times that she did it.
Danielle McCray's shooting touch has cooled since I've seen her last, but I like how aggressive she's being. She's making her presence felt out there, in bruises if not in field goals. Jessica Moore finally got into the game; I'm not sure if this is the first time this season, or just the first time in Connecticut. She, uh, was tall out there. Let's go with that. Kara Lawson got kicked to the bench. I'm not sure if Thibault is disappointed in her, or if he wanted to play matchups out there and have Griffin to match up against Kraayeveld. The 13 points off the bench make me think she didn't like it, though. Someone might want to remind her that she's not playing football anymore and she's a really lousy quarterback. DeMya Walker's... derriere... continues to be a weapon of mass destruction, and she definitely has her uses on the defensive end. There was one play that had us laughing- she drew a charge on a pretty blatant flop, and was then pulled from the game; we joked that she had to go receive her Oscar. Tan White had a really nice defensive play on... I want to say it was Vandersloot or Prince (yes, I know, it's easy to tell the difference, but memory only tells me it was a fast Chicago guard) but wasn't much of a factor offensively.
The scary part is that Tina Charles could have played better. And that's with the 31 points and the 12 rebounds. I'm talking about the easy shots she missed in the first half, and her lackadaisical defense on Fowles. Yes, that means that 31 and 12 isn't the pinnacle of her abilities. That says volumes about her. Renee Montgomery must have been told to stop taking threes; she responded by going on pell-mell drives that Becky Hammon would have thought were ill-advised. I really don't know what to make of Montgomery sometimes. She must be one of the most frustrating players to have on one's team. Kelsey Griffin did some work on the offensive glass. She was mostly out there to toy with matchups and get rebounds, so she must have done her job, but that's not a lineup I'd go with on a regular basis. Kalana Greene had a couple of nice shots, but she wasn't a big factor in this one. Asjha Jones showed up late to the party, being pretty much useless in the first half and surprisingly useful in the second half. (She makes a lousy lasagna these days, though. Too much sauce.)
We sort of realized that this was going to be a questionably officiated game when the name Gulbeyan was uttered. And I'm really disappointed in Felicia Grinter. She's backslid. Running around in bad company, I suppose. There was a really horrible call that was given to Walker as a three-second violation when Snow was wrapped around her like a spider. (Or, if you want to be nerdy, like Gollum trying to get the One Ring from Frodo.) We protested that call quite loudly. Some of the later calls were ridiculous as well, and there was booing. Also, Chatman and Kraayeveld kept up the pretense of making it a game too long.
Special consideration must be given to the sour old bat in section 119, row A, seat 7. When we're cheering for Connecticut, stop telling us to be quiet. No, seriously, who comes to a basketball game at an arena to be quiet? Especially since her actions during the game made it clear that she was a UConn fan, and one of only recent vintage, given how much she applauded Montgomery and Charles, but not Jones. So if you were the cranky old hag telling people to be quiet at a basketball game, here's to you. I hope that if you're ever at MSG, the Prudential Center, or Carnesecca Arena, we have the opportunity to extend to you the same respect for your fandom that you did to ours. Bring earplugs.
(As an aside, this is the second run-in we've had with a local fan in two games, after long periods of peace. Not a good sign. Not a good sign at all. I may no longer be a Scarlet woman, but I still don't like the cult-like followers of the Huskies, and if that's the fan base the Sun want to attract, they're going to scare off a lot of casual fans.)
After the game, we went to our usual stomping grounds and chatted with some friendly Sun fans while working on this year's shirt. The Chicago players were friendly enough, though I think it helped that there weren't that many people there. It amuses me that Cathrine Kraayeveld appears to be another of the “hair dryers are not for me!” persuasion, or at least that's why I assume she came by with her hair wet. (Don't worry, Kraay. You're not the only one. I only use hair dryers for special occasions like proms and weddings.) We also saw a few of the Sun players; either per diem is better than I thought, three people together are stronger than one alone, Sun players get employee discounts, or Jessica Moore doesn't know the local restaurants yet, since she suggested Tuscany to her friends.
I'm surprised at Chicago. I'm surprised at Connecticut. I'm surprised at a lot of things. Mostly I'm very tired, but hey, won on the slots. Life's pretty good when that happens.
Tuesday, June 14, 2011
June 14th, 2011: Atlanta at New York
Just the Facts, Ma'am: Despite 21 points from Essence Carson, the Liberty trailed by as much as 23 in their loss to Atlanta, 79-58. The Dream were led by Angel McCoughtry's 18 points.
For frustration, trains, aggravation, buses, irritation, and automobiles, join your intrepid and achy blogger after the jump.
Fail. Epic fail. That is about the best description I can come up with right now, since “Can you pass me that rum? No, the whole bottle, please” might be a tad bit inappropriate.
You get no pregame fun times report because it takes me an hour and a half to get from my job to the Prudential Center, so when I leave at 5:30, I get to my seat right when the ref throws the ball in the air. So no anthem report, no pregame shootaround notes, no opinions on players' personalities, just frothing and seething at having to take a bus, a subway, and two PATH trains to a hike across a shopping area with a homeless guy smoking a cigarette and end up watching a lousy first half and a pathetic excuse of a second half from the Liberty. I can't do this hike next year. I don't even know if I want to do it next month.
