Just the Facts, Ma'am: On Camp Day in Newark, 22 points from Cappie Pondexter wasn't enough to save the day for the Liberty, as they fell to the Washington Mystics 70-53. Crystal Langhorne's 24 points led Washington, with Monique Currie chipping in 16.
For lost keys, running away from balls, planting Stanford Trees, embarrassment, and the courage of Natalie Novosel, join your intrepid blogger after the jump. (I'll be spending the Olympic break resuming my social life and finding new adjectives other than "intrepid".)
Listening to Miley Cyrus is one of the prices of going to Camp Day. One of these days, I will remember how much I dislike kids and getting up in the morning, and one of these days I'm going to pass on a morning game. And that same day I will remember that this is my team and I ride or die with them, no matter what sanity and reason say.
The bad news was that this was the day we forgot the Sharpies, so "Project Get This Carson Jersey Signed By The Team And Framed" is on hold until after the break. Since we ended up setting up camp on the wrong side of the arena, it turned out not to matter.
There are groups in the upper deck, so let's hope this is the big attendance boost the team's numbers need. It's embarrassing, it really is.
Thundersticks are the giveaway, so expect great deafness.
I cannot believe this team is down nine to the Washington Mystics at half. We just can't shoot. I thought we'd be better with DeMya and Kia back, but the rest of the team seems to have regressed. I'm not sure how back they really are, since Whiz has gone more to the Powell-at-the-4 lineup that DOES NOT WORK on the professional level. Kia does look a little out of it. Cappie can't shoot straight to save her life, and no one- and I mean no one- can stop Crystal Langhorne.
I'm worried that the refs are letting a lot of things go. It's been physical, and with Ajavon's mouth and Snow's elbows, I don't think letting it get rough will end well. Snow and Currie both looked like they were joking around about elbowing Maddie during the pregame, so my opinion of them has decreased further, which I didn't even think was possible.
The cookie-on-the-forehead video was... interesting. It certainly demonstrated which Liberty players have better control of their facial muscles and who can open their mouths wider. And that's all I'm going to say about that. There are kids around, after all.
To the guy who asked us to be quiet while we were counting down the shot clock: really? REALLY? I think he calmed down when he realized that the people around him were saying much worse things. (I have the horrible feeling that this was the same guy who thought "Jesus Hypothetical Christ" was enough to call for an usher. Go, me.)
The only thing worse than being down at the half to the Washington Mystics is losing to the Mystics. I can't. I just can't.
Natasha Lacy was better on defense than on offense, being pesky towards ballhandlers and putting up strange shots with odd leg movements. Also, her dive was not bought. Ashley Robinson was a shot-blocker and a truly awful shooter. Also, I don't even know where to start with what was wrong with that hairdo. No. Just no. The shaving and the braiding and the dying and the coiling, no. She and Snow were almost straight switches creating havoc on the inside. Natalie Novosel played briefly at the end of the first half, presumably for defensive purposes, but I mostly remember getting a ball to the head from Leilani Mitchell. Noelle Quinn seems to have settled into a role as a three-point shooter, whether it is suited to her skill set or not. She did a good job picking up stray rebounds, too, working the long balls. Lindsay Wisdom-Hylton bodied up against bigger posts better than I liked, but while she wasn't a zero out there, I don't remember her impact other than perhaps an extra body on the boards. Shannon Bobbitt looked lost initially, since we were throwing much bigger defenders at her (we're talking Alex Montgomery here), but she was able to adjust and get the ball in motion after a couple of reps, and that allowed the offense to work. She's so tiny! It's hard to believe.
Other than selling a first-born child that will likely not exist, I will do anything within my power to get Crystal Langhorne in a New York Liberty jersey. She goes about her business, sneaking backdoor for lay-ups and hitting those midrange jumpers, cleaning up the boards and generally being awesome. I'd like to avoid another round of griping about why she wasn't in the pool for USA Basketball, so let's just say she's awesome and move right along. Monique Currie played sparingly, for reasons known only to Trudi Lacey, but still managed to cut her way through the lane and get her points in the paint and from the line. She's not as much of a rebounder as I remembered, which maybe has to do with the knee. Stupid ACLs make me sad. Matee Ajavon spent a lot of time sitting on the ground, which I am more than okay with, and got her points from the line on stupid fouls by the Liberty. I have no idea how she racked up the assists, because she never looked like she was looking to pass. Maybe they were on breaks? But I am biased against Ajavon, and I'll admit that I'm biased against Ajavon (she's why I no longer cheer for Rutgers). Jasmine Thomas did not impress me, but didn't make me shake my head in horror, either. She was just kind of there. Michelle Snow was a defensive monster with the most amusing facial expressions whenever she disagreed with the officiating. She should be up for Best Actress in the comedy category (unlike DeMya Walker or Danielle Adams, who are pure drama). She wasn't looking to shoot, but she did her job, as much as it grinds my gears to say it.
