Just the Facts, Ma'am: After a tight first quarter, the New York Liberty pulled out to a lead they would not relinquish, defeating the Seattle Storm 77-59. Essence Carson led all scorers with 22 points; Cappie Pondexter added 20 points and led New York with seven rebounds. Ann Wauters and Tina Thompson each had 10 points for the Storm, who committed 24 turnovers.
For blasphemy, cake, the removal of pants, traveling fans, non-traveling Katie Smith, dancing, and Kia Vaughn being adorable, join your intrepid and overheated blogger after the jump. (Though I am thankfully not as overheated as our friends in the DC area, it's taken an hour for the AC to knock the temperature down two degrees.)
Tell me why I'm still a Liberty fan. Tell me why I still live and die by this team. Tell me why I still care. Because I'm at that time in the year when I start to wonder why I care about this team when I don't like most of the players. It's not about the name on the back- I'm not a player fan. It's not about the name on the front- I'm not that big a gambler. So what's it all about?
The Seattle Storm remain one of the best teams in the league for autographs and player interactions. The Storm are the only team I've ever seen where players double-check to make sure everyone got their autographs. (Thanks for asking, Sue Bird, but we're good.) They're even patient with people who blow them off. I think that's the old-school influence of the coaching staff at work; you've got an ABL coach in Agler, an original WNBA player in Boucek, and an original WNBA coach in Darsch. It's a sharp contrast to the Liberty's approach, where you only see half the players on the court for warm-ups, and half of them run off so fast you can barely high-five them. Not the first time I've observed that about the Liberty, either. It says a lot that I get more respect in Lib gear from other teams as a fan than I do from my own.
Great anthem. She hasn't grown into her voice yet, but she's only fourteen. She'll be able to hit the notes she was looking for when she gets older.
31-23 Liberty at half. I'm favorably impressed by our ability to force turnovers, but I'm worried about our injuries. DeMya Walker didn't start, and went back with the trainer briefly in the first half, and Kia Vaughn left on a stretcher near the end of the second quarter. (We blinked, and suddenly she was bent over in Plenette's arms, and Plenette and Laura Ramus had to support her to the stretcher. There were a couple of moments where I wasn't sure she was conscious. Towel over her face makes me think hit to the head, but I didn't see what happened.) Sue Bird has not yet attempted to kill any hapless opponents.
The postgame concert is delayed by cake. This would normally be a good thing, but the staff doesn't seem quite certain how to divvy up Maddie's birthday cake. I'm working on the notes now, and then the conert will start, and I should be home before tomorrow. I hope. We gave up on the cake temporarily, until the initial rush ran out and things calmed down, thanks to Louie from the Timeless Torches.
The concert sounds very much like dance music. They really should have opened up the court and had him perform there so people could dance. The sound was better suited to a larger space. Still, if dance music is your kind of thing, Brian Kent isn't half bad.
Today was the celebration of Maddie's 16th birthday, which explains the cake. They brought in a few other mascots- the Scarlet Knight from Rutgers (which, no, Mr. MC guy, is not "the University of Rutgers", it's "Rutgers University" and "Rutgers, the State University of New Jersey" if you're a New Jerseyan making a point), the Pirate from Seton Hall, Star from the Atlanta Dream, and Freddy Fever from Indiana. I had no idea the Atlanta-Indiana rivalry extended to the mascots- Freddy tripped Star in the game of musical chairs to make it to the final with Maddie. The Knight and the Pirate made like they were going to come to blows until Maddie separated them. The college mascots gave Maddie t-shirts, while the pro mascots brought other gifts. I'm sure the Cagers got all excited at the shot of Maddie holding up the Rutgers tee. Both RU and Seton Hall were selling season tickets. I am somewhat disappointed that Johnny Thunderbird and St. John's weren't represented, especially since there was a group from SJU there.
The season subscriber gift they talked about last year was finally delivered today- black throwback Pondexter jerseys. That, to me, is blasphemy beyond blasphemy, given that if I had had a choice in the matter, the black jersey I would be wearing right now would be a Sue Wicks jersey (but the Lobo was sort of natural, given my name, and by the time I was old enough to consider such things, I thought team gear was too overpriced to buy, yes, I am a cheapskate, yes, I've gotten a little better about it). Sue Wicks is the reason Cappie Pondexter couldn't wear #23 in college. It bothers me a little that the Liberty seem to be engaging in revisionist history. Fortunately, the throwbacks are sufficiently bootleg that it's easy to tell they didn't care. The number and name font is all wrong, and the attempt at the backplate is a bit of a disaster. Still, we did warn Chris, and we did warn Melissa, so if you see anything on YouTube about a pair of Liberty fans burning a Pondexter jersey, I'm not saying it's going to be us, but I'm not saying it's not going to be us, either.
Ewelina Kobryn hit her first shot and made us all think that she was going to make Whiz look stupid, but then she looked a step slow and a bit soft- more of a traditional Euro post than she had seemed in previous games I saw on TV. I suspect the physicality from Kara Braxton might have thrown her off her game. She took a bad spill in the fourth quarter and came up hobbling, though I don't know if it was her knee or her back, and didn't return. Svetlana Abrosimova looked like she was in her first game with the Storm, and I don't know if Agler should have used her yet, although I guess in a back-to -back situation this close to the break, he can use those games to get the rust off her and get her used to the plays for the second half of the season. Alysha Clark got some time near the end of the fourth quarter, and I think the best description of her would be "deer in the headlights". She looked very hesitant, and then she threw an interception. (Yes, I know, wrong sport, but the Liberty made a lot of really nice defensive plays that looked like interceptions. Work with me on this.) Shekinna Stricklen looked like a rookie out there- her shot was badly off and she seemed out of position a few times. Impressive range on her heave to try and beat the clock, though- has she ever thrown shotput or javelin? That's a lot of arm strength there. Tina Thompson played more inside than I've gotten used to, and was more successful offensively than defensively. She looked to be going towards the basket instead of just spotting up for threes. Is this a new-old thing, Storm fans?
The play in the post seemed to distress Ann Wauters a bit. She wasn't looking for her shot as much, and if I recall correctly, a lot of her turnovers came under pressure- either throwing the ball out of the double-team to no one in particular or having it stripped by the defense. Camille Little was everywhere on the boards, using that... solid lower body... of hers to great advantage. She was really the only Seattle player who stood out for me in a good way. Tanisha Wright seemed to be trying too hard to be a point guard, which is an odd thing for one to do if one has Sue Bird in one's backcourt. She was pesky on defense, though. Sue Bird seemed satisfied chucking threes, and of course the one at the end of the quarter went down, but she was not the merciless, stone cold killer she's been in the past. I'm not sure how much of it was Liberty defense and how much of it was questionable Seattle game plan, but it was fortunate for us. Katie Smith doesn't stop talking. I was amazed she didn't get a technical during the reversed traveling call. (Which I thought was a travel- I thought she slid while falling, but I'm willing to admit when I'm wrong.) She got hot later in the game, which I thought meant we were done, but it didn't!
