These game notes were thought lost, but have since been unearthed, so hop on into the Wayback Machine…
The Liberty make their Radio City debut, Swin Cash exits upstage right, and Shameka Christon and Elena Baranova try out for the Rockettes.
Okay. It wasn't as bad as I thought it would be. It's still much of the disconcerting to watch a basketball game at Radio Freakin' City, but not quite as 'ohmydeityofchoice, was this ever a bad idea' as I thought. I still don't dig not being able to move around as easily (though there are some pretty awesome people in my section, and a friend in first mezz may occasionally have seats open). Nor do I dig the extremely exorbitant prices for food and drink- $4 for a bottle of water that runs me a buck on the street?! Also- balloon animals and jugglers aren't exactly making me think of this place as the perfect basketball home for my team, ya know.
But the seats are nice and cozy, the view isn't as horrible as I thought it would be, and it's nice not to have to get up every single time some stupid kid feels the need to get up and do whatever. And Lord knows the place gets loud, even without the prompter, and it seems like the girls are enjoying it- Crystal was getting a kick out of the setup before the game, and Elena and Shameka got quite the kick out of it afterwards, but more on that in its proper place. The intros were a riot, with the dancing and the train and Bethany pulling out a ballet move and VJ getting her quiet groove on.
The Liberty seemed more than a little hyped up about this- Crystal's pass somewhere to the vicinity of Becky's guardian angel comes immediately to mind. La'Keshia also seemed a little tight, and I have no clue why she was in so many minutes when DeTrina would probably have been as effective and would have gotten the crowd into it like no bench player really has since Olga. Elena seemed sluggish at the start, but then three-three-three and she was on fiyah. All we need from her are a few more of those hook shots that make my heart skip a beat and a few less inexplicable passes, and we'll be really good to go. Crystal provided the offense when we needed it in the first half, and she was on Deanna Nolan like someone'd Velcrod her shorts to the woman (*watches Tari and Shameka put away the Krazy Glue* well, that might explain it...:)). Becky provided the showtime that was so aproppriate to the big stage (though BrokenMarionetteMiming!Becky is not my favorite Becky, and I've no particular fondness for any sort of Becky anyway). VJ showed up at most of the right times- she got hit an awful lot, though; there was one play when she went flying across a large part of the floor and the ref asked if she was all right, then proceeded to let the game go on as if nothing had happened. She was one of the few players who consistently drove and forced everything to go inside. Bethany was quiet, but I expect that- as long as she doesn't make too many egregious mistakes like fouling Nolan on a three-pointer, I shan't complain. Erin had one fnatastic pass to DeTrina, who in return had one really nice shot and an and-1. I lurve D-Train, but not enough to buy the cheesy t-shirt.
Ruth Riley handles mighty well for a big woman- not just a tall, but a big- and she's got a nice outside stroke. She's not up to three-point land yet, but by the time hse's 30, she might well be. Hell, by the time she's 27. Cheryl Ford was essentially a non-factor tonight, and that may have been the difference in the game. Swin Cash is one of the best finishers on the break, and now holder of the prestigious 'first dope to fall off the stage at Radio City' award. She was also a very dirty player, shoving VJ sans mercy. Deanna Nolan still has a sweet stroke, and leaving her open isn't the world's greatest idea- neither is fouling her. *clears throat and stares at Crystal and Bethany* Elaine Powell is still bothered by her bad heel- she had to come out early and briefly in the second half and I think that was the reason. The Joneses were also basically big bits of useless, though Merlakia helped puncture some of the 'woo-hoo, Shameka HIT one of those facocta threes!' euphoria we were feeling. Barbara Farris is one tough customer- she and La'Keshia were going at it hot and heavy every time they were both in, and they were often in at overlapping times; there was one point when Patty sent La'Keshia in and SFO countered with Farris immediately. The parental unit over yonder *points to the living room armchair* theorized that was La'Keshia's purpose in the game- be a big ol' foul magnet, and not in the bad way. Oh, and Coach Laimbeer? Please. For the love of whatever you happen to believe in, SHADDAP for a change! If you really want to be a villain, go coach the Sparks.
The refereeing can be summed up in two words: JUNE COURTEAU.
Nice loud crowd. Totally digging that. I assume that the madwomen of Court 15 were in the seats stage right- those are the ones closer to the Liberty bench, for those who don't keep track of stage directions; to someone from the audience, that would be to the left. Spotted many people that I knew, which made me feel warm and fuzzy inside. I like the loudness of the place. I also like the D-Train t-shirts, or at least the fact of their existence; but they'll have to make a Nova one for me to buy something.
And of course, the indelible image of the night, other than Swin Cash running off the stage without bothering with an exit... Rockette!Elena and Rockette!Shameka. For those of you who couldn't be at the game, here's the deal- at the end of the game, we were all standing and cheering, and the team came downstage to wave at us and make us feel all special. As everyone filed off, Shameka put her arm over Elena's shoulder, and they started kicking it up like they would be the next women to don sequins and lose their dignity. I not only fell over laughing, I lost a friendly bet with my friend/neighbor that it would be either Crystal or Tari who pulled this trick first.
All in all, not abad place to visit, but I don't want my team living there.
Monday, November 3, 2008
July 24th, 2004: Detroit at New York
Friday, February 29, 2008
September 16th, 2004: Indiana at New York
New York Liberty 77, Indiana Fever 71
Ebony Hoffman is not 210, Becky Hammon needs to not dance badly, much defense is played, and the Game Notes bid a fond farewell to Radio City.