Kelly Mazzante can still shoot, but that might be all she can do; of course, one might argue that that's all she could ever do. I... wouldn't have thought Plenette Pierson was her type, but I can't argue with that rather blatant grab around Plenette's... chest. Sandora Irvin seemed to be the only Atlanta player that the referees wanted to call fouls on. She slithered her way into the paint for a couple of nice offensive rebounds. Shalee Lehning scraps and hustles, but I didn't think she ran the team with the kind of authority she did last year. Of course, that might just be because she doesn't have the authority she did last year. Armintie Price still only has one speed and has reverted to her earlier lack of coordination. She's there for defense, and she's good at that, but she needs to lay off the shooting. Alison Bales was mostly used to set picks and scare the daylights out of Kia Vaughn; she wasn't really looking for her shot, but she didn't have to be. Coco Miller seemed to have taken her inspiration from the NBA Finals, what with the extra steps and the acrobatic shots, and dear gods, Colleen Mary Miller, you were not meant for acrobatic twisting layups.
Iziane Castro Marques has such a pretty shot- it's too pretty for her own good, given how much time she spends standing there and admiring it. If I were an Atlanta fan, I'd be infuriated that she didn't follow her shot. I have no idea why we kept leaving her open. She can shoot, y'know, Libs. Lindsey Harding didn't really make her presence felt. It's hard to believe a team can have such good offense without a point guard imposing her will on them, but who needs point guards when you have bruising posts and opponents who can't get out of their own way? Angel McCoughtry really just needs to keep her mouth shut and play. When she plays, she's beautiful to watch, a storm in control. When she starts running her mouth, she comes off as a petulant little brat. And I'd much rather watch her be a marvel of ability on both ends of the floor than want to hit her with a thunderstick. Sancho Lyttle seems to be fancying herself an outside shooter ever since that bizarre incident with the three-point shot pass, and I'm grateful for that, because if she had decided to go inside, we probably would have lost by thirty-five. If this is part of the Dream's strategy, I can see why they've struggled in the early going. Good thing for them that they have Érika deSouza. She was a beast inside. Of course, if the officials decide to call three seconds, she's a non-factor, but having faith in the referees to count is a silly, silly thing.
Guys! You guys! We had a Sydney Colson sighting! Hi... what are we going to call you? Your name is a homophone of Sidney Spencer's, so the variants on that aren't going to work. And you might be the Whiz Kid, but our coach is Whiz. What are we going to do? Other than watch you make stylish lay-ups and carry lots of hair onto the court? So hi, Sydney Colson! The other S*dney played too, and I think Whiz is bound and determined to make us like Spencer by not playing her at moments when it would seem appropriate. After he started off using the hand he was dealt well, his average has gone down to about .250. She's hopeless, but at least she can shoot. Alex Montgomery had some nice defensive plays, but dear God can she not shoot on the professional level. Sort of like a lower-to-middle-class man's Armintie Price. Quanitra Hollingsworth... not her night. Just. Not her night. On so many levels. Between the boxing out of teammates, the flubbed passes, the botched defensive assignments, and all of the other assorted errors, I think she might want to forget this day ever happened. (Suits me.) Jessica Breland was awful on offense, but had a monster block that got the sparse handfuls on their feet. Leilani Mitchell played a little bit, but her shots were off, though she got down for a couple of loose balls. I suspect her back was acting up, though.
Paging Cappie Pondexter. Cappie Pondexter to the courtesy phone. Has anyone seen Cappie Pondexter? She wasn't even relevant enough to the game to be bad. She was simply irrelevant. Nicole Powell was such a non-factor that I kept shouting “NICOLE DID SOMETHING!” when she got a rebound or hit a shot. I think I did it three times- a rebound, a shot, and a steal. Plenette Pierson started off well enough, but descended quickly into a lot of standing around and blowing assignments. I was honestly surprised that she had five fouls because I didn't think she'd been in position enough times to get in foul trouble. Kia Vaughn had a nice offensive game, but I think she gave up as many points as she scored, and let's not go into the rebounding. At least Essence Carson showed up for the first half, looking like she wanted to have a highlight reel all her own. Unfortunately, the Dream found an answer for her in the second half.
I wish I could say I've never seen this team so discombobulated, so unaware of who they should be passing to, so eager to box each other out for rebounds, so clueless about their height or lack thereof. But, well, I survived the Season of Fail in 2006. You can't scare me anymore. I don't know why a bunch of professional basketball players didn't look like they knew how to play basketball, but I'm used to it. I don't even know where to start, whether the players couldn't play or the coach couldn't coach. I just... throw my hands in the air.
There was the usual array of buffoonery from the officials, which disappoints me, because I expect better from Denise Brooks- but I think she was saddled with Scott Twadarski, which is never going to end well. DeSouza set up shop in the lane, everyone got away with traveling, Leilani caught a stray elbow, no one seemed to know how to handle out of bounds...
