July 24th, 2019: New York at Connecticut

some bullshit-ass half-assed notes

Good morning! It's too early for this, but here we are at Camp Day at Mohegan Sun, as Connecticut hosts New York in their last game before the All-Star break. Intrepid blogger needs caffeine badly.

At halftime, New York is somehow up 39-36. The reserves are having another good game, and this time Tina Charles has decided to remind everyone of her All-Star capabilities. Kia Nurse left with an apparent elbow injury and has not returned. I don't see any reason to risk her. (although she's warming up here at the break)

Morgan Tuck did Tari Phillips's show-the-ball trick. I'm easily amused.

I don't want to say that the Liberty are tanking, or worse, throwing games. That would be a hell of an accusation to make. But that last minute or so of game time might certainly give the impression that the players on the floor didn't particularly care if New York won that game. Terrible clock awareness. Terrible shot selection. Why are you forcing the ball inside down two or three possessions? Why are you messing around for six seconds when you only have fifteen? STAAAAAAAHP.

Rebecca Allen started the game on fire from beyond the arc, and then appeared to run out of battery power. The problem is that if Bec isn't hitting, then the flaws in her game (like her dubious defense and her tendency to panic when the defense comes hard at her) become harder to overlook, and she goes from a positive to a negative very quickly. Reshanda Gray was physical, but not advantageously so, which meant that she was getting called for fouls as often as she was getting rebounds. Nayo Raincock-Ekunwe was okay defensively to start her day, but got burned more often in the second half. She missed too many shots at the rim for my liking.

Brittany Boyd seems to be missing some speed with the lingering ankle issue (she had the trainer looking at it right before the game) and once again let her emotions get the best of her. I don't mind players who play with emotion. I do mind players who let it completely control them and get swallowed up too easily by frustration. She's never going to be as good as she can be if she doesn't get out of her own head sometimes. Asia Durr still looks a little gimpy from the groin injury (which should put paid to rumors that she wasn't injured) and saw both her minutes and her touches reduced. Loved to see her out there when we needed perimeter shots and the entire team is looking to force the ball inside, because that made such perfect sense. Marine Johannès demonstrated a frankly appalling lack of speed against Connecticut's guards, which Williams and Hiedeman were especially able to exploit, but even Banham was able to get a step on her regularly, and while there are many complimentary things one can say about Rachel Banham, her speed has not usually been one of the things complimented. I like Marine's style, and once she either gets to know her teammates better or learns when to tone down the fancy stuff, she'll be a huge asset to this team.

For the first time in a while, Tina Charles actually looked like a post player. It was very refreshing. She still took a lot of stupid contested shots, but at least she was getting rebounds close to the rim. I don't like that the team was trying to force the ball inside to her at the end of the game, and I don't like the number of free throws she's been missing lately. But I'm glad to see her rebounding again. I would like to see if we could get back international Amanda Zahui B. That would be nice. She hit an early three, but so much of her offense was perimeter-oriented, and I've said this before: post players being able to hit threes is a nice surprise weapon, but it ceases to be a surprise when it's all that you do. I would also like Bria Hartley to get her act together. I know she's better than this, but she's coming off as terrible when she's on the floor, even when she hits shots. She had some inexcusable defensive lapses where she essentially just gave up on her assignment, and that's unacceptable.

Okay, I'm sorry. I'm cutting the notes off here, because it's been two days and while I'm still at a casino and resort, I’m three time zones away from this game. Given that I had to cudgel my brains to remember who was starting at guard for the Liberty, I don't think I can produce acceptable notes at this point. Sorry, Sun fans. Courtney Williams was amazing in the second quarter, Jasmine Thomas took over late, and it really seems like Curt Miller has to choose between Brionna Jones and Kristine Anigwe.

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July 6th, 2019: Minnesota at Connecticut

Just the Facts, Ma'am: In a nip-and-tuck game, Connecticut miscues turned out to be the difference-maker, as Minnesota came away with the 74-71 road win. Odyssey Sims had 21 points and eight assists to lead the Lynx, with Sylvia Fowles adding 18 points and 11 rebounds. Jasmine Thomas had 16 points for the Sun in the loss.

For patriotism, awkward moments with bananas, shooting questions, and the possibility of being in a parallel universe, join your intrepid blogger, in hopes that the next leap will take her home, or at least to a universe where the Liberty have won a title.

Good afternoon, fellow travelers! Pick up your dribble and sit down for a while, because it's a busy weekend here for the Game Notes of Doom. First up, we're off to Connecticut to see if the Sun can get their act together against the ambulatory MASH unit known as the Minnesota Lynx on "Hometown Heroes" day.

Cute pants on Damiris Dantas. Very maroon.

One of the Sun coaches was rocking the Rapinoe/Bird 2020 shirt in pregame. I approve of the sentiment, even if I think Bird should be at the top of the ticket.

Natisha Hiedeman looks SO WEIRD without her 'fro.

Gorgeous anthem by the army band. Recording-worthy quality.

44-43 Lynx at the half. Sylvia Fowles has 14 and I'm sure an ungodly number of rebounds. She, Odyssey Sims, and Napheesa Collier have 35 of the 44. More balance on the Sun side, with Jasmine Thomas and Bria Holmes each having 7 to lead the squad. The defense is not good. Jonquel Jones looks like she's never tried to defend anyone her height before, which annoys me because we know this isn't her first rodeo.

Asia Taylor looks like she wants to be DeLIsha Milton-Jones when she grows up. She doesn't have quite the same disproportionate length as DMJ does, but she plays long, especially on defense. She gave them some good second-half minutes. Alaina Coates got lucky that the unnecessary slam on Courtney Williams was only considered a common foul, because it really seemed like retaliation for Court getting the benefit of an out of bounds call. She was physical, but otherwise ineffective. Taylor's length and superior defense gave her the advantage.

Shao Ting is... she's trying, she really is. She seems really happy to be out there, and I'm sure she's a great teammate, but she looked absolutely lost out there- scrambling constantly on defense, in over her head on offense. I understand Reeve not going back to her in the second half. Lexie Brown and her incredible kicks hit a couple of big threes in the second half. She seemed to have a little bit of a chip on her shoulder regarding her former team, and a couple of her former teammates didn't seem to miss her all that much either, if the extra nudges were any indication. I don't know if I'd have had her inbounding the ball at the end of the game, though; Rach forced her into a timeout to avoid an inbounds violation, and almost drew a second one. But I couldn't help wondering where those three-pointers were when she had a Sun uniform on.

Seriously, though, who opened the portal to the parallel universe where Danielle Robinson shooting corner threes is a thing that happens on a regular basis? I don't know what to do with this! Like the bad actress in the Symetra commercial, I am confused! It seems like some of her driving game has gone away, although I don't know if that's out of necessity or because of her injury history. Odyssey Sims hit contested shots and didn't always hit open shots. I could make a petty remark about her wild driving ability, but I'm sure you know I have standards, right? I'm one of them classy broads.

Stephanie Talbot, despite the lack of statistical impact, actually started the game off really well, setting solid screens and playing good defense. She got good looks and couldn't put them down. I'm not sure how I feel about her being so perimeter-oriented on offense. Napheesa Collier is an immovable object on defense. She doesn’t have the size, but she has a solid build and has mastered the art of holding her ground, using her body to disrupt the balance of taller players. I didn't know she had a perimeter shot, either. Her height is a bit of a detriment on the inside offensively against taller players, but it all balances out. Sylvia Fowles can do pretty much whatever she wants inside, and it got a little frustrating after a while. She has such a knack for finishing at the basket. She had a pretty spectacular block, too.

I don't know how Minnesota's doing it. Admittedly, having Sims and Fowles are two very useful pieces, and Collier has been the revelation of this rookie class, but there are a lot of complementary parts that have to complement for this kludged-together team to work.

I'm not going to say that I love Rachel Banham's defense, but it's something she definitely seems to have applied herself to, and she has her moments, such as the inbounds defense at the end of the game. She's growing on me. I'd like to see a bit more discernment in her shot selection, but that's part of who she is. At long last, we have had a Natisha Hiedeman sighting, and she made a splash with a steal on her first play of the game. I'm biased, of course, but she looked like she belonged out there. Connecticut used her speed to have her double on the perimeter, while her primary assignment seemed to bounce between Brown and Sims. Morgan Tuck only played in the first half, and hit a three to the roar of the crowd. But Coach Miller tightened up his rotation in the second half, and leaned heavily on Rach and the starting guards.

Bria Holmes got off to a rough start with a missed chippie, but made up for it with the rest of her offense and her dogged defense. She's been improving since the start of the season, and it really looks like she's found her stride. I'm also happy to see Kristine Anigwe getting more time. She gave as good as she got against Fowles, which is a pretty tall task for a rookie. I like the development I'm seeing from her, although I realize this probably means she's going to hit the rookie wall in a month or so. (And of course I'm worried about Brionna Jones, and I don't know whether to hope that she's just been passed over in the rotation or be concerned that she's injured.)

So now we have to talk about the starters, which means the question of what the heck happened to Jonquel Jones has to be raised. I know some of the answer to that question is "Napheesa Collier happened"; JJ doesn't run into a lot of players who are as comfortable inside and outside as she is, and probably even fewer who are comfortable doing it on defense. Collier got up under her well, and then if she went inside, there was this problem named Sylvia defending the rim. But Jonquel also looked flat. Too many of her shots were the same sort of short casual shots we yell at Tina Charles about in New York. She doesn't have to do it alone. Although I'm wondering if something is up with Shekinna Stricklen. She barely played in the second half. I mean, okay, she's not exactly known for her defense, which seemed to be Miller's focus in the second half, but there were some sequences in the fourth quarter where having both of the splash sisters on the floor could have been useful. (No, I can't believe I'm saying this either. Maybe I fell into the mirror universe instead of the alternate D-Rob sneaking through to ours.) Alyssa Thomas continues to be a human wrecking ball, and throwing yourself in front of her continues to be a terrible life choice. I'm worried about her shooting; there are moments when I wonder if she remembers which hand she wants to be shooting with.