Nicole Powell is many things, some of which are unprintable. She is not, however, a power forward in the WNBA. This is a bad plan, Whiz, and you should feel bad for employing it. Her defense was better than it's been, and her work on the boards and the baseline sealed the game in the final minutes for the Liberty, but she's got to find her shot again. She's going to get rebounds if she's the four in the lineup, but she's going to get beat down by actual posts. We don't need that. Kelly Miller played briefly and that was the last anyone saw of her. Alex Montgomery actually saw extended run and didn't look too bad in it. She had a great steal off a Storm inbounds that got the crowd- especially her cheering section across the way from us- going. Her defense was exactly what you would expect from a Georgia Tech alumna, and she seemed to fit well in the flow of the game. If she can be that backup three, then Essence can slide to the two- her natural position in the WNBA- and Cappie can actually get a break. What a novel concept. DeMya Walker was called upon for a lot of extra minutes today, despite not starting, and she answered the bell on the glass and in the paint. The fumbling was not as welcome, though. Kelley Cain needed a very energetic pep talk from Plenette before she got out on the floor. It didn't seem to work, as she was painfully out of position a lot of the time, but there's always hope. She's going to need to step it up if Kia's out for any extended period of time.
Poor Kia. Feel better! She was all right in the first half, when she was on the floor, though I would have liked for her to be a little more assertive in the paint. Kara Braxton put her stamp on the game with bodying up on defense and work on the glass. She needed to hit more of those chippies, though, and she's going to need to get used to more minutes- she was panting and begging to come out in the second half. Leilani Mitchell kept committing stupid fouls on defense, and some of those shots should have gone down, but she ran a decent offense. Granted, in that regard, it was mostly getting out of the way and letting the Rutgers girls have at it, but sometimes the smartest part of being a point guard is recognizing who the hot hands are. Cappie Pondexter, except for a couple of decisions that made us remember her academic struggles at Rutgers, played like a superstar today. She ran the break well, she hit her shots (though that off-balance fading shot needs to go away), and she found her teammates when she needed to. And Essence Carson stepped it up in the second half, finding her way to the basket through the lane, then stepping out for midrange jumpers, then getting it inside again. Offense, from Scarlet Knights. No, something isn't right here. :)
DeMya Walker, how on earth does someone who went to the University of Virginia manage to commit two inbounds violations in two games? You're supposed to be smarter than that. Officiating was mostly all right, though I never realized a tree could use her feet as effectively as Powell does. For the most part, they did a good job spotting the small things. About the only blatant miss I can think of was a couple of holds by Ann Wauters on Kara Braxton. (For shame, Ann! You're a married woman! I don't care how distracting Kara can be!)
It was not a pretty game. There was a lot of sloppy passing, mostly by the Storm. I'm glad the Liberty came out with the win, and feeling much less melodramatic than I did at the beginning of this set of game notes. I'm still not thrilled with the team, but they're still my team.
A lot of Seattle fans were in the house. Whoever thought it was a good idea to seat two separate people in Storm gear behind the Liberty bench should be taken out back and smacked repeatedly with thundersticks. The family a few rows in front of us was also cheering for the Storm. They were scattered all through the arena. And shame of shames on the Liberty fans and this Newark debacle, you could actually hear a Stormfan shout "BRICK!" on the Liberty's first free throw. You could hear someone in the next section comment on the Cain sighting. It's embarrassing when you know where this franchise has been.
Signs that you know you're not playing/that you know the play: during one timeout, the Lil Torches were doing a routine to "Call Me Maybe". A few games back, the Liberty also did a routine to that song. During the timeout, Plenette, Alex, and DeMya all started dancing. (For the record, also, Plenette should have gotten the Klondike bar. The two dancers out there were lousy.)
Priceless moment of adorability: Kia Vaughn's face when the PA announcer thanked Kia-the-car-company for sponsoring the Maddie key chains. I've never seen anyone come that close to an ^_^ in real life before. She just beamed.
Next stop: Mohegan Sun! I expect to see a lot of familiar faces, and not just the Seattle Storm.
Saturday, June 30, 2012
June 30th, 2012: Seattle at New York
Sunday, June 24, 2012
June 24th, 2012: Atlanta at New York
Just the Facts, Ma'am: The Atlanta Dream took advantage of 26 New York turnovers to come back and claim a 74-64 win. Angel McCoughtry's 23 points and eight rebounds led Atlanta, while Sancho Lyttle added 19 points and five steals. Leilani Mitchell had all of her team-high 16 points in the first half. Kara Braxton came off the bench for 14 points and 13 rebounds.
For frustration, lottery balls, spinning balls, the breaking of commandments, a shirt-related revelation, and Morse code, join your intrepid and heat-prostrate blogger after the jump.
I always have mixed feelings about Dads and Daughters as a theme day for WNBA games. I understand that Mother's Day doesn't traditionally fall within the WNBA season and Father's Day does, that there's always been an emphasis on bringing in the male demographic, that the alliteration advertises well. I think it's the background I come from; my dad's sports are Italian soccer, ballroom dancing, ice skating, and show jumping, while my mom is the traditional Big Four fan. The WNBA isn't something I can share with him. So to me, it feels like a force-feeding of the "nuclear family" concept, with a dose of dismissing the bond between mothers and daughters.
The fact that the Liberty have a tendency to do it the same day as New York City's Pride Parade doesn't help, either, except for that subset of daughters who have two daddies.
A hundred thanks to Anita, one of the Liberty season ticket reps, and not the one who has the misfortune to get stuck with us- she was helping escort through one of the performing groups, and allowed us to come in early with them. We had plenty of time to get in position so that I could work on getting my jersey signed and my husband could work on his new-old hat. (And of course, to see what there was to see.) We helped orient some kids in the right direction, identified players, and generally tried to be good neighbors. At least they got Kelley Cain.
Lindsey Harding warmed up with the Dream, as did Angel McCoughtry. We'll see if either of them plays, and how much they play.
I would not have pegged Plenette Pierson for floor-length flowing skirts, but I sort of want the orange one she's wearing. (When not in a Rebecca Lobo jersey and a giant lei, I like long flowing skirts during the dog days of summer.)
Adorable three-generation moment: DeMya Walker bringing Zachara over to Papa Walker for babysitting duty.
