August 15th, 2015: Tulsa at New York

Just the Facts, Ma'am: Tulsa was up by as much as 20 in their 81-76 win over the Liberty at Madison Square Garden, though New York put up a spirited fight in the fourth quarter behind 13 of Brittany Boyd's 22 points. Odyssey Sims had 27 to pace the Shock.

For shirts, no shoes, no soap radio, distressing injuries, a distaste for night games, so many tourists, and being unable to see straight, join your intrepid and dehydrated blogger after the jump.



A quick turnaround, and here we are again back in New York, as the Tulsa Shock come to town. Today may be shopping day. We'll see what's on sale. Mama needs a new pair of shoes. (No, literally. My sneakers have holes in their soles.)

No shoes to be found, but I did buy a new shirt at the MSG team store, and determined that the rest of my shopping will be done when my 20% coupon kicks in on the 11th. It looked like we're going to get a lot of walk-up ticket sales for this game, and a lot of groups.

We're going to have to like the halftime entertainment- they're sitting two rows in front of us, just in front of the lovely Australian tourists. (One of them went to school with LJ!) (Also, Aussies tend to be cool in general. Come back next year, Bec!)

Entertainment continues to actually wear clothes- pregame was a hip-hop troop whose routines reminded me a little of St. John's, only not as expertly rendered, and halftime is a Bollywood dance group whose photographer is an utter jackass, followed by another hip-hop troop,

Tulsa's been shooting the lights out, and we're panicking in response by taking too many threes. We're not a three-point shooting team. That's not our offense. Our offense is strongest in the interior and crisply passing to the open man.

Epiphanny Prince's dumb foul on Odyssey Sims behind the arc really messed up the momentum and took the crowd out of the game. We just have to hope that we can outlast them and their lack of depth.

We almost did. Brittany Boyd took the bit in her teeth and decided that we weren't going down this easily. But you can't complete a comeback if you get a golden opportunity like a foul on a three-pointer and miss the free throws. Tulsa freaks out in the fourth quarter, and we had a chance to at least close to within one possession.

Amanda Zahui B. looked solid, but I'm hedging my bets only because her counterpart was just that bad tonight. She used her size well to box out, and I'm not completely sure she doesn't use the hair to cloud her opponents' vision, like an octopus squirting ink. Tiffany Jackson-Jones has that familiar footwork shuffle that used to drive us nuts in New York. She seems to be moving well, and has put on muscle. I'm happy for her. Vicky Baugh got a little help with the rim, but I like that little jumper she has. Jordan Hooper was spectacularly unremarkable.

Brianna Kiesel powered through the lane for one nice drive, but overall seemed to be trying too hard on offense. Her strength is not scoring, and she can't be Sims or Williams. Also, I have just noticed that Kiesel was the only guard who came off the bench.

Courtney Paris is a very large woman. Yes, I know, instant grasp of the obvious, but when there is that much movement under the jersey, I feel sympathy pains in my chest. She positions herself well under the basket for rebounds and uses her bulk to clear people out of the way. Plenette Pierson's perimeter game is inconsistent and strange. She defended well on interior passes, deflecting with her fingertips. Karima Christmas did a little bit of everything. She's not spectacular, but she's surprisingly versatile and seems to be very useful.

For most of the game, it didn't seem like Odyssey Sims could miss a shot, whether it was from the field or the line. Puck luck and fearlessness helped, as did a sweet long-range shot. I'm not as good at seeing assists, but she seems to have her team firmly in hand (one play comes to mind immediately- Hooper moved and immediately Sims started yelling "no, no!"). I think the loss of Diggins has forced Sims to develop more as a point guard, and it'll be interesting to see the dynamic next year with Diggins back, both of them true combo guards that can make the offense very fluid. Riquna Williams has such a pretty shot, but absolutely no common sense on the other side of the floor. She committed a couple of stupid fouls near the end of the game that gave the Liberty a chance to make the game competitive again. Tula will be much better off once she can go back to being the super sub.

Brittany Boyd decided that if we were going to lose this game, it wasn't going to be because of anything she did. In the fourth quarter, she took the bull by the horns, the bit between her teeth, and the clichés to the max, and drove the lane repeatedly. Three straight possessions, three times she drew contact. She brought energy and fire, and reminded the Garden crowd how she won our hearts in the beginning of the season. Sugar Rodgers came up with some big shots and a ton of defensive hustle. Candice Wiggins was pesky defensively- Tulsa seemed to take pleasure in running her into screens over and over again- but all the good she did was overshadowed by her simple inability to hit a free throw at the end of the game. (Something that got to her too, given that she was practicing free throws after the exhibition post-game.)

I don't know what happened to Kiah Stokes, but I don't like it. At least last game she still had the blocks, but this time she didn't have the strength on the inside that we so sorely needed from her. More worrisome, she couldn't hang on to the ball. There were at least two rebounds that she should have had cleanly that fell out of her hands and into the hands of a Shock player. I think both of those resulted in Tulsa baskets (and as a demonstration of how scrambled my brains are, I almost typed "Detroit baskets" there). If she's hit the rookie wall, we might have a problem. Avery Warley-Talbert was stronger today than yesterday, but still not an acceptable alternative in the post. Essence Carson was all right defensively, and brought a little bit of offense, but she, like many of her teammates, had a problem finishing at the rim.

Epiphanny Prince's shot wasn't falling tonight. Part of the problem was that she was taking threes that weren't in the flow of the offense. She and Sugar were both trying to answer Tulsa's long-range assault, and that isn't this team's strength. It's something that we have in our arsenal, sure, but it's not something we should be attempting to rely on. Tanisha Wright got into foul trouble very early in the game, sitting after two minutes with two fouls. Then she picked up an early one in the third quarter, and between that and Boyd coming on like a house on fire, she spent most of the game on the bench.

Swin Cash barely played, and I don't remember much of what she did. Because Tulsa was often going with a smaller lineup, we often went with a three-guard set, or with Essence at forward. Carolyn Swords continues to take steps backwards. She overran the basket an awful lot tonight, and was very stiff. I'm worried about her, and I really don't think starting is agreeing with her- but with Kiah regressing in the last couple of games, our options are becoming limited. Tina Charles was tightly defended all night, and she was forced into a lot of bad shots by Tulsa shutting down her passing lanes. She rebounded well, but she was taking the shots that drive us nuts- but because she couldn't get the better shots, not because she thought it was a good idea.

There were a couple of points during the game where it looked like Bill had given up on the game, was already planning ahead for San Antonio and Atlanta- but the team wasn't ready to give up. I like that fight. We dug too deep a hole for ourselves with Tulsa's outside shooting, and though we had the fire to come back, we ran out of time.

The Pierson injury: everyone's saying it looked like a knee, but I'm not so sure. I didn't see how she went down, but while she was down, she was holding first her shoulder, then her knee. She was very ginger to get up, but she seemed to be putting weight on both legs. The trainers put a couple of towels over her head when she finally got up, and when she came off, her steps were very small and unsteady. I think there might be a concussion in play here. (As an aside, I was impressed with Laura Ramus. She was on the scene pretty fast, and Plenette's not even one of her players anymore.) Lots of love from the New York fans for PP, both during intros and when she came off the court.

Charlottesville was honored during one of the timeouts, though we didn't stay for the exhibition game after the Liberty game. If we'd won, I might have, but I was too cranky to stick around. Part of me likes the "Girls DON'T Sit on the Bench" t-shirt concept, part of me thinks wait, doesn't that imply that no one should be on the bench at all, even if you need to have reserves? I get the message, but I question the phrasing.

Officiating was the usual inconsistent mess, but you take it and you deal with it.

Do I want to know why Amanda Zahui B. was smacking one of the guards on the butt with a folded up piece of paper as they came onto the floor? Probably not.

Turns out that Swin and Tina both lip-sync pretty well.

We almost needed a game like this, to be honest. Better to be tested, and to rise to the challenge and almost meet it, than to not be tested until it really, really matters. Like Indiana or Washington. Better to be reminded of what we have to do when we play the West.

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July 3rd, 2014: Tulsa at Connecticut

Just the Facts, Ma'am: With a solid frontcourt to support them, Tulsa's guards blazed the way in a 96-83 win over Connecticut. Odyssey Sims led all scorers with 30 points, adding five assists; Skylar Diggins had 20, 14 in the second half. Alyssa Thomas led Connecticut with 24 points, while Chiney Ogwumike fought for a 10-point, 10-rebound double-double.

For flying objects, unmoving objects, utter exhaustion, the sound of the rain, small amounts of money, new friends, and secret escapes, join your intrepid and humid blogger after the jump.


Hello, intrepid readers of your intrepid blogger! We're coming to you from the rolling glory of a Dahlia bus as it departs Mohegan Sun Arena after tonight's match-up between the Connecticut Sun and the Tulsa Shock.

