Just the Facts, Ma'am: Cappie Pondexter's only basket in overtime broke a 76-all tie, and Glory Johnson's would-be tying lay-up came just after the buzzer, allowing New York to escape with a 78-76 win. Essence Carson led New York with 18 points; Pondexter had 13 points, 9 in the fourth quarter and overtime, to go with eight rebounds and six assists. Liz Cambage had 22 points for Tulsa before leaving with an ankle injury, while Glory Johnson had 17 points and 11 rebounds.
For hyperventilation, side-eyes, worry, sheepishness, power moves, berserk buttons, and flashbacks, join your intrepid and accidentally mulleted blogger after the jump.
Good evening, everyone, and welcome back to Liberty basketball at the Prudential Center! The long exile is almost over, and believe me when I say we're all pretty psyched for it. At least one of my neighbors has started counting down the games until we're back at the Garden.
You don't want to know what kind of day I've had, only that this game is probably keeping me from committing mass murder. There are too many stupid people in the world. Some days, I'll even admit to being one of them. And if the people behind me squeal about Skylar Diggins one more time, I may be forced to take drastic action.
Halftime involves the Timeless Torches and the Lil Torches in full disco mode. I do not want to see Timeless Torches gyrating to "Bad Girls" ever again. But I do like the new dresses for the Lil Torches' girls.
I was not what you would call thrilled with the rendition of the anthem. If you're going to do a three-part harmony, then you should be able to sing in harmony. Or sing. Period.
The defense for both teams has been on point. A lot of quick hands. Diggins had one pretty steal and has been pesky on defense, but has been stuffed and silenced on offense, much to my glee. She's discovering that nothing is going to come as easy as it did in college, and maybe that'll knock some of the arrogance out of her. Cambage and Glory Johnson have both been very physical. Tulsa might be a very different team if Plenette Pierson had had time to mentor Johnson.
Jennifer Lacy is still captain of the Shock, but she must be doing something right, and maybe that's why she's still on the roster.
The rest of halftime involved some kind of Girl Scout inspirational dance thing that ran so long that both teams were doing lay-ups by the time they finally got the Scouts off the court. Timing's been off all night.
Toni Young just dunked. No one really noticed. This is going to be entertaining.
Just when I was about to call the refs beautifully unique sparkleponies, frolicking ostriches, and assorted other euphemisms from the Chris Kluwe dictionary of G-rated insults, they more or less absolved themselves from the second half of incompetence they displayed. Personally, from the angle and scale we were given, I couldn't have determined whether Glory Johnson was able to force double overtime or not, but I'm glad the officials decided that the ball was in her hand by the barest of microseconds when the red light came on and the clock had zeroes straight across.
I've said a lot of harsh things about Liz Cambage in the past, but I really hope she's all right. When she went down I thought for a moment it might be an Achilles, but the way she was able to hop around in pain makes me think it was a sprain, and tha's a relief. I apologize for the lack of focus by my fellow Liberty fans; many of them felt that the referees robbed the team of a clean fast break by delaying the whistle, and felt that the officials should be made aware of this crime at the highest possible volume. Best wishes to Liz, and I promise to stay off the "Dizzy Miss Lizzie" stuff for the rest of the season.
Kayla Pedersen boxes out pretty well. It just seems like the pieces haven't fallen into place for her yet. I don't know whether it's mental or physical, but she just seems to be missing something. If I knew what it was, I'm pretty sure I'd be making millions as a coach somewhere. Nicole Powell played like she wanted to stick it to the Liberty. Granted, if I were her, I'd want to stick it to the Liberty too, and she showed flashes of the Powell who used to make our lives miserable when she was a Monarch. But there were just as many moments where she looked like the Powell who made our lives miserable when she was a Lib. She absolutely roofed Plenette Pierson on one play. She rebounded well, too. Jennifer Lacy hit a gorgeous open three, but didn't play much else. It looked like Pedersen was swinging between positions as necessary.
Someday, somehow, I want Plenette to have the chance to work with Glory Johnson. I don't know how or why or when or where, but this needs to happen. Johnson already has the edge to her game- what it looks like she needs is the ability to slide that edge under her opponents' skin and make them react to her, instead of her reacting to them. She's incredibly athletic and amazing to watch on the glass. But she lets her emotions get to her. She's got to learn to harness them. Liz Cambage was doing a good job of drawing contact from the smaller Liberty posts (though, to be fair to the Libs and the rest of the WNBA, everyone except Brittney Griner is a smaller post than Liz Cambage), and she had a step on Kelsey Bone all night- all she had to do was make the pivot and she had an open shot. She absorbed a lot of contact, too, but for the most part she took it well. Man, is she a nice option to have when she's there. Roneeka Hodges used all her three-pointers in Washington- her shots were all over the rim except through the basket. Candice Wiggins was very fast on defense, and her hands were very quick, but she was invisible on offense. Maybe she was meant to be. I don't know. Skylar Diggins was quiet for the first half, then hit two rapid threes in the third quarter (the second off a luscious pick from Glory Johnson, which I enjoy writing about both because I like good screens and because Glory Johnson is a fun name to write). Again, she was ball-hawking well on defense, and she had a beautiful steal in the second quarter (which I liked when she blew the fast break lay-up and the follow, but I will admit that I do not like Diggins and enjoy seeing her struggle as a rookie; I'll probably get over it next year).