There's a lady at the game who looks distressingly like a worn-out and well-aged Deanna Nolan; if it weren't for the stroller she's been hauling around, I'd be really freaked out. May also have seen Tiffany Hayes before the game; there was a young woman in a Dream t-shirt and a UConn backpack wandering around the box office well before the game, and Atlanta's always had a thing for the front door. The front door is especially convenient to the floor at the Prudential Center, too, so it makes even more sense.
Nicole Powell's kind of a ninja. Leilani Mitchell's good at misdirection. You can run, but you can't hide, Fluffy Little Bunny! You will sign the jersey, and it will be framed.
The Title IX shirts appear to only be in kid sizes, which gives me great sadness. I may not be an athlete, but I did attend an institution of higher learning that received federal funding. Title IX is part of my life too.
Looks to be a good crowd today; lots of people waiting for tickets before the game, looks to be pretty healthy traffic.
That was not as close as it looked; that was not as bad as we thought. Sometimes it's hard to tell what's happening when two teams play who don't necessarily have everything invested in winning the game.
Very good anthem, better than I was expecting from rehearsals. She was a little pitchy during rehearsal, but hit the notes when it really counted.
Lindsey Harding came off the bench and really shouldn't have played in this one. Except for one good, sharp penetration, she looked hobbled all the time that she was in. I wouldn't be surprised if she didn't play against Indiana next game. Cathrine Kraayeveld only went in when all the Dream posts had ridiculous foul trouble in the first half, and I don't remember her doing anything of note. Laurie Koehn came in near the end of the first half as a three-point specialist, and that's pretty much it. She wasn't even used effectively as a decoy. I think Meadors is still trying to figure out what to do with Tiffany Hayes, which is odd, since she was a good pickup for that position in the draft. Maybe she's having trouble getting the hang of the system? I don't know. I do know that Yelena Leuchanka was doing more work for the Liberty in the post than our power forwards did. I'm not completely sure where her head was at, but it wasn't in this game. The hands that were so good in the last game against us failed her. She was less easily boxed out than she had been, but she still needs to assert her size. (I think Kara did disconcert her with her... huge tracts of land, though.) Jessica Moore's most memorable play was her look of absolute confusion after she got called for a foul she thought was sketchy.
I'm glad Ketia Swanier is okay after that nasty elbow she took to the head from Kia Vaughn- or at least she went back into the game a little while later. She was running that offense very smoothly in the first half- I remember looking up at the scoreboard in the first half and being surprised that she had five points and five assists. Sometimes, all you have to do is pass the ball and get out of the way. Sancho Lyttle came alive in the second half, canning threes, getting on the boards, and working those big hands of hers into steals and one beautiful fast break in the second half. Aneika Henry was solid in the middle- didn't necessarily make a statistical impact, but got the job done. Armintie Price still can't hit lay-ups, but that was more than made up for by her pulling two jump shots out of her hat. And of course there was the posturing and smooth moves of Angel McCoughtry, who kept Atlanta in the game in the first half and broke it open in the second. You could tell the Liberty were getting either tired or stupid. There's no way you leave Angel McCoughtry open for the midrange shot.
(This actually got me in trouble with the guy in front of me. Apparently he felt "JESUS HYPOTHETICAL CHRIST!" to be such inappropriate languge that it was necessary to get an usher. I told the usher I didn't realize blasphemy was included in the list. The guy moved.)
Kara Braxton played like a woman aware that a high lottery pick would put her job in danger. She was going hard for boards, using every asset she had to her advantage, and eventually powering many of them back up. It wasn't a perfect game for her, but it was better than most I've seen her play in a Liberty uniform. That's the Kara everyone keeps hoping they'll get, ever since Andy Landers. Kelly Miller played briefly, proved that she could muscle up Lindsey Harding, and did nothing of note. Kelley Cain played a couple of stretches when the rest of the posts weren't doing so great or needed a rest, and while it's embarrassing to see Jessica Moore beat someone off the dribble, she wasn't as bad as she's been. Alex Montgomery was a good matchup against Atlanta, and maybe the fact that I don't remember her play is a good sign; isn't good defense the kind of thing you don't notice? Nicole Powell continues to amaze me with how many different kinds of stupid decisions she can make on a basketball court. Bad shots, bad defense, bad positioning to get fouls- the third and the fourth came very close together, and while the fourth was a bit sketchy, I can't blame them for calling it on her. She's got to get her act together, because she's the only true small forward we have, and her failure to provide much of anything puts way too much of a strain on Essence for my liking.
I mentioned Plenette's skirt before, but I forgot to mention the orange and green nails. They too are awesome.
Kia Vaughn did a great job on the boards. She fought, she boxed out, she put herself in position over and over again. But the shots... those were bad. Those were way bad. I'm not sure how she managed to miss that many shots inside, but she did. Essence Carson wasn't exactly lighting it up, either, though she had to expect a lot of energy on defense (guess who drew the Angel card?). The problem is that in the WNBA of 2012, Essence is not a small forward. She could have gotten away with it in the '90s, and maybe even into the early 2000s, but she doesn't have the build for it. In this league, she's a two, and she should have an opportunity to be the super sub, the swing woman, the one who keeps the ball rolling when someone has to sit. And I lay that on Powell. Cappie Pondexter was a marked woman, and it wasn't a pretty sight. Telegraphing your passes is not smart. Fumbling the ball when Sancho Lyttle and/or Angel McCoughtry can get at it? Not smart either. She tried to make plays, but she was double and triple covered more often than not. Do I think she could have tried harder? Always. But that's as much on my opinion of Cappie Pondexter and my own bias as it is on Pondexter herself. DeMya Walker found her way to the basket more times than we realized, but did look a bit slowed up, and that inbounds violation was inexcusable.
DeMya and her dad gave the pregame speech. Papa Walker started telling what was sounding like an embarrassing story, at which point DeMya started encouraging the crowd to get up and make noise. Awww. I wish I could get several thousand people to start cheering to shut my dad up whenever he starts telling embarrassing stories.
In the last DeMya-related Game Note of Doom, we debuted the dive cards today. Keep an eye out the next time you're at the Pru, and maybe you can help judge DeMya's next flop!
Officiating was a bit sketchier than usual today, and the game got a little chippy, highlighted by Kia Vaughn casually dropping Ketia Swanier with an elbow after the play. It did seem harder than she had intended- Kia was the first one over there, with body language that could best be described as "oh crap are you okay I didn't mean for this to happen". If either of these teams had a deep investment in this game, or liked each other a touch less, there might have been a fight.