It was a night of surprises and drama, most of which you people could give less than a crap about. You want to hear about the game and such.
I don't know what it was. Maybe it was Tari coming back. Maybe it was the new one that Patty seemed to have ripped the ladies. Maybe it was the fact that the skeevy guy who'd taken the seat next to mine actually bathed. Maybe it was the same mojo that got the Mets a win. Whatever. Thanks for the show, ladies- y'all made this year's last game at the Hall a night to remember.
Oh, that anthem. *clutches heart* I don't cry easily, but the string duet had me in tears. I'm a sap for violins anyway, and this was a wonderful rendition of the anthem; for the first time I think I felt what everyone says you're supposed to feel during the playing of your country's anthem. Did I mention that the violinists were two black guys with cornrows, diamond earrings, baggy pants, and throwback NBA jerseys? Oh, God, if there's one thing I love more than the violin, it's the obliteration of stereotypes.
*sigh* The dance thing. I swear, I would have applauded for Becky if she hadn't decided to go back to the cheesy dancing. I've said this before and I'll say this again: if Goddess had intended for white girls to dance, She would have made us black.
Okay. Less said about the first half, the better. We aren't exactly talking about stunningly gorgeous gameplay. Point of fact, we're talking about (at tipoff) the fifth and sixth-place teams in a six-team conference. The end of the half, however, was indicative of the direction that the game would take, as Becky took over. It was also indicative because of the very physical play. DeTrina was shaken up real bad- she was in obvious pain, and we're talking obvious to the second mezz here. Kelly Miller hit the deck like a few pounds of bricks after that... coincidence?
Second half- a flurry of Fever threes. Some inspiringly dumb plays, notably Crystal's beautiful pass to Tamika Catchings. More bad calls, more bodies hitting the floor, and more missed free throws from Becky than I've ever seen from her before. And overtime, as if the Liberty were bound and determined to keep this Radio City thing going as long as they could.
Overtime: Becky Hammon, Happy Trails, and defense. Three Indiana players fouled out in the extra period, while only one Liberty foul was called. (Ref whining gets a paragraph to itself- Fever fans, please note the phrasing of the last clause in the previous sentence.)
Indiana plays an incredibly swarming defense that makes people dither and pause and think and mess up. With hesitant players like Bethany and Shameka, and subpar ballhandlers like... er, everyone except maybe VJ... I can see why Indiana caused us so many problems. Natalie Williams still has it, and you do *not* want to get into a tipping contest with her, because she's still got some great setting skills from her All-American volleyball days at UCLA. Mom doubted that she weighs 210. Whatever she weighs, though, there is no way in hell that Ebony Hoffman is 210 at the same height. KFCs all over the greater Indianapolis area must adore this woman. Kelly Miller has a knack for evading defenses, but her ballhandling is highly suspect- if we had a third defensive ace, a guard the way T-Spoon used to be, there wouldn't have been any damn overtime. Tamika Catchings didn't show me much tonight, but she was mostly prevented from doing much; the times when she was able to shake the Liberty defender who had taken up residence inside her shorts, she made things happen, but those times were few and far between. She's not just their star, she's their playmaker. Kelly Schumacher brought an interesting look to the Fever front line, being more long and lean and somewhat quicker than Williams and Hoffman- she had a monster block on Elena in the first half that made me wince and start reciting statistics. Shameka stuffed her right back later on, so that made me happy. Niele Ivey was basically in to give people a breather, though I do believe she had a three. Ditto for Kristen Rasmussen, minus the three element of the scoring.
Hella good game by Becky. For whatever reason, she had a streak of stupid during the middle of the second half, but that was it for the lowlights (okay, that and the robot dancing... again, no.). At the end of the first half and at both ends of the second half, and during the OT, she was on fiyah. Elena was also faaaaaantastic, with a whole lot of great shots, including one up and under and around and in that I still can't figure out, plus her usual array of threes and shots in the paint. Crystal stole Elena's hook shot long enough to get herself a basket, while Vickie absconded with Mark Jackson's teardrop. Neither of them put much else up on the scoreboard, but VJ had seven boards, and Crystal had some fierce defense on Catch'. Bethany started out playing scared, but eventually realized that Natalie Williams probably wouldn't bite off and spit out her head if she tried a shot in the lane, and started driving a wee bit more. Shameka and K.B. currently mix like oil and water- K.B. wants to run it and run it and run it, while Shameka wants to think things out a bit. Unless that's just rookie hesitancy and she will get moving, they can't co-exist. The bench, except for La'Keshia, was all sorts of useless, though it wasn't completely their fault, because DeTrina was injured, and that makes me sad. La'Keshia had a couple of boards and a couple of baskets, and she was tall. Both coaches both almost went Richie on some refs, with the bonus point of Becky saying something that started with an F and ended with a -uck, and wasn't firetruck.
Ah, yes, the refs. The incompetent jerkwads who called themselves the fair and balanced arbitors of the game. Now I know why two of them were surnamed Smith- they were in the witless protection program. Several out-of-bounds calls were utterly wrong. Several travels went un catalogued. Several hacks went ignored. Elena got hit hard with no call. Bethany went up for a shot, was fouled, and then didn't end up with free throws. On the other side of the ball, said Bethany got away with a travel or two, and a hold on a Fever player (Schumacher, I think, but if you're expecting me to remember at 12:30 at night, you should instead be grateful that I am so brilliantly coherent.) Overall, the refereeing resembled a farce, only without the competence. We were lucky a fight didn't break out.