But really, one of the most egregious problems with this game was the attendance. I refuse to call it a crowd. Standing room only on the E train that took me home was crowded. Ten thousand at the Garden is crowded. If there were four thousand people at the Prudential Center, that's a lot. There were a lot of late arrivals, too. 7PM on weeknights is untenable. Three seasons of this will kill the team.
I have to give a shoutout to the obsession of Atlanta fans who made the trip to New York. (For those of you who have not met me: I use 'obsession' as the collective noun for a group of fans, especially in the context of travel. Referees come in confusions, coaches in schemes.) They brought lots of gear and thundersticks. It was almost depressing when I first arrived, because I came in with them, and I was the only person in sight wearing Liberty gear who didn't work for the team. But I love traveling fans.
After the game was the Q & A with Laurel Richie, and that was written up in a separate file, so it might not flow smoothly. Sorry. You just have to imagine me hunched over my laptop, steam still coming out of my ears at the defensive lapses, orange threads from the lei I wore on Saturday drifting down my black jersey.
The question and answer session started with opening remarks from Kristen Bernart, who made some noises about the arena and lauded Laurel Richie. I was very good and didn't heckle her about the “not such a great night” thing, since the section of Atlanta fans was still lurking.
Then Richie took the microphone, opening with her background. So far she sounds a little more genuine and less “pull my string and hear me talk” than Orender did. She grew up a Cavs fan (the poor woman) and had some familiar experiences about being a girl trying to get to the game- she and her sisters wondered why dad kept taking their brother to games and not them. She went into her advertising background- “I know about every natural function below the waist.” (Yay? Then I guess she knows what this game was.) I think at this point we're allowed to make cookie jokes, given that she talked up her experience with the Girl Scout cookie program. So far, if she's as good as she seems, we have a lot to thank Force 10 for- they got her into this league. “You're really cool. Let's stay in touch.”
The first thing she wants to do is “celebrate the women who play this game”. I wonder who the third lawyer is (Washington and Henning come to mind). “If nothing else, I want all their arms.” She thinks that getting to know the players is a critical piece to getting people to come to the games. “Do I market the WNBA as something that is socially good?” She appears to have forgotten the existence of WPS, which I can't necessarily blame her for, but the WNBA is not the only professional women's league in this country. “Gosh- God forbid, if they miss one of these passes, there goes my face-” on sitting courtside in Seattle, and seeing how hard and physical the game is. She wants to balance the social good with the basketball of the league. She also wants to play up the partnership with the NBA, “but sometimes I feel we're the little sister”. I see what she's getting at- I think she's obliquely touching upon the Neanderthal argument that the WNBA is being shoved down their throats.
“I am not above shaming potential sponsors into supporting us.” Ahahaha.
I like that she's willing to admit when she doesn't know things. Whether that comes from not having a sports background or simply being new to this job, I don't know, but I like that she hasn't formed her plan yet. She's only in her second month, after all.
The press asks her what's the most surprisng, and she said that she was interviewed so thoroughly that nothing surprises her, but she's impressed with the fans' passion and relationship with the league. And another “I don't know” about bringing more people in, but she wants to put it on the fans. Oh boy. Red flag. She draws a parallel between the Storm's kid train and the relationship of fans to the league.
First question: “instead of shaming sponsors, how can we shame the media into covering the league?” The league's “had some really good discussions” about telling stories about the players. They're working all the angles- women's stuff, business stuff, black stuff, what have you. It will be person by person, outlet by outlet, vehicle by vehicle. I'm not sure I like her emphasis on stories, especially “missing intestine” stories.
Second question: someone else who's pissed off about the blackout on cable! Really pissed off. Lady, let the president get a word in edgewise. She can only nod and mmm. She'll “lobby very hard”, and is giving the usual talk about ratings.
Third question, from a Liberty original: scheduling, used to have lots of weekend games, not so much now. She's also complaining about the food. Lady, the president doesn't control that. So how do you get the attendance up? (This is going to be an I don't know... and it is. Go me.) “It's on my radar.” What do you think are the benefits we get from the NBA? The league hasn't had the financial success they would like- she thinks it'll get there, or she wouldn't have taken this job. Because the larger league continues to support the league, realizing it's going to take the W time to get its feet under it, that's a benefit. She thinks the larger organization appreciates the importance of the league, and I think she's dead wrong on that- it's more appreciated on the micro level, by NBA players who come to games and support the team. Oh, she does know about WPS. But. Um. Paradox.
Fourth question: another angry Liberty fan being Liberty-centric, but also wants to know about the business aspect. Different fan experiences. Would the league have the leverage to force the Dolans to sell? WTF, woman in front of me. NO. Or Orender would have. Keep up. Richie's playing the inexperience card again. “Focused less on ownership and more on viability”, though the two are interconnected.
Yours truly asked about regionalization. The most important thing is to have twelve strong, viable teams. She doesn't believe the composition of teams is based on where players came from. (Jessica Moore might want a word with you.) Owners, staff, etc. are focused on the viability and health of their team. And that was a remarkable non-answer.