Jasmine Thomas had a good shooting day, and she absolutely murdered Talbot's ankles on a crossover, but as a point guard, she's looked uncharacteristically hesitant the last couple of times I've seen her. She and her team are running too much clock, and that doesn't fit with their pace. The passing and the chemistry aren't there. This seems like a good thing to be worried about. If your point guard and the rest of your team aren't on the same page, you might need a new book. Either that, or see previous comment about parallel universes. Given that I appear to have watched this game in a universe where Courtney Williams takes contact willingly, I'm starting to wonder. She did not do a good job finishing at the rim. She's always been streaky, and that's the risk you take with her. She went up for rebounds, but she didn't come down with as many of them as she usually does.

I think the possession where we had four shots, missed them all, got the foul on Minnesota, had Court miss the "heck with it, I'm bored" shot after the whistle, and then had JJ miss the first free throw really encapsulates our offensive woes here. There were stretches of being unable to hit water falling out of a boat. I don't think all of that was Minnesota's defense.

I'm amused that the officials finally remembered what a three-second violation was in the second half. I'm less amused that they missed a blatant trip. (On the other hand, some of the plays that the home crowd was baying their fury about were legit. No matter how tempting it is to give Sims an unnecessary shove in the back, AT should not have given in to temptation. And the out-of-bounds reversal was probably because there was an uncalled foul that should have been called.) I'm annoyed they were so slow on the call, though.

How does Cheryl Reeve get so much slack from the officials? Shut up or switch to decaf, Cheryl.

The four-year-old who couldn't remember her lines and forgot how to stop dribbling was adorable.

Having Rachel Banham give the pro-police (and pro-first responders in general) message was very shrewd and very carefully balanced. I doubt anyone's really going to internalize the message, but they tried.

The Photoshop jobs on the various All-Star ads varied in quality- I thought the JJ/House of Cards and Jas/Scandal ones were the best by far.

Alyssa, you miiiiiiight want to enunciate the first word better when introducing a segment called "Pitch, Please". Unless there's something you want us to know about Jasmine? (Jas... did not do well with it. Honestly, she was funnier scrambling to cover her pitch afterwards than she was giving the pitch. Full disclosure, though: I'm married to a salesman, so I kind of look at these things with a professional eye.)

It sort of spoils the dramatic reveal of the selfie section if you can see the staff giving out the cards beforehand, I'm just saying.

Having the bench step their game up does not mean that the starters can slack off. Connecticut needs to get their act together. Just not against New York. :D

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June 16th, 2019: Seattle at Connecticut

Just the Facts, Ma'am: A finishing kick in the fourth quarter propelled Connecticut to a 81-67 win over the Seattle Storm. Alyssa Thomas had a team-high 20 points for the Sun, with Jonquel Jones adding 13 points, 11 rebounds, and six assists. Natasha Howard had 20 points and eight rebounds to lead the Storm.

For a lack of weather jokes, drama, karma, the unit divide, and looking gift horses in the mouth, join your intrepid and tired blogger after the jump.

Happy Father's Day, fellow travelers! It's game day at Mohegan Sun Arena, as Connecticut hosts Seattle.

Our day started out quite adventurously, as ticket sales for the bus were held up by someone claiming the coordinator had attempted to defraud him of his money. Three rounds of cops later, and with the timely assistance of a key witness, it was dealt with, but we almost didn't make the bus because of him. Jerk. I hope every bus he attempts to get on is sold out and that if he does make it to a casino they clean him out.

(We talked our way onto the bus and gave the guide a big tip; she moved us up closer to the front of the bus for the ride back. We gave our match play coupons to a fellow rider and he bought us donuts. Truly, this is the strangest timeline.)

Mohegan is popping today, and I'm trying to figure out a way to strike up a conversation with the kid a few seats over who's also playing Pokémon Go without being exceptionally creepy.

FEED THE BEAST

Interesting anthem, half vocal and half saxophone instrumental. I liked her sax playing better than her voice.

Shoutout to the fan in the Natasha Howard jersey. You're a real one.

That third quarter run by Seattle made things more interesting than they really had to be, but Alyssa Thomas was a wrecking ball in the fourth quarter, and that plus defense was enough to push down the understrength Storm.

Sue Bird traveled with the team, but it looks like Jordin Canada did not.

Courtney Paris got some run in the first half, and her size was effective against Kristine Anigwe, who did not seem ready to handle quite that much defender. But she didn't play in the second half, as Seattle stuck to a slightly tighter rotation. Crystal Langhorne seems to have convinced herself she has a long-range shot. Based on today's game, this is a supposition completely without merit. She did play excellent defense on Anigwe. You could almost see her baiting the rookie into thinking she was open and then SURPRISE Terp inna face.

I honestly don't know if you really need both Sami Whitcomb and Kaleena Mosqueda-Lewis on the same roster. They both essentially do one thing- shoot from the perimeter. KML occasionally considers the possibility of shooting inside, and Whitcomb can pass a little better, but they both look to shoot the long ball as their first, second, and third options. I do like Whitcomb's footwork to ensure that she's behind the line. But when rosters are as tight as they are in the WNBA, having two dedicated shooters seems like much of a muchness, and it seems like Whitcomb brings more to the floor than KML does. Shavonte Zellous's midrange jumper was deadly, and she was a steady hand bringing the ball up the floor. She was much of the reason why they repeatedly came back on Connecticut. She just refused to lose for as long as she possibly could.

Natasha Howard was fantastic in the paint. She threw up one-handed push shots that went in whenever she wanted them to. She was ferocious on the glass. She's just so springy and uses her length really well. Mercedes Russell used her height well in the early going, but as the game wore on, she seemed to have more trouble holding on to her rebounds, instead tipping them out to the perimeter, and Connecticut was ready to pounce on those opportunities. Alysha Clark brought the defense, as she does.

I'm looking at the box score right now, and it still doesn't feel like Jewell Loyd hit as many of the shots she took as she did, even with hard evidence in front of my face. I understand that a lot of the burden is falling on her with no Bird and no Stewart, but she seemed to be settling for a lot of difficult shots from low-percentage areas of the floor when there were available teammates. (I mean, also credit to the Sun defense for making those shots difficult, but they got help.) (Side note: I thought it was interesting that she was introduced with her hometown, not as being from Notre Dame. An FU at McGraw, or some kind of technicality?) Blake Dietrick is... well, I guess she was there? She brought the ball up when she was in the game, and showed some good presence of mind on the edges of the court, but she was an inoffensive non-entity otherwise. I don't know if that's the right dynamic for this team right now. I know this is out of necessity with all the injuries, but if Canada is out for any length of time and Seattle does want to try and win games, they might need a different style of point guard.

I hope Brionna Jones isn't hurt. She never took the jacket off, even when Coach Miller was getting Bridget Carleton up in the last thirty seconds (she never got to come into the game because there wasn't a stoppage, and he eventually called her and Morgan Tuck back to the bench).

I was not expecting this kind of defense out of Bria Holmes! She showed really good hands against the ballhandler in her minutes. I mostly know her from her shooting, so this was a pleasant surprise. Morgan Tuck looked a little overmatched. She gave good effort, but even against this motley Seattle crew she didn't seem to have a good match-up. Kristine Anigwe took the minutes that normally would go to Brionna Jones and acquitted herself very well on the glass and in the paint. There's definitely still an adjustment period she has to go through against larger and faster defenders, but it was good to see her get a chance to show she can contribute at the W level.

Rachel Banham's shot just wasn't falling. She took a couple that were not the best shots she could have taken, but some of them were just bad luck. I'll live with it. Layshia Clarendon drove hard and ran a solid offense, although she and Jasmine Thomas were both uncharacteristically unaware of the shot clock in this game.

Connecticut's bench really needs to step its game up if the Sun are going to succeed. Someone's got to step up and be a true sixth woman. Right now, the drop-off is painfully apparent.

Bad day for Jasmine Thomas, and it's unusual to see Connecticut manage to power through one of those. She took a lot of contested shots and a lot of forced shots late in the clock. Her passing was off target. She persevered, and there were a couple of plays to Alyssa Thomas that were beautiful, but this was not her day. Courtney Williams has to learn to take some contact. I know she's small and I know she doesn't like contact, but it's part of the game and she's going to have to deal with it. I love her hops, and her drive-and-dish game was on point.

Alyssa Thomas looked at that game in the fourth quarter and decided that she was going to take over. She bulled her way into the paint and got either buckets, free throws, or both. I'm going to stick with my favorite descriptor of her as a little bit terrifying and a little bit awesome, and I'm going to resist the urge to start singing about how she came in like a wrecking ball. I know y'all are going to do it for me. ;) Shekinna Stricklen hit shots that weren't threes! My heart almost stopped from the shock of it. There was one I really liked, where it looked like she was using her shoulders to get position against the defense, and a little part of my mind was chanting "YES!" over and over again in joy. She got buckets at the right time. I mean, there's no wrong time to get a basket, but hers always seemed to be cutting off a Seattle run or kicking off a Sun one. Jonquel Jones does such amazing work on the glass with those long arms and her long fingers and her ability to control the ball mid-air until such time as she can bring it down and truly lay claim to it. She had herself a day.

Connecticut's starters are so good and usually work so well together. There were some really weird stretches of bad passing that worry me, though.

I know we were playing much more of a perimeter game, but I side-eye the foul differential in the second and third quarters so hard that I think I sprained my cornea.

Seattle has a lot of fight in them, and that will serve them well when Bird comes back, as long as there isn't too much deference to her when she does.

We were in the lucky section! Except that it's "selfies" only, except that it's not even a selfie because one of the staff members takes the picture with your phone for you. How is that a selfie? Ugh. I'd rather spork my eyeballs out than do photos, so we just awkwardly said "good game" to Court and Kristine as we left. Judging from the fact that maybe 10 people from our section stayed, we weren't the only ones less than enthused about the prospect. At least make autographs an option, for heaven's sake, instead of just setting up a black curtain and having done with it.