No, seriously, Ashley Robinson, what was that with the hair?
Oh, if Katelan Redmon's shot had counted. The arena would have been very happy for her. She looked like a rookie, but at least she looked like a rookie who cared. I like her hustle. (But I do have to wonder if the protuberant ears are a requirement at Gonzaga, a side effect, or something in the gene pool in eastern Washington. I'm sorry, I notice random things like that about players when they don't do much else on the floor.) Nicole Powell did her job rebounding, but she can't defend the post. And when she has to spend energy going up against taller, bigger, stronger, and more experienced-in-the-post players, she's not using it to get in position for shots... or even get across the midcourt line! There was a play in the second half where she stood in the backcourt for a good three seconds before restarting, which resulted in an eight-second violation and a look of utter confusion on Cappie Pondexter's face that was priceless. Kia Vaughn came back a game too early, I think- she still looked a little out of it out there, though the officiating didn't help. We'll get back to that later. Alex Montgomery played sparingly, mostly for defense. I'd like to have seen a little more of her. Kelley Cain was lost. I don't think she's used to defense from people around her height, and Michelle Snow and Ashley Robinson were too much for her to handle.
Cappie Pondexter's stat line looks great, and maybe if there'd been more of a comeback, the narrative might be different- but from where I was sitting, it looked like she got hot just when there was no chance to come back, then quietly faded back out when we made one last push. Garbage points. Kara Braxton actually ducked out of the way of a ball at one point, a move I haven't seen since Tammy Sutton-Brown wore scarlet. She played incredibly stupid today, even more than we've come to expect. We could really use a visit during the break from Bill Laimbeer to terrify some sense into her. Leilani Mitchell was at least going after loose balls (though we like it when you at least pretend to jump on the jump ball) and trying to get something to happen. Essence Carson started out well, but Whiz's strange rotations and a couple of dings lowered her effectiveness. My opinion of this might be biased by the Cagers sitting next to me, whose constant complaints were "Why isn't Essence in?" and "Why isn't Kia in?" (Because they're human and need a rest, that's why.) DeMya Walker still looked a bit slowed, but her flair for drama was back. Whiz still limited her minutes, leading to the Adventures of Nicole Powell, Reluctant Post Player.
The officiating was... um... let's go with interesting, since that's not libelous. In the first quarter, it was actually tilted in the Liberty's favor, with some out-of-bounds calls and some non-calls going against Washington. The second half was the other way. Everything seemed to turn against the Liberty- a charge on one end was a block on the other, a hit to the arm was called as an up-and-down on (I think) Essence, every out-of-bounds was a hot mess... this is when the people around me started letting off language not suitable for young children. Do I think this was the ultimate difference? No, I think our inability to hit shots and defend Crystal Langhorne might have had something to do with it. But the momentum that built momentarily died under the pressure of the foul count. I think a 28-9 edge on free throws made a difference for the Mystics, but not the only difference.
Lunch was at UberBurger, around the other side of the arena. The half hour wait was a bit frustrating, and is the primary reason why these notes weren't up two hours ago, but at least they gave us a free drink and free fries for messing up our order. Props for trying, guys.
Somehow, it seems appropriate that your intrepid blogger's last look at the WNBA before the break is running into Natalie Novosel at the hand dryer in the restroom at Newark-Penn Station. It takes nerve to use those bathrooms.
At least the Olympic break is upon us, and that gives us time to heal, time to think, time to figure out if we genuinely want to make a playoff run, time to decide if it's really worth it to go out in the first round or if a lottery pick would be a better investment for the future, time to improve, time to adjust, time to work together, time to get our act together and at least look like a professional team. Hopefully, everyone will find their heart. I'm not sure if I want to make the playoffs, but I just want them to look like they care.
