Sunday, September 4, 2016

September 3rd, 2016: Phoenix at New York

Just the Facts, Ma'am: New York started strong and kept the pressure on Phoenix to win 92-70 at the Garden. Tina Charles led the Liberty with 23 points and 15 rebounds, while Sugar Rodgers and Brittany Boyd each had 19. Marta Xargay led the Mercury with 16 points off the bench.

For retro jerseys, long legs, secret superheroes, resounding blocks, team work, lacking teamwork, shiny objects, and martial arts, join your intrepid blogger after the jump.

Hey, y'all! I'm back, far later than I anticipated. (I went to the double-header at the Garden that featured the US versus Australia and France versus Canada, and I even wrote GNoD for USA-Australia, but I got bogged down in France-Canada and nothing ever got posted. Maybe someday they'll sneak into the backposts.)

We're at the Garden for Phoenix at New York, and it's good to be home. Right now there is a martial arts exhibition going on to a strange mash-up involving Delirium and Mortal Kombat. There are swords. This could be awesome. I'm a little weirded out that the one girl in the group has a different uniform and is the only one strictly doing moves instead of showing off weaponry, but there might be a reason. Oh, never mind, she has a hand scythe now and I'm a little terrified of her. And there are other girls in the younger group. I'm relieved. They need to do some work on their stagecraft.

Today I learned I'm not the only person who refers to that "everyone off the court at once now!" thing as a Zerg rush. Hi there, Seattle and Chicago fan with the Fordham bag!

Brittney Griner draws a crowd whenever she comes on and off the court. She does stick out in a crowd. I think this is the first long, up-close look I've gotten at her, and I never realized how strong her legs are for her height- usually with tall players (who aren't complete tanks like Carolyn) you worry about their legs.

I don't know if Sandy Brondello and Katie Smith were ever teammates anywhere, but the two former Shock guards shared a hug before Brondello went off to join her team.

At halftime, we have Latin dancers and a 48-34 Liberty lead, neither of which I really expected. Tina Charles has been fantastic, with 19 points at the break. The hustle is very much present for both teams, but especially the Liberty. Penny Taylor has been the boss for Phoenix.

There were flowers before the game and an acknowledgement of Penny Taylor's retirement. PFT will be very much missed. She's a class act and a brilliant talent, always in the shadow of another star, whether it was being the "other" Aussie coming up with Lauren Jackson or being the support to Diana Taurasi. But there's no doubt- Penny's a ledge.

Solid "God Bless America", overly operatic anthem.

It is my entirely subjective opinion that whoever did Kym Hampton's hair doesn't like her very much.

Rolling nine deep, I don't know if we can keep up this hustle and this pace. As long as we have enough of a lead, we should be fine.

Nice acknowledgement of all the Olympians before the game, though I think the acknowledgement of the international players was part of a new W ad. I'd like to see more emphasis on the non-American players, though I know that'll never happen.

That was a deeply satisfying win, and one I wasn't coming close to expecting without two linchpins of our defense. I used to have a lot more respect for Phoenix, but it's become abundantly clear that they have no discipline and are not encouraged to have discipline. I don't object to passion, but I object to off-court emotions seeping as much into on-court behavior as they seem to do with the Mercury. I feel like the phrase "a little less talk and a lot more action" might be applicable to Phoenix at times.

Alex Harden came in near the end of the game, and that was when we knew that Phoenix was throwing the white flag. I'm surprised Brondello didn't throw her into the fray during the first half, just to see if she could contribute anything. Lindsey Harding gave Marta Xargay some relief when she was in foul trouble. The game seemed to become a little more measured when she was in, though I'm not sure how much that had to do with her and how much that had to do with the rest of the personnel. She's definitely lost a step on defense. Sonja Petrovic has a strange hitch to her free throw routine. She's not the only player who takes one dribble off to the side before straightening up and shooting, but it's still pretty weird-looking. I feel like Phoenix could have used her a little more, or at least tried to get more out of her. Marta Xargay had herself a very good game, hitting from outside and driving to get to the line. She was the one bright spot off the bench for the Mercury. I like what she brings.

Kelsey Bone showed everyone why two teams were so very happy to trade her. She had good looks that she missed badly, her defense was sorely lacking, and she didn't look like she was ready to pick up the slack when Griner got in foul trouble. It's no wonder that Brondello went to Mistie Bass the next few times she needed to sub a post. Bass is starting to remind me of a Tammy Jackson or a Sue Wicks- been there, done that, read the book of tricks and added a couple of notes. She wasn't good offensively, but she makes room for her teammates and she plays hard defense. Isabelle Harrison showed some potential in her late minutes. She has a lot of energy and strength both at the basket and from distance.

Thank the sweet hypothetical baby Jesus that Diana Taurasi has misplaced her shot. She had some beautiful looks that she normally hits because she's Diana Taurasi that she was way off on. I don't know if I've ever seen her shoot an airball before. It just doesn't seem right. She showed flashes of her old self, but more when she was going to the basket, not when she was shooting. There was far less of the usual magic from her. Penny Taylor hustled after every loose ball in the first half. She slowed her pace in the second somewhat, but still. You do not leave Penny Taylor open, because in case y'all didn't notice, Penny's a ledge. She's just so much fun to watch play. I think her time has, alas, just about run out- there was a defensive play she tried to make that she probably would have been able to make a few years ago- but she plays the game so brilliantly.