Oh yes, the other highlight of the night: "Hot In Herre", with the solo part taken by a funky-looking violin. Mmmmmmmmmm... oh, Goddess, yeah. If only all hip-hop could be so transformed. (BTW, fellow Liberty fans- what song did the duo transpose for their encore?)
I can't wait to get back to the Garden.
Wednesday, February 27, 2008
September 12th, 2004: San Antonio at New York
New York Liberty 64, San Antonio Silver Stars 62
Patty Coyle is on crack, K.B. Sharp and Erin Thorn are still waiting for their ride home, and Elena Baranova wants you to GET MORE LOUD!
Patty raided Tot's locker. That's the only thing I can think of. This was the actual starting lineup: Erin, Becky, Crystal, Vickie, and La'Keshia. Yes, that puts either Vickie or Crystal in the four spot. Yes, that is really weird. Not that Becky or Crystal embarrassed themselves, and even VJ looked a bit more familiar. And La'Keshia somehow managed to lead the team and the game in rebounds, and add eight points. Notice me not noticing rebounds. I was busy going 'hey, wait, isn't that a foul?' in the scrum. Erin hit a three, but was otherwise quiet, though I recall one play where you got the sense she was silently yelling "NOTICE ME!": girl was wider open than I've ever seen a Liberty player be. K.B. needs to learn how to shoot. I don't care if she misses, I just wish she would shoot: she's starting to look like T-Spoon. I also wish DeTrina would play more, because she was scrapping today. This was not one of Bethany's good days, though the planets were aligned enough for her to hit two consecutive free throws in a rather key moment. And Elena... I heart Elena so much. "Get more loud!" Mom and I were in hysterics. Besides. Threes and the block. What's not to love? (Besides, Boris would get on my case if I didn't cheer for Elena.) And... er, what did Shameka say about Patty's female parental unit that she was on the bench? Poor girlfriend was stuck to the chair like someone superglued her shorts to the seat.
So are K.B. and Erin still standing outside the Hall waiting for a ride to soccer practice? 'Cause Glenn and I left around seven, and they were still standing out there schmoozing with all and sundry. I envision a station wagon rolling up with, like, Lindsay Whalen and Amber Jacobs and any other young, wholesome-looking guard in the league in the backseats. It was great, except for the self-righteous black lady who accused me of shoving in front of some little kid (I didn't do it intentionally, but I don't know how to parallel park). I think a whole bunch of Goodson kinfolk were there, because they were schmoozing like no one's business. Either Crystal is quite the social butterfly or she and Adrian Williams know each other somehow, because they were chatting up a storm. VJ, Crystal, and Elena got really big hands from the crowd, partially because they exited relatively early and partially because, well, this is New York and Crystal and Elena were two-thirds of the reason why we pulled this one out. Telling Crystal that that last call was bull (the block/charge that caused her to foul out) provoked a smile. I really like her smile.
This should not have been as tight as it was, but hey. We won, and at least I don't have to deal with any heartbroken San Antonio fans the way I do every other team.
September 10th, 2004: Connecticut at New York
Connecticut Sun 77, New York Liberty 66
Vickie Johnson is not herself, something hinky is up with Tari Phillips's hand, and Debbie Black is kind of awesome.
Vickie, Vickie, Vickie. Would you please go out and find your defense? And your offense? And possibly your leadership? We'd really appreciate it. Seriously. I have much love for the woman, but she seems to put her head in the place where Miko enjoyed sticking her head. (eep. Sorry. Gone to bad mental place.) Likewise, I adore Elena, but her shots have just been... and while I grant that blondes have more fun, brunettes remember it the next morning. On second thought, the way the Liberty have been playing, it might be better to be blonde. Where did I put that peroxide... sorry. In any cas, Elena's offense seems to be coming out of its protective cocoon, and perhaps when we play the Silver Stars, née the Utah Starzz, she'll go off. She was also the game's leading rebounder with 9. Becky was not scintillating; I recall looking at the final scoreboard and going 'how the asterisk did Becky get 17?' Her passing was also not that sharp- would the appropriate adjective be blurry or soft? Mom had some very pointed words about her play. Bethany was solid offensively- a bit of a liability defensively, and I've also come to the conclusion that Bethany can't handle passes that are badly thrown. This isn't necessarily a mortal sin, but it ain't good. (And if you think I'm soft on her, you should hear the by-play in the seats. Me: "aaaargh! BETHAAAAAAANY!" Mom: "It wasn't her fault. Stop shrieking!" Me: *resentful glare* *mutter: wasn't shrieking.*) Crystal had some interesting plays- one deep three, one sack of the point guard. I think she got called for roughing the shooter, though. Wasn't impressed with her defense, but I wasn't impressed with anyone's defense tonight. Mel, I swear I didn't go anywhere near Shameka tonight, I don't know why she played like crap. DeTrina played tough, but was horribly, gruesomely mismatched against Taj. La'Keshia's shorts should have been glued to the bench the way Erin and K.B.'s were. And that leads me to the horrible coaching paragraph.