In retrospect, I should have sucked it up and taken a cab to catch the 2PM bus in Flushing, instead of relying on public transit and taking the 3PM. A ride that's usually around two hours- maybe three with some traffic around Bridgeport or New Haven- took more than four, with the entire western half of the state of Connecticut turning into one more or less unmitigated traffic jam. Combine that with the driver deciding he needed to make a pit stop just west of New Haven and an accident just east of New Haven, and your intrepid blogger missed the entire first quarter. A CRANKY. I HAZ IT.

(Oh, holy crap it is raining out there. The water hisses under our wheels and patters metallically on the roof.)

I was very surprised to see Theresa Plaisance on the floor when I came into the building. She got the call in the first half ahead of Vicki Baugh, but produced nothing. Baugh got the call in the second half, and though she didn't provide much on offense, I thought she was good defensively. She made a couple of nice plays on the baseline. Angel Goodrich really seems to have regressed. I wonder if Coach Williams has changed things up to reflect the strengths of Diggins and Sims, and that's left Goodrich as the player without a chair when the music stops. She hit a pretty three from the corner, but things seemed to bog down when she was in. Jennifer Lacy, despite being the veteran whose job it is to not do stupid things, managed to do something particularly stupid when she came back for a ball before fully crossing the midcourt line, thus turning the pass into a backcourt violation. (To be fair, that was kind of a dumb pass, too. I think Sims was the guilty party there.) Jordan Hooper showed off her shooting range- seemed less involved down low than she was on Tuesday, though that might have been because I didn't see the Tulsa offense under the basket as much as I did Connecticut's- my seats were under the basket by the Connecticut bench.

(We're through the worst of the rain. The windows are lightly spattered instead of a constantly changing constellation of raindrops.)

Perhaps worth mentioning is that Riquna Williams wasn't on the roster handed out at the game. Perhaps not worth mentioning.

Roneeka Hodges seemed to get the start to fill space, and perhaps because Señor Fred isn't completely comfortable with Courtney Paris as his most seasoned starter. I cannot say I would blame Señor Fred. There's such a thing as taking "PLAY ALL THE YOUNGSTERS!" too far, and though Hooper has been better in these last two games, I don't know if I'd want a lineup that went rookie-sophomore-rookie-third-year-(I've-lost-track-of-how-many-seasons-Paris-actually-has). Glory Johnson has some nice offensive moves at the basket, but Alyssa Thomas made her look absolutely silly on defense. I think and hope that she'll get some of the jerkiness and rough edges off her game one of these days, because she seems to rely too much on her athleticism and not enough on skill. I continue to be amazed with the progress Courtney Paris has made since her unsuccessful stops in the W. She moves very well for a woman of her size (and that's not just a comment on her weight- she has a broad frame and she's never going to be DeWanna Bonner). When she wanted rebounds, she got them, and before this year I don't think I've seen her crash the boards this hard since Oklahoma. She had a couple of resounding blocks, too, though she only seems to have been credited with one. Skylar Diggins looked mediocre in the second quarter, then started getting loose for silky jumpers and swift cuts to the hoop in the second half. Still don't like her, or her mouth. Maybe in a few years I'll get used to the mouth and the mean-mugging, but right now she comes off as a punk kid. Talented punk kid, but a punk nevertheless. (It's going to take some time for me to be impartial about her. I do not like that woman. I know that's obvious, but I feel the need for clarification.) Odysssey Sims was hitting everything in sight. All of the drives and finger rolls she missed in New York, she hit in Connecticut. All of the attacking moves led to positive offensive possessions for Tulsa. She looked confident and phenomenally talented. Something tells me it's going to be feast or famine with her and Diggins, and Tulsa fans had better be ready for the ups and downs.

AD, would it have killed you to put in Faris and Cain at the end? I mean, really, though. Throw them some pity minutes.

Kayla Pedersen came in late in the game, as some kind of desperation move when the Sun had already let the game get away from them. The box score leads me to believe she played earlier, but if she did, I didn't see it or didn't remember it. Kelsey Griffin had her hands full with Glory Johnson- there was a lot of pushing, shoving, holding, the usual activities of a couple of posts in action against each other. Renee Montgomery put together an offensive spurt in the second quarter, but tapered off after that. I'm surprised about that, to be honest- AD's philosophy with the point guards is to play the hot hand, and the slightly warmer hand was Montgomery's. Stop making me feel pity for Huskies, Anne. Allison Hightower still seems to be a ways away, but I can't be sure if that's her or the play-calling.

I think Alex Bentley has regressed to the mean, to put it politely. Her shots have not been going down, and I think that's messing with her head a little. She's pressing the way Cappie Pondexter does when her shot has gone walkabout, taking the first thing that comes up just to see if she can get something, anything, going. Kelsey Bone started well around the basket, but then she started taking jumpers, and then she started missing bunnies, and it all went to hell from there. To the best of my knowledge, Kelsey does not have a jumper. Katie Douglas got hot in the fourth quarter and pretty much decided by herself that she was going to make this as respectable a final as possible. She was firing threes like it was shooting practice. Chiney Ogwumike could find no space under the basket. There were black jerseys everywhere. The spaces that she normally fills so well were emphatically occupied. She fought hard on the offensive boards, moreso in the second than in the first, I think. She hit the ground hard for one of them. Fortunately for Connecticut, they had Alyssa Thomas, who was pretty much all the awesome, whether it was driving, fast-breaking (breaking fast? No, that's food), going strong to the hole, or even taking the occasional outside shot. She did all the things. I don't know when or how she ended up with the mask.

Things kept falling off for Connecticut, and I'm not even talking about the metaphorical wheels. On one fast break, Thomas's facemask came undone, and by the time she was done with the break it was dangling precariously from her ponytail. Griffin lost her right shoe, and play went on for quite some time, and she still got pretty good defensive position on Glory Johnson- might have been able to finish the play if her foot hadn't skidded. Apparently Bentley also lost a shoe, but that must have been in the first quarter. /shakes fist at the heavens

I think part of what drives me nuts about Diggins, and to a lesser extent Sims, is that they get the calls that I want my team to get, and then they smirk about it. It's very distressing. Connecticut fans are never happy with the refs; Tulsa's guards know how to get calls. There were a lot of boos, at least until the point where the Sun fans stopped caring. People were leaving before the t-shirt toss. People never leave before the chance of something free.

To the young lady sitting next to me in section 11, row H: your deadpan snark was much appreciated, and if you happen to see this, drop me a line with what Skylar didn't need from the two dudes behind us (to prove your identity), and I'll stake you to a ticket either for the Sparks game in NY on Friday (since you said you wanted to see Chiney's sister) or the Sun-Liberty game in August. (The two dudes were... well, dudes screaming "SKYLAR! SKYLAR!" much of the game, except for the bit where one of them was complaining about regular fans not getting special treatment on Season Ticketholder Appreciation Night. The point, you haz missed it.

Since Tulsa Zerg rushed off the floor in New York, I hit the hotel lobby to try and get autographs. Tulsa's been a difficult get, with the Prudential Center stuff, and they have a lot of young players whose scribbles I needed. Got most of the roster, save those veterans I've bothered in the past. Ignored Diggins. There will be other chances for her; for someone like Plaisance, I'm not so sure. Chatted with the lone Tennessee fan in Connecticut, and even though Kyle likes most of the players I dislike, he seems like a decent sort.

Somehow we accidentally ended up following, or being followed by, Vicki Baugh, Kelley Cain, and Odyssey Sims. One of these things is not like the others.

Won three dollars. You take what you can get on a day like this.

For a place named for a Philly guy, Geno's makes really bad Philly cheese steaks, served with a side of attitude this evening. Would it really have killed you to take the pickle off the top of the pile, dude?

Tulsa has a lot of promise. Connecticut has a lot of questions. Promise, but questions.

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July 1st, 2014: Tulsa at New York

Just the Facts, Ma'am: A 9-0 burst to open set the tone in New York, and the Liberty never trailed in their victory over the Tulsa Shock, 90-74. Tina Charles led all players with 28 points and 14 rebounds. Anna Cruz added 17 points on 7-7 shooting from the field. Skylar Diggins had 23 points to lead Tulsa; Glory Johnson notched a double-double with 13 points and 11 rebounds, while Courtney Paris had seven points to go with her 12 boards

For nostalgia, stealthy Tigers, blurriness of vision, and relief, join your intrepid blogger, who is up too late for her own good.


Happy Canada Day, readers! We'll be coming to you on tape delay from Madison Square Garden, the World's Most Famous Arena, for tonight's match-up between the Tulsa Shock and the New York Liberty!