Toni Young looked somewhat less lost in this game than she did in Connecticut. I think she got more of an opportunity to play like she did at Oklahoma State with the fast pace of this game (well, sort of fast; it's complicated). She didn't play much in the second half, but I can understand why Bill would go with his veterans and the post that he actually wants to be a post. Kelsey Bone bodied up early and often, getting into the lane- she had a pretty one off a feed from Cappie Pondexter in the second half. Leilani Mitchell played a lot of minutes, hit a three in the first quarter, and was generally unremarkable. If she had an impact, it was that she bogged down the offense, but we had the same problem with Cappie at the point. That's a system issue that Bill's going to have to work out if he wants Cappie as his lead guard. Alex Montgomery brought the defense, and a couple of third-quarter baskets. She and Katie Smith teamed up on a big play late in the game- Alex chased down a loose ball and hurled it blindly back inbounds, where Katie made the save on the other sideline while Alex pulled herself out of the first row. Katie brought the veteran presence, one really bad pass, two threes, and some unexpected common sense. She's still a situational player in my book, but that situation might well be closer.
Kamiko Williams got the start, which was a lot sooner than we expected it to happen. She started off strong, but started to lose her grip on the game late in the second quarter. Diggins was frustrating her, and she fumbled and made bad passes. She also seemed to forget that she was in the pros now and thus had to worry about getting the ball over the timeline in eight seconds- the only backcourt violation was the communication breakdown on the opening tip, but she danced with the line a little too often for my tastes. Kara Braxton went toe to toe with Cambage, and in my opinion, got the better of her in the head-to-head matchup. She had her usual share of boneheaded plays, because she's Kara Braxton and if she didn't do something stupid in a game I'd assume we'd gotten a Pod Person instead, but she kept them to a minimum and did well on the boards. Cappie Pondexter was called upon to do pretty much everything, and after disappearing for most of the third quarter, she answered the bell in the fourth and hit the one shot she needed to hit in overtime. She rebounded, she dished- near the end of the game, she even played intense Rutgers defense to stymie Candice Wiggins and force a shot clock violation. These are the games we pay her for. These are the games people chant MVP at her for. It was good to see Plenette Pierson back in the lineup, and she had a solid game, with her first basket coming off a gorgeous shovel pass from Cappie. Essence Carson was solid, especially in the fourth and the overtime. She's so good when she's good.
The defense for both teams was on point, until the very last play of the game. You are all probably familiar with my basketball experience- I spend a lot of time on my butt watching it, but that's the extent of it. I never played, never coached, never worked for a team. So how is it that I feel like the only person who looked at the final play and went "well, 00.5 is barely enough for a catch and shoot, but the safer bet is to go for the alley-oop, since that gives you a margin to catch if you flub the pass... Cambage is out of the game, so the only person it can logically go to is Glory Johnson, so guard the living hell out of Johnson and don't let her catch the ball"? I don't think she's been that open since high school! Complete defensive breakdown, and only by a hundredth of a second did we escape double overtime.
Go home, officials, you're drunk. I think Cambage had more attempts than the entire Liberty team. As near as I could tell, both teams were attacking the basket with equal passion, but there seemed to be more whistles when the Shock had the ball than when the Liberty had the ball. That's not all on bad officiating; the rookies and Kara had a tendency to get out of position. But my eyebrows went up when I realized how many attempts Cambage had from the line. Of course, it also doesn't help when you can't hit your free throws!!! Berserk button pressed like someone impatiently summoning an elevator!
I was surprised not to see Williams or Goodrich, but supposedly they're both injured.
I like the new intro video, but give me back my "Strike It Up" when the team comes out onto the court.
Lots of Knicks in the house: Allan Houston (oooh, he suits up pretty), Rasheed Wallace, Iman Shumpert, rocking a fantastic cityscape shirt. (Yes, I look for these things.) Jay-Z was also there.
Booo to the girl and her mother who stole two of my Sharpies. Those weren't gifts, and no, you can't have a third one "for my aunt", you little scam artist.
That was a heck of an escape, and I'm really impressed with Tulsa's potential. On to what's left of Indiana, I suppose.
Friday, May 31, 2013
May 31st, 2013: Tulsa at New York
Saturday, May 25, 2013
May 25th, 2013: New York at Connecticut
Just the Facts, Ma'am: A strong third quarter and lights-out shooting from Kara Lawson propelled the Connecticut Sun to an 81-69 win in their season opener against the New York Liberty. Lawson had 23 points on 9-15 shooting, including five threes. Tina Charles notched a double-double with 19 points and 13 rebounds. For the visiting Liberty, Cappie Pondexter had 23 points.