There are few point guards who can keep from getting mind-blown by Debbie Black. K.B. Sharp happens to be one of the few- fast enough to avoid her, smart enough to ignore her, tough enough to toss a forearm at her if need be. Whatever the reason, no matter how else she plays, K.B. is the anti-Debbie. Which, of course, is why Patty didn't play her. More to the point, I've noticed a disturbing trend in Patty's coaching style: she reacts. She doesn't do, she reacts. Trudi Lacey dictated the flow of the game last week. Mike Thibault dictated the flow of tonight's game. Lacey and Thibault did; Patty and Marianne responded. While this sounds good, it means that the other coach is making the decisions. Patty needs to make the first move in some of these matches- make the first substitution, make the first major scheme change. Mom pointed out that Marianne is a more seasoned coach than Patty- why doesn't she point this out? Simple answers: authority, difference in style (Marianne may think reaction is all right), or reticence. Cynical answer: if Patty botches up, next year we talk about Head Coach Stanley.
Big plays: Crystal and her big-girl three. Crystal, Shameka, and Lindsay Whalen's unceremonious introduction to the stage right basket suppport/seats/camera crew. (I didn't get to see the whole thing, damn my sight line.) Nykesha Sales and her big baskets. Nykesha Sales and the amazing tip-in. VJ and Shameka forcing the backcourt violation. Pretty hook shots. Pretty screens. Bethany hitting three consecutive free throws and the world not coming to an end.
Personal highlight of the night: airy persiflage with Debbie Black as the Sun got off the bus. I'm an ink junkie, and the only way I can get if from other teams now is to hang out before the game and wait for the team bus. Of course, the moment the driver of the Sun bus figures out how to park (dude acted like was going to drive right into the building a la MSG), everyone and their mother decided to walk down 51st Street. So there's me, and maybe three diehards, and two guys who know a little bit about basketball, and one guy who was teh skeeve-o-rama, and the Sun and their posse. The cry goes up: "Black's signing!" I fight my way through the pedestrian traffic, 2000 Dominion card in hand. To get her attention, 'cause my parents raised a reasonably polite child with a quirk for archaic phrasing, I call, "I beg your pardon." She looks at me, takes the Sharpie, and ripostes, "You beggin' my pardon or do you want my autograph?" I mumble something about the traffic, she signs the card, and she goes on her merry way. In a similar vein, one of the guys, who knew the whole fight history, reportedly told her, "No fightin'." She looked at him and said, "I'll fight you." (Dude was skinny, but still taller than me, and I'm taller than Ms. Black.) Knowing that at least half the people waiting with Sharpies were Liberty fans (you can tell by the shirts and such), and knowing that she was going to get booed eighteen ways from Sunday once she set foot on the court, she still found time to be smart with us. I loved it. I can't help but love it.
Gah! I almost forgot the Tari thing. Right. The Tari thing. It was a few minutes before Connecticut showed up. Tari arrived in a white halter top and blue jeans, looking as yummy as a straight girl can gauge a straight girl to be. She was trundling a couple of bags along, of course, because I don't think Tari can change rooms without bringing a change of clothes and matching make-up. One of my colleagues went over to talk to her, mentioning last night's tidbit about the fracture not healing properly. Tari's response? Along the lines of "I didn't know that." Now, I know TP's a space cadet, but even she would listen when it's her health, right? Well, that was the last any of us saw of Tari that night. I tried to look over, and I didn't see her on the bench, and I know I didn't see her join in any of the huddles. I've been wondering if the front office is making her feel unwanted, whether with little things like not letting her sing the anthem or with big things like not letting her play. I've even taken the obvious step of wondering whether they want her to stay around. Can anyone else see the front office trying to pressure Tari into retirement so they can free up the money to go after a younger player?
I'm picking up bad vibrations from this team. It's not just the Tari thing. I don't think VJ is happy with her role anymore. The team, and the offense, seem to be becoming more about Becky, even as Becky's effectiveness has decreased (another mom quote: "She's short and she shoots threes. Put a tall person on her and you're covered."). I also think that the bad mojo with our starting backcourt is leaking over to the kids (Erin and K.B.). Also, if the Tari thing is angering the veterans, well, then, that's another problem. And unfortunately, I don't think this team can play its top basketball unless all the dirty laundry is in the washer with the detergent and softener. The second it's out and dirty again, the doody hits the fan.
September 2nd, 2004: Charlotte at New York
New York Liberty 56, Charlotte Sting 52
The Game Notes get the onstage hookup, Tammy Sutton-Brown walks like a hooker, and Crystal Robinson and the entertainment are both off the hook.
Kate, you are a goddess. Seriously. I love you, I adore you, if I weren't straight I'd marry you. For those of you who are confused, Kate, the admin at wnbatalk.com, hooked me and mom up with her seats for the game tonight. Did I mention that Kate sits onstage? *squeal jump ow...*
Even getting to onstage seats is an adventure in and of itself- you get to wander around backstage and see where they stash the stuff for the games and the elevator to the locker rooms and the directions to the press conference. You get to come through the same passageway as the teams, and it's just so wow. To sit on the stage at Radio City Music Hall is an incredible experience, and y'all need to try it sometime. You'd see who makes whom laugh, and that DeTrina's joined in the Livestrong yellow bracelet craze, and once again learn that if Goddess had meant for white girls to dance, She would have made them black I swear that Erin's in the doghouse because she taught Becky to do the robot dance. I know I'd do that if I were in a position of authority.