Another original: “it's always been a family league”. (Yeah, dude. “Family.” And family.) Yes! Someone else who wants more of a focus on the history of the league!And more inclusivity! Okay, dude, you can live. Bernert took on the history question. Sue has a relationship with the team now. And the Sparks game will have a Spoon celebration. And they're going to celebrate Hammon. (Uh. She's not retired yet.) There's going to be a WATN? section now. Niiiiice. And they want to teach new fans the traditions. YES.
Another question, from a comedian (“how's your brother Lionel?”). How about an oldtimers' game? Bernert says we're trying. Our comedian also brought up commercial travel. For Richie, it's not just the travel, it's the whole piece of it (hey, I'm quoting here, blame her). She looks to women's tennis for inspiration- oh, boy, red flag. “The game is different, but it is no less valuable.”
Last question: the officiating. One of the pieces of her orientation was to meet with the folks in charge of officiating. There's a human factor to all of that. And the guy who trains the officials sounds kind of scary. And more waffling.
I think I like her as a person, but I'm not sure about her as a league president. Her inexperience is raising too many red flags for me. She might be a marketing person, but she sounds like she's not sure what she's marketing.
Sunday, June 12, 2011
June 12th, 2011: Tulsa at Connecticut
Just the Facts, Ma'am: The Connecticut Sun put four players in double figures and kept the Tulsa Shock at arm's length most of the afternoon, winning 90-79. Tulsa's Ivory Latta led all scorers with 26 points. Tina Charles led the Sun with 19 points and eight rebounds.
For danger to life and limb, a distressing lack of cookies, trading cards, and yak herding, join your intrepid and indignant blogger after the jump.
Damn nice crowd for a mid-afternoon game against Tulsa. See, Libs, this is why afternoon weekend games work, not plopping people down at Penn Station at ten at night.
I think it's a bad sign that we've got Sue Blauch tonight. We're already prepared for fail.
Shoutout to Mohegan's free Wi-Fi. Hint, MSG; hint, Prudential Center. I like getting started before the game.
Please, for the love of all that is sweet and holy, please don't let Girl Scouts sing the anthem in registers they don't have. Please. My eardrums despair.
At halftime, something very scary has happened. It looks like Swoopes and Latta have figured out how to use Cambage. The rest of their team might not be familiar with the concept of the entry pass to the post, but if their backcourt players are... they might be on to something. Also, Connecticut appears to have taken up with Three-Point Shot, and we all know how fickle she is. Kelsey Griffin really needs to stop shooting and Danielle McCray needs to start.
I'm surrounded by Girl Scouts. They have no cookies. WASTE.
There were never any cookies. I am not amused. What's the point of having Girl Scouts at an event if you don't have them selling cookies? Honestly, it's not going to take that much away from your concessions, and you'll rack up goodwill with the new league president.
So, the Tulsa bench. The Tulsa bench was actually a bit less organized than usual today, because Nolan Richardson randomly decided to insert Chastity Reed in place of Tiffany Jackson in the starting lineup right at the tip, when Jackson had already been announced. Tiffany Jackson, I still have some lingering fondness for you from your Liberty days, but please do not hit your teammates in the face. This is a bad plan and you should feel bad for following it. Also, watch your footwork. Andrea Riley is a nice kid, but if she ever belonged in the WNBA, she doesn't now. No judgment, no sense, lousy on-floor attitude, and she's still carrying the baby weight (you can tell around her face). She's going to have to have an epiphany soon if she wants to play in the W. And there was a brief Jennifer Lacy sighting.
Chastity Reed reminds me weirdly of Shay Doron around the face. I don't get it. I think she's trying to learn how to play defense, but as this is a new and novel experience for her, she's having a bit of trouble adjusting. I think the only shot she'll have of having time to learn is the fact that she's on rookie scale and can shoot a little. She's barely a possible W player and she sure shouldn't be playing 34 minutes. Unfortunately, Sheryl Swoopes has reached the point where she's barely a W player as well. The instincts are still there, and so is the gorgeous shot when she has time for it. But the flesh is far too weak. It's rough to see a legend play out the string. I was impressed with Kayla Pedersen's hustle and stroke. Assuming Nolan Richardson doesn't make her want to take up yak herding or living in trees, she will be a crucial piece for the future of this team. Liz Cambage definitely looks like she's still nineteen and getting into the groove of the league. Her temper gets the best of her a bit, and she's not always in the right place at the right time, but in the second quarter and until she left the game, she established herself well in the paint and was getting her shots. But she needs to get on the boards. She's six-eight. She needs to do better than two rebounds. Hold onto the ball, Liz!
Kelsey Griffin, stop shooting. I mean, we'll see how things go next game, but if you're even thinking about shooting right now, stop. Her rebounding was on point, and she worked hard on defense, so that was nice. Tan White seemed to have become the shooter of choice at the end of the shot clock, and I do not know if that's the role she was born to play. Danielle McCray looked good- like a player who had been lightly seasoned in overseas basketball but was still new to the WNBA. The numbers do not do justice to DeMya Walker's presence. She bodied up on Cambage and made her uncomfortable.