For road trips, the falling rain, no-look passes, music theft, unconscious shooting, unconscionable defense, classy Bruins fans, and a slightly lost Katie Smith, join your intrepid and wearied blogger after the jump.
Good evening, everyone, and welcome back to Connecticut Sun basketball at Mohegan Sun Arena! As always, we'll be coming to you on tape delay, thanks to the somewhat draconian security procedures of Mohegan Sun Arena, but your intrepid blogger puts her faith in the bag check by the box office to make sure that her precious things don't get lost, mostly because there will be bloody warfare if they are. Ain't nobody got time for that.
Traffic was a nightmare today, as no one seems to remember how to drive when it rains, and Norwalk is under construction. A ride that normally takes a bit over two hours was in the 3.5 range. We did play tag with the Liberty fan bus for a while. That was fun. Never did get around to an angle where we could wave at our fellow fans, but we knew they were there, and that felt good.
Sun fans seemed a bit more wary of us than usual. Maybe they thought we were biting the style of one of the UConn fans who's known for his Cat-in-the-Hat-style hat. We're working on getting the team to autograph it, which is part of why I'm still irked at the way the Liberty autograph session ended after the preseason game.
Is it a bad sign when the Sun security people start to recognize you when you're an opposing fan? Then again, this game marks 68, the equivalent of two full seasons of Sun basketball... not bad for a Liberty fan, not bad after all.
I want to know where Plenette Pierson gets her skirts, because when I'm not in jeans, a Liberty t-shirt, and a WNBA jersey, I like to wear long, flowing skirts, and she rocks some pretty awesome ones. I mean, okay, I'd rather see her in uniform than in street clothes, but if I have to see her in street clothes, at least she's well dressed in them. Cheryl Ford rocked her pink ensemble nicely, but again, we didn't sign her to wear pretty outfits, we signed her to beat the tar out of opponents on the boards.
Also, Mama Taj is better than you at everything.
Part of me likes the way the Sun have everyone come through the crowd for intros during the opener. Part of me is decidedly irked at them for having everyone on one side of the arena come through the tunnel on the Liberty side of the court, in one or two cases all but running through the huddle. Stay classy, Sun. Stay classy.
That being said, everyone should play the Imperial March when Bill Laimbeer comes onto the floor. Even the Liberty. Especially the Liberty. Look, we know he's evil, that's part of why we love him.
I'm genuinely not sure what Katie Smith was supposed to contribute in this game, but she had a +10 in the box score, so she must have done something right. I don't think having her at the four/five and guarding Tina Charles for stretches was a really good thing, though. Alex Montgomery couldn't get her shot to fall, but she was forcing jump balls every chance she got and playing tight defense; I think she was the only player who believed in the wild concept of not letting Kara Lawson have an open jumper. Hurrah for a fine Georgia Tech education! Kamiko Williams was not quite so clever- she kept leaving Lawson to help, and Lawson accepted the open shots she was so generously given. Tan White worked her over a couple of times too. But when she was on defensively, she was on, and she was crashing the boards. Kelsey Bone showed flashes of the player we drafted her to be- tenacious, tough, powerful- but she showed a distressing tendency not to follow her shot, and I have absolutely no idea why she went for a reverse late in the game, when time and points were both of the essence. That was time wasted, especially because she couldn't hit the reverse. I hate players who can't or won't go to their weak side. It speaks to a lack of effort in drills and practice. She roofed Tan White, though. That was pretty.
Toni Young is going to make me go gray by the end of the season. I know it. She can casually dunk during warm-ups in a way that makes you go "huh, did she just dunk?" and then look terrified of the ball in an actual game. She's incredibly athletic, but in game action, she has all the coordination of a puppy that has been repeatedly dropped on its head and then spun around in circles. (Do not drop puppies on their heads to test this out. That is animal cruelty. The Game Notes of Doom do not support animal cruelty.) She had one rebound that made me sit up and take notice- and then she threw it right to Allison Hightower, and I think that's the point where I was reduced to "ack-gah-bkw-aaaaaaargh!" Cappie Pondexter was hot in the first half, then was held scoreless in the third quarter before coming back in the fourth with a bad case of wanting to be on SportsCenter. The first time she hit the basket on that wild spinning drive down the lane, we were all cheering. The second time she tried to spin around three defenders and throw up a Hail Mary... did not go as well. She was getting torched on defense, too. She allowed two corner threes and kept losing her assignment. I know she's a superbly talented offensive player, but didn't she come out of Rutgers? Shouldn't she be at least somewhat familiar with the rudiments of a man-to-man defense? Leilani Mitchell was the first of the many players that Kara Lawson left in her dust. Leilani is a solid point guard, and she'll work very well for some other coach and some other team some day- but she's a defensive liability, and she can't execute Bill's constant attacking mentality without getting stuffed repeatedly. Essence Carson was great on both ends of the floor, snagging plenty of defensive rebounds and locking down defensively. Kara Braxton played decently in stretches and played so very stupidly in stretches that had I been part of the fan bus, I would probably have gotten thrown out of the arena for going down to the bench and hitting her upside the head with my fully loaded clipboard. Follow your shot, Kara! Hold on to the ball! Try not to hit Tina Charles in the back with your... er... sports bra!