Is it just me, or does Tammy Sutton-Brown walk the same way that LL does? Either that, or she's begging for someone to check out her derriere. It... it twitches. And she... er... jiggles. Despite all that, she was a force on the glass, including especially the offensive glass. Wasn't someone on Full Court Press just mentioning how her offensive rebound production had gone down? Coulda fooled me. Dawn Staley didn't play like someone who had just come off a back-to-back after playing in freakin' Athens at that time or so last week. She was on the ball, and a very wise player. Putting Becky on her was a giant mistake. She set everything up beautifully for the Sting; their offense sputtered when K.B. went on her and started forcing her to hold the ball for longer periods of time. Stinson's still got some moves. They don't always go in, but she's still got some moves. She had one really nifty steal that would have made me shriek if I had seen it. She also seems to have either found a magical sports bra that she needs to recommend to TSB and Crystal, or she's lost weight in a certain legendary part of her anatomy. Allison Feaster had a relatively quiet night, but honestly, haven't the Liberty defenders figured out yet that this is not a woman you leave to go double on someone else? For real? Crystal didn't look thrilled at the prospect of defending her, but she didn't seem to be the focus of the offense, for some reason. I'm not sure who she was on defensively, but unless she had Crystal, she was doing all right for herself. Charlotte Smith-Taylor wore very bright lipstick (sweetie, you're not Tina Thompson, please don't try it) and had a knack for hitting key shots. Her range is getting better; the long shots are falling. I'd still not be sanguine about her as my long-distance threat, though, were I a Sting fan. Kelly Mazzante is turning out to be quite a steal in the second round, which makes sense, what with her having been projected as a first-round pick. She found a way to get open for a jumper while VJ and Crystal were both chasing her, and she was fierce on the defensive end. She's developing dimensions. Brava, Kelly. Nicole Powell was really good at being tall, and I dimly recall her in some defensive plays for some reason. Olympia Scott-Richardson also put her height to good use, elevating for a shot over DeTrina. D-Train was not pleased with herself after O-Scott put it in over her. Teana Miller (née McKiver) is really good at being really big. Tynesha Lewis must make Van Chancellor go 'why the heck did I dump her?' eveyr time she comes up big. She's very solid for this Sting team. Trudi Lacey shows promise as a defensive stopper, and yeah, as a coach. And none of these women should wear orange aluminum foil... wait, that was a uniform?!
VJ. WTF? A missed free throw, a shot that didn't hit the rim, a blown fastbreak layup, a fumbled pass... again I ask, what the f-? This is a half-season's worth of mistakes from her, all in one night. Elena. Again, WTF? Jet lag? She didn't play most of the second half, was ineffective when she was in, no matter how wonderful it was to hear the regular announcer roll that R as hard as he could. Becky was very well contained on offense for most of the game, only busting loose for a couple of layups in the second half. The long bombs weren't falling for most anyone. It was scary. Bethany held her ground against Tammy Sutton-Brown- it was really physical in there with the two of them; at one point, Bethany accidentally punched TSB in the head (her hand was in a fist, she didn't get out of the way, and TSB leaned into her hand). Crystal is a goddess. A shot-clock-beating four-point play? Dude. That's just. Dude. If that's not a momentum switcher, nothin' in this world is. And she played great defense. Mmm. I Crystal. La'Keshia actually rebounded. Like, wow, that's impressive, for real. And she hit 2/2 at one point from the line. I guess she saves the big games for the Sting. DeTrina played a lot because of the what-ever-it-was that affected Elena, but she wasn't really the full-fledged D-Train that we all know and adore, though she had one rebound that had the crowd yelling. K.B. was very solid, the prototype of the traditional point guard. She didn't score, and I don't know if she had any assists, but she spearheaded the offense (although in this game that's an inaccurate term) and was absolutely brilliant on defense. She's got great potential, and I just hope she doesn't end up screwed up by coaches who don't know what to do with her. Shameka hit a shot, but was otherwise quite forgettable. Sorry, Mel.
The coaching was the reason why I thought the Sting were going to keep that thirteen-point lead. Trudi Lacey controlled the early flow of the game- her substitutions caused Patty to make changes instead of the other way around; when the Sting went tall, Elena came into the game, when Lacey sent in the starters, so did Patty. I think Patty got control of her moves and that was a key to the Liberty getting the game back into their hands. I think the defense was also key, though the Sting forcing three shot clock violations is nothing to sneeze at either. Offense, like I said, wasn't exactly common in this game. There were a lot of misses, a lot of stalls, a lot of deflections, and a lot of solid defensive plays. This wasn't Patty and Marianne's finest hour, though Patty gets bonus points for having one of her little fireside chats with K.B. before sending the kid into the game; I know Patty played PG in college. The refs were all right- an all-female crew headed up by Lisa mattingly. They made a couple of glaringly bad calls, but made quick make-up calls soon afterwards. It all evened out. Mostly they let 'em play, and did they ever.
I don't know if I could get used to the view- I like the details, but I like being able to see everything unfolding from above like the eye of Goddess or something, too. I do, however, think that I could easily get used to the people. Thundersticks to my left, thundersticks to my right, a wonderfully crazed lady in front of me... okay, so the smelly guy next to my mom wasn't so much of the good, but hey, I told her she could move over. I think we really did knock Andrea Stinson off her stride on a free throw, and considering how few of them there were I think that's notable. And again, the Sting players are teh niceness [sic].