Tina Charles started off on fire, and then she backed off. I don't get it. She's seen tall. She's seen big. She's seen skilled. She started acting like she was afraid of Cambage, like something was going to come flying out of Cambage's hair or out of her shorts. Go towards the hole, Tina, it's okay. Asjha Jones was hot early, faded a bit, then got hot later in the game, after Cambage was out. I'd like to have seen her be a wee bit more assertive on the boards. Renee Montgomery, you do know you don't have to take everything from beyond the arc? It got ridiculous. Kara Lawson found her stroke late in the game, and was pretty solid throughout. Kalana Greene had a couple of boneheaded moments, but had one stretch in the second half where she made several good plays in a row on both ends of the floor. I still don't think she should be starting for a team that has any pretensions of glory, but it is what it is.
There were some strange lineups out there. At one point, Richardson had Riley and Latta out there together, and Thibault answered that with a three-guard set. I'm not sure this was the right time and place for small ball.
I spent a fair portion of the fourth quarter with elevated blood pressure and seething fury coursing through my veins. Here's the sequence: Tulsa has the ball. On the rebound, Liz Cambage crumples to the floor, first curling into the “oh God my knee” position, then rolling over to show our side of the arena that she's holding her face. Meanwhile, the Sun have the ball at their end. Asjha Jones misses a jump shot at the Sun's end of the floor and everyone comes back up towards the Shock's end of the floor. Play is still going on. Cambage is still writhing. Someone damn near tramples her. Play is still going on. Finally, Tan White is called for a blocking foul and play stops. Finally, someone comes over and tries to get her up. The first attempt does not succeed as her legs fold under her and she sits down heavily. The Shock trainer makes his way over. They work on getting her upright. Teresa Edwards comes over. She works her way upright. Nolan Richardson ambles over when she's almost completely up. She never leaves the bench area, even while they're checking her for concussion (which, by the way, she has). Richardson acts surprised that he needs to get a sub into the game. Your center has a concussion, you idiot, YOU NEED A SUB. He also seemed surprised that he needed to get a sub when Chastity Reed fouled out. I swear, that man has lost his marbles. There are no marbles left.
But I'm more furious at the refs. I understand letting play continue at the other end of the floor. But it's a hazard to everyone involved if you're letting play continue when a player is lying on the floor. Especially if, judging from how quickly they mopped up and the tissue up her nose, there was blood on the floor. Let's rewind and review. There is a very good chance that Sue Blauch, Felicia Grinter, and Byron Jarrett allowed play to go on with blood on the floor. Let's forget any other calls they may or may not have made that day; if this is the case, they are so far up the creek without a paddle that they will not be able to find the paddle without the help of a native guide. I mean, I know there were a couple of calls that had me raising my eyebrows, but that sequence took the cake. That's a reckless disregard for players' health and safety right there.
After the game, we headed up to the usual spot to work on this year's t-shirt, but after half an hour of trying to find Tulsa players, some Sun fan decided to give me flak about my team, so I snarled a couple of curse words in her general direction and stomped off in high dudgeon, thinking unkind thoughts about UConn fans who don't have anything better to do than scream for Jessica Moore. For the most part, I like Connecticut fans and I like Sun fans, but the UConn fans who are there solely for UConn alumnae can be ridiculously obnoxious. (And trust me, I'm a New Yorker. I know from obnoxious.)
Tulsa has more promise than I thought. But Nolan Richardson has to go for any of it to be realized.
Saturday, June 11, 2011
June 12th, 2011: Indiana at New York
Just the Facts, Ma'am: A 24-10 fourth quarter allowed the Indiana Fever to overcome the New York Liberty, 86-80. Essence Carson led all scorers with 23 points, while Tamika Catchings led Indiana with 19. Rookie Jeanette Pohlen had 14 off the bench for the Fever.
For face painting, far too much standing around, tropes being describes, shrieks of rage, and sheepish confessions, join your intrepid and hurried blogger after the jump.
Different city. Different arena. Surprisingly different team. Same old FFO, though I think much of this may have to do with lack of communication between the FFO and the fans, and the FFO and the Prudential Center. Something tells me this will be a recurring theme for games that have pre-game events.
It did not help the FFO's standing with many season ticket holders that they canceled the Fan Fest the morning of, due to rain. Some of us were already en route, because some of had errands to run and lunch/dinner to eat before hiking two hours out to Newark, and thus some of us were a bit annoyed at an additional hour of standing around and shooting off our mouths.
The season subscriber Q and A turned out to be more of a tour, which was a bit annoying because I've been to the Prudential Center before, thank you, I know where the bathroom is. They gave us some useful information about the perks of being a season ticket holder, though, and once they got organized, it was great. But they had to get organized first, and I think that was more on the Prudential Center people than that was on the Liberty staff.
We hit up the tag sale afterwards, scoring some very cool autographed stuff for him and a poster for me. I almost bought my mom one of the balls signed by Ashley Battle, but I've already bought her a jersey and given her a card, so maybe I need a new theme. Maybe when we play San Antonio...
I have talked a lot of trash about Sidney Spencer in the past. I will probably talk a lot of trash about Sidney Spencer in the future. But I'll give her her due as a shooter: if you can hit shots- even if they're practice shots- in the dark, or with disco lights flashing in your face, you're a baller for real.