I don't know why Bill had both Katie and Leilani on the bench in the last two minutes when we needed a three like water in the desert. I would also have played Alex more; if you're going to go with ridiculous post match-ups because of foul trouble and injuries, I think Alex is more capable of defending fours and mixing it up on the boards than Essence or Katie.
Ashley Walker played briefly; the one shot she took was not well considered. Kelly Faris got an absolutely ridiculous amount of applause and hit the floor a lot. (And I'm probably going to spend a lot of time this season reminding my fingers that she's not related to Barb Farris.) Mistie Bass fought for every ball on the boards, and should probably have been credited with even more than she was. There was a sequence where she and Tina Charles were all but playing volleyball over the basket before she finally scored. I have a lot of respect for her toughness. Tan White couldn't hit water falling out of a boat, but heaven knows we gave her enough chances. She made a couple of those herself with a quick first step, though. Renee Montgomery played much less than I'm used to seeing from her, and spent most of her time hoisting threes. (Which may be why Donovan didn't feel the crushing urge to play her.)
I've said this before, and I'll say it again: Kalana Greene has the soul of an old-school Liberty player. She would have fit in on the Finals teams (would we really have noticed if she was on the bench not playing instead of Desiree Francis, for example?) and she's still a favorite among Liberty fans. She was on point today on defense and in the lane. (And from the corner. Cappie left her wiiiiiide open for that one.) Allison Hightower started off slow, and had one absolutely brutal airball, but she redeemed herself later, and she had a couple of pretty steals- her hands were always right at the ball. I seriously love her as a player and would kill to have her on my team. Kelsey Griffin took full advantage of being left open on the perimeter for jumpers, and crashed the glass decently enough. She looks a lot better than she did in the preseason games. I wouldn't cut this version of her the way I would have the preseason version. Kara Lawson was unstoppable from deep. She did all the things. I think she did try to rush a couple of her shots in heat-check mode, but you can't give her space and time. She was just brilliant all over the place, the more I think about it. She did ALL the things. Tina Charles had three shots go in and out, just to put her shooting into perspective. She was beasting on the boards.
This seems to be a theme, now that I look back on my notes. Connecticut had a lot of possessions where they had two or three cracks at the basket, while New York was mostly one and done. Everyone on the Sun seemed to be eyeing the basket and getting ready to go for the board. Always something I like to see out of a team, just not when they're playing us, because it's so inconvenient.
The officiating was pretty awful, and sort of lazy- there seemed to be a lot of potentially reviewable situations that they chose not to review, and no defensive three-seconds called. Lots of travels, though- not that they weren't earned, simply that it seemed to be an odd choice of point of emphasis.
The anthem singer had decent ideas, but she didn't have the voice yet to pull them off. She's a kid. She'll probably have the voice. I was less enthused about the cheerleading troupes before the game, but I usually am not enthused about little tiny cheerleaders. They tend to set off my squick meter.
We were not sitting with the Liberty fan bus contingent, but we could hear them, and we endeavored to make them hear us. We ended up moving over a section because we were stuck next to a guy in a UConn cap with two sons in NBA gear, and in the next section over there was a whole row of Liberty fans. What made the most sense? Staying near people we would probably fight with? Or joining people who were rooting for our team? That's what I thought.
We missed the halftime show to chat with fellow Liberty fans, but it was worth it.
To the young lady two rows in front of us: happy birthday! Sorry for yelling behind you the entire game, but at least the Sun won for you and your dad was really cool to talk to!
I now love the concept behind the Sun's slogan this year: "Together We Will"- because the shirts come with a blank line to write on, and you fill in what "together we will" do. Unfinished sentences like that usually irk me ("Expect Great WHAT?!") but in this case, they're taking advantage of the indefinite nature of the phrase and letting people build on it.
Love to see the place bustling. ALL the fans!
For the most part, other than the obvious, I'm not disappointed in the Liberty. I'd like to see more effort on the glass, and I'm concerned about our long-term prospects for the season if Plenette and Cheryl are both injured for any serious length of time, especially if Bill persists in putting Katie at the four. But for the most part, the effort was there, and that can't be taught. Execution can be worked on in practice. Will can't.
Saturday, May 18, 2013
May 18th, 2013: Connecticut at New York
Just the Facts, Ma'am: The New York Liberty took over the game in the third quarter and beat the Connecticut Sun 78-67. New York committed 21 turnovers, but shot 51.6% from the field. The Liberty were led by 14 points from Cappie Pondexter, while rookie post Kelsey Bone added 12 points and six rebounds off the bench. Ashley Walker was the only Connecticut player in double figures, with 12 points.