As mentioned above, Dads and Daughters Day coincided with New York City Pride (along with the celebration of Title IX). Most of the emphasis was on that... except for two shirts. One was a giveaway to the first five hundred or so fans, a Title IX shirt that seemed to mostly come in kids' sizes. The other was a Liberty shirt, logo dead center, with a rainbow border around PROUD. And that's a step that means a lot to a lot of Liberty fans.
Digression into Liberty history: yea these many years ago, when the league was shiny and new, when games were on NBC, when Val Ackerman still despised the notion of a team in Connecticut, when the Finals always seemed to come down to Houston and New York, there were a lot of gay players on the Liberty. Sue Wicks discussed it in Time Out New York; Michele Van Gorp later listed her spouse Kyleen in her playerfile. There were a lot of open secrets and a lot of easy guesses. This being New York, the fan base was pretty jampacked with lesbians too, even more than most teams. The front office and ownership... despite the GM parading her wife and kids around... was not exactly thrilled about this. Outreach to the gay community was minimal, especially when compared to the efforts of other teams. At times, it edged towards homophobia. Gay Liberty fans from the black-jersey era probably know more about it.
Fast forward to 2012, and there is a shirt with the rainbow and the Liberty logo, being sold at the Prudential Center, under the auspices of the New York Liberty. It's not an adidas item, either; it doesn't appear to be a league initiative that the Liberty are reluctantly following along with. One of the women in our section had tears in her eyes when she talked about it.
Those are the kinds of changes we've noticed with the new front office. The marketing's been constant, and they're acknowledging one of the major segments of the fan base. I can't speak for the pride that gay, lesbian, bi, trans, or otherwise queer fans feel for their team, or how they feel to have their existence acknowledged instead of begrudgingly put up with for the sake of money. But I can be proud that the team I love has finally decided to live up to its name.
So there's a dose of good feelings to get past the trainwreck of the third quarter, and the running theme of "seriously, what's wrong with Plenette's leg?" (one source says that the trainer said right knee strain, the box score says calf strain, this is starting to look suspicious)
Wednesday, June 13, 2012
June 13th, 2012: New York Liberty STH Cruise
Because I have Cruise Notes of Doom.
So, this was possibly the most awesome season subscriber event the Liberty have put together. Randall's Island was awesome, and I was too young for the one at the club in 2002 (my 18th birthday fell after the season), but this was a fun event all around.
The line started half an hour before we were supposed to board. Everyone got a lei. Not for Leilani, as far as I know, but as part of the party theme. They were either blue or orange. (We brought our own in Liberty blue-green. You can get them at Party City. It's an Olympic year, so you can wait until their end-of-summer sales. End plug.) I do not know where Kym Hampton got her rainbow lei, or the little anklet lei, or where Plenette got her yellow lei.
Holy crap on a stick, A'riel's gotten tall. A lot of Liberty fans remember when she was a wee bitty little thing on her mama's chest a week after being born. (Some of us remember even before that, but we're heading over into creepy mode now.)
Favorite item of clothing: Leilani Mitchell's hat. Very Carmen Sandiego. Also a fan of the rainbow lei from Kym. (Kiabear has a little one of those.)
Alex Montgomery, I cannot even with that shirt. When my first reaction is "oh my God, you match the security band", that is a bad sign. Kara Braxton also needs to invest in pants that fit her properly. She had to resort to tying a sweater around her waist so no one would notice her hanging over her waistband. (Next time, may I recommend a longer top?)
There were a lot of technical issues with the mic, so the factoids and trivia had to come later than they originally planned, with the food coming first. The poor servers got mobbed pretty much the minute they came out from the kitchen. Things only smoothed out much later, after the first edge of hunger had been worn off the rabid wolves.
Kia Vaughn spent much of the first half of the trip, until the team photo, wearing a life vest and holding on to the ceiling whenever she had to move. And when there was some sharp rocking, the look of terror on her face was almost comical. I... get the feeling Kia doesn't do boats. Kara and Kelley also seemed uncomfortable, but there's a difference between uncomfortable and a constant facial expression of "we're going to die we're going to die I want my mommy".
Memorable factoids: Alex Montgomery was a cheerleader in high school and can crochet. DeMya Walker was originally expecting a son that she was going to name Zachary; instead, the little girl we know as Zachara came along. Essence Carson is a former Girl Scout. Kia Vaughn is terrified of clowns. (I shudder to think what would happen if she saw a clown on a boat.)
I think the only word Cappie Pondexter willingly said was "Party!"; she used it like a Pokemon uses its name. I suppose that's one way to avoid controversy.
Kelly Miller needs to be louder. I couldn't make out a word she said, not that she said very much.
There was an ongoing lack of salad forks. It became a point of pride to claim one. Om nom nom salad. The finger foods were so-so- a bit salty, possibly because of preservatives- but the brownies were on point.
I was not on the dance floor, but many people were. We went up to the upper deck during the Electric Slide. DeMya seemed to be really enjoying it.
I don't know if I've ever seen Nicole Powell smile that much before. It was weird. Like, she was actually enjoying something. I am not used to this!
Melissa, the poor unlucky wretch who succeeded Chris, that poor unfortunate soul, as our season ticket rep, celebrated her birthday today. We've given her so much shit the last year and change that we felt we should give her something nice, so we got her team-colored M&Ms. She seemed to like them. I think she probably likes the Godiva someone else gave her better.
There was trivia, and it was awesome. It was mostly about the earliest years of the team- the inaugural game, the first All-Star Game, Spoon's Shot, that kind of thing. The husband and I both got called up- him for the inaugural game, me for Spoon's Shot. We both answered correctly, with extra information. He got a signed Essence Carson replica jersey. I got a pair of Six Flags passes. The questions sort of got read out of order, so when I answered, "Compaq Center, Houston, Texas" to the question of where Spoon's Shot occurred, Kym and Alex looked at each other and me in confusion. After running through sponsorships in my head, I was sure I was right and said I could give them the call if they wanted. It was quickly determined that they were looking at the wrong damn question. I think only one question referenced the blue era, about the number of Most Improved Players the team had had. I forgot about Janel McCarville, so I would have gotten that question wrong. Who was in the inaugural game, who we played in the home opener, where the first All-Star game was, who signed the first contract in league history, why Swoopes missed the first season, when Sue Wicks retired- those I would have gotten all right.
The cruise was beautiful. Lots of pictures. Some turned out better than others. Posted a few.
All in all, it was awesome, and it needs to happen again next year, timed a little better so there's time for a full limbo line.
Sunday, June 10, 2012
June 10th, 2012: Chicago at New York
Just the Facts, Ma'am: Epiphanny Prince's 26 points led the Chicago Sky over the New York Liberty 73-64. Sylvia Fowles chipped in 10 points and 12 rebounds for the Sky. Cappie Pondexter led the Liberty with 22 points, seven assists, and six rebounds.