You can't really call it a “guest DJ” series if you only ever have one or two people there, y'know.
Amy Bonner almost tripped Shannon Bobbitt as the Fever ran onto the floor. Nice job breaking it, officials.
And after the game, my happy, excited mood of “oh, how good it is to be home, how nice it is to see all of the Usual Suspects, and Essence Carson finally figured out where the three-point arc is!” has dissipated in a haze of “GODDAMNIT PLENETTE GODDAMNIT KIA WHAT IS WITH YOUR SHOT SELECTION?” and seething frustration at Whiz's sub patterns.
Unrelated to actual gameplay, we saw a few luminaries there. Kym Hampton and Sue Wicks were in their usual seats on the endline, and I think I may have temporarily died of squee at the sight of Sue in facepaint. We were about four rows back from April Sykes of Rutgers (and possibly other Rutgers players, but sadly, Sykes is the only player on that team I recognize anymore). There were two tall, striking women in front of us, and I kept thinking that they looked familiar. They disappeared at halftime, and the next time I saw them, they were sitting with Chelsea Newton, so I think they may have been Rutgers alumnae.
I can't tell you much about the halftime show, except that it involved entirely too much Justin Bieber, because we spent it showing off wedding pictures to our neighbors. Really, though, I think the fact that it included Justin Bieber should be enough for you not to want to know more.
Jeanette Pohlen might be the best point guard on Indiana's roster right now, and I'm not sure if that's a good thing or not. Things seemed to go more smoothly when she was in. Of course, it didn't help that we weren't guarding her, because apparently no one on our team watched college basketball last season! Jessica Davenport is still too fond of using the glass, but I like that she's using her size more. Of course, I recognize my own bias, because I like her and want her to do well despite her alma mater. She was very effective as a reserve for Indiana. Erin Phillips is still a little crazy. I was surprised she wasn't looking for her offense, but I guess that's not what she's in for. She sacrificed her body a couple of times. Dunn didn't go into her bench that much- a bit of a surprise in the back end of a back-to-back.
Would someone please keep Katie Douglas from going left or going behind the screen and getting open behind the arc? Please? Somebody? Anybody? Just so she'll shut up and stop whining to the refs, and so she'll stop scoring on my team? Briann January is developing into a nice little shooting guard. This is a bit of a problem when you're supposed to be a shooting guard, though. Her passing savvy is not where I imagine a coach with any pretensions of glory would want it to be. Tammy Sutton-Brown is possibly the least popular Rutgers player ever, which actually takes a fair amount of effort with these fans. She did some nice work on the offensive boards, though. I'm impressed with Tangela Smith's grace regarding her number; given that she has seniority over everyone in this league short of Swoopes, Thompson, and Penicheiro, she could have asked for 50 back from Davenport and gotten it, but she changed her number instead. I honestly don't remember much of what she did out there. Some screens, some questionable shots. She looked like a player who was in her fourteenth season.
Jessica Breland, go to the damn basket unless you tell me to my face that Whiz is telling you to shoot from the outside. Because I'm sorry, right now you're one of the biggest people we have and your outside shot is comparable to mine. Maybe it was a bad night, but she didn't impress me. Alex Montgomery lived up to her number in her one stint, stopping Douglas when no one else had managed to... and then she was buried on the bench, never to be seen again, not even when Douglas warmed back up, Catchings remembered she could occasionally shoot, and Pohlen and January were getting in on the offense. I don't understand why a defensive coach who needed a defensive stop wouldn't put in a defensive stopper. Quanitra Hollingsworth looked like someone who still needed to get used to who her teammates were- the raw material is there, but she hasn't yet developed, and she needs to do so in a hurry before she comes off rookie scale and disappears off the face of the earth. Once she stops fighting her teammates for rebounds and does a better job gauging her shots, she'll be fine. Leilani Mitchell played in spurts, but I don't think she's Whiz's style of point guard. She looked like she was having a little trouble with the Indiana defense, but not as much as I think Whiz thought she was having. Her back may be flaring up again, though; we saw her with the radiator at one point. Sidney Spencer was not completely awful, but didn't do much. Watching her on defense is painful, but I have to give her points for at least trying. It's sort of endearing.
Pretend to care, Nicole Powell? Please? At least have the appearance of concern added to your emotional subroutine? I shouldn't be gauging players by their expressions, but when the only expression she demonstrates is that of someone who's bitten into a lemon and discovered that it's not only tart but moldy, I worry. She had something like six assists tonight, so I guess she was doing something right on that end of the floor, but it just didn't look like it. I get the feeling this is going to be a long bout of love-hate with a heavy dose of WHY DIDN'T WE TAKE REBEKKAH BRUNSON WHYYYYYYY. Essence Carson was apparently replaced by her polar opposite, who can shoot the lights out and knows where the three-point arc is, but lets Briann January run by her for a lay-up and has repeated defensive breakdowns. I don't mind the scoring, but honestly, E, you were hired as a defender. The first of Plenette Pierson's skyhooks went in and was awesome, but somehow that gave her carte blanche to take two more in the fourth quarter instead of going for a higher-percentage shot. She bodied up well, and played great in the first half, but I think the minutes and the back-to-back got to her in the second half. I'm really not sure what to think about Kia Vaughn anymore. One minute she tears down a rebound or sets a nice screen. The next minute, she's trying to do Tari Phillips's show-the-ball trick without having full possession of the ball. (And given that the “show-the-ball trick involves holding the ball out with both hands and daring the defense to take it, this is not a good thing.) All the flaws that there were in her game as a senior at Rutgers are still there in her third professional season. She blows lay-ups, then thinks that she should take jumpers instead. She commits stupid fouls more than she commits smart ones or gets victimized by the refs. Her fundamentals are a hot mess. And I feel like I'm harping on her too much, but this is going to be a recurring theme, I know it.