Place was not completely full, as I can vouch for five empty seats due to the damn convention. Tari wore tight pants and a half-buttoned blouse. Alas, I didn't get pictures of her. The anthem was done by a female trio named Mrs. Robinson, and yes, a couple of players shot Crystal looks at that intro. They were all right, and I think they've done the anthem before. Pregame show was the Sting bricking halfcourt shots and a dance team. Halftime was another dance team, and I have a pic of them I might get posted when I get my film developed. The bear is so cuuuuuuute! *hugs Stevie-bear* Yes, I have one for you, Kate; the nice man at the door gave me two so none of us have to go without. Strange moments of the Bounce/Cheer/Joy thing- the Cheer spilled, and the girl with one hand hit the lay-up first. This was after VJ had blown the fastbreak layup, so needless to say the sarcasm was on full blast. There was a pregame celebration of the two Olympians on the court. I stood and clapped for Dawn, and she got a hearty round, but the biggest cheers were for Elena. Me, I was bout even for them, because I knew that Elena was about as happy with her bronze as the American men were with theirs. They got flowers and applause.
At the end of the game, the players did their ritual wave at the fans thing, but they seemed like they wanted to get away as fast as they could. I don't know whether it was because they won such an embarrassingly bad game, or because Patty was all ready to lay into them about what they shouldn't learn from this game, or because they had a flight/bus to Connecticut to catch directly after. Maybe this time they'll catch up on their naps before the game (I was waiting with some acquaintances before the game at the stage door, and as the Liberty players disembarked from the turquoise bullet of ugly, one of them said that they all looked like they needed a nap. Crystal was the only one really conscious. Hmmm. Correlation? Well, her comment also got the odd image of a Liberty kindergarten class going through my head.)
And what have we learned about the East from this game? NOTHING!
August 5th, 2004: The Game At Radio City
USA Basketball 74, WNBA All-Stars 58
Stargazing at an otherwise almost aggressively boring game.
Okay. Sorry. Look, I got home at twelve-thirty last night and I started a new job today, and it doesn't have Internet access. So my wonderful insights are late. Also, I'm posting the same set of notes to four different boards. If you don't know who I'm talking about at any point, you're not acquainted with who I'm talking about.
I promised the folks over at Stormfans that I'd take copious notes. Unfortunately, it wasn't the kind of game worth taking copious notes *on*.
Take most of the defensive intensity of a good game. Remove most of the offensive ability. If you're working with an ASG, take out all the flashy moves. Take out the crowd noise. You'll be left with last night's game. It was a combination of "let's not get hurt" and "it doesn't matter". Not a good thing in a televised game.
I didn't even know I'd have a ticket until around 1PM that afternoon, when I checked my voicemail and discovered that Admin Kate from WNBAtalk had a spare ticket because her brother backed out. So I scooted down to the Hall around 4 (shut UP, all of you!) to hang out and see what I could see. Didn't see very much other than the teams getting off the bus and being in a bit of a hurry, but I guess you'd be in a hurry too if some idiot had a camera in your face while you were just trying to go from the bus to the building. VanChan stopped, and in doing so almost abandoned his coffee. Oh, the humanity!
Major skeeviness out front right before the game- a lot of disreputable-looking guys either in need of a ticket or trying to sell theirs off. I got so annoyed tht I made up a sign saying that I didn't have an extra ticket nor did I need a ticket. I didn't get a chance to use it, but it was a warm and reassuring thought. Also, we were not in need of a DJ. That was really freaking annoying.
Found out that I'd have the pleasure of sitting with Alison and Dee (both WNBAtalkers, but Alison does most of the talking) as well as Kate. We were in Orchestra FF, and herrade (WorldCrossing), you weren't kidding about not being able to see a damn thing. We had great views of the players, but none of the floor.
Worst anthem I've heard at a game this year. Why, oh why can't they borrow Tari? Names with punch seem to turn out the worst anthems.
First play of the game made me hope that this was going to be a good game- USA wins the tip, goes on the fast break, and Cheryl Ford smothers the shot. Well, it was indicative of the shooting, but not much else. How long did it take for either team to score?
We had the exquisite displeasure of being seated directly behind the smallest wet blanket on the East Coast- she was adorable, but every time my friends or I cheered during the player introductions, she turned and looked at us like she couldn't believe that we were making noise. If looks could kill, then hers would have put any one of us in the hospital for a week, and that only because she was a kidlet. Granted, Alison had her Xena warcry going, but still. It also didn't help that the people in the few rows that were ahead of us weren't the type to show up on time or wait for a timeout to take their seats. Hello, the view stinks enough, can you NOT obscure what precious little we CAN see??
The Olympic team liked to run. There were quite a few fast breaks, or at least plays that started as fast breaks- I think I may have a photo of one that started as a fast break and ended as Sue Bird on top of Lindsay Whalen. But they were comfortable trying to grind it out, too; guess if you've got Yo, Ruth, and La Leslie you'll be fine in the halfcourt game too. The All-Stars preferred to take ill-fated jump shots and... er... more jump shots.
VanChan tended to send his players in as units- by the second half, he was basically doing wholesale substitutions, the starters on one hand and the "UConn unit" on the other. Bill subbed more like it was a traditional game, but he used the whole bench, which was nice. (This may be the only game where Bill Laimbeer calls a timeout *because* Swin hits a fast break lay-up.)