As always, I worry about the sustainability of this Sun team, but they're fun to watch when they're good.

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May 25th, 2019: Washington at Connecticut

Just the Facts, Ma'am: Connecticut opened the season strong with an 84-69 win over Washington in the Sun's home opener. Alyssa Thomas led all scorers with 23 points, with Jonquel Jones adding a double-double of 10 points and 14 rebounds. Emma Meesseman led Washington with 14 points.

For free swag, the squad coming through, starters versus reserves, careless cameramen, a poster quest, and energy, join your intrepid and well-traveled blogger after the jump.

Basketball never stops, and neither does your intrepid blogger. We go from home opener to home opener, as the Connecticut Sun open their season with a Saturday night special at Mohegan Sun against the short-handed Washington Mystics.

Somehow, despite the busted seats, the weaksauce air conditioning, and the appalling stench coming from the bathroom, this is still a more pleasant ride than the endless Metro-North ride to That Dump. I'm still wrapping my head around the images of Connecticut in spring. It's so green! And I think I just saw a bus stop. Maybe we're closer to civilization than I thought. We're certainly closer to population; I think we just hit the Stamford traffic jam, unless Connecticut is feeling enthusiastic today and it's actually the Norwalk traffic jam. Well, we are in construction season.

I can simultaneously think it's very cool that the game opened with a traditional (although one presumes modified) Mohegan blessing and be weirded out that the game opened with a prayer, right? That's not too much double-think?

Our bench needs work. Our bench needs a lot of work. Our starters can go toe to toe with anyone in the league and look good doing it. But our bench's inconsistency is going to kill us against teams that aren't sitting a quarter of their roster due to injuries.

Myisha Hines-Allen seems to have bulked up since the last I saw of her, and it was working for her tonight. She gave the Mystics good power inside offensively. I didn't realize she took so many shots until I looked at the box score. Tianna Hawkins made a lot of plays with her butt. These were not always good plays. I think she might actually have deflected the ball with it at one point, and she definitely hit people with it. She's going to need to play a lot better for Washington, especially with their lack of depth right now and the specter of Eurobasket looming.

So... this is what you kept Kim Mestagh for, Coach T? To come in for a few spot minutes as a shooter? She's definitely got that Colorado State touch from beyond the arc, but if she doesn't play it's very hard to gauge her skill on the W level. Shatori Walker-Kimbrough was first off the bench in each half and provided good length, but couldn't finish and made careless mistakes.

I really like what LaToya Sanders brings to the floor for Washington. She didn't do a lot of scoring, but she was very active in motion, setting screens and creating space for her shooters to shoot. She did a lot of hard work on the glass and on the floor, and not all of it is going to show up in the box score. But she was one of the most important players out there for DC tonight, and damn it someone's going to respect her for it. Emma Meesseman's footwork seems to have regressed- she really should have been called for a lot more travels than she was tonight. Like, you know. Any. That's not what they mean by the Eurostep. She's so smooth when she makes the move that it's almost forgiveable. Almost. She's aware of who she has to be for Washington with Delle Donne out, and who she has to be for Belgium, and she's taking on that role.

Kristi Toliver brought her shot tonight, but her game was cut short by a collision with a cameraman with whom she was tangled for quite some time. She left limping and came back with ice on her right knee. We'll see how that goes. She looked so sad and lonely when Coach T threw in the towel and sent in all the reserves he had left. Ariel Atkins kept getting to the line, and I have no idea how. She penetrated, but it didn't look like she was taking the kind of contact that would keep getting her free throws. Maybe she was just taking advantage of us being in the penalty, which is still praiseworthy for clock and foul awareness. She's got touch, but I don't know if she has consistency. Ask me at the end of the season. Natasha Cloud did an amazing job cutting through our defense, and defending on the other end herself. There's an intensity about her defense, a carefully-controlled focus, that's a little bit scary and a little bit cool at the same time. It's like she's determining how she's going to slice you up and if she should use the Ginsu knives or bring out the Henckels.

Washington seems extremely interchangeable. There are days when that will be helpful to them because someone will step up when they need them to. And when they have their full rotation back, then they'll be able to plug in the hot hand and sit whoever doesn't have their act together. But this is a supporting cast in search of a star right now, a problem that will only be exacerbated if Toliver is out for any length of time.

Coach Miller, Y U NO PLAY ANIGWE?

I like what Rachel Banham can bring to the floor on offense, although on that end she looked a little more hesitant than I like. But on the defensive end of the floor, there were at least two moments where I was putting up prayers for her soul after she was immolated on a crossover or a sudden first step. The effort is there. The energy is there. The skill is not. I was under the impression that Bria Holmes was a shooter. Shooting did not happen. Not much of anything happened from her. There was a point in the game where I was done with Layshia Clarendon, which was about five seconds before she found her second wind and started driving the lane more and making better plays on defense. I'm relieved, because I like Layshia and I want her to do well.

Brionna Jones looks like she'll be very effective for short stretches, and then her conditioning or whatever will catch up to her and she'll start slowing down. She brings the power and she brings the pain, but we're going to need her to be able to play more minutes. I did like the big block she had on Tianna Hawkins. Turtle-on-turtle violence is a beautiful thing sometimes. Morgan Tuck hit a couple of threes in the second quarter that got the crowd going (although, to be honest, Morgan Tuck's continued existence is generally enough to get the crowd going, it's sort of refreshing that they've extended their obsessive love to random Huskies to all Huskies instead of... ahem, select ones) but was getting beaten on the boards by Hawkins. She just didn't have the height to compete with Washington's posts, and in most of Connecticut's lineups, she seemed to lined up against Washington's posts so that the other forwards could exploit mismatches.

There are a lot of crazy arrows on my score card indicating amazing ball movement, and a lot of them originate from Courtney Williams. I'm so used to thinking of her as a scorer that seeing her as a facilitator makes me do a double-take. But she realized that her shot wasn't falling, so she passed back. Some of the ball movement with her and Alyssa Thomas was beyond outstanding- they were the types of quick passes you make when you've known someone forever, Ticha-to-Yo kinds of passes. Jasmine Thomas got victimized by rims that were really being too kind to Washington most of the night, but she made some clutch plays defensively. She's the engine that makes the Sun go, much as Kelly Miller was for the champion Mercury back in the day; even when she's not making a statistical impact, she's making things happen for her squad.

Alyssa Thomas, human wrecking ball, took the offense in hand and made sure Connecticut was going to win this game no matter what. While her teammates put in a lot of work to extend the lead, she was the one who took on the scoring load when the game was tight. She drove the lane and took contact without hesitation and without fear. I'm not always thrilled with her floaters, but they were falling in this game, so that seems fine. I was disappointed in Jonquel Jones's willingness ot follow her shot, but she racked up enough rebounds close to the paint with her sheer height that I can't really complain. I'd like to see her take fewer threes, but at the same time I recognize that her ability to stretch the floor is part of what makes her dangerous. It's just frustrating when those long shots go down and there's no one there to rebound except maybe AT, surrounded by four jerseys in the wrong color. Shekinna Stricklen made some surprisingly good defensive plays- there was one sequence where she forced an out of bounds on the sideline that was really slick- but there always seemed to be more on the floor that she could be doing and wasn't. I'd like to see her develop more of a midrange or inside game, even though I know by now it's not going to happen.

The bench needs to get going faster. We lost too much momentum with the reserves in, and the extension of the lead in the second half was as much because Washington collapsed in the absence of Toliver than it was anyone really stepping up big for the Sun.

Camera guys. Stay in your boxes. After the second collision, which was the one that took Toliver out of the game, the entire Washington coaching staff was out on the floor and not shy about expressing their displeasure about the situation, and the officials were talking to the cameramen afterwards. There seemed to be some pushback, so I can only assume there was a debate about the definition of being in the box versus not being in the box.

Officiating was fairly loose for a while, tightened up for a while, then loosened up again. There were some physical plays that could genuinely have gotten someone hurt, like Atkins going knee-to-knee on someone. She got pulled out of the game for that stunt.

The t-shirts look really nice. Well done, Sun.

Nifty entrance video, well-chosen music. The only change I'd have made would be to have even the casual gear be Sun gear. Cal did something similar a few years ago- still showed the different players' different styles, but showed team pride and team unity. (And also, you can market the merch. Cash Rules Everything Around Me.)

Nice touch: the big entrance video features the orange jersey, the "get loud" hype video features the navy blue jersey. Yay, you get to see both sets!

Our neighbors are cool- older folks, season ticket holders since day 1, willing to get loud and support the entire team. I'm going to feel really bad about yelling around them when the Sun play the Liberty. It's not like I'm not going to, though.

"Game of Jones" is funny, but maybe not timely? Please do throwback episodes with Joneses of the past.

Somewhere, there is a coach looking down on an orange Connecticut and laughing. I love it.

Connecticut is definitely more fun to watch than New York. New York is still my squad, but Connecticut seems to enjoy playing basketball far more than New York does.

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May 13th, 2019: Liberty at Sun

Just the Facts, Ma'am: Connecticut controlled most of the way in their 100-66 preseason win over New York. Jonquel Jones had 19 points to lead the Sun. Rebecca Allen came off the bench to lead the Liberty with 18 in the loss.

For road trips, eating dessert first, being Very Tired of the same mistakes over and over again, partisanship, and depth issues, join your intrepid and Very Tired blogger after the jump.

On to the main event, the Sun and the Liberty!

Liberty have dressed Reshanda Gray and Amanda Zahui B. No one else appears to have arrived. Might be able to give a Sun roster check in the second half.

At halftime, it's 51-37 Sun. Believe it or not, we had a second quarter lead. But our second unit can't run with the Sun starters.

Spotted: one #lostmani, if found please return to the Dream team bus.

I am extremely done with former guards for the Lynx and the Storm who wore 30.

Sun fans, please explain to me why you love Rachel Banham so much. I am perplexed.

Officiating so bad in the first half that Tanisha Wright is currently having some animated words with the crew during the break.