For track work, painful confessions, hats, kicking it old-school, the soul train, defensive posterizations, taking advantage of opportunities, and familiarity, join your intrepid and shorn blogger after the jump.
It's not quite home, but it'll do. I've always maintained that my biggest issue with the Prudential Center is that it has the misfortune to be located in Newark (don't tell Nadirah, or Amber, or Aliyyah, that I said that). But it's a nice arena, and the hockey boards are so very useful for autograph gathering.
Of course, both the MTA and PATH were doing track work, so everything was slowed up. We get no respect.
Only Teresa Weatherspoon can pull off a breast-cancer-pink button-down shirt. I love watching her work the room.
Whoever sang the anthem needs to be retained and used often. The way she sings the anthem is the way Kym Hampton thinks she's singing the anthem.
Spotted several members of the St. John's staff. For some reason they recognized us. I think it might have been the volume. And we do tend to yell the same sort of things at players no matter what season it is.
At halftime, the Liberty are up in in a game that's been very sloppy, but the shots have gone down when they've gone up. Both teams are fumbling a lot and throwing strange passes. (Shenneika. I am looking at you. Like, seriously. THAT WAS YOUR BREAK.) Ashley Walker is playing out of her mind (someone wants to make sure there's a summer income for the family, I guess).
Starters: Griffin, Lawson, Hightower, Charles, and Greene for the Sun; Mitchell, Young, Carson, Pondexter, and Braxton for the Liberty. Yes, that lineup has Toni Young back at the 4. I think Laimbeer is enjoying all the opportunities he has to mind-screw people.
I approve of the name and number tees being black. I'm not so sure how I feel about it being first name and number. In that scenario, the only one I'd buy is Essence Carson, only because she has a really cool first name.
Biasedly, I'm worried about Shenneika. Leilani is playing better, and Neika looks lost. Like, almost go down the wrong tunnel lost. She does tend to fold under expectations...
Kelley Cain did not dress. Well, she dressed (in a darling blue sun dress and her hair out), but not in uniform. I think she's just waiting for the paperwork to clear. Cheryl Ford and Plenette Pierson are also in street clothes. Cheryl is going with the pastels. Plenette's flowered pants are an abomination unto the Lord and ought to be burned at the stake.
Unsurprisingly, attendance is a bit sparse. I think there are 3 Sun fans here. Donovan got a pretty big hand from the audience, such as it is.
I like the VIP card concept. Discounts make me happy. And I do wonder if it's a step towards tickets on cards, which I think would be ace. (I'd probably never have the "forgot my tickets" dream for W season again.)
The standardization of the font annoys me. I want my block letters back. I feel like we're fighting harder and harder for less and less individuality.
78-67 is the final for the Liberty, and they look improved by leaps and bounds from last week. If only I could say the same for the front office... but that's a rant for a later part of this round of GNoD.
Kelly Faris does exist! Anne Donovan only put her into the game very late in the fourth quarter, and I think that might just have been to make sure that her foot wasn't going to shatter into a thousand pieces if she put any weight on it. Her defense looked okay, but it's hard to get a read on a player in the last four minutes of a foregone conclusion. Latoya Williams really looked undisciplined out there, and missing half her free throws probably didn't endear her to Donovan. Ashley Walker had it going on on offense, bringing the versatility that Donovan had lauded in a couple of newspaper articles. She might have spent a little too much time beyond the arc, though. If you want to establish yourself as a reserve post, you might want to play a bit in the post. Natasha Lacy did a lot less shooting than she did last week, and somehow she ended up on the boards. I don't remember how, but she isn't afraid to mix things up. Tan White showed off her speed and a bit of her veteran craftiness (oh gods I'm getting old). She was all up in everyone's business on defense. Mistie Bass got the job done down low, making plays happen around the basket. Renee Montgomery jacked threes and flopped once or twice. Johannah Leedham kept doing that thing where she was all over the ball and kept ending up with it when it was Liberty possession. She deked Shenneika Smith pretty hard. It was not pretty from where I was sitting, though you would disagree with me if you were a Sun fan, or a British women's basketball fan. Or from Franklin Pierce College, I suppose. Are there a lot of you reading this blog?
The original plan for the Liberty appeared to be letting Tina Charles take jumpers. This fell apart later in the game. She still seemed to be imposing her will on the game. Kelsey Griffin sets a mean pick and follows her shot like nobody's business, but she misses too many point-blank shots for my liking. If, of course, I were a Sun fan. Which I mostly am not. I don't know if they need both Bass and Griffin. Allison Hightower kept trying to call glass and failing miserably. She didn't play a lot, though. I think Donovan already knows what she has in her and needed to test out the players auditioning for the last role or two. Kara Lawson got her shot pretty much whenever she wanted it. If she had looked for it more, the Sun might have won the game. Kalana Greene was not much of a factor, but she continues to be an awesome human being. We miss you, Kalana. Come back to New York someday! We know how to pronounce your name, no matter what the PA announcer does!