For inexplicable benchings, the putting of feet in mouths, college loyalty, shaking my head, and the shouldering of burdens, join your intrepid and really cranky blogger after the jump.
Blessed be the name of the air conditioning. We overdid it a little on the timing, and we're at the Prudential Center at 2:18. There's some goings-on going on, but I only know that because it has to do with one of my mom's friends. The Usual Suspects are starting to drift in, while some of the others are hanging out outside. Why, I don't know. The sun is beating down out there like nobody's business. (If you want to make a Tina Charles and Asjha Jones reference, I'm not going to stop you.)
The Sky are pretty good with autographs. I think Swin Cash is starting to get jaded and cynical about giving autographs, and with everything I've seen on eBay, I can't blame her. Carolyn Swords still has to get the hang of it, though. You shouldn't be less of a challenge than the stars on your team. Kym Hampton messed with Sylvia Fowles a little, imitating a starstruck fangirl. I thought it was cute; the husband felt it was mocking the fans.
If you objected to the playing of "Radio Gaga" at this game, it's probably my mother's fault. She's the one in the Ashley Battle jersey, you can take it up with her. Of course, if you object to the playing of Queen, you have no taste in music and likely no soul, and I do not wish to associate with you.
The arena is still done up in Devils gear. Red Alert banners are hung in seemingly random places, and the NBC Sports studio is still in place. They also added extra Devils art during the playoffs. I just love this feeling of being a tenant.
The biddy game isn't completely awful. There was at least one basket.
How do you do a military appreciation day and not have a color guard? Or a military performer for the anthem? At least there was only one gods-awful camo uniform.
We can't stop Sylvia Fowles. I do wish Swin Cash would stop fouling people, though. Has anyone seen Leilani Mitchell's shot? I'm worried about Plenette's knee. 38-27, we're jacking threes, and the refs are really letting them play.
There are some things I don't expect from Nicole Powell. Saying multi-tieredly stupid things is one of them. Anything along the lines of "I know we all love a man in uniform" during a military salute at a WNBA game is not a good plan. (I don't have the exact phrasing handy, but it was definitely first-person plural and definitely included "love a man in uniform".) First of all, the odds are pretty good that a significant portion of the audience, be they gay women or straight men, would prefer a woman in uniform. Second, as my husband (who used to work with an Army-sponsored event) pointed out, in what universe is it appropriate to insert a come-on into a salute to the troops?
It really amazes me that I saw better defense played on Carolyn Swords, in college, by three undersized posts who never sniffed the WNBA than I do when she's with the Sky and being defended by WNBA players who are roughly her size. I mean, really, Kara. Really, Kia. Tamera Young going coast to coast and firing off a no-look pass to her for the lay-up was the icing on the cake of fail. She's not on par with their other posts, but that's a heck of a par. Sonja Petrovic shows promise, but she didn't look great. Forcing a jumper in double-coverage is not a good plan, even when you're a shooter. I like the way she moves, though. Very slinky. Le'Coe Willingham used someone's trading card to prove to Sylvia Fowles that she used to be much thicker. Other than that, I didn't think she was a factor in the game. Young has interestingly quick hands, but that funky wind-up in her shot gets me every time. I'm sorry, Tamera. It's distracting! I like that she's not afraid to go to the floor.
Swin Cash definitely channeled her inner Bad Girl today. I swear I thought I saw her throw a roll-block on DeMya Walker that probably got her calls from the Bears, the Seahawks, the Lions, and the Steelers. She always seemed to be in the thick of things. Things happen around her, though I can't put my finger on it. Ruth Riley had the elbows out today. I'm surprised, because I thought she abandoned them a long time ago, but they were out on screens. She and DeMya got into it hot and heavy late in the game. She also brought out the little outside jumper that has been murdering us since she was with the Miami Sol and Tamika Bleeping Whitmore was the player who couldn't guard it. She set screens and got out of everyone's way. Courtney Vandersloot looked in over her head today. She did well against Leilani Mitchell, but that's about it. I'm surprised she only got tagged with two turnovers, but that's as much to do with the Liberty's inability to grab loose balls. I'm also surprised that the Liberty lost this badly with the guards not looking for Sylvia Fowles. She had a double-double either in the first half or very early in the second. I think she was part of why we shot so many threes in the first half, and why we were playing a zone defense for stretches. There was a moment where I was a little freaked out for her, because having Kia Vaughn sit on your leg is presumably not a pleasant experience, but after a couple of seconds of hopping, she seemed to be fine. I hope she is.
And then there was Epiphanny Prince, who played unconscious offense. No one could stop her. Everyone tried, from Leilani to Kia and everyone in between. I don't know that she had much of an influence on the game otherwise, but when you score 26 points and your team wins, you don't need to fill much else in the box score. It did bother me that she was still chucking in the last minute with her team up double figures, and it definitely bothered me that on the Sky's next-to-last possession, she held the ball for twenty seconds; the only time another Chicago player touched it was when Cash pulled down the offensive rebound from Prince's shot. You have teammates, Piph. This Fowles kid is pretty good.
Kara Braxton appears to get less competent every game. Whether it's being out-played by Swords or being generally useless on both ends of the floor, she looked like a waste of everything out there. I can't even joke about her huge tracts of land anymore, and I don't even want to bring up her badly colored weave (Kara, if I can see it's a weave from the nineteenth row, because the coloring is so badly off, you might want to find a new salon). It's sad and pathetic. Nicole Powell had a couple of quick threes where we thought she was going to find her groove and be the Nicole Powell who ruined us in Sacramento, but then she got scared to shoot her shot and became a defensive liability, and we were back to the defective Nicole that Chicago clearly arranged for us to have when they stole Shameka Christon from us. Kelly Miller played briefly, and while she was better than Leilani against Vandersloot, that was the only thing she brought to the table. I'm really tired of her inability to shoot. She's approaching Teresa Weatherspoon shooting issues here, except without any of Spoon's other qualities (like great defense, passion, court vision, and a personality). DeMya Walker brought the physicality and one spectacular dive that had us chanting "TEN! TEN! TEN!". She was going at it with Riley like Riley said something bad about her momma.
Plenette Pierson still isn't back to a hundred percent (the word from one of our sources is that it's an upper calf injury), and I'm worried about her both physically and mentally. I wouldn't be surprised if she gets reported with a neck or head injury in the next couple of days after running headlong into Vandersloot, and I question the thought process that went into trying to set that hard screen in the first place. She didn't seem to be in good temper all night. A lot of times she was doing a lot of talking with interestingly intense facial expressions. Maybe I'm overreacting, or reading too much into things I can't hear since I'm in the nineteenth row, but I don't like the body language. We're going to need her to be at full strength and sound of mind if we're going to make anything out of this schitzophrenic season.