I would really like for my team to stop testing my oath to swear as little as possible in the GNoD. Would that be too much to ask? Apparently it is too much to ask. Because we were extremely not good in the second half of this game, and it really feels like most of the issues can be laid at the feet of the coaching staff. And when Connecticut has their foot on your throat, they don't let up. And we rolled over and played dead in response.

So the PA guy messed up the intros and announced #7 Avery Warley-Talbert as the starter instead of #17 Amanda Zahui B. There was an awkward pause, and then Tina, Asia, and Kia went out there. Brittany Boyd was the last starter announced, and she and Amanda looked at each other awkwardly before Boyd went out. Then Amanda shimmied down the aisle to join the rest of the starters. (All things considered, maybe the PA guy had it right after all and Katie was the one running the wrong lineup, but we'll get to that later.)

Bianca Cuevas-Moore didn't get off the bench until the last two minutes. So much for her big game against China. She did have a nice block on Natisha Hiedeman. We also didn't see Talia Caldwell until the end of the game, when Tina Charles subbed out for the last time. (The time when Tina shouldn't even have been in the game, but that's not the point yet.) Talia promptly went on to commit a foul, which seems to be the sum total of her Liberty experience. I'd love to see her chronicle her time as a Liberty player, but I'd like for that time to be shortened. I have no idea why Avery Warley-Talbert played as little as she did, unless it's simply that Avery is an established product. Once she knows the system as well as she's going to, you know what you're getting from her; why waste time confirming it? I like Megan Huff's hustle, but I don't think she has the next level speed or skills. Kelly Faris played briefly, did not look good on defense, and offense isn't her thing. Between all that and the radiator tied to her back whenever she wasn't on the floor, I really don't want to see her make the roster. I'm hard on her for things beyond her control, and I acknowledge that. So if y'all do not believe I'm speaking from a genuine, heartfelt, well-meaning place here, I understand. But, please, Kelly. Retire before you break yourself more than you already have. You'll be an amazing coach. Go get started on that.

Reshanda Gray played hard on the glass, but she's got to hit those shots and she's got to stop committing those fouls. Again, I'm starting to feel like I'm playing a recording. Tiffany Bias hit corner threes, hit the floor a lot, and was the referees' redheaded stepchild for some reason. I don't understand. Y U NO RISPEK TIFFANY? She was impressively solid in this game. I don't see how she fits on the final roster unless we have a lot of wild variance due to Eurobasket, but she looks like she's put in a lot of work. Xu Han was extremely disappointing in this game- Jonquel Jones outdid her at the "being tall with long arms" thing and Brionna Jones outmuscled her on the regular. She got more and more passive as the game went on, and I swear to Arceus if I see her take one more pointless contested straightaway long jumper I will not be responsible for my actions in the rage blackout afterwards. Tanisha Wright, for some inexplicable reason, was mostly playing at the off guard, which... okay, Katie, you understand that hasn't been T's strongest position since, like, Seattle, right? And she did not look good doing it. Yes, she burned Banham, but Banham burned back at least once, and also, I expect more out of Tanisha Wright than to draw even with Rachel friggin' Banham. I also do not expect a two-game streak of panicking with ten seconds left on the shot clock, forgetting about the existence of her teammates, and throwing up a floater that could best be described as hot trash on a platter. Rebecca Allen was the only real bright spot off the bench, and we know she's inconsistent. If the good Bec shows up for most of the year, then I'll be happy. But I liked that she was assertive on offense, and that she found a niche in the defense.

I am having trouble finding words, concepts, and sentences that are not profane to describe the epic fail that was Amanda Zahui B attempting to defend Jonquel Jones. Or, indeed, doing much of anything. She was late on rotations, she was careless with the ball, and she seemed determined to foul out as quickly as possible. If she keeps playing like this, I am perfectly okay with her joining the Swedish national team for Eurobasket at her earliest convenience. Kia Nurse showed flashes of being the dominant offensive player we know she can be, but they weren't consistent, and she backed off too much on defense. I don't understand why we were forcing the ball to Tina Charles so much. Tina forced terrible shots, especially in the first quarter, but she can't be held responsible for other people choosing to pass into double-teams to get her the ball. She gets stuck. She got loose in the start of the third quarter, much of it off her rebounding, but then she was racking up the fouls. When Katie put her back in down 30 in the fourth quarter and she promptly got her fourth on a cheap reach, I was half-expecting her to decide, "nope" and deliberately foul herself out of the game. It would have been a selfish decision, but one I could have been okay with, because seriously, Katie?

I'm starting to run out of patience with Brittany Boyd. And please bear in mind I wrote those words wearing a Brittany Boyd jersey. I love her, I want her to succeed, and I still believe she can succeed. I just don't know if she will, between her own shortcomings and the utter cluelessness that this franchise is marinating in. (It's so bad I almost called it a program, because it sure ain't professional right now.) I like the hustle plays she makes, but she was getting burned on defense and making bad choices on offense. Do better, Boyd. I'm even more scared of the extreme tentativeness we've seen out of Asia Durr in these first two games. I mean, we brought her in as a scorer, right? This is the thing she's supposed to be good at, right? So why is she not getting the ball? And why does she seem terrified of it when it does eventually come to her? She needs to be looking for her shot more.

We have a supporting cast around Tina for the first time in a while. Can we maybe act like it? Our rotations make no sense and our positioning makes no sense. I have no idea what we're trying to do when we're not force-feeding Tina, and that's a thing I don't think we should be doing. Katie still seems to be in over her head. We can do better.

So, Connecticut. What about you? Part of me was surprised to see so little so late of Emma Cannon, but on the other hand, she's sort of an established product from her time in Phoenix. You know who she is and what you're probably going to get, so the question becomes whether or not she's better than the variables you're bringing in. And looking at this Sun roster, I would have to say no. She's a physical post off the bench, but they get that from Brionna Jones. I was surprised at how little we saw of Kristine Anigwe, though I wonder if we're going to see more of her against Dallas. I think she might have potential, but it's hard to tell. Regan Magarity only played in the fourth quarter, and I was not impressed with what I saw (or the poor kid's bootleg-looking jersey with the name all spaced out). I don't think she's ready for the big time.

I would like to see Natisha Hiedeman make this final roster, and I'm not just saying that because I'm a Big East fan with a not-so-secret soft spot for Marquette's class of '19. She brought a higher gear to the game. It hurt them sometimes, as when she got blocked by Bianca Cuevas-Moore, but I think it fits with the style that Miller wants to play. Layshia Clarendon had a quiet game, but I don't know how much she was being asked to do. I remain spectacularly unimpressed with Rachel Banham. I would absolutely take Hiedeman over her, but again, I recognize I have multiple biases in this situation and may not be the most impartial judge. Bria Holmes has a nice shot.

I see what everyone's been saying about Brionna Jones taking a step forward this year. She leveraged her bulk and her strength really well against our posts, whether it was Xu or even Tina. (This is why I want Tina off the center spot; it's too easy to beat her up there, perfectly legally.) She's finishing plays I don't know if she was finishing last year. Much will be asked of her, and I feel more confident that she'll be able to answer the call than I was looking at her last year. Bridget Carleton showed flashes of good play, but I don't think she's making this roster. She needs a year or two of international polish, whether it's in an overseas league or with her national team. Even then, maybe she won't have the speed for the WNBA game, but we'll see. I like Morgan Tuck, but I get the feeling I would like her better if she weren't a Husky and could thus be evaluated on her own merits instead of the blind loyalty Connecticut fans give her. She's a good, solid rotation player, and she does a lot of good things on the offensive glass, but she gets cheers like she's a superstar, and it annoys me.

(seriously, I have no real problems with UConn as a basketball team and program, I just have had one too many bad experiences with UConn fans)

I have come to the conclusion that it is very easy to love Alyssa Thomas when you're rooting for her and very easy to dislike her when your team is playing against her. I was not happy with her repeated and uncalled holding on Tina Charles. That spin move is a thing of beauty, though. I can't deny that, even on a day when the Sun is not my team. She's a little bit awesome and a little bit terrifying, and I think that's the way she likes it. Somehow we keep forgetting that Shekinna Stricklen shoots threes. (If this were any more specifically meant to call out Amanda, it would be in Swedish.) I get that she's not built like a traditional long-range shooter. She's also been doing this for seven years now. A clue, y'all, please to acquire it. On my Sun days, I'd like to see her be more of an interior force and use that thick build of hers to power through smaller defenders, but I can see how she instead slips bigger defenders on the perimeter. Jonquel Jones took charge both inside and out, getting around the defense to either hit outside jumpers or go up in the lane. She is, as the Internet parlance goes, a problem.

I loved seeing Jasmine Thomas take a few extra seconds at the end of a timeout to talk to the Sun's young guards. That kind of mentoring is important, and I don't know if every veteran is willing or able to provide it. She was merciless and deadly efficient in this game, setting up offense with her defense on steals and breaks. Courtney Williams got loose for elbow jumpers. Don’t' ask me where the assists came from, though. I had a terrible angle on the Sun's offense. We'll be switching to an upper deck sideline view tomorrow, which is now today because I am so tired.

Connecticut's starting five can go toe-to-toe with anyone in the league and probably beat most starting fives. But I know from painful experience that that isn't always enough. If Brionna Jones can be consistent, and if they can get solid production from one of the reserve guards, they'll be okay. But if they're only five or six deep, and other teams can go eight or nine deep, those big leads might not be safe, and the afterburners might not be there for them to use.

Officiating was very lackadaisical, and I’m not okay with that, especially in a preseason game. If someone gets hurt because the refs are swallowing their whistles, I am extremely not okay with this. (Also, seriously, guys. AT had Tina in a hammer lock. Exactly what were you expecting Tina to do about that? I may or may not have yelled "ALYSSA STARTED IT!" at that point.)

Love how Sun fans only get into the game when they're up 20. And really, disconcerting the shooter when you're up 30 is ever so classy. We had enough problems without y'all "helping".

I hope we learned from this game. I don't know if I can do more than hope.