The UConn trio on the Olympic team works like they have one brain for the lot of them. I don't mean it as an insult, simply that they worked so beautifully in tandem that it was a joy to watch. They also seem to have brought Ruth Riley into that little fold of theirs. LL had her moments, and her USA-colored hair ribbons. I guess she didn't want to say that she didn't match. PeeWee runs a mighty fast offense and can even hit a shot or two. Yolanda was a monster, an absolute monster on the glass. I want her on the Liberty so the announcer can always say her name with panache. Ruth has the shooting range necessary for success in international play, which was nice. Tamika Catchings was what you would expect. I mean, come on. We all know these players already. But if there's a weak link on this team, it is, alas, Dawn. (Sorry, pilight.) I don't think she can maintain the initial pace this team wants to work at, although she'll be good for when the big-n-toughs are in the game and VanChan wants to slow it down. Sheryl and Katie didn't play tonight- Sheryl wore a nice dress, Katie a white blouse and black pants. It frightened me to realize that I have essentially the same haircut as Katie, only not blonde.
Becky had a nice pass and a nice bucket off a steal. She actually had a couple of steals, which surprised me greatly. Lindsay Whalen had a nice drive and the willingness to be run over by Sue Bird at full speed. Have I covered enough so that if you're here to drool you can drool? All right then. Taj went behind the back on Dawn and lived to tell the tale- that was my personal highlight of the night. Mwadi had a nice streak going for a while, shooting-wise, but also went brain-dead on defense a couple of times. Cheryl committed dumb fouls, which isn't terribly smart when you're one of three post players on your team. Nat Williams fought hard, especially when Yo was in there. Allison Feaster revealed some defensive ability that I hadn't noticed before. Sure, get closer to perfect. No one will notice. (Look, if a person has good looks, the brains to get into Harvard, the ability to play All-Star basketball, and a general niceness about them, that person is far closer to perfect than most of us, right?) Anna DeForge had an iffy game, but there was a logical reason for that. No one else really left an impression on me.
Since I was a free agent (no mom to tell me to go home), I got to stay after the game, lurking outside the stage door like the crazy woman I really am. We got to see some, but no all, of the players make their exits. Natalie Williams was in a shirt that would have sent New Socks over on Stormfans into a tizzy- an American-flag vest/tank top sort of thing. Nikki Teasley looked frightening. La Leslie actually raised herself a notch in my estimation- she came out laden with bags and told the lot of us that she needed to get her stuff onto the bus. I figured she'd just stay on the bus with the bags. Instead, she dumped the stuff and came off the bus for us. Way cool. Way nice of her. Birdy was nice, albeit slightly confused- after coming through the stage door, signing for the passel of us, and getting on the bus, she disembarked and ran back into the Hall like someone had set her shorts on fire and told her that there were free fries in the building. A possible explanation lies in the next paragraph. Allison Feaster came out looking sharp (damnit! another indicator of perfection!). Cheryl Ford and Deanna Nolan shared a livery cab. 'Kesha Sales hailed a taxi (only in the WNBA, folks, only in the WNBA). Lindsay Whalen seemed to have a van. Anna DeForge left with Nancy Lieberman. Hello, lack of subtle...
Luminaries at the game: Rebecca Lobo was sideline reporter, although she broke out of her role once or twice to deliver comments to Lisa White on the WNBA bench. They honored Olympians of the past, so Ann Meyers, Nancy Lieberman, Donna de Verona, and a couple of women whose names I don't remember were there, plus they dragged Becca off the sidelines and Anne Donovan out of the huddle. Taj brought Maia, her younger daughter, and I squeed at high volume for a while when they were together on stage after the game. T-Spoon was sighted, as was Asjha Jones, as were the current UConn Huskies. (I wouldn't be surprised if Geno threw one of his Final Four-esque parties; we saw none of the Huskies except the running Bird, and I bet that's where she was headed off to. This is complete conjecture on my part, of course.) Val and Blaze were both in attendance as well; they chatted with Ann Meyers on a street corner, and for a second I thought I'd accidentally been shunted through Knoxville on my way to the stage door.
All in all, it was more an event than a game, so anyone watching at hom ebasically got the shaft because they got all of the crap and none of the fun social activities.
All right. One more slightly self-centered note; among the 5,945 in attendance were the coach of the defending CUNYAC champions and her starting point guard (who, if form holds true, will hit the title-winning shot against Staten Island to clinch the program's fourth consecutive title and automatic bid to the NCAA D-III tournament). I used to dorm down the hall from her.
Sunday, February 10, 2008
July 31st, 2004: Connecticut at New York
please note that game notes for the first game at Radio City, in which the Liberty won and Swin Cash lost me a bet by being the first player to run off the stage, have been lost to posterity.
New York Liberty 80, Connecticut Sun 66
The Utah Starzz represent, K.B. Sharp needs to deal with Debbie Black more often, and Elena Baranova's a dork.
Dude. Am I, like, the only one home yet?
Quote of the night- "How is it an eight-point game? Did I lose my lucky urine?"