If I'm astonishingly well-behaved tonight, or curiously chastened, it's because my mom's sitting right behind me at the game, so I have to behave myself. (Hi, mom.)

They actually had the extra time session from USA-Belgium on the big screen. Poor USA. (Only 1 minute of stoppage time? Really? All that dithering led to 1 minute? That's it? What, were the refs tired of all the dramatic extra time games?)

Tulsa comes out early and Zerg rushes off. I do not approve. You have a plethora of young players, Tulsa, how else am I going to get them?

(Okay, she might not end up right behind me after all. There are people in those seats who are not my mother. I feel slightly at ease.)

Why were we letting someone in Tulsa gear who is not a Shock player shoot the ball on our court?

Just for the record, I have no beef with Tulsa at the moment, but I can't bring myself to wish them anything good as long as they have Princess Twitter and her legion of followers on board the ship.

Chardé, it is really obvious that you got a weave, and possibly a few other hairpieces, when you go from two inches of fuzz to a puffy bun slightly more massive than Angel Goodrich.

Interesting anthem- excellent until the singer seemed to get lost near the end.

Tina Charles seems to have taken the criticism to heart. Just a little. Given that she's got 20 and 8 at the half and everything.

Teresa Weatherspoon keeps taking seats closer and closer to the Liberty bench. The stealth method is not one I've seen tried in coaching changes before, but if anyone were going to try and take a coaching job by sheer force of presence, it would be Spoon.

Glory Johnson will keep taking you right until you make her stop, Plenette.

Mom's right. Where is Chucky Jeffery? (Answer: she was behind the bench in street clothes. Not sure if injured or cut to non-guarantee her contract, or both.)

That felt really, really good. I like watching my team win. I like watching them win big. I like seeing everyone score and everyone get involved. It's a happy feeling.

Theresa Plaisance got time at the end of the game and scored a basket with such stealth that I didn't even notice it until I got home and looked at the box score. I thought it was adorable that she and Shanece McKinney were guarding each other in the last twenty seconds. I imagine they had a short conversation about how it was funny to meet like this. (I imagine a lot of things.) Jennifer Lacy is the perfect veteran for this team- she's not going to do anything spectacular, she's not going to be the star, but she'll set you a solid screen, and she won't be out of position on defense, and when the shot clock runs down she'll keep her cool. She hit two shots to beat the shot clock buzzer in this one. Angel Goodrich is very tiny. I know you know this already, but it bears repeating. She seemed kind of reticent on the court, as if she were more comfortable with her teammates taking the lead. She went flying into the stands after a loose ball, and it took a while to extricate her. Vicki Baugh seemed to be in for defensive purposes, when Fred Williams seemed to want someone a bit more mobile, and/or faster, than Courtney Paris. Jordan Hooper started her time on the floor hot, but cooled a little more. Is it wrong of me that my intitial assessment of Hooper is "oh, she's the player Kelsey Griffin thinks she is"?

Wow. Courtney Paris. Wow. She looks like she's finally put everything together. Well, not everything- her shot is still a work in progress, but for the first time in five years, she looks like the rebounding machine who set NCAA records. She was moving well under the basket, she crashed the boards hard (which I imagine will live in the nightmares of her opponents for years to come), and she was solid on defense. Seriously, I have not seen this Paris since Oklahoma, and I did have the privilege of seeing that immense Paris-Paris-Olajuwon combo live. Glory Johnson is an amazing athlete- I don't know if I like how she handles herself on the floor, but she's amazing to watch. She'll abuse a move until you prove that you can stop it. She rebounded well, though not as spectacularly as Paris (although there is a lot more of Paris to notice). Roneeka Hodges seems to be a stop-gap in the starting line-up, or she just had a bad day. Offensively, she seems to be playing a similar role for the Shock to the role that Alex Montgomery plays for the Liberty- she takes threes, usually from the corner or on an angle. She uses her size well on defense, since she seems to spend a lot of time on smaller players. Odyssey Sims is very fast, but still needs to learn some discipline. Not necessarily a lot of it, because I think that would negatively affect her game, but maybe a little bit to learn when shooting the ball would be negative for her team. She likes to show off her moves, though she wasn't able to finish a lot of them, except her teardrop in the lane. Skylar Diggins definitely looks more comfortable on the court than she did last year, and she seems to have adjusted to the pros, but she still annoys me, and I still hate how many free throws she gets. I'm not going to be able to deal with her for a while. She spent four years annoying me at Notre Dame. She's pretty, and she can play, and that's all you're getting out of me.

Tulsa needs to work on their shooting. Their posts are excellent, and they rebound very well, but they need the outside threat to go with the inside threat.

Yay, basket for Shanece McKinney! She worked hard for that one, too. I like when she gets decent run. Essence Carson came in as a defensive specialist in the second half and even got in a jumper (of course it was a long two, the bane of my husband's existence and Essence's personal bugaboo). I hope this means she's on her way back to full health and strength. DeLisha Milton-Jones took some dicey jumpers, but her long arms were excellent on defense. We got fantastic minutes on defense from Sugar Rodgers, which I'm pretty sure is a phrase that has never been typed before in the history of the universe. She went hard to the floor after loose balls, and though screens shook her loose, she stayed tight on Skylar Diggins for most of the game. Plenette Pierson kept Glory Johnson busy most of the game, and in general stuck to her role as overall annoyer of opponents. I really thought someone was going to get popped by the end of this one, the way they were going at it. Chardé Houston, bless your heart, but we didn't hire you to play defense, we hired you to hit shots, and that means if you get two offensive rebounds on the same play you should hit the basket, kplzthxbai.

Alex Montgomery was quiet today. Kept the defense up and hit her only shot, and of coruse she was in the mix on the boards, but Tulsa did a nice job of boxing her out on most of the ones she usually comes up with. Avery Warley-Talbert got the start, but got fouls quickly and was generally outmatched by the larger, faster Tulsa posts. She was about even with Baugh, but the other ones slayed her. Anna Cruz was scrappy and tough and hit big shots in the paint, and Anna does so many awesome things the only reason I didn't buy her jersey tonight is that there's a 30% discount in the season subscriber ticket book in August. But I love how she moves her feet and how she finds her teammates. Cappie Pondexter stepped up in the second half, getting and-1s by driving the lane, then popping out for the big shot. She's beautiful to watch when she's on. So is Tina Charles, who decided that she was actually going to play center tonight, and thus got lots of shots right around the basket instead of (mostly) taking stupid shots from the perimeter. I love Tina when she's forceful.

Things look like they're starting to click. I like that a lot.

Officials, I can't even, yes, Johnson got a tech for the elbow to Plenette's face, but how was there a foul on Plenette on the play? How does that even logic? I looked at that replay and never saw a foul by Plenette.

Ran into some Johnnies after the game. (Hi, Dukes!) Good to see old friends. Expect to see more on Sunday, assuming the rosters hold as they are.

So. Sunday. We go against the champs with two straight wins under our belt, we can totally make it three, right? Right? :D?

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May 31st, 2013: Tulsa at New York

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.

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September 22nd, 2012: Tulsa at New York

Just the Facts, Ma'am: A 24-9 third quarter and a 44-26 rebounding edge gave the New York Liberty a 91-74 win over the Tulsa Shock in their final game of the regular season. Plenette Pierson led the way for New York with 19 points, eight rebounds, and five assists. Ivory Latta's 16 points and six assists off the bench led Tulsa.

For distractions, misplaced small forwards, expressiveness, reincarnation, shirts in multiple sizes, and Cheerios, join your intrepid and photographed blogger after the jump.


This team is giving me a headache. Literally. There's a pulsing pounding pain on the left side of my forehead.

Once again, thanks to the help of the Liberty and the Twitters, we got our seats upgraded, this time to center court and seven rows up. These are nice. I envy whoever has them in Tulsa, though. Ivory Latta's facial expressions are priceless, and you get a full range of them.

Glory Johnson, think long and hard about whether it is a good idea to start beef with Plenette Pierson, who's so proud of her role that she's @DaEnforcer33. Reconsider your life and the choices you have made in it, or Plenette will likely rearrange your face. Likewise, Temeka Johnson, maybe stepping to Nicole Powell is not the smartest thing you have done in your life. I like the chip that Tulsa has on their shoulder, but it might get dangerous if they're not careful.

Kara Braxton has been very frustrating so far. And you can see it on her face when she loses the play. It's a strange sort of blank bewilderment. Like a lost puppy, or the mouse in the maze that's just taken a wrong turning towards the cheese. She just zones out and doesn't know what to do next.

Here in the third quarter, we had an issue with the ball during one of Cappie Pondexter's free throws. I think some air got out.

Riquna Williams was an absolute microwave in the first half. She's still too much of a gunner for her own good, but when she's on, she's a game changer.