Since the above paragraph is entirely too long, Cappie Pondexter gets her own paragraph, despite the fact that she wasn't really the Pondexter we've come to expect. Whiz is playing her at the point, and I'll give her credit, she's accepted the role more fully than I ever could have expected, almost to the detriment of the team. She's distributing and rarely calling her own number- and in crunch time, she's shying away from her number, which is leaving us with Plenette and the skyhook. She can't be the point guard in the fourth quarter when it's a close game. Leilani or Essence or hell, Sydney Colson needs to be distributing the ball. I might not like Pondexter, but given our other options, she needs to be taking the big shots for this team. We can't have her passing off when she can take damn near anyone in this league to the hole. And the fact that I have to type this hurts.
Dear officials: if Katie Douglas is in the backcourt and the shot clock says 16, that is an eight-second violation and you should give us the ball. If Katie Douglas is flying out of bounds into the backcourt, that is either out of bounds off Indiana or an backcourt violation and you should give us the ball, not her a timeout. If Katie Douglas lowers her shoulder and bulldozes Plenette Pierson, that is an offensive foul and you should give us the ball. I mean, I'm not exactly asking for fine judgment calls here, just arithmetic and spatial awareness. I'm not blaming the refs for us losing this game, because we did that all by ourselves, but it doesn't help when you're concerning yourselves with reviewing twos and threes and failing math. (Also, maybe I missed a reallocation, but they may have shorted Tamika Catchings a foul.)
If the crowd is going to arrive this late every game, we are going to have to have a long talk. Several stretches of the game were interrupted by people coming in to take their seats; I swear about a third of the crowd thought it was a 7:30 tip. And then people were leaving early to catch trains. It was a pretty small crowd. I think the people in the upper deck were irked at the vast swaths of empty seats in the center court sections of the lower deck. I'd peg attendance at about six thousand actual physical sentient beings, but they were a loud six thousand. If this team manages not to screw everything up, and they can get the place full, it's going to rock. But that's a pretty big if at this point.
This is probably going to be my last season until the team comes back to New York, so I want it to be the best that it can be. And right now, I'm not sure how good it can be. (I mean, okay, I said last season was my last too, but they fired Blaze, I had to give them another chance.) But the giant flaws in this team showed tonight, and when one of those flaws is the coach, it's hard to tell how many of them are going to be fixed by the end of the year. But we've got a game in three days, so we'll see how things go then.
Sunday, June 5, 2011
June 4th, 2011: Washington at Connecticut
Just the Facts, Ma'am: The Washington Mystics got 16 points each from Nicky Anosike and Crystal Langhorne, but the Connecticut Sun countered with 57.1% shooting and five players in double figures to win their home opener 89-73. Tina Charles's 18 points led all scorers, while Danielle McCray made a splash with 5-5 shooting in her first game.
For random pompoms, a lack of post defense, halfcourt shots, tearjerkers, and Supercow, join your intrepid and multi-tasking blogger after the jump.
Season! YES! Fair warning: such exclamations of excitement may be the most coherent part of the Game Notes of Doom. It's been a long time, and it feels so good to be back in the saddle. Been fiending for this since February, because while the tournament's pretty damn awesome, there's nothing like being at a real game.
How do you start a 15th anniversary season? You start it with a random encounter on a Q25 bus with a woman who looks at you in your Rebecca Lobo jersey and exclaims that she used to go to games, who offers memorabilia and gives red pom-poms. You start it with the warm and fuzzy feeling of not being alone in the world, with a connection to the beloved past and the thrill of looking to the future. (Then you get on a Chinatown bus and pray hard that the driver doesn't slam on the brakes again.)
It's so hard to describe how good it felt to be back in the flow of things, it really is. The thrill of anticipation while waiting for the gates to open, the familiar faces on the lines and along the rails, the smell of popcorn, the squeak of sneakers, the hustle and bustle of the crowd... it's good to be home, even when it's not technically home.
Nearly lost it during the tribute video to Margo Dydek when they showed her with one of her kids. Tiny child! The Sun did a nice job gathering testimonials from a lot of her former teammates- I was actually more impressed that they tracked down Jamie Carey than I was Nykesha Sales or Katie Douglas.
Nice anthem by a middle school chorus. The Mohegan color guard either missed their cue very badly, or the Mohegans have different traditions about the presentation of colors. They sort of wandered in a third of the way through the anthem, and none of them seemed sure which flag should be on top and which flags should be dipped at what levels.