(Seriously, Australia? Whatever you did in August of 1980 to help people conceive, for the love of God do it again.)

Does DeWanna Bonner ever stop talking? Honest question. She was talking to the ref after every play. Whistle against Phoenix? Talking. No whistle? Talking. Whistle against New York? Still talking! YOU GOT THE CALL! Maybe take fewer threes from the general range of Santa Fe and use that ridiculous fluidity to go to the basket more often. There was one play where she missed a... maybe eight-footer? And then I blinked and she was putting in the putback at the basket. And I was like, "She wasn't there before! How did she get there?" It was some Reed Richards flexibility. Candice Dupree was pretty quiet- she showed up a bit in the third quarter, and she was setting screens, but I would have thought Phoenix would have used her more. I don't think the Liberty's defense was the reason for it. Brittney Griner could be a much more potent weapon for Phoenix if they were more willing to go to her. I think I only saw one lob pass thrown to her all night. She's got a height advantage over everyone in the league except maybe Liz Cambage when she feels like showing up. Our defense swarmed Griner, but there was still space for the lob pass, and I don't think it was on the Mercury's minds at all. She got position sometimes, but she's got to be more assertive.

So I think Swin Cash is hurt and the team doesn't want to let on. She didn't start, she didn't play much, she spent her time off the court riding the bike to nowhere, and she looked even more pained than usual on the floor. It looked like they were feeding her for shots near the end of the game, when things were pretty much decided, which is a sweet touch, and she did have a nice defensive move near the end. But short-handed as we are, I have to worry about any kind of injury to anyone on the team. We need her to not make stupid decisions. On the other hand, she was all right as point forward- she might not have a point guard's court vision, but she knows the game. Amanda Zahui B was solid, but more in the first half in the second- I think she started to tire as the game went on, and that meant stupid fouls. Griner's a challenge, so I can't completely blame her. Her passing was really on show in this one. She's really blossomed in New York. I love it.

Shavonte Zellous is not a point guard, though she did a better job hanging on to the ball in this one than she did in that hot mess against Indiana. She was disruptive defensively. Her energy is relentless. Epiphanny Prince still needs to get the rust off- I'm wondering if she might be better off making herself more of a driving guard until her shot rounds back into form, but that might be a behavior she can't learn before she has to unlearn it. I'm glad she's back, though. So was the crowd. She got a bing hand when she came into the game.

I like what Rebecca Allen brings to the floor- she has a different look and a different style from Swin, and I think she fits in better with the future. She had a bit of a rough game in this one, getting a bit grabby on defense. She's going to need to step up more quickly if she's going to start for Swin. Tina Charles started off red hot- she had as much in the first quarter as Phoenix did, and her rebounding game was on point for the whole night. As the night went on, she seemed to drift more towards the outside, and I think that made her less effective, more susceptible to shot blocks. (That seems counter-intuitive, but there was more room for shot blockers to deflect her shots when she wasn't at the basket. Exchange comfort for space.) Carolyn Swords was solid- she did a lot of work on Griner, hit shots at the basket, and made it abundantly clear that she didn't approve of Taurasi hitting Boyd in the face. As a hockey fan, I appreciate a good enforcer. She's solid.

Brittany Boyd played just enough under control to be super-effective. She kept the game fast-paced, and despite us being short-handed, that worked out. It kept Phoenix off-balance. I know she's not going to have nights like this every night, where her jumpers are going in and she gets the rolls on those insane drives. But we saw what she's capable of, and it's glorious. Sugar Rodgers, of course, knows no fear, whether it's taking three-pointers with just a step and a bounce back, or smacking the daylights out of a shot by Mistie Bass. She's fun to watch when she's on her game.

Whatever Bill said to the team after that debacle in Indiana, it worked. They were playing with heart, with hustle, and with passion. I didn't think we could keep up the fast pace, and it seemed ot settle down in the fourth, but I'm not sure how much of that was fatigue and how much fo it was clock management.

Fashion report: I like Tanisha Wright's sharp black jacket, and I'm intrigued by the printed shirt, but I don't know if they went together. Kiah Stokes looks like a superhero in street clothes.

Shoutout to the woman in the Dawn Staley Sting jersey and the girl in the Jennifer Azzi Lasers jersey.

Most impressive moment of the night was the block by Xargay. We heard it on the other side of the arena. SMACK!

I'm not sure I believe the attendance numbers, but it felt like a good crowd.

I don't know what the Mercury assistant said or did to get tech'd- my attention was on the players on the floor, assuming Taurasi or Griner or Bonner had done something to irritate an official.

So this was an immensely satisfying game. Washed most of the taste of the ref show from June out of my mouth. We've got a lot of home games to finish out with, and a bye to solidify.

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