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August 23rd, 2018: Phoenix at Connecticut

Just the Facts, Ma'am: The Phoenix Mercury stepped their game up on the road in the fourth quarter, sealing a 96-86 win over the Connecticut Sun. Brittney Griner and Diana Taurasi each had 27 points, and DeWanna Bonner added a monster double-double of 23 points and 18 rebounds, as the Mercury pulled away in the fourth quarter. Courtney Williams had a team-high 27 points and eight rebounds for the Sun.

For a size disadvantage, shameless pop culture references, mild frustration, and simple truths, join your intrepid and exhausted blogger after the jump. See y'all in November. Or maybe October.


This is probably a terrible idea. No, scratch the probably. As soon as I looked at the bus schedule, I realized this was a terrible idea, but I'm going through with it, because I am the victim of a basketball jones. And who needs sleep anyway?

See, the buses out of Flushing leave at 2:30 and 6:00. The tip is at 8:30, meaning the game will end slightly after 10:30. And the return times are 10:30 and 1:30. I am not expecting to leave this game early to make the 10:30. You may get these game notes faster than any in recorded history. They may also be utterly incoherent. Sleep deprivation- it's like being drunk, but for free!

Security got lax about my backpack. I probably shouldn't be admitting this, because someone's going to get in trouble and the hole will be patched. But I reserved an extra seat for it, so it all works out.

It's 44-40 Sun at the half. Jasmine Thomas and Courtney Williams each have 11 points. I'm really going to need Alyssa Thomas to get going. Diana Taurasi has 15 for the Mercury, and I am starting to take a deep and profound dislike to that woman.

Anthem from a former member of Celtic Woman, and was phenomenal. I do wish the gentleman in the next section hadn't tried to drown her out, though, especially since she was mic'd up.

No new video for the playoffs. Well, I mean, they have the pregame hype video, but that's new for every game. Different narrator this time. There was also a small pregame video featuring the women of the Mohegan Tribe staking out their territory and urging the Sun on. (Also, "Listen to the women" might be the most understated double-edged statement of the season.)

Thundersticks for all! They're fairly bland, but I haven't gotten a new set of Sun thundersticks in ages.

I'm tired of Taurasi getting more applause in intros than anyone on the Sun. I get that they turn on her as soon as the ball goes up, and the cheers for her first foul were just as loud as the cheers on her introduction, but guys, c'mon. Y'all know she finished almost fifteen years ago, right? Y'all can move on, right?

Already some dubious calls in this game. I need Brittney Griner to pick on people her own size and not double-hook Jasmine Thomas.

Oh, Sandy, no. She's wearing a bright, bright, bright pink jumpsuit. If the lights go out in the arena, we'll all know where she is.

The drum line was walking the concourse before the game, and also did a pregame bit.

All right. I admit it. I left the game early. It had just gone to 94 for Phoenix, and looking at the final stats, I don't seem to have missed much. It was worth making the bus and not, y'know, spending three hours at Mohegan Sun, growing steadily more tired and more frustrated. We had chances, especially in the first half. But they have Diana and we don't. I personally think it was more relevant that they have Brittney Griner and we don't, but we all know how the saying goes.

Short bench for the Mercury tonight. Part of me is surprised not to see Camille Little on the floor, but I don't know her injury status, and she probably would have played right into Connecticut's hands anyway. Size was the difference inside for the Merc, and she would take away that advantage. Angel Robinson certainly used that to get rebounds and buckets in the paint. And I imagine that Devereaux Peters is basically the human equivalent of "in case of emergency, break glass", which is good in this case because the number of times I can spell her name in my life is limited.

I have a very healthy respect for Yvonne Turner and the work she put in to get herself into the league. She was tenacious on both sides of the floor tonight, sticking close on defense and making herself an option on offense. It honestly seemed like she was more prolific on offense than the final stats indicate. Leilani Mitchell didn't play a lot, Brondello figuring that she could ride her horses until they dropped in a single elimination game. The biggest assist she would have had for the Mercury wasn't even acknowledged, as she was the only person near the floor to correctly spotrrhen Chiney Ogwumike stepped out of bounds on a drive. I'm pretty sure it ended up in a miss for Connecticut anyway, but Leilani tried.

I haven't seen Phoenix a lot this year, which makes it easy to forget how good a defender Briann January is when she's fully healthy. She's so good at taking away every ounce and inch of space you ever thought about having. And she hits a mean three-pointer, too. Also, she knows how to take a fall- there was one foul she took where she ended up doing a full back roll. I think that's what it's called, in any case. Very acrobatic of her. Diana Taurasi just goes out and murders people's hopes and dreams for funsies. You can't leave her open, but I'm pretty sure her percentage is actually better when someone's in her face. And you can't even call her a stone-cold killer, because there's nothing cold about her. She is inevitable. She is indomitable. I really need her not to shove people right at the whistle. Can that be arranged? But I have to say, how she swings from the one to the two as necessary is very impressive, and seems to have gotten better with time.

Stephanie Talbot did a lot of little things in this one, including hitting open shots at the right time. She's not spectacular, but she gets the job done. I could have sworn she was playing with a mask at one point, but she seemed to have shucked it by the end of the game. Was it precautionary, and she decided to get rid of it in the second half to improve her vision or something? I remember someone for the Liberty having those feelings about the mask. DeWanna Bonner's range is ridiculous, and her rebounding was amazing. She snatched that ball like she was snatching souls. She was able to take advantage of Brittney Griner flicking the ball out to the perimeter. Griner had a lot of plays like that, the kind I usually only see Jonquel Jones making, and I imagine it made life difficult for the official scorer, because she made the play, but her teammate came up with the ball. She did a number on the Sun's offense all by herself, between rotating into position and already being in position when certain people (*coughCourtneyM.Williamscough*) ran headlong into her. Do not ever run headlong into Brittney Griner. This is a terrible plan. Courtney.

Phoenix did a good job of challenging Connecticut to take perimeter shots, something that isn't necessarily our strength. I mean, I might actually be more of a three-point threat than Alyssa Thomas please don't hurt me AT. Yes, there were large swathes of paint that seemed open, but like Mr. Burns's sun-blocking machine, Griner would rotate into place and snuff out all light.

(I realize I'm being very hyperbolic in these notes. Shea Serrano is a dubious influence. But I'd like to think it's fun.)

Every time I think Rachel Banham has turned a corner, she puts out a game like this one or the one against LA, where she can't shoot, can't defend, and can't handle the ball. I want to like you, Rachel, I really do, but the Rachel Banham Experience is a little too much of a roller coaster for my liking. I would have liked to have seen more of Layshia Clarendon; it seemed like she was bringing some good steady, heady play to the table.

I love Morgan Tuck's defense. Her offense needed a little work tonight, but going up against Griner and Bonner right at the basket is a hard challenge for anyone who isn't a skyscraper. But her defense against that Mercury frontcourt was on point. She had one really fantastic stop against Talbot on a fast break that looked like a sure basket. Chiney Ogwumike was clearly not playing at full strength, and her attempts to guard Griner in the low post were extremely unsuccessful. She had better luck in the open floor, picking Griner's pocket more than once, but it was clear that she wasn't her old self, and I think that cost the Sun a lot.

Courtney Williams is going to be the death of me one of these days. I love her jumper. I love her energy. I just wish she'd take contact once in a while. Her propensity to run away like brave Sir Robin as soon as a body comes into the lane was highlighted tonight, and not in a good way. You can only drive so deep so many times and throw the ball back out to the perimeter, or waste time circling around with the dribble, before the weakness becomes apparent even to someone who never played basketball. Don't get me wrong, I appreciate that her offense kept us in the game most of the night. I just wish she'd go ahead and add that extra dimension. Jasmine Thomas had a big game, especially from the perimeter. She had trouble defensively, but I don't think there's anyone in the WNBA who doesn't have trouble with Diana Taurasi on defense. I mean, really. She's done an amazing job stepping up her scoring game, which she has the luxury of doing because the forwards are facilitating so much. (Also, I will never not be amused at her blocking DeWanna Bonner.)

Shekinna Stricklen hit a couple of clutch shots (yes, you can hit clutch shots even if you lose the game) and tried to get the crowd amped up after making a big defensive stop. Given that that was one of the possibly three times she actually played decent defense all night, I'm not sure how I feel about it. You're probably tired of hearing me say I think she can be so much more of a player, and I'm tired of saying it, so we're going to move on from that. I love watching Jonquel Jones make the extra pass, and I love when she snags the rebound. She did a better job on Griner than Ogwumike did, and I would have liked to see more of her down the stretch. I think that was an error on Miller's part; yes, Chiney is the player you went to war with for much of the season, but you've got to read what's going on right there and right then. Alyssa Thomas seemed a step slow, and her shots looked really weird. I wouldn't be surprised to find out that she was fighting more than just the shoulder injury, because the shoulder wouldn't fully explain her speed going down, or all of her lack of drive. She still got buckets, and in that regard it was one of the best games I've seen from her all year, but there's just something missing there.

Phoenix did a good job of exploiting our weaknesses, both structural and mental. We left points on the board in the first half, and I think those came back to haunt us. But we were beaten by a team we had no answers for in two crucial positions. What can you do when Griner's blocking everything in sight?

Dubious officiating the whole game through, on both sides. Fouls that should have been shooting fouls not called as such and vice versa. Out-of-bounds plays missed. Blatant pushes and hits to the face not being called anything. (I love you, Chiney, but please don't hit DeWanna in the face. I understand the urge, but we must all be better than that.)

The crowd really got into it, which was refreshing. Admittedly, they got a lot of urging, but even when the PA wasn't going, they were. In that regard, it's refreshing. I like it and wish it to continue into 2019.

I'm sorry the season ended like this, but it was a heck of a ride. Going to Sun games this year was everything that going to Liberty games wasn't. This Connecticut team reminded me of the joy the game can bring. Because in the end, that's all it is. It's a game. And it's something that should be fun. JJ, Court, Chiney, AT, Jas, Strick, Naj, Rach, Mo, Bri, Lexie, Layshia- they went out there and did something they love, and showed us all that they love it, and showed us why we should love it too. And their front and back offices backed them up, letting them showcase their skills on the world-class stage they deserve.