Friday, July 13, 2012
July 13th, 2012: Washington at New York
Sunday, July 8, 2012
July 8th, 2012: San Antonio at New York
Just the Facts, Ma'am: The San Antonio Silver Stars put three players over 20 points and shot 55.1% in a 94-81 win at the New York Liberty. Jia Perkins's 24 points led all scorers. Becky Hammon contributed 23 points and six assists, and Sophia Young had 21 points and seven rebounds for the Silver Stars. Essence Carson's 25 points and four steals led the Liberty, with Cappie Pondexter adding 23 points and eight rebounds.
For favors, AWB, more injuries, hot pants, martial arts, a banger, and unexpected offensive rebounding, join your intrepid and resigned blogger after the jump.
Oh, the New York Liberty. I've so rarely seen a team do so much to be in its own way. We're lucky we're not down fifteen or more, the shots that have rimmed out or off for San Antonio.
The anthem singer was... vibrato. I've never heard melisma abused so badly in my life by someone so incompetent at it.
Thanks once more to the season ticket reps, this time our very own Melissa, for getting us in early. Cappie Pondexter and Nicole Powell are both hard to get, so this goes a long way towards finishing off the jersey I want to frame and hang up. We're rough on Melissa, poor unlucky wretch that she is to be stuck with us, so I want to let her know that we appreciate the things she does for us.
There's a lot of support in the house for San Antonio- but then, the Silver Stars showcase two of Blaze's greatest sins, three if you hated the Hammon trade. Ray can attest to this- I mentioned to him that I was watching the Liberty warm up, as Vickie Johnson worked on a drill with Becky Hammon and Shameka Christon.
I have to say, the tropical Skittles color scheme doesn't work on uniforms, but it works nice on Cappie's sneakers.
Not that the team staff are split or anything, but Louie from the Timeless Torches sat out this game in his Christon jersey; the camera folks have done a nice job of finding Hammon jerseys; the PA announcer almost slipped into doing Mike W. impressions of Christon, Hammon, and even Danielle Robinson (it almost came out the way the PA guy used to do Crystal Robinson's name). Not that this remains an awkward situation or anything.
We're thin in the post and just plain stupid, I swear. Too many stupid passes, too many bad shots, too many slips on defense. San Antonio knows how to exploit this, and there's a lot of #25s and #20s in the crowd waiting for it to get ugly.
Neither Plenette Pierson nor Kia Vaughn are in uniform for this one- Plenette looks very summery in her short skirt and tank top, while Kia's gone with the leggings in Liberty blue. Seriously, what is with Liberty posts and hot pants? This goes back to Kelly Schumacher!
It was a great, pulse-pounding 35 or so minutes... and then the wheels came off and we ran out of gas. My poor injured team.
Ziomara Morrison played briefly in the first half and impressed me with a pretty spin move. (And with her fashion sense after the game. I'm a sucker for bright purple tops, what can I say?) I didn't even realize Tully Bevilaqua played, but the last couple of years, it's been more about her off-court class than her on-court game. Danielle Adams decided to go for the long ball more than usual, and either they went down pretty as a picture or they missed very, very badly. She also used her size to draw fouls and generally bother the living daylights out of people. I felt very bad for Nicole Powell after she got bulldozed juuuuuuuust outside the circle. Shenise Johnson gave San Antonio some unmemorable minutes. Jia Perkins absolutely ripped us to shreds, not necessarily starting with that heart-breaking steal and lay-up to end the first half, but that was certainly the most memorable. She ripped open threes, broke loose on the fast break after forcing steals, and in general beat us eighteen ways from Sunday. You'd think Powell would have given them a scouting report at some point.
Likewise, you'd think someone at some point would have remembered that Becky Hammon has a penchant for deep threes. She's starting to look like the point guard everyone hoped would take over for Teresa Weatherspoon... shame things went down the way they did, isn't it? I don't regret the trade, just for the record. She did seem a step slower than usual, and her shot not quite as reliable. Good thing; we'd probably have allowed triple digits otherwise. Shameka Christon started the game off hot, as if to get the crowd into it- we gave her quite an ovation and I don't regret it one bit- but cooled off when Dan Hughes went more to Adams. Danielle Robinson's speed doesn't hit you until she's taking that first step on the break and then vrooom! she's at the basket. She and her team do an amazing job of making the extra pass and finding the open player. Especially in the second half, that player was usually Sophia Young making a backdoor cut and seeing daylight. She's sneaky and smooth and suddenly she has 17 points. (She finished with 21, just to put a cherry on top of the defensive fail.) Jayne Appel did not play much. I mostly remember screens. You'd think I'd remember a giant blonde in black better.