Kym's anthem was a little too over-stylized for me, and she's starting to lose more of her breath control. For the first time in years, they didn't have the team gathered around her as she sang, either. I know there are going to be people who kvetch about it, but I'm glad. It was appropriate when her former teammates were on the team, but she never played with any of these Libs. When are the Libs going to kiss and make up with Tari Phillips already?

I approve of the Essence Carson bobble-head, though I still think it should come with removable goggles.

Props to the Tulsa fan in the custom jersey. Digital font means as old-school as Tulsa can get, and that's a lot of losing she would have had to put up with.

Kara, I know the huddle is not terribly relevant to your interests, but if you're going to spend it playing the shuffle game, at least get the right ball. Don't think I didn't see you flash that single finger at Kelley.

Sitting and waiting for the perfect attendance photo, and already you can tell the good old familiar Blaze-era cluster is going on. Melissa tells us that there's no wristband necessary. One guy in a polo doesn't know what's going on. The other guy in the polo hands us wristbands and tells us to sit in section 19. Blonde lady tells us that section 19 has to be cleared and everyone has to move to the right or to the left. Meanwhile, they're holding some kind of post-game shooting event for a group. Seriously, this is Blaze-era ignorance and idiocy. Get your facts straight, guys. We need someone's organized mother to keep everyone properly herded. They're missing even the basic concepts of crowd control.

Oh my goodness, we've lost Nicole Powell. You know it's bad when the team is leading the call to get her out here. Seriously, this is embarrassing. She just facepalmed as she came down the stairs... how did she even end up up the stairs?

Seeing Chante Black come into the game for Courtney Paris was definitely a change of pace. Her length did sort of annoy us when she was on defense. She wasn't good for much else. Scholanda Dorrell was in long enough to do a couple of stupid things, but that's about it. Riquna Williams has no fear of shooting, and sometimes that can be a good thing (when she hits) and sometimes that can be a bad thing (when she goes on a wacky streak or odd misses). That's what she's most effective at. I think most of the rebounds she ended up with were long ones. Courtney Paris used her size effectively against Kara Braxton, though disappointingly without any sound effects. But for the most part, she was a space filler. Jennifer Lacy did tend to do things that got my attention, whether they were good like the block she had on Nicole Powell, or bad like some of her less intelligent fouls. Ivory Latta played really well, even setting aside the fantastic facial expressions we got to see out of her. She made some very good plays. I'm glad she's found her niche and her groove.

Temeka Johnson played pretty stupid today. I liked her aggressive drives to the basket, but I didn't like her stupid fouls or her stank attitude. She deserved the technical, and might well have gotten herself another one if her teammates hadn't interceded. Kayla Pedersen barely played. Kloppenberg started her at center but then mostly used her as a rebounding switch. Maybe it's that she's still working her way back, or maybe he was thinking about the game against Indiana. I'm not sure. Glory Johnson really needs to work on her free throw shooting, though one of them wasn't really her fault. I like her moves to the basket, and I want to like that she has no fear, but at the same time I'm not sure that she shouldn't have a little fear. Hands to the face against Plenette Pierson doesn't generally end well. She's going to be a star, but she does need to have some of her rough edges filed off. Roneeka Hodges went bombs away from three, and it was not a good plan for the Shock. I think they were trying to counter the hot shooting from beyond the arc for the Liberty, but it just wasn't there, and at some point it might have been a good idea for her to just stop. Amber Holt did not impress me. I mean, I'm not sure what she was supposed to bring to the table, but whatever it was, she didn't.

Gary Kloppenberg looks like a younger, lighter-haired Van Chancellor. I half-expected him to start throwing candy to the fan in the red Tulsa shirt. I really like what he's got going on with the Shock. They react very quickly on defense, and had a couple of beautiful breaks on offense- I still don't know who threw Williams that pass that left everyone flat-footed.

Alex Montgomery got the bulk of her run late in the game when Essence Carson left with an injury. She made the most of her time. There's not much I can say about four minutes, other than it maybe should have been more. Kia Vaughn seems to have shaken off whatever malaise had gripped her for the previous month. She looked much more aggressive and into the play than she was before, and as a bonus, she brought her midrange jumper along for the ride. Yay, Kia! I love it when she smiles. Leilani Mitchell didn't take advantage of her height advantage on Temeka Johnson and Ivory Latta, and when that's a sentence that gets typed so rarely, she really needs to do it more. I like her, but she's starting to seem less and less useful as the season wears on. How long did we re-sign her for? We got to hear DeMya Walker call defensive signals, and she sounded like she was on the right track until Williams hit a three. Her age has become more apparent as the season's gone on.

Before the game started, Cappie Pondexter announced she had signed a three-year contract extension. And then she went out and had herself a lousy shooting game. She filled the other stat columns nicely, but her shot selection was questionable. Plenette Pierson got off to a slow start, and she has to realize that the reason teams keep leaving her open for long twos and threes is because she can occasionally hit that shot, but not consistently. She found her stride more in the second half, going towards the hole and ripping down rebounds. Essence Carson demonstrated fancy footwork and impressive control of her dribble, hanging on to the ball twice when she was knocked down. She was hot in the first half; there were points where she was the only offense we had. Kara Braxton couldn't get much of anything going, and she kept getting distracted out of the play. I swear, I caught her watching the entertainment twice. With Kia getting back in her groove and Kara looking scattered, we might see a change in the starting lineup for the playoffs. Nicole Powell receded back into approximate irrelevance.

The third quarter was the key. Everything clicked. The rebounding was nice too.

A lot of contact in this one that went uncalled, and a really blatant out-of-bounds on Glory Johnson that the refs missed, but otherwise not too bad. They did a good job of keeping order after Temeka Johnson lost her head.

The dance performance before the game scared me. I'm not even sure it's legal to view that kind of movement by prepubescent girls in many states.

We sat around some very cool people. I still love my neighbors and my section, though.

I'm not as psyched for the postseason as I know I should be. I'm sort of grateful the season's over. Is it November yet?

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July 17th, 2011: Tulsa at New York

Just the Facts, Ma'am: The New York Liberty struck early and often, leading by as many as 34 points in a 88-57 win over the Tulsa Shock. Cappie Pondexter led all scorers with 18 points in 21 minutes. New York had four players in double figures, and put everyone on the floor for at least four minutes. Tulsa was led by the 17 points and 11 rebounds of Tiffany Jackson.

For the shame of a proud franchise, the awesome that is Teresa Weatherspoon, team chemistry, burgers, and at least one hot guy, join your intrepid and well-fed blogger after the jump.

I realize that it's a nice Sunday and people don't want to be indoors. I realize that it's still three minutes before tip-off. I realize that the Women's World Cup final is going on right now. BUT WHERE IS EVERYONE? I devoutly hope everyone's in the bars and lounges, because otherwise, this is NOT how we honor Teresa Weatherspoon, this is how we spit in her face and in the face of what she did for this team.

Just for the record, guys? Just because I'm wearing a Rebecca Lobo jersey, that doesn't mean I'm voting for her. I'm voting for Tari! Leave me alone!

Trumpet anthem. I approve of this message, though I'm not sure whether Pondexter did (that was an... interesting look on her face that was either of great pain or great... um, enjoyment).

After hearing several different announcers do different things to Liz Cambage's last name, your intrepid blogger took the direct approach and asked her. I'm wondering if some of the cross-up is because of the different accents.

And Spoon just walked in the building and we gave a cheer and the kid in front of me gave me a dirty look and if he keeps doing that I'm going to kick his chair and if he keeps doing it I'm going to kick HIM.

Halftime, and we're up in a lot of categories. We need to be more careful with the ball, though. A disappointing crowd, but maybe some of them will filter back to their seats now that World Cup is almost over.

What I'm loving about this team is their willingness to go to the wall for each other. Jones drew a charge on Essence that was sort of dicey, and got in a shot on Quanitra while she was on the ground. Nicole, of all people, was the one to throw the shoulder block as they came back up. You didn't see a lot of that last year. Now you've got players stepping up to defend and protect their teammates.

One of the luckiest women in the world is holding the flowers for Spoon, and Spoon retains her ability to work a room. I don't know if she was genuinely stunned at the level of applause she received, or if she just did a good impression of it, but... here we are, T-Spoon, and we're giving you back the passion you gave us for so many years. I almost cried- I don't know how I didn't.

Om nom nom, thirty-point win. Om nom nom, burger. Here's an example of the real communication network in MSG and its properties: in the lounge behind our section, we ran into one of my mom's friends, who asked whether we were going to the barbeque. “Barbeque?” we asked with identical stunned expressions. “Yeah, the barbeque. Go over to section 19 and sign up.” So we did. So I'm full of burger and chips and typing up Game Notes of Doom in beautiful, sunny, muggy Newark.