Yeah, Shenneika Smith is the last cut. No hesitation here. The only way she makes it is if Laimbeer deals someone for a pick or something bizarre happens. I don't know if she was under orders not to shoot or she was desperate to prove that she could be something other than a shooter, but she passed up easy, easy shots- and then when she got more offensive-minded, Ashley Walker posterized her. She did have a couple of nice defensive plays once she figured out the scheme, and it only took three possessions for her to figure out that Tan White is not Johannah Leedham and cannot be defended as such. Alex Montgomery is still on fire. I love the way she's developed. She came in knowing that she had an opportunity and needed to show her stuff, and she proved out. Katie Smith is still a step slow, but if you give her space she'll knock down the shot. She's the kind of player you can't cut, but at the same time, can you afford to keep her on the roster if the one thing she can do is hit open jumpers? Laurie Koehn's probably cheaper, in that regard. Kamiko Williams was not the offensive star she was in Connecticut last week, but her defense picked up, and she was all up on the loose balls. You like making me eat my words, don't you, Kamiko? It's okay, I like having to eat my words when a player is better than I expected. Kelsey Bone was much improved from the last game. She still needs to work on following her shot and getting on the boards (there was one play where I think she was expecting Leilani to magically box out Tina Charles), but she was more aggressive and looked more pro-ready.
Toni, follow your shot! We did a lot of yelling at Toni Young today. She played four at the start of the game and still didn't look comfortable. I'm not exactly thrilled about her getting owned by Kelsey Griffin two different times. (Though you could argue there are parallels between them.) She's incredibly athletic, but she needs to catch up to the speed of her body and the speed of the game. I think she'll be okay, but it's going to take longer than we thought. Kara Braxton was much more aggressive on the boards than I remembered, though that's always an intermittent thing with her. Depends on how much of the fear of Bill has been put into her on any given day, I guess. Cappie Pondexter was Cappie Pondexter. The fall-away was working like crazy. She looked like she was in another gear. Leilani Mitchell was solid. I still don't think Bill plans on keeping her for the long term, because that requires him re-jiggering all his lineup plans, but I think she's safe for now, even if that does make me want to set things on fire. She was fearless today. Maybe she'll be all right if she can keep up that level of metaphorical cojones. Essence Carson's offense was so-so, but her defense was really good. Going for a jump ball against Charles is a plan that's not usually going to succeed, but I'm okay with the effort.
It's the preseason, so saying that they need to tighten up the passing and ballhandling is no surprise. I think every team goes through that. I will say that Laimbeer needs to figure out who he's going to play at the point and how long he's going to play them there, and needs to figure it out in a hurry. If he keeps Leilani, he can't use Cappie at the 1 unless he brings Leilani off the bench and then Kamiko is screwed, and I don't want Kamiko to be screwed.
Officiating was all right, for the most part. Let it be said that I hate the defensive three-seconds rule, and will continue to hate it until such time as it stops bringing the game to a grinding halt and confusing the daylights out of everyone in the audience who's trying to figure out what this technical nonsense is about. It got a little chippy at times, and I'll be happy if/when Latoya Williams gets cut for that flying arm that landed damn near Shenneika's neck.
Maddie sinking the halfcourt shot backwards in only three tries was pretty awesome. I like this version of Maddie. Very enthusiastic- almost to a fault, he ran onto the court to protest a call in the first half. (Yes, I'm still pretty sure Maddie is a guy. We all know what a female dog is...)
Yes, I got a haircut, thank you for noticing. :P I do love the sense of community among the fan base. (Then again, going from nearly waist-length hair to a pixie cut is a bit of a noticeable change.)
And then there was the post-game autograph session. Good idea. Baaaaaaaad execution. If you know you're on a tight schedule, don't spend a third of that time organizing. Get your organization in order in a hurry. Then stick to your plan. Don't decide you're going to cycle fans, then cycle players, then go back to cycling fans. And if you're going to have long, looping lines, figure out how to organize them so that people aren't jumping the line or being shepherded to the wrong end of the line and confusing everyone. I like the concept, but it could have gone a lot better. (And really, what's wrong with having one long table for the players and one smaller table for the coaches and having everyone move through that way?) Got most of the team, but still need to get Kelsey- we missed out on her group because the Liberty reps decided that "if you got an autograph already, you have to leave". It was taking longer to tell people they couldn't than to send people through and have done with it. My eyes, they are rolling. Maybe if you hadn't funneled me into a picture line I wasn't interested in, I wouldn't be here 'til 7 and getting all up in your business.
Spoon looks good. Whitmore does not. Taj is flawless.
I don't know what the Sun are going to do with their last cuts. I think it'll be Lacy and Williams, though I don't know if the dynamic with Walker would be weird. Williams is more of a post and would be more of a straight swap if Gruda comes back; Walker is more versatile, but then how are you in the post? I'm not sure what position Griffin is.
And next week we play the Sun again. At this rate, I'll be looking forward to Princess Twitter, Dizzy Miss Lizzie, and the Tulsa Shock just because they aren't Connecticut.