Meanwhile... Essence Carson didn't play as much in the first half as we're used to, mostly because Nicole was not being her usual waste of space. In the second half, she started going into more of the rotations and seemed to be a bit of a sparkplug. I'd like for her to be more careful with her ballhandling, since Vandersloot was hounding her hard all night. I'd also like for her block on Fowles to have been counted as a block, since it was pretty awesome, but I'm not the official scorer. Leilani Mitchell regressed very, very badly to the start of the season. Her shooting was off, she was taking her shots too deep, she was ineffective on defense, and she was pounding the ball into the ground way too long on possessions, especially in the second half. It was not pretty, and her only saving grace was her hustle. (That, and Kelly was worse.) Kia Vaughn was solid, with a lot of help from the rim. No joke, I think all of her first six or seven points went in courtesy of the rim. I'd have liked to see her be more aggressive against Fowles, but I understand why she wouldn't be. Cappie Pondexter tried to do everything, and she's going to kill herself trying. Whiz ran her into the ground because our regular point guards were Bad and Worst, shifting her around both the point and the shooting guard. I think all her free throws came on and-1s. She looked like a star... but she looked like a star the way she did in 2009, the way Hammon did in 2006, like the Star of Bethlehem on a Christmas card: alone with nothing around her.
The officiating tightened up in the second half, but it still threatened to turn into a scrum. Humphries, Mauer, and Bonner have all been in the league a long time. If you've got two of the original Bad Girls (Riley and Braxton), along with two more Shock alumnae (Pierson and Cash) and DeMya Walker, you need to set the tone early before someone's face gets rearranged, or Riley is going to end up elbowing Braxton in her... huge tracts of land... or almost nailing DeMya in the face with an elbow (and I think Zachara is sick of seeing her mother writhe in pain on the floor, so good thing that didn't happen), or Cash is going to throw a roll-block. I know it's not fair to judge players on prior reputations, but sometimes you have to show a little common sense.
I think we scared Melissa, the poor unlucky soul, with our complaints about people coming in late. Season ticket reps, I understand that you have no control over arena personnel, believe me; what we're hoping is that you can pass the word along to people at the arena who do have control and suggest that if people are wandering in during the second quarter, that they be asked to wait for a stoppage of play. And that once they are in the aisle, they don't decide to stand there and dither, or chat with friends while standing, or argue over who gets what seats. And the complaint she got first- that the Pru Center food service personnel weren't wearing hairnets or other sanitary protection- was a lot more important.
Do not cheer loudly for members of the opposing team if you're sitting next to hardcore fans in the section behind the home bench. I don't care if you're a Rutgers fan who wants to cheer for Prince. Our Girls Syndrome is cute, but it's detrimental to the long-term health of the league. At least these RU fans remembered to cheer for Cappie, Essence, and Kia. We've dealt with a few who cheered for Prince, or Ajavon, or Sutton-Brown, and not bothered cheering for the Liberty's RU alumnae.
(The fans in question ended up moving down a few rows. If we scared them off, I can't find it in myself to care.)
Apparently there is a group of fans in the endcourt section closest to the Liberty bench that's chanting for Alex Montgomery to get into the game every game. I haven't heard them, but it's cute that they care.
I don't know what to think about this team anymore. I really don't. I don't want Cappie to have to carry them. That doesn't end well.
Tuesday, June 5, 2012
June 5th, 2012: Atlanta at New York
Just the Facts, Ma'am: Behind the three-point shooting of Leilani Mitchell and a strong fourth-quarter stand, the New York Liberty defeated the Atlanta Dream 79-74. Cappie Pondexter led all scorers with 26 points, adding six rebounds, while Leilani Mitchell had 18 points, including four treys. Angel McCoughtry led the Dream with 21 points and 14 rebounds.
For odd bounces, quick hands, secrets that are awesome, power, strains, and the sweet sound of "threeeeeeeeee-point goal, Leilani Mitchell!", join your intrepid and hungry blogger after the jump.
Coming to you live from the Prudential Center, it's Saturday Night Live Liberty basketball!
Due to events I'm under a confidentiality agreement not to talk about, I was in the city today, which means that I got to the arena early. It's sort of depressing to hear the quiet in the Prudential Center box office when compared to the Garden box office around the same time. Permission from security to sit on the floor and use the outlet is appreciated, though. I'm hearing bits and snippets of things- someone arranging extra tickets for the Dream, a staffer hunting up a Garden of Dreams bus, a parent of one of the pre-game performers- and it's a little like being backstage.
I may not always like Marynell Meadors's approach to player management, and I may not always like some of the rumors I've heard about her taste in players, but I will say this: when it comes to autographs, her team is the most accommodating and approachable in the league. They leave in an orderly line, they all pay attention, and they're all willing to stop, even when they're past you. (Well, except maybe Angel McCoughtry- she didn't warm up with the rest of the team. Maybe Lori Ann was bored or something. And yes, I'll try to keep the Lori Ann joke to a minimum. Old meme.) Lindsey Harding cracked a joke about "how much money do you have?", but she was grinning when she said it. My response was "no, that's the other Lindsay!" My theory is that this is because Meadors is an inaugural coach, and retains some of that old-school mentality.
Remember, everyone, if the game has started, sit in a seat, then head to your proper place at a stoppage. Less fighting.
I'm 90% sure Eric Thibault is scouting this game for the Sun. That red hair sticks out. (I think he was also wearing his St. John's backpack. Is that an NCAA violation?)
It's Garden of Dreams night, which I don't know if they should have done against Atlanta, so I'm expecting a lot of annoyances and groups who aren't quite sure what to do.
Ref #25, who I think is Michael Clayton, danced with Maddie during his warm-up. It was sort of awesome.
The anthem singer darn near blew out her microphone a couple times, but she was pretty good. Martina McBride is a good role model.
The plus/minuses for the Liberty are very clear on the court. As soon as Kara Braxton and Nicole Powell came in, everything went to hell in a handbasket. (Can I say hell on Swish Appeal?) Essence Carson has been a jolt of energy for this team. Angel McCoughtry and Sancho Lyttle have really great hands. Yelena Leuchanka has lousy timing on rebounds.
Woooooooooooo! That was good. That felt good. That felt like a game.