I didn't like Marion Jones before this because of her previous scandals and shenanigans. I don't like her now because she was flat-out gooning out there, going low on players. She contributed one nice flying block, but other than that, I wouldn't mind seeing her out of the league. Betty Lennox, unsurprisingly, looked rusty. Sheryl Swoopes still has the shot, but her famed defense is not what it was. She committed a lot of holding that the refs either didn't see or refused to believe that Swoopes could be committing, and it ticked me off. Liz Cambage really needs a post coach to show her how to use her size, because she's not using it well as often as she could. She needs to get it together and lay off the dirty play, because I know she's a nice and exceedingly dorky kid. Doneeka Lewis appeared to have found her shot in this game, and she's a lot faster than I remembered, but then she lost the shot, and I'm really okay with that.

Jennifer Lacy does not contribute all that much on the floor. She must be out there for the intangibles. (Or her accessories.) Amber Holt really looks like she was hurried back too soon, and I think that's part and parcel of the problem they're having with the training staff (two staph infections? Really, guys?) She should probably still be rehabbing, or just coming back now. Kayla Pedersen contributed nice defense and got going a little later, but didn't seem ready for this level. She'll be good, but not right now. Tiffany Jackson was allowed to travel, so she was an offensive threat, and what Cambage lacks in rebounding ability, she makes up for in boxing out ability to let her teammates get the boards, which allowed Jackson to have room. Andrea Riley has no sense out there. I've met her, and she's a very nice kid, but she doesn't have the basketball sense God gave a gnat. She's fast, and she's okay defensively, but... she should not be a starter in this league, which only goes to show what's going on with this franchise.

I'm going to say it here and I'm going to say it on every platform I have: Quanitra Hollingsworth got screwed by the refs. She fouled out of the game, and maybe three of them were fair calls. Tulsa got a lot of pity calls, and Q got the worst of it. She did good work on the boards, and I approve of her offense. Felicia Chester needs to bend her knees on her free throws, but I like her rebounding on the offensive glass. Alex Montgomery showed off her offense, and unlike the last game I was at, that didn't impact her defense. She looked like a first-round pick out there. Okay, so it was Tulsa, but still. Our reserves spent a fair amount of time playing against their starters. Sydney Colson had a nice low block on Cambage that got everyone going, because, hello, tiny cute Whiz Kid and big giant Cambage. She got her points from the line, because she kept her hands busy with the ball and thus was often in position to be fouled. The reserves spent a fair amount of time trying to feed Sidney Spencer, and the Tulsa defense spent a fair amount of time guarding her like she was Diana Taurasi, so it seemed appropriate that the last shot was hers. Her footwork is nothing to write home about, but I like her hustle after loose balls. Essence Carson was an offensive spark off the bench in the second half, though it looked like she needed her glasses checked in the first.

I really am worried about Leilani Mitchell. I know tiny guard is tiny and therefore often a liability, but she hasn't looked right- I think her back is bothering her again, and the only saving grace is that Alex and the Whiz Kid have stepped up their games. Nicole Powell didn't really contribute, but fortunately we didn't need her to contribute. Kia Vaughn had a big first half and didn't need to have a second half, though I certainly appreciated her presence after Quanitra fouled out as a deterrent to Tulsa pulling any more shenanigans. Cappie Pondexter did what she had to do, and not much else- but again, we didn't need her to do much else. Plenette Pierson started off hot and spent her time out of the game on the bike, cycling off to nowhere in particular.

Our bench outdid their starters. Our starters look bad in comparison, but it's hard to say a lot about them when they didn't play most of the game. So the brevity of comments on the Liberty starters has more to do with the epic fail of Tulsa and the win of the postgame barbeque.

Tulsa's lack of discipline terrifies me. I'm not even talking about anything that might resemble an offensive scheme or a defensive formation. I'm talking about the plethora of fouls they committed and the fouls they weren't called for. I can't remember the last time I've seen a team go over the limit with time to spare in every quarter, and there were times it seemed like the refs were trying not to call things they would normally have or would have earlier in the quarter because it would put the Shock over the limit. If strong officials don't make a point of curbing the nonsense early, someone is going to get hurt in a Tulsa game soon. The holding by Swoopes and Pedersen, the chop-blocks by Jones... it has to be toned down.

With all due respect to the Tulsa fans and the folks who write about them, the way this franchise has been pile-driven into the ground sickens me. I was never a Detroit fan- but the one thing Detroit did right was run the show. As bad as the Bad Girls were, there was never this sense that complete loss of control was only a couple of wrong steps away.

Ivory Latta looked very cute in her street clothes. According to my usual sort of reliable sources, she's out until at least after All-Star. (For reliable sources, read: one of the nine thousand Liberty fans named Mary was standing next to me and asked her.)

Teresa Edwards looked lonely on that bench, but at least she also looked stylish doing it. I want that blouse, if it comes in XXL.

So, postgame barbeque. No assigned seats, which translates to everyone seeking a table and occasionally sitting with strangers, which I'm okay with; if you're a Liberty season subscriber, we have something in common, and that's cool. Seasoning the burgers was a definite plus. The players were friendly and approachable, though some had longer receiving lines than others. I don't think I've ever seen Nicole smile so much. Leilani and Sydney blend into the crowd. Felicia's fiance is hot- nice work there! Kia showed off her dance moves and model poses. Essence and Cappie were fashionably late. We happily skipped around, schmoozed with our fellow fans, got autographs galore, and left happy. And promptly missed the train, but you can't fight fate, or something like that.

We needed a game like this after that disappointment against Connecticut- and we also needed a game where the team could show their bonding.

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June 12th, 2011: Tulsa at Connecticut

Just the Facts, Ma'am: The Connecticut Sun put four players in double figures and kept the Tulsa Shock at arm's length most of the afternoon, winning 90-79. Tulsa's Ivory Latta led all scorers with 26 points. Tina Charles led the Sun with 19 points and eight rebounds.

For danger to life and limb, a distressing lack of cookies, trading cards, and yak herding, join your intrepid and indignant blogger after the jump.

Damn nice crowd for a mid-afternoon game against Tulsa. See, Libs, this is why afternoon weekend games work, not plopping people down at Penn Station at ten at night.

I think it's a bad sign that we've got Sue Blauch tonight. We're already prepared for fail.

Shoutout to Mohegan's free Wi-Fi. Hint, MSG; hint, Prudential Center. I like getting started before the game.

Please, for the love of all that is sweet and holy, please don't let Girl Scouts sing the anthem in registers they don't have. Please. My eardrums despair.

At halftime, something very scary has happened. It looks like Swoopes and Latta have figured out how to use Cambage. The rest of their team might not be familiar with the concept of the entry pass to the post, but if their backcourt players are... they might be on to something. Also, Connecticut appears to have taken up with Three-Point Shot, and we all know how fickle she is. Kelsey Griffin really needs to stop shooting and Danielle McCray needs to start.

I'm surrounded by Girl Scouts. They have no cookies. WASTE.

There were never any cookies. I am not amused. What's the point of having Girl Scouts at an event if you don't have them selling cookies? Honestly, it's not going to take that much away from your concessions, and you'll rack up goodwill with the new league president.

So, the Tulsa bench. The Tulsa bench was actually a bit less organized than usual today, because Nolan Richardson randomly decided to insert Chastity Reed in place of Tiffany Jackson in the starting lineup right at the tip, when Jackson had already been announced. Tiffany Jackson, I still have some lingering fondness for you from your Liberty days, but please do not hit your teammates in the face. This is a bad plan and you should feel bad for following it. Also, watch your footwork. Andrea Riley is a nice kid, but if she ever belonged in the WNBA, she doesn't now. No judgment, no sense, lousy on-floor attitude, and she's still carrying the baby weight (you can tell around her face). She's going to have to have an epiphany soon if she wants to play in the W. And there was a brief Jennifer Lacy sighting.

Chastity Reed reminds me weirdly of Shay Doron around the face. I don't get it. I think she's trying to learn how to play defense, but as this is a new and novel experience for her, she's having a bit of trouble adjusting. I think the only shot she'll have of having time to learn is the fact that she's on rookie scale and can shoot a little. She's barely a possible W player and she sure shouldn't be playing 34 minutes. Unfortunately, Sheryl Swoopes has reached the point where she's barely a W player as well. The instincts are still there, and so is the gorgeous shot when she has time for it. But the flesh is far too weak. It's rough to see a legend play out the string. I was impressed with Kayla Pedersen's hustle and stroke. Assuming Nolan Richardson doesn't make her want to take up yak herding or living in trees, she will be a crucial piece for the future of this team. Liz Cambage definitely looks like she's still nineteen and getting into the groove of the league. Her temper gets the best of her a bit, and she's not always in the right place at the right time, but in the second quarter and until she left the game, she established herself well in the paint and was getting her shots. But she needs to get on the boards. She's six-eight. She needs to do better than two rebounds. Hold onto the ball, Liz!