Karima Christmas always throws me off. It's the name. I used to work with a Karima, and I always picture her when I hear the name, so I'm all “ohhh, that's her!” She got into it a couple of times on loose balls. I don't think the Sun players were happy with her physicality. Ta'Shia Phillips saw some time in brief spurts, and she made the most of it. I'm mildly annoyed at her for taking my pen and ticket and *then* deciding she was too late to sign. I sort of wish she'd kept the pen, though; it's a prank pen, designed for that purpose. (Blow me, off, will you? Guess what, your teammates will think you're a nudist!) Victoria Dunlap showed a little range and a lot of hustle. Jasmine Thomas is really fast- we're talking afterburners and puffs of dust fast- but really needs to work on her control. She committed a lot of stupid fouls and threw some lousy passes. Oh, Lord, Washington needs a point guard.
Wow, their entire bench is rookies right now. That says a lot about this team.
Alana Beard and Monique Currie had a nice little contrast thing going, with Currie in a white suit and Beard in gray and black. I guess they're too used to this street clothes thing already.
I'll say one thing about Matee Ajavon: I'm pretty sure that the Mystics will never commit a shot clock violation when she's on the floor. She loves to shoot. She also loves to try and pick players' pockets, and not always succeed. She was really mixing it up on loose balls. Marissa Coleman didn't show up until about the third quarter. She was there, but she didn't seem to be there. Kelly Miller put up seven quiet points and three spectacular ones on a halfcourt heave, and was not completely awful. Crystal Langhorne put on a show in the first quarter with spin moves and a quicker first step than I remembered. Nicky Anosike just put on a show. The Mystics' post players outclassed Connecticut's pretty much every step of the way.
It looked like Lacey was trying to set up two separate units. I'm not sure if that's going to work or not. But as long as their post players keep doing what they're doing, they'll be good.
Danielle McCray, hello and welcome to the WNBA! So nice to meet you and that three-point shot of yours. Whether that was a one-day anomaly or not, she made Mike Thibault look like a genius for waiting for her. I was surprised that Tan White didn't start, and it felt a little sinister until I saw how badly off her shot was. She hit the deck for a lot of loose balls, both getting them back from the Mystics and losing them for the Sun. Kelsey Griffin had a nice little game off the bench. DeMya Walker's dramatics continue to be hilarious, but she was arguably the best defender of the Sun posts. At least she, er, had a bit of leverage at the, um, bottom to establish position. Seriously, her butt is a lethal weapon in this league. I think some of her flopping hurt her team, because there were a couple of calls that they should have gotten but didn't.
I have no idea why Kalana Greene started this game. I really don't. She contributed nothing on offense, and even her defense was lacking. I like her, but if she keeps starting, I'm going to wonder if it's strictly on the basis of her alma mater. Kara Lawson's shot was off, but she stayed on the Mystics defensively, and I think the Sun work better when she's running the show. Renee Montgomery had one really nice three-pointer that she shot from somewhere in the vicnity of Storrs, but she does know she can move closer to the line, right? Tina Charles looked good on offense, and had one stuff of Anosike that got the crowd roaring, but she had a lot of defensive lapses that left, for example, Lawson on Anosike, which can be safely filed under “things that are just not going to end well”. Asjha Jones was much the same way- some beautiful moves on offense, but some defensive lapses that made her look a bit like Sidney Spencer.
Connecticut needs to either work on their defense or work on their defensive rotations. They were getting slaughtered inside by the Mystics' posts, and Washington doesn't have the best posts in the conference. Thibault had better learn something from this and put in the adjustments fast, before they play Atlanta or half the West.
So, part of me wonders if Jessica Moore didn't play because of her knee or because they don't know what number to give her. (Something tells me #31 is not an option...) I'm also amused by Connecticut now having two Alaskans. I don't know why this is amusing, but it is.
I think the refs are still getting used to the charge circle- they were a little unsure on a couple of calls in that area. And they took a looooong time on reviewing a couple of baskets. Really, guys, if it's a sixteen-point game and under thirty seconds, do you have to agonize over where the ball should be inbounded? Some of us have slot machines to lose money at, you know!
The pregame dance team/color guard was supposed to be empowering for special needs students, but came off as disgustingly exploitative. I'm sorry, but when it's clear at least one of the people has no idea what's going on, you're being unnecessarily cruel.
Important lesson learned: hang out after game first, then go gamble. We're working on another shirt this year- in honor of the fifteenth anniversary season, we brought out the 1997 shirt from my collection- it doesn't fit right anymore and has a chocolate stain on it, so we're going to make something useful out of it. (I'm hoping people sign over the chocolate stain so it's not so obvious.) We thought the team was going to shower first, then go back, but they did it the other way around, so we only saw the injured players and the coaching staff.
Just as a heads-up, if you're in Connecticut and want something to do next weekend: the Sun are collecting cards and notes for Margo Dydek's family at the Tulsa game on Sunday.
It's good to have the season back. Now I'm actually looking forward to the Liberty's home opener next week and seeing all the Usual Suspects again. I love this game. I love this league. I love my fellow fans. (Some more than others. :))