Kelley Cain came in early in the first half, which we should have realized was a bad sign for Braxton, and looked less lost than usual, but still got schooled by Danielle Adams. The fact that New York went more to Powell-at-the-four in the second half after losing the services of DeMya Walker says volumes about Whiz's confidence in Kelley. Coach? You're the one who drafted her. When your options are limited, USE YOUR OPTIONS. Nicole Powell showed signs of life, and finally got her three-point mojo working, but still slipped up defensively, especially as the game went on. I can't completely blame her, though. This is not Stanford and she is not a 4. She's not going to have any kind of defensive success if Sophia Young or Danielle Adams decides to go into the paint. She's going to get backed down and beat around. Alex Montgomery got some time in the second half, when Whiz seemed to be desperate to try almost anything, and was unmemorable but not awful.
Katelan Redmon seems to have a good attitude about everything. That's good. I'd like to see someone work with her on her footwork.
Kara Braxton. How in the world are you a 6-6 starting center in the WNBA, facing a team with no low-post presence, who puts up 1-of-7 shooting from the field? And some of those shots were shamefully awful. How do you airball a lay-up? How do you throw something off the side of the backboard like- in Ray Floriani's terms- "a middle school girl who's just been put into the game for the first time with three minutes to go"? How? HOW? At least she did some work on the boards, but more of those tips went to San Antonio than I liked. Leilani Mitchell played an outstanding game today, not just statistically, but in terms of defensive disruptions, hustle, and deflections. She has to cut down on the stupid fouls, though; she's lucky she only ended the game with three. I feel for DeMya Walker after that injury that started out looking like an ankle and ended up looking more like a knee. It looked painful, and I wish her all the best. Cappie Pondexter was bombing threes and getting the long rebounds, but her ballhandling was entirely too fancy for a meat-and-potatoes team like San Antonio- they will ruin you if you do something stupid like that. Essence Carson put her cape on and went to work. I think she was single-handedly trying to win this game for us. If we'd had more of a roster available in the second half, it might even have worked. She was lighting it up from all over the court, making solid defensive plays, and generally being awesome. I like when Essence is awesome, even if we don't win.
Everyone seemed very impressed with the martial arts routine during warmups, but I was working on Pregame Notes of Doom, so I missed their actual performance. I'm sad, but I think that also meant I missed the underage space aliens, so that's a plus.
The officials generally let them play, which is all well and good until Leilani Mitchell goes for ankles, or when Jia Perkins starts making soccer moves with her feet.
There were a lot of familiar faces in the crowd that I haven't seen in a while. The old school fans come out for this game, because they still love VJ, and Becky, and Meka, while the new players have done very little to connect to the fan base.
Credit to the Silver Stars fan contingent for showing out. The black and silver streamers were gorgeous, and my thanks to the ladies who hooked us up with a thunderstick for the house. (We're looking for thundersticks/bam bams/bangers/long rounded inflatable things that go SMASH for our living room. So far we have New York, Connecticut, Indiana, Seattle, Phoenix, Atlanta, Los Angeles, and now San Antonio. The more, the merrier!) I'm not always a fan of opposing fans, but sometimes you have to show respect, and they earned it.
Do not smoke in the men's room, guys. Your intrepid blogger's dashing husband was not amused.
Cappie Pondexter does not appear good at the whole captains' handshake thing. She looked like Hammon and Young had each offered her a dead fish.
Up until the very end of the game, I couldn't fault the effort. The last two plays- Kara standing under the basket and blowing a lay-up, then Nicole all but handing off the rebound to San Antonio- stank. But the few remaining Libs put up one heck of a fight.
After the game, Cappie was sponsoring a wheelchair game with Becky, VJ, Essence, and Kia as celebrity coaches, so we stayed. A lot of people did, especially the San Antonio contingent. We were really glad we stayed- the game was amazing. Very physical- a few chairs went over in the clashes. White team had one guy who was a beast on the offensive boards. I think the 20-minute game finished 30-24 white, and this guy had 8 or 10 of the points, plus a gorgeous assist right near the end. I will say, wheelchair basketball brings new meaning to the term "spin move". Those chairs were stupendously mobile- one of the ladies in our section was talking about how lightweight and easy to move they are. Someone did need to clue Becky in to which one was her bench. (Hint: the one wearing the same color you are.)
I'm disappointed, but only because I know they gave it their all- it's just that the all of seven players isn't enough all to get past San Antonio. Not when they have that many players who can take over games, and not when Dan Hughes is that good a coach.
Sunday, July 1, 2012
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.)