Kelsey Griffin, stop shooting. I mean, we'll see how things go next game, but if you're even thinking about shooting right now, stop. Her rebounding was on point, and she worked hard on defense, so that was nice. Tan White seemed to have become the shooter of choice at the end of the shot clock, and I do not know if that's the role she was born to play. Danielle McCray looked good- like a player who had been lightly seasoned in overseas basketball but was still new to the WNBA. The numbers do not do justice to DeMya Walker's presence. She bodied up on Cambage and made her uncomfortable.

Tina Charles started off on fire, and then she backed off. I don't get it. She's seen tall. She's seen big. She's seen skilled. She started acting like she was afraid of Cambage, like something was going to come flying out of Cambage's hair or out of her shorts. Go towards the hole, Tina, it's okay. Asjha Jones was hot early, faded a bit, then got hot later in the game, after Cambage was out. I'd like to have seen her be a wee bit more assertive on the boards. Renee Montgomery, you do know you don't have to take everything from beyond the arc? It got ridiculous. Kara Lawson found her stroke late in the game, and was pretty solid throughout. Kalana Greene had a couple of boneheaded moments, but had one stretch in the second half where she made several good plays in a row on both ends of the floor. I still don't think she should be starting for a team that has any pretensions of glory, but it is what it is.

There were some strange lineups out there. At one point, Richardson had Riley and Latta out there together, and Thibault answered that with a three-guard set. I'm not sure this was the right time and place for small ball.

I spent a fair portion of the fourth quarter with elevated blood pressure and seething fury coursing through my veins. Here's the sequence: Tulsa has the ball. On the rebound, Liz Cambage crumples to the floor, first curling into the “oh God my knee” position, then rolling over to show our side of the arena that she's holding her face. Meanwhile, the Sun have the ball at their end. Asjha Jones misses a jump shot at the Sun's end of the floor and everyone comes back up towards the Shock's end of the floor. Play is still going on. Cambage is still writhing. Someone damn near tramples her. Play is still going on. Finally, Tan White is called for a blocking foul and play stops. Finally, someone comes over and tries to get her up. The first attempt does not succeed as her legs fold under her and she sits down heavily. The Shock trainer makes his way over. They work on getting her upright. Teresa Edwards comes over. She works her way upright. Nolan Richardson ambles over when she's almost completely up. She never leaves the bench area, even while they're checking her for concussion (which, by the way, she has). Richardson acts surprised that he needs to get a sub into the game. Your center has a concussion, you idiot, YOU NEED A SUB. He also seemed surprised that he needed to get a sub when Chastity Reed fouled out. I swear, that man has lost his marbles. There are no marbles left.

But I'm more furious at the refs. I understand letting play continue at the other end of the floor. But it's a hazard to everyone involved if you're letting play continue when a player is lying on the floor. Especially if, judging from how quickly they mopped up and the tissue up her nose, there was blood on the floor. Let's rewind and review. There is a very good chance that Sue Blauch, Felicia Grinter, and Byron Jarrett allowed play to go on with blood on the floor. Let's forget any other calls they may or may not have made that day; if this is the case, they are so far up the creek without a paddle that they will not be able to find the paddle without the help of a native guide. I mean, I know there were a couple of calls that had me raising my eyebrows, but that sequence took the cake. That's a reckless disregard for players' health and safety right there.

After the game, we headed up to the usual spot to work on this year's t-shirt, but after half an hour of trying to find Tulsa players, some Sun fan decided to give me flak about my team, so I snarled a couple of curse words in her general direction and stomped off in high dudgeon, thinking unkind thoughts about UConn fans who don't have anything better to do than scream for Jessica Moore. For the most part, I like Connecticut fans and I like Sun fans, but the UConn fans who are there solely for UConn alumnae can be ridiculously obnoxious. (And trust me, I'm a New Yorker. I know from obnoxious.)

Tulsa has more promise than I thought. But Nolan Richardson has to go for any of it to be realized.

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August 19th, 2010: Tulsa at New York

What, you want witty summaries too?

You know, I should have seen this coming. Everyone knows that Tulsa is so awful that they play down to the Shock's level, and that plays right into the Shock's hands. Organized chaos is the name of the game for Tulsa.

You don't want to know about the crazy people I had to deal with today. In short: know what you're ordering, hold your child when he's screaming, and never tell a New Yorker to shut up on the subway. So if these notes are a little snappish, you can blame the Midvale School for the Gifted's Alumni Association.

I don't know what Nolan Richardson's done to what was a perfectly nice bunch of young women, but the Shock as a unit were the most antisocial of any team in the league this season. I mean, yes, special thanks and appreciation have to go out to Tiffany Jackson, who works a room quite well; to Ivory Latta, whose larger-than-life personality is much more suited to offcourt interactions than oncourt ones; to Kiesha Brown, who helped make one girl's night fairly special; and to Chante Black, who stayed back and signed as her teammates ran by. But I'm not sure whose bad behavior angered me more: Marion Jones, for signaling that she would sign on the way back and ignoring the people who signaled; Nicole Ohlde, who pushed our clipboard out of the way as she ran off the floor, or Rashanda McCants, who's injured, and who heard someone call out her name, because she turned around, but who ignored everyone. Ladies, you and the horse you rode in on. Enjoy your losses. The thing that makes me think Richardson is in play is that I've dealt with some of those players before, and dealt with Ohlde during bad years for the Lynx, and they've been nice enough.

(Of course, Tulsa might have been cranky that their warm-ups were interrupted by either a tour group or a special events package wandering out onto the court. I could give them the benefit of the doubt, but I'm not inclined to, because two of the four players on the floor at the time were Black and Brown.)

The good news was that the semi-required rendition of "God Bless America" was a beautiful, operatic performance by an older woman who I've heard sing the anthem before. The bad news was that the rendition of the National Anthem was by a little girl who I heard butcher "God Bless America" two games ago. STOP MAKING CHILDREN SING, OKAY?

Chante Black was quietly effective as a rebounder. Her height gave her an advantage, and her hands were sure enough that she was able to get at a lot of the batted balls that went up in the air whenever Kia Vaughn was in the game. The goaltending call was sort of hilarious, though. Not something you see every day. Shanna Crossley should be getting her starting job back any day now. She was stroking it from deep. Kiesha Brown put the Roaring Rampage of Revenge on hold- I guess she felt she had already made us pay for cutting her, and that she needed to move a couple of teams further down the line. She did an admirable job boxing out our posts. Marion Jones looked like a basketball player in the first half, and like a stupid basketball player in the second. The lay-ups she was hitting in the first became wild heaves and long jumpers in the second; the loose balls that she turned into rebounds became fumbles out of bounds.

Scholanda Robinson looked very much like she had taken lessons from DeMya Walker in the fine art of draaaaaaama while in Sacramento. I applaud her athletic plays, and her ability to play the passing lanes, but she has got to stop whining to the ref after every halfway questionable play. I wish I could remember what Amber Holt did on the court other than suddenly have her, um, assets seem to grow at halftime, but all I can think of is how awful her hair looked. Don't you think I want to be substantive? Ivory Latta has no fear of anyone or anything. Unfortunately for Tulsa, that includes bad shots. Tiffany Jackson started off red hot, mostly because the refs weren't calling steps on anyone, and she worked hard on the boards. Like some of her teammates she cooled in the second half and was off her game after that start. She still collected enough points and whatnot to make me a very happy Pick One player. Nicole Ohlde was unmemorable.

Sidney Spencer was not completely awful! The extended minutes that she had to play because of the injury to Nicole Powell took their toll on her- she looked positively wiped during a couple of the timeouts. And someone needed to inform her earlier that even though she and Crossley are BFFs, that doesn't mean she doesn't have to play defense on her. She got the message later on, but took it almost to extremes. I nearly died when she got the jump ball on Jones, though. Kia Vaughn looked awful. The fact that most of the time, she looked like she wasn't sure what she was doing on the floor was only heightened by the people behind us chanting "We want Kia!" every time the lead got to double figures. This was REALLY annoying when they started it when she was ready to check in. I mean, what were you expecting her to do, barrel onto the court while the game was still going on and shove Janel or Taj to the bench with both hands? I was sort of hoping she'd foul out so we didn't have to hear the cries for her again. Plenette Pierson was solid, and I wouldn't be surprised if she was part of the reason why we woke up in the second half; no way was she going to let us lose to the Shock. Essence Carson and Kalana Greene both seemed to disappear. Neither of them made any major errors, but neither made any game changing plays, either.