Saturday, May 11, 2013
May 11th, 2013: New York at Connecticut
Just the Facts, Ma'am: The Connecticut Sun controlled from start to finish in an 83-74 preseason win over the New York Liberty, leading by as much as 25 before a second half surge by the Liberty. Allison Hightower led Connecticut with 12 first-half points, while Kara Lawson and Latoya Williams each chipped in 10. New York was led by Alex Montgomery, Plenette Pierson, and Kamiko Williams, each with 12.
For bad passes, good interceptions, old friends, new rivals, haircuts, a tug-of-war, streaky shooting, and bringing the roof to ground, join your intrepid and renewed blogger after the jump.
So the season started with a bang- or, more precisely, a thud. Your intrepid blogger's notes may be a bit blurrier than usual because my bathroom ceiling caved in at quarter to five on Saturday morning. So that was exciting, and don't worry, we're both fine, we just don't have access to a bathroom right now and we're a bit sleep-deprived.
I don't know if it's paranoia after some of the crackdowns on other buses, or if the economy is just that bad, or if today was just an off day, but the bus I take out of Flushing was barely half-full. I have a row to myself to write notes, which means that I can actually write notes while the Chinese edition of "America's Got Talent" plays on the screen above me. (I still can't believe the middle-aged women dancing badly in the short skirts got more votes than the troupe of guys doing slam dunks on springs while wearing matching Jeremy Lin jerseys.)
No free tickets, but we got a pretty good deal in the endcourt on the visiting side, where we could visit our usual blend of criticism and love on our team. And we do love them. Spoon and Whitmore were behind the bench, both wearing all black- not sure if that was old-school Lib black, dignified and stylish black, or Japanese stagehand "don't look at me" black. I think the entire team was singing along in bits and pieces to "I Gotta Feeling".
So the Sun have basically the entire Liberty staff from the Donovan era, and the Liberty have half the Detroit Shock franchise? This is going to be confusing for a while. It feels like a shuffle game. The ball is under cup number 2! (Also, have fun, Sun fans- if Lisa White is involved with your training staff, watch out for stress fractures and shin splints. There's a reason we called her the Bone Collector...)
Loree Moore's fantastically overbuilt shoulders have been reduced to mere mortal levels. That makes me sad. She looked several steps slow, but heady. I wonder if she's showcasing herself not for a regular roster spot, but either to be a standby replacement player (someone who at least knows part of the system and can fill in in a hurry) or as an assistant somewhere. There are a couple of schools in the New York area looking for staffs, after all. Leilani Mitchell looked competent, but out of place. She played well with the veterans, but she knows a lot of these players- that's her only advantage over the rookies and Loree. That's not going to last. Alex Montgomery looked very tight at the start of the game. She was pressing, like she knew her job was probably on the line. Her second tour of duty, she looked much better and much more under control on the offensive end of the floor. Her defense was solid most of the night. Toni Young froze under pressure. She didn't look like she was ready for WNBA competition. I'm reminded of Clay Kallam's remarks about Laura Harper when she was drafted- "raw as a side of beef". Hopefully Bill can develop her into something. Kelley Cain pretty much just took up space- one of Plenette Pierson's shots was basically because Kelley blew the catch on the inbounds pass and Plenette was there to catch the tip. Kara Braxton is not as decorative as she thinks she is- I would appreciate if she would stop standing around just above the paint, and actually move her butt towards the ball. Her block in the third quarter was pretty sweet, though. Plenette Pierson looked like she was working off a little rust- I think she'll be fine, though she's slower than I remembered from last season. I know Father Time wins all battles, but he's not usually this efficient about it. She and Kelley both got burned badly by Chatilla van Grinsven. We all know I'm hopelessly biased when it comes to St. John's, but I think Shenneika Smith played well, once she got her head into the game- the first foul that was called on her (which I thought was on Kelley) threw her off- she was arguing with the ref, then looking to Essence to back her up. I suspect Essence told her to build a bridge and get over it, or words to that effect, because she was much better in the second half. She was cutting to the lane, she was going hard for rebounds, she was good on defense.
Kelsey Bone showed flashes of potential, but not much more. She needs to get more assertive and a little more aggressive. Then again, if she can't learn how to throw her weight around from Barbara Farris, Taj McWilliams-Franklin, Cheryl Ford, Plenette Pierson, Kara Braxton, and Tamika Whitmore, there is no helping the child. Essence Carson looked great- she appears to be eschewing the goggles somewhat, and I think it's helping her shooting. She was also solid on the boards and on defense. The only thing that worries me is that she spent a lot of her time on the bench stretching out her back. Back injuries always make me nervous. Katie Smith looked several steps slow, especially on defense. Kalana Greene abused her to the point where it was almost criminal. There may be no substitute for her experience in crunch time, but I don't know if the flesh is able anymore. Cheryl Ford looks fabulous. It'll take a little more time for her to mesh with the non-Detroit players, but she'll get there, and she looks like she'll be back in the W groove the same way any veteran returning from overseas would.