I like Aneika Henry's hustle, and she's got better rebounding instincts than Leuchanka. She's got to learn to use her body a little bit better, or at least more smartly, but she's a legit player. Ketia Swanier is cute, and she confused our lineups a little bit, but I wish I knew what she said about DeMya's mom to earn that many hard hits. People seemed to like hitting Tiffany Hayes in the face. I don't know why, but Kia Vaughn got in a smack that made me NOT happy. (I do not approve of hitting people in the face, not without a reason. Being a Husky is not a reason.) Hayes didn't really stand out for me in this game. Laurie Koehn did not hit any threes. Cathrine Kraayeveld tried to screen, but it didn't work. She and Koehn were both used near the end as three-point options. Kraay also got a little bit of run in the first half. She didn't seem comfortable, though.
If this game is any indication, this team is going to need everything Angel McCoughtry's got and then everything Lori Ann's got. She was all over the place. She hit some tough shots, she hit some easy shots, she did a magnificent job on the boards, and her hands were very active on defense. She got sloppy a little in the second half, though. I wasn't looking for the trouble that folks reported about Lindsey Harding not being able to feed the post, but I did think she was very disassociated from the rest of the team- a lot of times it was Lyttle, McCoughtry, or even Henry setting up the play. Yelena Leuchanka has a couple of moves, and she moves her hands well on defense, but she doesn't move the rest of her body well at all on defense or on the boards. She got beat around the bush very thoroughly by half the Liberty lineup. Sancho Lyttle did well on the glass and going to the lane, but she hit one jump shot and suddenly thought she was Laurie Koehn. (Well, maybe not that bad. Maybe Tina Thompson circa 2005.) I love to watch her hands on D, and I love to watch her rebound, but she needs to get her butt into the lane. Armintie Price still can't hit a lay-up, and Leilani Mitchell used that to her advantage on one break, leaning back juuuuuust enough to create that seed of doubt.
Nicole Powell had one of the worst first halves of basketball I've ever seen from a human being. In the second, her shot still wasn't falling, though she had a good look at a three that didn't go down, but she was rebounding better, getting her hands down on defense, and she stonewalled Koehn on the last possession to seal the game. If her jump shot is still AWOL, at least we're getting that from her. That's more than I can say for Kara Braxton. I'm starting to genuinely worry about her. Her jersey looks tighter and her effort has fallen through the floor. There are meetings for problems like that. Follow your shot, Kara. I don't think that's too much to ask. DeMya Walker was touch and go on defense, but she was setting screens like nobody's business. One was almost a Screen of Death, but no one fell down. She got popped in the face pretty good by a Henry elbow.
Kelly Miller, I'ma need you to get your act together so Whiz trusts you to play so Leilani and Cappie don't keel over, kplzthxbye.
Leilani Mitchell, the Fluffy Little Bunny with the nasty pointy teeth, was back, at least behind the arc. Defensively, she didn't match up well with Atlanta- Harding was too quick for her and everyone except Swanier is too big for her- but she answered back with threes. We needed her to be the second option tonight, with Essence Carson running into the buzzsaw that is Angel McCoughtry and Plenette Pierson leaving the game in the second half with an injury of some kind (I think). Kia Vaughn got beat badly a couple of times, but did a nice job cleaning up on offensive rebounds, both her own and her teammates'. She had one nasty swat that had the arena rocking. Cappie Pondexter looked like a superstar tonight- maybe she felt she needed to compete with Angel, but I don't care about the reasoning. I care about the crazy one-footed shot that went down and the ice-cold threes and the drives that found the bottom of the net. I care about the rebounds and the floor burns. That's what we asked for, and that's what we got. About the only thing that annoyed me was hitting DeMya three strides too late on a break, but when she plays like that, I really can't object. Plenette Pierson played well in the first half, but in the second she left the game, first going into the tunnel with Laura Ramus, then with a gray-haired woman who I am assuming is a team doctor of some kind; she came back to the bench after that, but didn't go back into the game. So now I'm worried.
It also weirded me out that Plenette seemed to be trying not to interact with Coach Whisenant. She ignored him when he tried to slap her five and didn't seem engaged in the huddles. That bothers me.
I'll be brutally honest here. I think the tide turned with about two minutes left in the fourth quarter, during an Atlanta possession that I think the Liberty committed four separate fouls on without anything being called. It was a close enough game, and enough people hit the floor, and the Liberty got the ball out of it, that I think that slammed the door for Atlanta. The officiating had interesting moments all night, and it didn't help that there were some very slippery bits of the court. We suspected up top that the ice curtain had a crack in it and condensation was seeping up from the Devils' ice. A lot of people seemed to be slipping and tripping in the same places.
Another piece of bad luck: four different threes for Atlanta rimmed in and out, or bounced off the inside of the rim, or otherwise did strange, inexplicable bounces in the second half. It was just one after another, to the point where we were pretty sure the Liberty were meant to win this game.
I skipped halftime to charge my computer and write up the halftime notes. Apparently I didn't miss much.
Shoutout to the people in the rows below us, over to the right- their energy was fantastic and they got us going at some points. (Also, call me a Ducktales fan, but I'm a sucker for identically dressed triplets.) I am less enthused about the people who showed up late and took their sweet time finding their seats. There were many, many, many open seats. Sit in one so we can all watch the game!
This was a good game and we feel good about it. On to the Mystics!
Sunday, June 3, 2012
June 3rd, 2012: Indiana at New York
Just the Facts, Ma'am: The New York Liberty put all five starters in double figures and put behind them a five-game losing streak, defeating the Indiana Fever 87-72. Cappie Pondexter led all scorers with 25 points. For Indiana, Tamika Catchings had 19 points and six rebounds.
For exultation, dueling, sudden screeching stops, a brief run of entropy, and dry rub, join your intrepid and relieved blogger after the jump.
I'm not sure what I think about these 6PM start times. My current opinion may be influenced by my first major PATH issue- signal trouble somewhere between Journal Square and Grove Street caused major delays, so I arrived late. (I do, however, now have lots of lovely new clothes and sparkling blue-green toenails.)
Denise Brooks is not only a good ref, but a good human being. The kid in the "Hot and Cold" contest was woefully lost and going the wrong way, and Brooks took her by the shoulders and guided her in the right direction. I squeed.
"Call Me Maybe" is not quite up to the level of "Thriller", but I do love Plenette taking her screw-up in stride and DeMya's WTF face when Kelly breaks into her routine. It did originally look like Nicole was driving, though, before they showed Maddie. Continuity error? Or was she supposed to be in it and it deeply offended her dignity?
Nothing quite like grown men having a full-fledged beef over in the next section. Seriously, guys?
Father and son bonding moment in the lounge in front of me as I speak. They're playing samurai with a pair of thundersticks.