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August 19th, 2018: Los Angeles at Connecticut

Just the Facts, Ma'am: The Sparks mounted a second half comeback, but it was the Sun who rose victorious in their regular-season finale, coming away with the 89-86 win behind 27 points from Jasmine Thomas and a 17-point, nine-rebound, seven-assist game from Jonquel Jones. Candace Parker led five Sparks in double figures with 20 points, adding 10 rebounds.

For grinding out defense, inexplicable arrival times, terrible calls, making the extra pass, fighting through screens, and tiny Gopher pups, join your intrepid and conclusive blogger after the jump.

Barring a deep run in the playoffs by the Sun, these will likely be the last GNoD of the season, since the less said about the Liberty the better, and the Sun are in Providence for the play-in round. So I'm going to try to make them good.

Our lovely and helpful ticket rep, Lindsey, has arranged for us to be at a pregame event in one of the suites, where Amber Cox will be giving a State of the Team address (and of course encouraging people to buy season tickets for next year). Snacks seem good. I'm eyeing the outlet on the counter for my phone. I'm favorably impressed by the clarity of language in their season ticket agreement. Novel concept, they actually tell you when they're going to bill you! (yes, I may still harbor some resentment towards the Liberty rep who once screwed up our card so badly that we had to hand him cash every game)

Sorry for the laughter, Amber, but your contingency plan involves the Liberty beating Phoenix. I love her sense of humor.

(this is a really nerdy point, but I love the custom header on the PowerPoint slides) (oops, spotted the first typo)

So far it's basically Connecticut Sun 101, with the basics of the league, the team, and the personnel. aaaand there's the second typo, which is not good when it's a player's name. Sorry, Shekinna.

OH MY GOD TINY RACHEL BANHAM IN A LYNX JERSEY no, I get the point that this is about our players who grew up idolizing W players, and that the league is a goal to strive for even if you're not an athlete because there are management positions and whatnot, but TINY RACHEL BANHAM IN A LYNX JERSEY I IZ DED

The enticement to buy/renew season tickets is pretty good, and under beer circus stances I would allow myself to be lured. But a full plan is not workable for us, and I can't lay down money for a partial right now, no matter how nice the coasters are. Playoff tickets aren't enough of an inducement for a one-game round.

I was hoping for a little more inside baseball and a little less timeshare, but maybe we can buttonhole her later. There's still twenty minutes before the gates open. I mean, she does have to schmooze with the people who are laying down money today, and I do get that.

The “In the Paint” series concluded today with a poster of the entire team. Challenge accepted. Failed but accepted. On the plus side, the second and third posters are signed and ready for hanging on the wall. I think my favorite of the series is still the first; it captures both Jonquel Jones and the Sun's entire vibe best.

We are currently filling out an extremely detailed survey on the game day experience. The Sun are leaving no stone unturned.

Truth be told, I could put up with the Anthem a lot more if they did it as a singalong more often.

The fan appreciation messages from the team were good stuff. I thought it was interesting that both Layshia Clarendon and Chiney Ogwumike emphasized supporting the league almost as much as much as supporting the team.

It's 52-41 Sun at the half. Los Angeles has made the flashier plays, but Connecticut has answered with big shots every time.

If this whiny brat in the row in front of us doesn't turn around and pay attention to the game, I will not be responsible for my actions. Why drag the kid here when he clearly doesn't want to be here?

Nike really messed up the Sparks' gold. It's a bright, flat yellow.

To the family that came in five minutes into the fourth quarter, made a fuss about their seats, and left with about 1:30 left: why? It's not even like they went straight home- we saw them in line for the burger joint as we were leaving an hour after the game. I feel so bad for the kid in her Candace Parker jersey. Your folks can't get you there in time and they bail when the going gets tough?

That got closer than it had to be at the end, and there will be words to come about just why it got so close. But first will come the rest of the words.

I was surprised that Brian Agler decided to go to Karlie Samuelson so abruptly in the second half. (And to the autograph hounds working the rail behind me before the game: yes, she has a name. She's not just "Katie's sister". Not everything revolves around UConn.) She and Sydney Wiese, at different times in the game, were used to set up three-point shots, and that was pretty much it. Odyssey Sims got some good run in the second half, and she abused Rachel Banham driving the lane- she accelerated at will and hit the shot at the bucket.

Driving into Maria Vadeeva is not a smart life choice. If you throw a shot directly at her, she's going to block it. Her hands aren't great on passes, but she's a good big body inside. Essence Carson, the GNoD's favorite unique special unicorn, had herself a very nice offensive day, and kept up the defense, too. All things considered, I'm still happy for her. I like her and I wish her well, just not when she's playing one of my teams.

We didn't see a lot of Alana Beard. She had a really nifty offensive rebound in the third quarter, but LA was getting enough firepower from the bench with Carson and Sims that Agler decided to go heavy offense over heavy defense. I do remain impressed with Beard's tenacity, though. Chelsea Gray fired off some spectacular passes, and I'm grateful that her teammates missed the shots she set up for them on the behind-the-back passes. There's a tough, physical presence to her that gives the Sparks a lot of flexibility in the backcourt to create mismatches. Riquna Williams, I imagine, did not make a lot of friends today in the Nutmeg State. She was undercutting all day and not getting called for it; with the amount of times she blatantly reached in or tripped someone, she should have fouled out of the game. I take the kinds of plays where someone can get injured seriously. It seemed like beautiful perfect karma that she missed the wrong free throw and then banked in the one she was clearly trying to miss (you could see the over-compensation in her shooting form- she was definitely aiming long).

Longtime readers of the GNoD know that I loathe Ohio State institutionally (except for Jessica Davenport, and I guess I have to put up with Katie Smith) so I'm already not going to be the world's biggest Jantel Lavender fan. But that off-the-ball shot to Courtney Williams's midsection was dirty and cheap, and she should be ashamed of it. She was having herself quite the nice offensive day, even remembering where the three-point line was most of the time, so that kind of nonsense was completely unnecessary. She took advantage of more than one mismatch (like, seriously, why would Jasmine Thomas ever be on a post player?) and scored both insdie and out. Candace Parker looked frustrated much of the night; every time a shot didn't go in, she looked like she wanted to blame literally anyone but herself. I suspect La Leslie has been a bad influence in her on-court demeanor. It's a shame, because when she has her head fully in the game, she's a holy terror. She can make the ball look like an extension of herself, she moves with grace and fluidity, and she's got a full toolkit. She was killer on the offensive glass for LA; I think at least three of her baskets were on putbacks. She insinuated herself into spaces she shouldn't have been able to fit into.

I was impressed with the way LA used screens. There was a lot of motion to their offense, and it kept Connecticut running. Unfortunately for the Sparks, the Sun are good at that running bit.

We kind of had a sense that Chiney Ogwumike would not be available for the Sun not when she didn't start the game, but when Brionna Jones was the first sub off the bench in the first half. Brionna tries hard, but her reaction time was extremely slow. There were plays that it looked like her teammates were expecting her to make that she hesitated too long on, and they looked like plays other post players on the Sun roster would have made. But, wow, did Morgan Tuck ever step up. The three she hit at the end of the first almost brought the house down, but more importantly, she brought tough defense inside. I didn't know if she had it in her to be that good against someone as good as Parker, but she answered the bell. Game stories will talk about Jas's 27 points, or JJ flirting with the triple-double, but Morgan was the unsung hero of this game. Betnijah Laney was all over the place. She needs to work on her ballhandling, as long as she also keeps whatever skill/instinct I don't have the word for that allows her to realize exactly how bad the possession is going to get and somehow save it.

This wasn't Rachel Banham's day. It was pretty clear early on when her first shot was way off target, but she had to take a long shift in the third quarter, and it showed. She couldn't keep up with Sims, and she couldn't answer on the offensive end the way we needed her to. She is still very adorable when tiny and wearing a Lynx jersey. (Yes, that PowerPoint slide killed me dead from cute and I am writing these notes from beyond the grave, that's why they're taking me so long.) Layshia Clarendon committed uncharacteristically stupid fouls, but still ran the offense with a steady hand. I would have liked to see more of her and less of Rach in this one, but I understand the necessity. As long as we don't talk about that floater in the lane. You're not Mark Jackson, Layshia. You'd be a better commentator than he is.

(As an aside, the husband and I have a difference of opinion on the "double-point" backcourt with Jas and Layshia. He thinks it causes confusion. I think that as long as Jas is raining threes, the roles are clear.)

Speaking of! Jasmine Thomas took advantage of the openings created for her and rained down threes and teardrops. She has her days when she's hot, and there have been a lot of them lately. So fun to watch. I think part of the trouble we got into in the second half had to do with her foul issues shortening the rotation. Courtney Williams was not quite the same after that shot from Lavender, but she adapted- after missing two jumpers badly, she started knifing through the lane and got two back-to-back buckets. She's so fun to watch. She's like someone brought a can of Red Bull to life, only without the smugness from the advertising campaign.

Shekinna Stricklen was usually the one hitting the big shot to quiet the Sparks' run. She also had a nice defensive play late in the game that got us going. I still feel like there's so much more she can be than a jump shooter, that there's so much more potential for her to unlock to be a more well-rounded player, but at some point I will have to accept that it's not happening. Alyssa Thomas threw the ball to a lot of Sparks. The one shot she hit was a beauty- she spun off Vadeeva like something out of a slow-motion martial arts movie. But the 'point forward' concept doesn't work as well against a tall team like Los Angeles, especially when they have on occasion deployed the maneuver themselves. (Hi, Candace.) I don't know what I enjoyed more about Jonquel Jones in this game: those incredible fingers controlling rebounds like a puppeteer, or her consistent ability to make the extra pass. I don't think those were passes she would have made four years ago. I don't know if those were passes she would have made last year. But she consistently saw a teammate in a better position, and almost always, those teammates rewarded her with the assist. Just a phenomenal demonstration of team play. (Admittedly, trying to make the extra pass on a 1-on-0 fast break was not a good plan, since Jas was about two feet behind the spot she was passing to.)