Nicole Powell was feeling it! It was beautiful to see her stroking the corner threes again. And she was really into the game- there was one play, while she was on the bench, that was called as a Liberty foul. Nicole was as animated and infuriated as if the foul had been called on her. Taj had to urge her to sit down. And she was really mentoring Spencer during timeouts late in the game, which I liked. If she hadn't gotten poked in the eye and had to sit out the second half, she probably would have broken 30. I'm still not quite sure where Janel McCarville wandered off to, but it's not like we needed her to be a major offensive option. Her battles with Ohlde were quite epic. Tulsa’s defense, or perhaps the way the Liberty’s offense was structured, did a number on Cappie Pondexter’s offensive game. She really wasn’t involved until the fourth quarter, when it became clear that the Liberty would have to actually play the game to win. She wasn’t looking for her shot as much as we’ve become accustomed to, and when she was, it was often contested, or just not falling- there were more spinouts and bad rolls in this game than I’ve seen in a long time. Unlike a couple of the other sub-par games she’s had this season, though, she pretty much kept her head in the game. I think there was only one bad foul that had her mouthing off (the same one that infuriated Nicole so much). Leilani Mitchell was the sparkplug again, though Latta aggravated her to no end. Taj McWilliams-Franklin, whose hair inches ever closer to true tri-color rotini now that she’s added yellow to the red, continued in her pattern from last game of playing savvier, not harder. She was still a step behind Tulsa’s younger posts, but she found a way to be in the right place at the right time for the perfect pass.

What I’m really liking about this team is that they’re bringing the place back to life. I mentioned the “Leis for Leilani” campaign a couple of games ago, and it’s going stronger than ever. Not only did the woman spearheading it bring in a huge lei for Maddie- which Maddie has worn proudly for parts of the last few games- but now Kym Hampton’s joined the party (she was wearing one when she brought the Inaugural Club coffee machine over to its lucky recipient), and a couple of concessionaires have taken to wearing them on their rounds. Some of us have discussed the feasibility of a line of Taj wigs, one for each of her hairdos, or perhaps a Taj Potato Head with changeable hair.

(Oh, come on. Don’t tell me you wouldn’t buy one.)

I think the referees forgot how to count. There was maybe one travel and one three-second call the whole night. Great news for me- I had Tiffany Jackson in Pick One, and that’s the only way she actually has offense- but as a basketball fan, I find it excruciating when the rules of the game are set aside for the sake of making the game more attractive. Also, I know that Scholanda Robinson is quite attractive, but that’s no reason to give her calls that she didn’t earn and to not call her for the blatant reach-ins that she did. (Besides, guys, she’s married. You’re not going to get anywhere with her. Apologies for the crudity of the previous statement, but these are the conclusions I draw when a beautiful woman gets preferential treatment from an all-male crew.) I thought it was interesting that the crew chief came out early to check that the replay monitor was working, but then declined to use it on a couple of situations where a shot could have been reviewed. Also, guys, make your signals clearer. If you hold up three fingers and push your hand forward twice, I will assume you have called the foul on #33; when you suddenly hold up a fist and it turns out that the foul is on #30, I will be confused and slightly annoyed.

I don’t know if Ladies’ Night is a great promotional idea- or if it is, make sure that the sections with the mixing people are nowhere near sections with a high proportion of season subscribers. There was almost a fight in the section below us because several such people (including one exceptional specimen of what is colloquially known around here as an SJS) kept standing up and chattering during gameplay, and one took offense to us objecting to her getting up a second time after she had already gotten a dose of “DOWN IN FRONT!” from us. This is why I am a proponent of season ticket wedges- sections that are just for season subscribers. You build a sense of community, you know where your loudest fans are, and you don’t have to worry as much about interlopers who are just there to see a friend who’s part of the in-game entertainment, or tourists who are more interested in taking pictures so they can say that they’ve been to an event at the Garden.

Just for the record: Foxwoods, I’m not interested in Cirque Dreams. Stop offering me free tickets.

Before the game, they did a phone-in trivia contest. If I knew where my phone was, I would have called in and smoked it. I hope they do it again on Sunday, because that would be awesome. (But, um, guys? Shame to whoever thought Vickie Johnson was part of the inaugural tip. How exactly would that have worked?)

If they want the Hi-Lo game to be challenging, use former players as well as current players. And don’t make Plenette the next to last player you show- by default, the next player will be lower and the win is guaranteed unless the contestant is mentally deficient.

Mike W., the awesome PA announcer, was absent for this game, and the Garden brought in the guy from LIU. While we expected a misplaced Connie James or Heidi Mothershead, the only two big flubs I can think of are jumping the gun on announcing the Shock’s arrival and the accidental unholy union of Sidney McCarville. Other than that, I thought he did a nice job, and I may actually like the way he does Leilani’s name better than the way Mike does it. Good to see him get a shot- I hope they use him as a sub more often, because the other subs are pretty awful.

I would have liked to have beaten Tulsa by more. I think we could have; I think we should have. On the other hand, this game wasn’t nearly as important as the game against Washington, and if playing back against Tulsa means that Cappie can drop 30 on the Mystics and Janel can power past Crystal Langhorne And The Miscellaneous Posts, then I’m cool with it.

It’s all on the line now, New York. Washington doesn’t care that you’ve won 10 games in a row, except that it makes them hungrier to beat you. And the Mystics have even more to gain from a win than you do. One is the magic number. So shut ‘em down, New York. Put apprehension on the back burner, let it sit, and don’t even let it get lit. As this year’s countdown music points out, the time has come to galvanize.

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August 25th, 2009: Detroit at Connecticut

Detroit Shock 90, Connecticut Sun 70

It's not a great night to be the Connecticut Sun. It's a pretty good night to be Crystal Kelly, though.


Well, it was an exciting, competitive first quarter. Then Connecticut ran out of gas, whether it was physically or emotionally, and Detroit took advantage.

Hi, Barbara! Eeee, people recognize me in real life!

Let it be said here and now, for all the world to see: Crystal Kelly is a woman of her word. When she came out to stretch, I asked for her autograph, and she said she'd come back later. This usually means "I'm going to run past you and maybe look at you regretfully but what can I do?". Not for her. She came back with a smile and signed. Major, major props. Good karma.

LOLtastic moment of the day: as Taj was signing for a few Sun fans, Alexis Hornbuckle came flying down the tunnel towards the locker room, yelling, "BEEP! BEEP!" to clear the path. I thought I was the only one who yelled "BEEP!" to get through a crowd.

The anthem singer was... interesting. Lot of bottom to his voice. Not expected from such a slightly built package.

You remember the good karma Crystal Kelly had two paragraphs ago? It showed up for the game. She played very well off the bench, working hard and making things happen (though the exchange of three-point plays with Phillips was funny). Braxton didn't quite seem all there- I mean more than usual- and the jiggling is really starting to give me sympathy pains. SPORTS BRA. FIND A BETTER ONE. Zellous had a really good offensive game, and is starting to look a smidge like Nolan on defense. She needs to realize that if she wants the scrutiny from the refs when she's on offense, so she can get the calls she wants, she's going to be under the 'scope on the other end too. Sanni and Teasley both only played when Mahorn felt comfortable with the lead, and neither of them did anything that would give me or Mahorn any reason to put them in more often. It was actually less weird seeing Teasley in Shock blue than it was seeing her in #6 instead of #42.

Katie Smith's shot is such a thing of beauty, but for the love of God, Katherine, shut up! All night her mouth was going. The three-guard set really worked for Detroit- Hornbuckle makes an excellent forward and clears space for Nolan and Smith to get their shots off. Amazingly, either my powers of observation or Deanna Nolan's offense improved yet again this year- she was doing an unusually great job of getting space and creating her own shot. I know she's always had that skill, but it seemed more pronounced in this particular game. Cheryl Ford- or Sheryl Crow, as the announcer called her at one point- looked... I don't know if desperate is quite the right word, but it's close. She was going inside and throwing up shots with the hope of getting calls, but good luck with that for this crew. Her mobility has significantly decreased, but she's been trying to make up for it with more active hands. Not the world's greatest strategy, since that leads to more fouls, but I'm glad she's making the effort. Taj, while she got a rousing round of applause from the Sun fans who still love her, wasn't much of a factor.

The Sun bench really needs a good clout upside the head, except maybe for Erin Phillips. (Maybe she can be the one to deliver it.) Kiesha Brown was the only one who really showed some metaphorical cojones, and she kept getting called for charges because she was barreling inside. Amber Holt's shots weren't going down the way they had in the last couple of games. The Shock posts completely took Chante Black out of her game- she doesn't have the outside game Gruda has, which means she's stuck down low, which means world of hurt for a skinny rookie. Tamika Whitmore's lack of mobility, and the associated lack of conditioning, really showed tonight because the bench got so much run. She hit a couple of pretty shots, but showed no inclination to go after rebounds or loose balls. Even Phillips didn't look like her usual straight-ahead-damn-the-torpedoes self.