Kamiko Williams, keep this up and I'm going to spend most of this summer apologizing to you for doubting you. She looked really good- I had no idea she had such ups, but she saved a couple of high passes from going out of bounds. I don't know what her position's going to be- whether she'll be a one or a two or she'll swing from guard spot to guard spot as necessary- but if she can stay at the level she was at today, she's a keeper.
Sigh, UConn fans. Kelly Faris hasn't even played in a Sun uniform yet and you cheer her louder than half your rotation. (And then you wonder why your non-UConn players want to leave.) Renee Montgomery was Renee Montgomery, fast and wild and occasionally very lucky. Natasha Lacy's streak shooting was ice cold. She would make a good defensive play, then blow the lay-up. Unsurprisingly, she has good on-court chemistry with Ashley Walker- one of them found the other with a blind pass, but then the shot was missed. Walker appeared to be unsure as to the operation of tearaway pants, but once she was on the floor, she looked all right- not great, but all right. She shoots free throws like a Golden Bear, though. Johannah Leedham kept finding her way into the passing lane and snagging steals. Stop throwing Johannah Leedham the ball, Libs, she doesn't play for our team. Mistie Bass (who I think now holds the undisputed record for name changes, to the point where even wnba.com and the PA announcer haven't caught up) bodied up and threw her weight around. She's a dirty work player, and in some ways, that makes her the perfect complement to Tina Charles. Someone's gotta work over defenders, after all. Where did Latoya Williams pop up from? She's got an interesting game, though I don't know if it's going to translate well to the W. She showed range with the long ball, but she committed a lot of stupid fouls. If Donovan can work with her, she'll be a find. But I don't know if Donovan can work with her. Chatilla van Grinsven, whose name is tricky to type, but wonderful to say, had a couple of very nice moves around Liberty defenders to get work done in the paint. I don't know if she can do it consistently at the W level, but she's showing me more than she did when I saw her against Fordham.
Kalana Greene, you've been hanging out with Essence Carson and Monique Currie too much. At least half the shots she took were two-pointers because her foot was on the line. It's the stupidest shot in basketball. It's so stupid that I had to try and type stupidest three times before I could get it right. She was better off when she was cutting to the lane and scooping shots up on Katie Smith. I like Kalana, even if she's a Husky playing for the Sun and therefore part of the occasionally cult-like atmosphere around UConn players. Tina Charles got the start, but barely played; I guess Donovan figures that she knows what she's getting from Charles. She looked good in those few minutes, though. Allison Hightower was bombing shots in the first half like nobody's business. I'm terrified of the idea of her developing a consistent offense to go with her lockdown defense. Like, absolutely petrified. That makes her a dangerous complementary part. Kelsey Griffin proved that she could be physical, but I'm not sure what else she supplied for the Sun. She was all right defensively, but not spectacular, and she didn't contribute on the offensive end. She needs to get it together in a hurry, because Bass is much better at doing the dirty work, and that's all she seems suited to doing right now. Kara Lawson was brutally efficient on offense. It's like, hey, guys, she might be known for this a little bit, you could perhaps get a hand in her face.
Nice ball movement by Connecticut, on both sides of the ball. Spectacularly dumb passing by the Liberty. I mean, really. How tall did y'all think Essence was?
Words cannot sufficiently express how much I loathe the defensive 3-seconds rule, and certainly not words that are suitable for a family show. It slows the game down, it confuses all parties involved, it makes the officials an even bigger part of the game than they already are... no. Make it stop. Kill it with fire. I don't care how terrified you are of the prospect of Brittney Griner camping out under the basket. I don't care if she camps out so long she can make s'mores for the first three rows. It is a stupid bloody rule and I detest it with every fiber of my substantial being. There were three in the game, and they all seemed to take forever to handle.
The officiating started out tight, then degenerated into lack of interest by the fourth quarter. Both the gentleman behind me and I were shouting at the officials to make some calls. It was about the only thing that the gentleman in the Kelsey Griffin jersey and I agreed on, for reasons that should be fairly obvious. But when I can see hands pulling the back of Kara Braxton's jersey, it might be time to make a holding call. I'm not saying, I'm just saying.
Ran into a whole passel of Shenneika's family in the next section over from us. We didn't realize they were there until Shenneika checked in for the first time and we weren't the only ones cheering like crazy people.
I love Superjudy's Mardi Gras themed wig. It has flair.
Apparently there is a new person in the suit for Blaze, and she's still getting her feet under her- Blaze was a bit less outgoing than usual. She'll learn. As long as her name's not Carol, I can deal with her. But I think a Blaze named Carol might be a bit... sketchy.
Not sure if coincidence or plotting by the Sun that a very loud and passionate group of season ticket holders sit right near the visiting bench. It's certainly a rather intimidating atmosphere if you're paying attention to it.
We have basketball. I am well pleased. Now, does anyone know a good contractor for that bathroom?