Life at the stage door isn't all that glamorous. It mostly involved standing around, getting through a book of short stories, and three flurries of activity. Yes, as a matter of fact, the Liberty do travel in that fuuuuuuuuuuugly turquoise bus. They showed up as a mob around 4:30. Some of 'em were already in sweats for warm-up, others slightly more formal; La'Keshia looked like she was going to a board meeting. I passed along rookie cards, so I was happy. (Shameka, Bethany, and K.B.'s rookie cards came out in the last set.) The Sun rookies and assistants, as well as a couple of other entourage sorts (I swear, Mike Thibault had a whole posse on that bus) arrived around 5:20. The Sun veterans arrived around 6, late and bothered, although Debbie Black, of all people, gave us a "hello" as she rushed in. I don't think I've ever seen a team where the rookie/veteran split is as pronounced as with the Sun; perhaps it's because there are so many rookies? And of course, Tari was the last one to show up. *fond smile*
Does anyone have any clue why Taj McWilliams-Franklin would be running through the RCMH lobby forty minutes before gametime? The Gatorade/Powerade/whatever they drink had already been loaded (we saw crates of it come through the stage door).
Rebounding, man. Rebounding started to kill us in the first half, and rebounding- specifically Elena's rebounding- saved us. DeTrina continued showing that offense stuff she brought last night, and one offensive rebound, she came flying out of nowhere for the putback. Mmmm... putback. Elena couldn't get her shots to fall- I mean, she even missed a free throw- but she was ferocious on the defensive end. And of course there was her endgame routine- after the standing O and the players doing their smile-and-wave routine, Elena first bowed, then as she picked up the roses for the team, she curtseyed a couple of times. I don't know what it is about the stage that brings out the goofiness, but I like it. Bethany actually hit two of two at one point- must be that blue moon outside; otherwise the only thing she was good at was eating minutes. (As an aside, the fans I know solely in real life are shocked by the depth of the Board Junkies' dislike and disdain for her. She ain't the world's greatest, but you know, she's a pretty solid little post.) La'Keshia found that offense she had shown against Charlotte, but again, distinct lack of rebounding- she's not a Euro, what precisely is her excuse? If K.B. got to play against Debbie Black every night, she'd be considered the best PG around. She outquicks Black, doesn't get rattled, and if she feels Debbie is invading her personal space she lets loose with a forearm that must have come straight off the mean streets of Columbus. Shameka, on the other hand, was not paying attention when someone said 'watch your back when Black's in the game', 'cause she got her pocket picked but good. She committed a couple of dumb rookie mistakes but also had a couple of nice plays. Crystal got mauled a time or two- she must have some kind of bad karma kicking around or somehing, or maybe she just smells like Tennessee- first an elbow from Swin, then one from Kesha Sales- she was clutch on a couple of those possessions where the shot clock went down to nothing. VJ was mostly the strong but silent type- she came up limping at the end of the first half but was magically healed by the second half. Becky was real fun to watch tonight, though a couple of those plays had me cringing- one where she drove into NyKesha Sales, even though Crystal was running with her comes to mind- however, I admit that generally Becky's mistakes stick out in my mind more than the good things she does, and she had very few mistakes. (Oh, and speaking of Becky- anyone else who saw the highlight video, did you spot the ring on her hand in the last frame where she's pointing to the camera? Very smooth, rubita.)
I want a birth certificate check on Lindsay Whalen. No way in hell she's a rookie. What a playmaker. What a passer. What a combo guard. If you'd told me that the deal was a steal, I would have said, "Yep, Connecticut got robbed." Now I think it's the other way around. I'm converted. For similar reasons, I want a birth certificate check on Debbie Black. That woman doesn't move like she just turned 38. (As an aside, I think mom and I were the only two people in the building who clapped when Debbie Black came into the game. I may be the only person ever to cheer for Debbie Black and not for Becky.) Nykesha Sales has such a knack for scoring that it sometimes seems pointless to put a defender on her; even when Crystal was guarding her, I had flashbacks to the fateful night when Richie thought it was a good idea to stick Lindsey Yamasaki on her. Aiiiiee, the horror! Wendy Palmer was very quiet tonight- I swear, there were moments when she and Elena had this whole 'I'm the better Utah reject- no I'M the better Utah reject!' duel going on; personally, I think Elena won, and Lil Debbie came in second. Le'Coe Willingham is one big woman- 6'0", 200? Maybe. But I don't think it's as well-packed as Tari's is- no, not that way, you pervs, I simply mean that Ms. Willingham is another one who might have to get told to stop going to KFC and start going to the Curves nearest her. (thanks, Slovy, for that felicitious phrase) Taj is one hell of a good post player. If I didn't mention anyone, assume their impact on the game was minimal (although I gotta give the love to the two folks I saw in the Jen Derevjanik T-shirts and the one lady who went all out and got a Derevjanik jersey; it's also gotta go out to the girl in the K.B. jersey)
The refs were another stinkola, this time with the added inability to count to three. Yay! New and disimproved refs!
Did Taj kiss Crystal on the cheek during post-game handshakes? Or am I just having recurring hallucinations of her, longing for her post presence in the lineup?
Oh yeah. Presence. Tari. :swoon: She looked so natural going through the stage door And she was in black and a skirt up to here *holds my hand a couple of inches above my knee* and she... if 1) it were actually possible, and 2) would actually serve some purpose, that is a woman I would turn gay for. So does that mean Tari gets the toaster oven if at some point in my life I'm really a lesbian hiding in a straight's body? *imagines her confusion if that happened*
We had a Sue sighting, hurrah! And I saw a couple of people who had to be some sort of Christon- they looked just like Shameka, only not quite as lanky.
Oh yeah. On Point Magazine is a piece of crap. Their facts are half-arsed and their proofreading isn't even that good. My good deed for the week will be sending them a proofread copy of their mag.