The rotations are much better tonight, and the three-point shooting has improved. I don't know if we can keep up the shooting, though. And Cappie Pondexter can't keep missing chippies. For a player who likes to drive to the basket and have the ball in her hands, she misses an awful lot of uncontested lay-ups. Leilani Mitchell's playing like someone put her on notice. I swear Kara Braxton's gotten bigger in the last week.
That was not exactly a strong technical on DeMya Walker, but we were all screaming for her to stop talking, so she must have said something in addition to all of that.
The atmosphere in this place is incredible after the win. We're off the schnide! It bothers me a little bit that as a franchise, we're so far down right now that we're celebrating the first win of the season like we're the Tulsa Shock or something, but that's the historical perspective of a spoiled Liberty fan who's seen the Finals.
Thanks to that signal problem, I missed pregame (the occasional Guest Notes of Doom had to send text messages with the scores), but that meant I got to avoid cringe-inducing six-year-old anthem. That's a plus. So I cannot tell you if there were awesome things or sad things during shootaround, but you can probably assume Lin Dunn said something folksy and Katie Douglas hit a three from out of bounds. She does that a lot.
You do have to love Sasha Goodlett and that Georgia Tech defense. If you can't stop them, foul them. She put in work on the boards, but we were prepared for her this time, or at least better able to draw fouls from her. Erlana Larkins looks really good- the only problem with her slimming down is that thanks to the lack of height, I kept mistaking her for Shavonte Zellous. She hustles, but at the end of the day, she's not tall enough to do what she wants to do. Jeanette Pohlen was in the right place a lot of the time on defense and deflected well. She wasn't exactly spectacular, but she was solid. Briann January appears to be the point guard of choice right now, and I think that's a good choice. Of course, my sample is biased, but she seems to work better with her teammates than Erin Phillips did. I could be wrong, for reasons that will be elaborated upon later. Roneeka Hodges hit corner shots. It's what she does. Anything else would probably surprise you. I miss Jessica Davenport. Let me just put that on the table right now. I really miss Jessica Davenport. (Indiana has both Davenport and Larkins now. Mathematically, doesn't that mean they have to give us Becky Hammon or something? Or do we have to sign Chioma Nnamaka first?) I miss her defense, I miss her left-handed hook shot, I miss her long arms swatting shots. She seems to be preparing herself to be the Fever's center of the future.
Erin Phillips needs to not wear high knee socks and a ponytail and a number that ends in 3 until Katie Douglas retires or something. I got the two of them confused one too many times for my liking, which means that I'm not sure what Phillips did in the game. Cut your hair, Erin! It's for the Fever's sake! Tammy Sutton-Brown barely played. When she did, she was mostly a roadblock for her own team (nice defense on Douglas, Tammy), though the one dismissive swat was fairly impressive. Shavonte Zellous drove hard and got rewarded for it. It really seemed like she took more shots than she was credited with, but that might have to do with the free throw attempts. Katie Douglas plays really nice defense. The shooting's pretty too, but I like to watch her hands on defense. And hear her voice. She needs to consider a stage career after she finishes with basketball. She's got impressive projection. When I can hear her in the eighteenth row, that's loud. Tamika Catchings was Tamika Catchings. She went after loose balls as if her life depended on it, she got good rebounds thanks to her athletic ability, she hit all kinds of interesting shots, and she got Plenette Pierson with a leg whip. In other words, business as usual.
Has Kara Braxton managed to put on weight in the last week? Her jersey seems a little tighter. Maybe she's trying to corral those runaway basketballs. Whatever she's doing, it's not working. Hit the lay-ups, Kara. The rest will come with time. Nicole Powell was benched, and deservedly so. She answered, but not on offense. For the first time all season, I felt like I was seeing the "white line" system in action when she and DeMya Walker rotated. She was very busy on deflections, too. I'd like for her to be a better offensive option, but if she actually plays defense, I'll take that. DeMya Walker has cut her hair short, which IMO is not working on her. Basketball-wise, she did her thing. There was a little bit of flopping and a larger bit of defense. She did work on the boards, especially in the second half.
Kia Vaughn, you are not allowed to miss easy lay-ups. If you're as 6-4 as the media guide says, you should be able to hit those shots. If you are not, then you need to be honest so we'll stop blasting you for not hitting those shots. She was a presence in the middle, though, and I think she helped clog things up for the Fever. Plenette Pierson did it all again (and she bakes! And she has great taste in dinner guests! Kim Perrot... /sniffle). An Olympic year is a very unfair time to have an All-Star season, but the way she's played in the last few games has been of that caliber. She got burned a little defensively, and her frustration was clear when Catchings started hitting shots. Leilani Mitchell played like she'd been put on notice that her job was on the line. Three-point bombing Leilani was back, and she brought a little teardrop with her early on that was shades of Tony Parker. (Not quite Mark Jackson.) I don't know if I like her end-game management (or if it's Whiz's end-game management), but I love her commitment on defense and the offense she brought tonight. Essence Carson continues to play well on both ends of the floor. She's just solid. Cappie Pondexter actually played like the Cappie Pondexter from Rutgers. She was hitting shots, she was in her stride, and she was also making good defensive moves- nothing flashy, nothing statistical, but cutting off an angle here and making a deflection there. The percentages still aren't great, and I'd rather see some of those easy shots go down, because if you call for the ball you should hit the shot, but she's getting better.
The fourth quarter really worried me at the end. We let them get too close. We got lackadaisical. We started taking stupid shots that we had no reason to take. That pass out of bounds was inexcusable. A few shots late changed the game and kept us from screwing it up.
Officiating was not bad, though sometimes inexplicable, and there was one call in the circle that was crossed up. Refs still working off the rust and the rule changes, and you'll never hear me say a bad word about Denise Brooks unless she really messes up.
There was some serious beefing going on in the next section over- the aforementioned disagreement flared up again, with one of the combatants getting into it with another season ticket holder. Security got involved. I don't know the whole story, but it was distracting.
After the game, season subscribers and people who anted up something like $60 got to see Kate Clinton perform. I think she was less than comfortable with the material- she didn't get into a groove, IMO, until she got away from the sports stuff; when she was trying to do a sports routine, she kept circling back to the same line or two and rebooting. Whether trying to go the sports route was her idea or the Liberty's, it was not a good idea.
Dinner was at the Dinosaur Barbeque, which I highly recommend. However, even if you do spot Tamika Catchings having dinner, please do not harass your fellow diners. (I thought I spotted Shannon Bobbitt with her, but I'm not sure.) Davenport and January were also there, as was Leilani. It makes sense- it's nearby, it's less expensive than Brick City, and it's good.
In conclusion, WIN!, LOL, OM NOM NOM.