July 1st, 2012: Seattle at Connecticut

Just the Facts, Ma'am: Camille Little's 27 points and nine rebounds led the Seattle Storm over the Connecticut Sun in overtime, 89-83. Tina Thompson added 20 for the Storm. Kara Lawson's 22 points led the Sun, while Asjha Jones and Tina Charles each notched double-doubles, but combined to shoot 10-38 from the field.

For questionable judgment, really bad special effects, fame!, missed connections, and how does Quick Change do that with the glitter?, join your intrepid and wiped blogger after the jump.

For a New Yorker, I've been seeing a lot of the Seattle Storm lately. They were on ESPN, then they were at the Prudential Center, then I went up to Connecticut on a casino bus to see them play the Sun. (Connecticut-Seattle has a special place in my heart- my wedding vows included the phrase "come sun or come storm, at home or wherever our road takes us". I did mention I'm a big basketball fan, right?)

We saw the strangest movie on the bus. "Immemorial Legends" came off as so bad it was good.

As usual, I had to check my computer at the bag check, so all these notes are coming to you from the bus back to New York. No, I'm not checking my clipboard, that would defeat the purpose.

Very nice anthem- singer didn't quite have the range for it, but had the right idea and was well trained.

Ann Wauters didn't play. I'm assuming whatever she did to her ankle yesterday was worse than we thought. Tina Thompson got the start in her place.

There were a couple of stretches where Ewelina Kobryn was backing Tina Charles off and running the paint like she was the star of the show. Her footwork on the baseline is intriguing, but not always in a good way. She'll be an even more useful player once she adjusts to the pace of WNBA play, if she wants to keep coming back. Svetlana Abrosimova played a couple of stretches, and got a fair cheer from the Husky fans the second time she came in- the first time was during a quarter break and was never announced, which I think might have been intentional by the Sun's announcer. Unsurprisingly, she still looks like she's finding her way in Seattle's offense. Shekinna Stricklen saw a lot of time in the second half with the foul trouble for Camille Little, as Agler changed up his lineup a bit to adjust, and she looked a little less out of place than she did yesterday. Her defense was better.

Camille Little, oh my goodness. Whatever she's been eating for breakfast, I want some. She was all over the boards today. She absolutely pwned the shot clock three or four separate times, getting plenty of help from the rim. She took every opportunity she found and made a few of her own, and helped her teammates out too, with screens and picks and keeping balls alive. I'm really not sure why Tanisha Wright thinks she's the firs toption, or why Brian Agler thinks Tanisha Wright should be the first option, because while she weaves her way through the lane with deft footwork, her judgment was not the best. Her defensive tenacity was on show, though. Tina Thompson, especially in the first half, looked like the TT of old. I mean, really, you don't leave her open for that deep straight-away three unless you want to see her put three on the board. Katie Smith buried the dagger three that put the game away, and I still don't think she's happy. She never seems happy, even when her team's getting the call. It doesn't make sense. It might explain a lot, but it doesn't make sense. Sue Bird seems to have become a more merciful assassin. She isn't as lethal as she used to be, but she's like a laser when it comes to intercepting bad passes and finding her teammates. I never thought I'd see the day when the state of Connecticut cheered for her missing two free throws, though.

Brian Agler looked like he should have been attending a poetry reading. The black turtleneck made me want to give him bongos and a beret.

Kelsey Griffin played at the end of a half and that was it, for reasons I cannot determine unless Mike Thibault just wanted to get the crowd reaction. There are some very unfortunate implications there, but Griffin does occupy an uncomfortable place in the Venn diagram of Connecticut fan reactions. Danielle McCray was off her game- the first foul was fine, but the second foul, which put Kobryn at the line with two tenths of a second left in the first quarter, was stupid. That's probably why Thibault didn't trust her much later in the game. Renee Montgomery did not make a lot of smart decisions with the ball. There was a point in the game where she had almost all of the Sun's turnovers, and she ended with half of them. On a good day she can light a fire. This was not a good day. Mistie Mims brought a defensive presence, but not enough of one. Tan White made a couple of nice saves on the boundaries, but also committed some stupid mistakes.

Where was Tina Charles's head at? I don't think it was in this game, because she was as soft and passive as I've ever seen her. I have no idea how she snagged as many rebounds as she did, unless all of the offensive ones were off her own misses. She was too happy taking jumpers like she was Cathrine Kraayeveld or Elena Baranova, when she wasn't getting backed down by Ewelina Kobryn. Asjha Jones wasn't much better. Uncharacteristically weak play from both of them, and very disappointing. Allison Hightower really stood out for me- I don't think I've ever seen her be so assertive on offense, and she was still bringing the defense. She cooled a little in the second half, but she was still impressive. Kara Lawson stepped up in the second half with threes and runners. I think Thibault waited a little too long to go to her instead of Montgomery. Except for one flurry, I barely remember Kalana Greene being in the game at all. She's just one of those players who fades into the background unless she makes an egregious mistake, and she didn't make any that I can recall.

The Sun fans were less happy with the officials than we were. They tend to get overprotective of Tina Charles, who I'm pretty sure can take care of herself. I was pleasantly surprised that a crew including both Gulbeyan and Price didn't screw up the game beyond all redemption.

In case anyone out there is still wondering why I persist in wearing a Rebecca Lobo Liberty jersey, even to Sun games, it's partially because she did play for Connecticut (both the Huskies and the Sun) and partially because it does stand out in the crowd. If I'm trying to meet up with someone, it's a lot easier to say "oh, I'm the brunette in the Lobo jersey" than to give a full and somewhat embarrassing physical description. And even if I miss my connection, I get to meet people who read the blog. (Hi, Barbara!)

It was an excellent game. I just wish the Sun's stars had played better, and that the Sun had more shot clock awareness than a flock of headless chickens. (Really, Allison Hightower, if the entirety of section 20 is pointing at Kara Lawson open in the corner, you can pass her the ball.)