We have to learn to control our fouls better. It would help if we had better officiating. But there are things we can control, and reach-ins are one of them. Recognizing how things are being called is another. LA was forced to foul deliberately at the end and still ended up with more free throw attempts than we did. This bothers me to my soul.

You know what else bothers me to my soul? Kurt Walker and that nonsense call on JJ. JJ is standing there doing her best impression of a six-and-a-half-foot tall bright orange pole, and Riquna Williams leaps into her like someone with a death wish. Somehow this is a three-shot foul. I haven't been this upset about a three-shot foul since Nadirah McKenith got called for that one on Skylar Diggins. (Rest in peace, Bonita, and I never truly meant you any ill, but that was still a terrible call.) I don't think every single call went for LA and against Connecticut the way the crowd did, but there were some pretty awful ones, many of which seemed to involve Riquna Williams dive-bombing people's ankles.

(As an aside- "Riquina" is a new and exciting typo. Sunterns, I am disappointed in you.)

I felt the crowd could have been louder, but it was nice to hear spontaneous noise instead of just cued noise from the PA.

It was quite a lovely experience to actually feel happy leaving a basketball game. I had started to forget what it was like. I'm looking forward to the playoffs. Thanks for putting up with us, Sun fans.

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August 5th, 2018: Las Vegas at Connecticut

Just the Facts, Ma'am: Connecticut went up big and never looked back in a 109-88 win over the Las Vegas Aces, shooting almost 60% from the field in the process. Jasmine Thomas dropped a game-high 30 points on 12-15 shooting from the field. A'ja Wilson led Las Vegas with 24 points, with Kelsey Plum adding 21.

For interminable bus rides, a study in contrasts, playing for a reason, a lot of pink, getting buckets, artwork, and scoring a lot, join your intrepid and exhausted blogger after the jump.

Basketball, as we all know, never stops, and we go from That Dump in White Plains to the 7-time Arena of the Year at Mohegan Sun, as Connecticut plays host to the Las Vegas Aces.

Today is BHA day, branded as "Rock the Pink". Third scorecard in the special series came out. So far the second one is my favorite.

The Rock and Roll Chorus did what I thought of as the "game in 60" version of the anthem, and what the husband described as the "Rent" edition. It was... interesting. They're doing the halftime performance as well. I am underwhelmed.

It is 64-49 Sun at the half. Refs all but swallowed their whistles after the first few minutes. They're really letting them play. It seems like someone's going to get hurt if this goes on.

STH and kids get to shoot foul shots on the court after the game, which is cool.

These soulless BHA jerseys have to go. Team colors have to be on them somewhere next year. And Vegas's leftover San Antonio jerseys are hideous. I don't expect to see those again next year.

So that's what offense looks like! I had almost forgotten. It's been so long. If you didn't think there would be petty shots at the sorry state of the Liberty in here, what blog have you been reading? But this also says a lot about the growth of the league. There was a time you could score 49 in a game and be in position to win, or even win outright. Vegas put up 49 in the first half and was down big.

Honestly, I'm bummed for Lindsay Allen. I'd like to think she knew going in that she was basically Fauxriah Jefferson and once Jefferson was back, she was going to the end of the bench, and that she was okay with it, but she seems like the kind of player who just needs a little playing time to develop and contribute. Moriah Jefferson is very tiny and very fast. I would be freaking out if I were the ballhandler and she were coming at me. Nia Coffey still continues to confound me. She doesn't seem to have a position, and some days it works, but some days it most emphatically does not. This was one of the days where it didn't work.

Given how much defense JiSu Park has provided all year, I was surprised how little time she got. She's got good size and she has nice midrange touch. Kelsey Bone got lively boos from a portion of the crowd every time she committed a foul, which happened with regularity. (She still kneels for the anthem, and I applaud the courage of her convictions, fight me if you want to.) She brings a big, physical presence to the floor, and if she had better positioning she might have been more effective. Jaime Nared played at the very end of the game, coming in later than I would have thought. I don't know how she managed to snag all those rebounds she has in the box score. She's sneaky, I guess.

Carolyn Swords is such an important part of this team that it's not even funny. She brings leadership and steadiness that the younger players need. She gives out direction even from the center position, making sure people go where they need to be. One of the most deceptive non-lines I've ever seen. A'ja Wilson is the truth and she has ascended past the rookie wall. She plays like a seasoned professional, with grace, fluidity, and exceptional positioning. I can't wait to see her with even more veteran savvy and experience. Tamera Young's shot still looks weird and still manages to go in.

Almost forgot the guards, which is embarrassing, because Kelsey Plum had a game where she looked like she was back at UW (well, okay, except that that floater in the lane that fell a little short) and attempting to play all sports at once- karate chops and soccer kicks are inappropriate in basketball, Kelsey. But she was on fire. I don't know if that's necessarily what Vegas needs out of their point guard, but we'll see about that in the offseason. Kayla McBride could probably do with a little less flopping, because one of these days she's going to get caught and she's going to get fined. Her game is dangerous enough, especially on the offensive end, without the falling over quite so much.

If this is what Vegas looks like after getting proper rest and traveling without event, I'd hate to have seen what they would have looked like against Washington. Of course, on the other hand, they could have gotten a second wind like Indiana. And that's all I have to say about that.

Lexie Brown is so tiny and looks so young. Someone's got to have mistaken her for a ballgirl at some point. I love the way she forced the travel against Allen. I'm not sure how I feel about Rachel Banham running point, especially with the aforementioned Brown on the roster. Seems like that's the kind of experience Brown should be getting, and Banham would be better as a shooting guard/three-point specialist. Layshia Clarendon brings a different dimension to the Sun when she's on the floor. She controls the game so well. She's really found a good spot. She doesn't get statistical credit for it, because this isn't hockey, but she set up Alyssa Thomas for a fantastic finish to Shekinna Stricklen.

Betnijah Laney got a lot of run, and brought a lot of energy to the floor with it. She still needs to do a lot of work on her ballhandling, but she's adapted around it, if that makes any sense- she seems to know when she's going to lose the ball and dives appropriately, or is able to successfully back out of the play before something terrible can happen. She's found a place where she belongs, and I love it. Morgan Tuck was fantastic on the glass, getting a putback off a strong o-board. I'm not thrilled with her as a three-point shooter, though. Jonquel Jones looked like she'd had Red Bull injected into her veins before the game, bouncing off her teammates like the world's skinniest pinball, and it showed on the floor. She had a monster block on Park that was a virtual repudiation of her opponent's very existence. It's taken the entire year, but if she's back in form for the playoffs, suddenly Connecticut is a much more dangerous team.

Chiney Ogwumike gave a master class in this game on how to get around someone who's taller and wider than you are. Swords was on her much of the time, and Chiney's footwork to get around her was exquisite (and mostly legal). There was a play on the baseline where she was able to take one big step to stay inbounds, then reestablished her dribble and got the bucket. There's a joy about her game, a feeling that comes across to me as contagious satisfaction at having completed a tricky thing that you really wanted to do and weren't quite sure you could pull off, like a golfer's little fist pump personified. Alyssa Thomas's minutes were limited because somehow, in a game where far fewer calls were made than could have been, she picked up two fouls in the first quarter trying to defend A'ja Wilson. I can only imagine how intense the onslaught would have been if she'd been in the entire game. Quiet game from Shekinna Stricklen, but again, enormous contributions from her weren't necessarily required. Someday I'd like to see her rebound more reliably, though.

Courtney Williams needs to not go anywhere near a shooter that's already launched a three-pointer, especially when said shooter is a member of the acclaimed Notre Dame diving team. And I'd like to see her take it to the basket when she drives that deep into the paint. But I can't argue with her jumper. It's not an argument I'm going to win. She's so quick and so energetic and so fun! And, of course, Jasmine Thomas was the woman of the match and the star of the show. Everything she touched turned to gold, whether it was the three-pointers (except for the one she took from somewhere in the vicinity of Bridgeport because she was feeling herself) or the amazing floaters that took all kinds of angles off the glass and dropped softly in. She was in control of this game from start to finish and it was amazing. You could tell how much this game, this day, meant to her.

I've said it before and I'll say it again, because I'll probably have to say it again: when Connecticut can keep themselves from doing stupid things, they're unstoppable. It's when they can't keep their hands off the offensive player that they start having problems.

It got physical in a hurry, which I should have expected in a game where Fatou Cissoko-Stephens was a ref. (No, ma'am, I haven't forgotten Tanisha Washington, Southern Miss, and being knocked down to four players, and I never will.) They called it pretty loose, which I'm sort of okay with. On the other hand, missing a blatant offensive kick that led to a Plum three was a little bit irritating.

To the people sitting all around us: players are relevant for more than going to UConn. Moriah Jefferson and Morgan Tuck are more than just a mutter of "UConn player" to the person next to you. And if you aren't paying attention to non-UConn players, boy are you missing out.

The parachute t-shirts from the catwalk are not as effective when the air conditioning blows half of them into the lower bowl.

I think Connecticut wanted to prove something. They were going hard for buckets even after they went up big. I mean, it's not hard to loathe Bill Laimbeer, and I think he welcomes it. It wouldn't surprise me if this were a gambit to create a new version of the Bad Girls so the league would have a new villain.

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July 11th, 2018: New York at Connecticut

Just the Facts, Ma'am: Shavonte Zellous's three off the window at the buzzer was the game-winner in New York's 79-76 victory at Connecticut. Tina Charles led New York with 19 points and 11 rebounds, getting strong support from Epiphanny Prince (15 points) and Shavonte Zellous (14 points). Alyssa Thomas had a double-double in her return for the Sun, with 12 points and 10 rebounds, while Chiney Ogwumike had a team-high 17 points.

For relief, being on the road again, unexpected detours, karmic balancing, too many sports, the cavalry arriving just in time, and a fine cheesesteak, join your intrepid and relieved blogger after the jump.