Neither did Lindsay Whalen. For whatever reason, whether it was the way the game was being called, or the physical presence of the Shock in the middle, or preoccupation, she didn't stamp the game the way she usually does. Gruda, at least early in the game and in the third quarter, was able to get away and hit some outside jumpers, but she wasn't enough to carry the whole team on her shoulders. Jekabsone-Zogota played pretty well- not great, but all right. Ditto for Tan White. Ditto for Kerri Gardin. Wow, this bit turned out shorter than I expected. The problem was that Connecticut really wasn't all that inspiring, or inspired.

I knew the refereeing was going to suck when Breeding was the first ref announced. You might know him from such places as the Indiana game at the Garden that almost descended into a brawl. A lot of late whistles, a lot of really odd calls, and a higher-than-average amount of time spent conferring and/or checking with the scorer's table for reasons that never became clear.

All the events tonight involved season ticket holders. I approve of this plan. I also approve of the Sun's extremely generous gifts. Sure, they do the usual array of "prize packs", but when you've got sponsors willing to pony up two $100 gift cards and a pair of diamond earrings, that's pretty fucking sweet. The Sun do a pretty good job of reaching out to folks. I know I've heard Sun fans complain about community and fan outreach, but compared to New York they're the biggest social butterflies in the group.

All in all, not a bad experience- not what I needed as a Liberty fan, since we do have to step on Detroit if we want to climb the ladder, but enjoyable nonetheless.

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July 2nd, 2009: Detroit at New York

New York Liberty 80, Detroit Shock 64

Shameka Christon decides that she's not gonna be in the cellar. Awesomeness ensues.


Oh, that was refreshing and most needed in these unpleasantly sticky times. The win, not the glass of Diet Coke next to me, though the soda's certainly welcome too.

It looked like it was going to be another rough day on 33rd Street when Loree ducked out of the building towards the Duane Reade, and the heavens immediately opened upon our hatless, un-umbrellaed point guard. For that matter, it looked like we'd been rendered even more unwelcome than before when security opened up a new set of railings to keep people away from the usual approach to the side door where players often come in. I wouldn't have minded the new rules so much if the security guy hadn't done it the second it started raining. Hey, man, I'm just working on a story and trying to stay dry.

The Shock looked a lot looser and happier than I'd seen them in a long time. Maybe it has to do with the coaching change, maybe they have a perverse fascination with bad weather, maybe someone spiked the water with happy pills, whatever. I don't care. Anything that makes Taj McWilliams and Barbara Farris dance between stretches, or Olayinka Sanni work it so hard her teammates bust out laughing, or Cheryl Ford be friendly enough that Shavonte Zellous has to practically drive her towards the locker room (and I mean the "hands on waist, scooting her around like a bumper car" kind of driving). And I wish I'd been able to get a picture of Barb and Ashley Battle coming out together, arms draped around waists. It was adorable. It shouldn't have been, but it was.

Katie Smith was extremely frustrated, and I don't know if I blame her, but she let it affect her game. I don't know that I've ever seen her shoot that badly. Or Deanna Nolan, for that matter- oh, she got a decent number of points in the second half, when the defense started to flag (there was one exceptionally gorgeous cut to the basket that showcased her speed and her grace), but she didn't take control of the game as she usually does when she's in New York. Cheryl Ford, on the other hand, looked much improved, though she wasn't always good at holding her emotions in check. If she's not 100%, she's damn close, and if that's not 100%, I'm really worried about having the rest of our Detroit games coming up. Taj McWilliams was solid, but unremarkable, though a lot of the things she did were little veteran things that you learn how to do when you've been playing the game for as long as she has- screens, getting back on fast breaks, trying to get away with jersey grabbing. (Also, with the shorter hair, she looks even more like Michelle Obama than before. The resemblance is kinda uncanny, but made of awesome.) Alexis Hornbuckle was kind enough to sign for me before the game (I approve of that, but then, she picks up auto bonus points for being kin to St. John's). Her rebounding was phenomenal, and she works harder than a lot of players I see out there, but I don't know if Mahorn knows how to use that workmanlike mindset and build properly yet.

Barbara Farris's effectiveness stopped when the actual game happened. Sorry, Barb. Love you, but, um, no. Shavonte Zellous wasn't getting the calls that she's been getting for most of the season, so she was back to being, in Richyyy's immortal choice of word, diabolical- out of control and losing the ball a lot. She fouled out (as did Nolan). It wasn't a great game for the Shock bench in general. I don't think Mahorn wanted to go to Haynie as much as the foul trouble for Nolan and Zellous forced him to. She didn't set the world on fire, but she didn't suck too badly, either. I'm also surprised that Sanni didn't get into the game. Even if she would just be a response to bringing in Larkins, she might have done more than Farris did. Braxton looked like she'd missed being on the floor, so I hope she's developed some hint of responsibility, and maybe even the seed of the maturity she needs to become the dominant force she has all the tools to be.

Shameka Christon, y'all. Shameka fuckin' Christon. Goddamn, look at this small forward. Canning threes, hitting from the midrange, forcing the foul and getting to the line- if she's not an All-Star this season, something is deeply, deeply wrong with the process at all levels, and I will NOT be pleased. If dropping 25 results from magenta hair, then she can steal as much of Janel's hair dye as she wants to. And Loree's shots tonight were amazing! I'm amused that three of Janel's assists were on Loree's threes (and while I had to look up the exact number, I'd gotten the sense during the game that a lot of Janel's assists were to Loree). Janel still doesn't look like herself- her ballhandling and rebounding are still below par- but she didn't look gods-awful. I was also satisfied with Cathrine's shooting for a change, though I'd like to see her put some strength into those screens when she's dealing with veteran players- Taj was getting around her and not allowing her to set the screen, which left Loree or Essence facing a nasty double-team, and Cathrine couldn't get back in time to reclaim her defender. Those plays didn't tend to end well. Essence, other than that one phenomenal layup, wasn't so great on the offensive end. Her shots were missing, and missing badly, and coming off her hands very oddly. From where I was sitting, it looked like there was something wrong with her motion. Makes the need for an offensive-minded (and offensively capable, Ashley) shooting guard even more apparent. But since the Shock guards couldn't get going, I gotta assume Essence played a role in that.

It was so good to see Tiffany Jackson get some extended minutes. While she definitely displayed the weakness in her game (footwork, Tiffany, footwork!), she also showed her tenacity on the boards and her athleticism on the offensive end. If we have a coach who can polish her, I think she can be something special. Get to work, Anne, we don't have that much time left before she comes off rookie scale. It was also nice to see Kia in the game, and I think she played a major role in keeping Cheryl Ford from really taking over. While Kia's still rough around the edges, she brings a bit of grit that we've been lacking, especially with Janel's shift towards a more finesse and flash game, and Cathrine's transition towards being an exceptionally gawky shooting guard; her physicality knocked Ford out of her comfort zone and got into her head a little bit. Not a lot, and not for long, but just enough that when Detroit was making a run, they couldn't keep it up. Leilani chewed up minutes admirably, and with the way Loree was playing, that was really all we needed her to do. If Spencer is to be on this team, and if she is to play any length of time, she needs to ask for the ball when she's on her spots, because if she doesn't, about all she'll be useful for is getting an occasional rebound, emphasis on the occasional. It was good to see Erlana get into a game for a change, and while she didn't do much, she didn't have to do much, and she came in handy at the end of the first half to fight for possession.

While the boxscore doesn't look like it, I really thought Detroit got the short end of the stick from the referees. There were a few things that the Liberty were getting away with all night that Detroit wasn't, and it seemed like every borderline call went against the Shock. Except for one really blatant jersey pull by Taj (Taj, if we can see the jersey get pulled from the upper deck, you're gonna get called, and you're not gonna get away with it, and protesting your innocence just looks dumb), and a couple of almost-elbows from Ford, I really didn't see any of the Bad Girls play that I'm used to.

Anthem was a college girls' choral group. This is the only one of Blaze's fetishes I don't actually mind.

Disappointingly sparse crowd, but Detroit doesn't have the kind of pull a lot of other teams do, even as defending champions (no names stick out, which is what'll draw the casual fan) and the weather was so intermittently bad that I don't think there would have been many walk-ups.

Musical chairs, hardcore edition. When you have someone pulling the chair out from under someone's butt, you have the hardcore edition. You also have a fan with more killer instinct than his entire team. Can we give him a coaching contract, maybe?

It was good to sit with my old neighbors and kibitz about the game. They're very surreal. I missed them.

It was good to see a win. The team needed it and the fans needed it, and the team needed to get the fans off their back. MOAR PLZ.

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July 24th, 2004: Detroit at New York

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.

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