It is too early for this and I am never doing this again, Sometimes I think that's actually my motto. I'm not exactly what you would call a morning person. One might even say I am decidedly not a morning person. And yet here I am on a Chinatown bus to Mohegan Sun, at 8:30 in the morning, on my way to see the Liberty take on the Connecticut Sun.

Much to my consternation, the 8:00 bus out of Flushing is the super local, detouring all the way out to Bayside by 170th and going up the Clearview to the Throgs Neck. Part of me is intrigued by the different route. Part of me is going to be extremely annoyed if the extra time and distance make me late for the game. At least there's space, as evidenced by my ability to make these pregame notes, since the woman next to me opted to sit in the back. I think she spotted an empty row or something.

Dear fellow travelers, please note that onions and scallions are not appropriate breakfast foods in enclosed spaces. Either that, or the gentleman behind me needs to put his shoes back on.

To my pleased surprise, they're being less stringent about bag check today. I think it might have to do with Camp Day. On the other hand, there appears to be a distinct lack of campers. But I'll take what I can get. It's halftime here at Mohegan Sun, and Connecticut is up 42-38 on New York. It could definitely be worse. We've been bad on switches and sloppy on passes. But Connecticut's passing has been worse.

Terrible anthem. Pick a key. Pick a tune. Figure out where your R's are supposed to go.

I'm not the only Liberty fan here, which is a pleasant surprise. Meanwhile, the people next to me are spending half the game watching tennis on his phone. I mean, I have no objection to doing other things during timeouts and other stoppages of play, but when there's actually basketball going on, I will disapprove of your actions.

The dance groups at halftime actually weren't bad. I've seen worse, and they were mostly wearing decent clothes, which is a refreshing change.

Wooooo boy does it feel good when the universe finally gives you back one of the ones it owes you! I mean, I want to know if Shavonte called glass, but it doesn't actually matter. Isn't it amazing how one moment can make the whole day worthwhile? I have no idea how we pulled it off. I really thought we lost it in the fourth quarter when the Sun started pulling away, but this team is going to kill me one of these days. I know it.

I'm currently working on these notes from the hotel lobby. We'll see how long that lasts. Trying to catch up the husband's hat with mine, but so far I've only seen Spoon and maybe Kia Nurse. And maybe-Kia was in cell phone land. We all know how that is. Those millennials and their newfangled devices. (I was born in 1984. #thatsthejoke)

Looks like the team is leaving town with no delay. Everyone's got suitcases. Making sure they don't overturn that shot?

Lexie Brown played so little for Connecticut that I only noticed she was in the game when she was running off the floor. While I think the Sun's acquisition of Layshia Clarendon will be good for her in the long run, I imagine it's going to set back her playing time in the short run. Clarendon made a big impact early, hitting her first shot for the Sun to beat the buzzer. She's more of a driver than Bentley was, and passes well out of that driving lane. I think she's going to fit in well with the Sun. Courtney Williams is just instant offense, you don't even need to add water. She's so quick and gets in the way of so much on the other end of the floor. She was one of the cornerstones of the smaller lineup that almost won Connecticut the game.

It always seems like Shekinna Stricklen should be more of a presence on the floor than she is. When she gets hot from outside, that's one thing, but she creates such mismatches on defense that it seems like she could be a monster there if she just applied herself. But she's content with being an outsized outside shooter. I don't get it. Brionna Jones got physical down low. She's pretty good at that. Morgan Tuck cannot defend Tina Charles. There are a lot of players you can say that about, to be fair, but Tuck got wrecked when she was on Tina. I might have felt bad for her, but this was not a Sun day for me. Betnijah Laney brought a lot of energy to the floor for Connecticut, and I'm pretty sure that's her role. But it wasn't focused energy, and while it was good to wake the team up, she didn't provide concrete results for them.

I really want to know if something's up with Jonquel Jones, either physically or mentally. She barely played in the second half. I don't know if she got hurt, or if Miller just really wanted to go small. When she did play, she was good but not great. There were moments when she used her height and length well defensively to block shots and deflect passes, but she did an awful lot of drifting around outside on offense. Your smaller lineup should probably not be your more physical lineup. Alyssa Thomas looks like she's still getting over the shoulder injury and still getting back in proper condition. The people behind me thought she was looking tired by the end of the game, and her free throw technique is slightly more questionable than it was before the shoulder injury. But man, when she drives and she's on, she has that same fluidity that Holdsclaw once had, that Matrix effect that makes you think she has either too many joints or not enough bones. Bend and twist and score. Chiney Ogwumike was banging down low, and she seemed to have better luck on Tina than she did on Kia Vaughn. Tina she could push a little; Kia she sort of just... bounced off. Not in the Braxton/Stinson sense, but in the "I have found an immovable object" sense. She turned up big in the fourth.

For all the attention that the ridiculous vertical of Courtney Williams gets, Jasmine Thomas can get up there too. She had an impressive tip-in off an offensive rebound. (I think. It might have been credited to Jonquel Jones. They were both in on the play.) She damn near pulverized Brittany Boyd's ankles on a crossover. When she's on the floor, you can see why she's the mastermind of the heist. I'm not sure how I feel about Rachel Banham as a starter. She's improved on defense- witness the Bria Hartley shot she rode into submission like she was trying out for PBR. (Wait. Serious question, though. Are there female bull riders?) But it's still not strong yet, and if she's not hitting, as she wasn't for much of the game, she's not much use to them. They're better with Williams on the floor- but I agree with Miller's decision to bring her off the bench. Williams as a reserve is a second wind, a fresh jolt of energy. If Clarendon can take that role, that changes the equation.

It's strange to say that a smaller lineup is a more physical lineup, but with Jones floating around outside, and with the rebounding ability of Williams and Jasmine Thomas, they were getting tougher inside play with the three-guard set and Alyssa Thomas as the four to Ogwumike's five.

Rebecca Allen was in for literally one possession, and it was as a decoy on the last possession. She didn't screw it up. *shrug emoji* I mean, there's not much else I can say there. Kia Nurse, for the first time that I can remember seeing, looked somewhat like she was in over her head. The dead ball foul she committed against Stricklen- which set up a three-point possession for the Sun- was an uncharacteristically boneheaded play from her. On days like this, I can see why she's getting fewer minutes. She'll learn. Brittany Boyd plays at full speed all the time. It can be good when she's firing the team up and getting the offense flowing. It can be a bit problematic when she's constantly throwing her body in front of offensive players and getting called for the foul, or when she persists in throwing up the worst-looking shots in the lane when she has an opportunity. I do like that she's making the three-pointer more of a weapon, even if I think she has to speed up her release a little bit. She's taking a long time to wind up. Sugar Rodgers got most of her run in early, but she was a little passive for my liking.

Amanda. Amanda Zahui B. Bless your heart sometimes, Amanda. I love the effort she brings, but sometimes I'm going to need her to stop shooting. Just because Tina is taking forced, contested shots and being the first option on offense doesn't necessarily mean you have to fill the exact same role when you're on the floor for her. I can appreciate her ability to spread the floor, but the three-pointer only becomes an unexpected weapon when it's not half your shot attempts. Loved seeing her block Ogwumike, and she had a beautiful feed to Shavonte Zellous wide open down low. Kiah Stokes did have one emphatic block on Courtney Williams (do not run headlong into brick walls, Courtney) but seemed... I don't even know what the proper word is here. Passive seems a little strong.

This was the Epiphanny Prince we've needed to see on the floor all year. She hit big shots in the clutch and was consistent on offense most of the second half. But what stood out to me even more was her defense- she was all over the ball, poking it out and disrupting the Sun's offense time and time again. Something in her looked like it finally woke up, and I hope it never goes back to sleep. Bria Hartley was a trainwreck for most of the game, committing stupid, needless fouls- but credit where credit is due, it took a lot of guts to slide in and take that charge from Alyssa Thomas with five fouls. One wrong move and she would have been out of the game (and honestly, I wasn't so sure it was an offensive foul). That's the kind of move that makes up for all the other stuff.

I give Kia Vaughn a lot of grief, and most of the time she deserves it. But this was not that day. She stepped up bigtime. She spurred much of the fourth quarter run with open shots, and her defense on Ogwumike was solid. Yes, I'm looking at this stat line for Ogwumike and still praising Kia's defense, because Chiney Ogwumike is just that good. This was the game we needed her to have as the muscle inside to complement Tina Charles. Tina had her usual game, though she was missing more inside than I would want to see from her. I think she's tired. She's had to carry too much of the load for too long, and it's starting to show. Shavonte Zellous was, of course, the hero of the day, with the three off the window to win the game at the buzzer. She brought a lot of urgency to the floor. Her defense was great, and she was all over the floor.

This was exactly the kind of game we needed to have at the end. It started out as so much of the usual frustrating dreck we've been putting out, with contested shots leading straight to defensive rebounds for the other team. But we hit the shots we've been missing. We made the stops we haven't been making. The big plays were there. And in the end, there was triumph. We didn't give up, which is a lovely change from much of the last couple of weeks.

The officiating was the usual blend of uncertainty and confusion, and Maj Forsberg should probably not be the person who throws up the ball for a jump ball. I don't think I agreed with a single block/charge call all day, and that's including the ones that went in the Liberty's favor.

For a camp day, there were an awful lot of swathes of empty seats. The campers came late and left early, and except for one group in the upper deck, they weren't very loud. I don't think a lot of places wanted to send their kiddos to the casino, for some reason.

I miss the days when the Sun would humiliate their interns instead of their younger players. No one should have to eat jelly beans that are designed to taste like boogers or spoiled milk. The reactions were so over the top that the green screen effect actually failed a couple of times. Betnijah Laney did a good job of rolling with the horror, though, joking about how she was going to start sharing with the dog because the flavor of the jelly bean wasn't half bad. (Also, why are these a thing?)

All things considered, the road trip was worth it. But I don't think this is something I'm going to be doing frequently. Not a morning person. So not a morning person.

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