San Antonio Silver Stars 91, New York Liberty 78
The Game Notes are tired. The Game Notes are sick. The Game Notes miss Vickie Johnson.
Ugh. I'm still trying to sort out my thoughts from this game, but they keep turning into a diatribe against the incompetency in the front office.
We started a "Blaze must go!" chant. It didn't get very far, but it was there. We're seriously considering bagheads. Keira and jersey can attest to this: last night I was spittin' mad after the game; first thing I did when I saw Keira was ask why she wasn't trying to kill Blaze.
I'm a Noo Yawka. I live and die by my New York teams, and it's all the Liberty's fault. Now I find myself turning against them. The last few games, I've found myself rooting against this team, even as I sit in their arena in their gear. I'm tired of watching Becky hoist up shots for no discernable reason, looking for all the world like she should be wearing Iverson or Marbury's #3. I'm tired of seeing Shameka out of control, control that could have been taught if she'd been mentored for one more year, especially by Crystal but maybe even by VJ. I'm tired of seeing Cathrine regress, tired of thinking that one more year with Elena could have done her a world of good. I'm tired of seeing the hook return on Loree, tired of being sure that Spoon could teach her more than Patty's ever forgotten.
I'm tired of seeing Patty without a clue about how to coach a team and how to run a team. DNP-CD for Ashley and Kiesha is unacceptable when Dan Hughes put Jae Cross in the game and was class enough not to call for a last shot when they got the last offensive rebound. Swear to God that woman is trying to kill Cathrine in the second quarter- I should NOT be able to discern how exhausted a player is from the 200s; why did you guys think Feenstra went off on her?
I'm sick to death of Blaze's smarmy smirk, tired of this whole goddamn circus, tired of no freebies and hiding the extra roster cards postgame. Anyone notice that they didn't announce autograph sections the last couple of nights? Or that there haven't been team photos? Or that they didn't mention Play-By-Play? I swear, this is approaching the Alumni Hall game experience from the bottom.
Most of all, I am sick to my stomach at the realization that last night, the only Liberty player who owned the Garden floor, who played with the fire in her eyes and the torch in her heart... was the only Liberty player who still wears black.
WTF is up with the boxscore? It wasn't an OT game; how does Shameka play 40:19?
We win this game if we have VJ; we win this game if San Antonio doesn't. She was so smooth, so clutch, so damn good.
Damn, but Katie Feenstra is huge. She was running a bit funny last night, almost limping. Her entrance into the game was also greeted by a lightbulb inthe rafters exploding. Tres strange. She gets around people surprisingly well. Of course, it helps when the people she's getting around are wheezing for air and glancing at the bench begging for relief. She and Anderson make an interesting pair in the post.
Sophia Young... she's slick. I was going to say she didn't impress me, but then I went to the box and there she was with 13 points and leading the Silver Stars in assists.
Is it just my imagination, or did San Antonio make their decisive first-half push with Ivanyi at point instead of Pee-Wee? I'd bet a dime on her being in the most effective +/- lineups. (I can't bet a quarter. I already have it on Greenwalt being picked up by the Liberty. )
I think the PA guy loves Biba's name. A'course, I have no idea whether he got it right or not. She's bigger than I'd thought.
I will not rant about Loree rebounding better than every post except Schuey. I will not rant about Loree rebounding better than every post except Schuey. I will not rant about Loree rebounding better than every post except Schuey. I will not... oh, fuck it. Barbara, Cathrine, Iciss, Shameka, WTF?!
Wednesday, March 26, 2008
June 30th, 2006: San Antonio at New York
June 28th, 2006: Charlotte at New York
Charlotte Sting 73, New York Liberty 67
Helen Darling should STFU, the Liberty should be finding their teammates on the fast break, and the Game Notes shouldn't have ordered that burger at Café 31.
If it hadn't been for that third quarter, I don't want to know what the final score would have been. That game was brutal and ugly and painful. It was the worst of times crossed up with the best of moments.
I think my count of people trying to sign with the button of my retractable Sharpie is up to seven with two Sting today. It's a silly stat, but it's a fun one. The Sting are a nice bunch. I like them. Well, most of them. Monique Currie seems to be making the best of her time in Rookie Hell; she was chatting with us and shakin' her groove thang at every opportunity.
I would give good money, or possibly part of my soul, to know what Allison Feaster and Iciss Tillis were talking about before the game, knowing that they both have economics degrees from prestigious institutions. The state of the national economy? The league's finances? Or the best way to look good and stay smart?
Lovely anthem by a lady named Nicole Napolitano, who we later found in the section next to ours. Boooooo to the Liberty for a cheap complimentary seat with indifferent sight lines, especially for a woman who hit the crescendo at the end of the anthem and just kept going.
Great biddy game by some cute PAL kids, one of whom I think was convinced she was Becky; knee-high to a grasshopper, and there she was cranking up regulation threes.
Charlotte did what we could not: they set screens to free up their shooters (read: Sam and Mazzante). Sam seemed rather fond of our defense; she kept coming at it, and Shameka just kept letting her come. There was one play where she stopped dead like she thought she'd heard a whistle. I proceeded to irritate the people five rows down from me with my shrill frustration at that laughable excuse for defense. She also helped put the clamps on Becky, simply by dint of being six feet tall and broad. Helen Darling obviously took drama lessons from Mery Andrade during their years as teammates. My God, that woman does not shut up and pulls some crap that should make her blush. I don't usually call someone a bitch, but I spent a lot of the game hoping that bitch would be knocked on her ass. Currie couldn't hit, but she got to the line- is that her, um, MO? I can't imagine her being anything but fantasy poison until she starts hitting from the field- 7 points doesn't do much to negate 0-11. Tangela Smith still seems addicted to the outside play- stop it, Tangie, you're 6-4 and built. I also wasn't impressed with her post presence. Tammy Sutton-Brown, on the other hand, played like this was an on year. She had strong post presence and finished in the lane. Very impressive. (She also, unfortunately, carries herself like the first thing people look at should be her tits, and, um, no, on so many levels.) Janel McCarville, despite a haircut that honestly made her look like she should be a Bobcat, was solid on the inside- she set some of the best screens of the night, along with TSB. LaToya Bond looked *good*. I *like* that kid. And she saved my ASS in VGM, so I'm inclined to like her even more. Fluker's bigger than I thought, though if she's 6-5 I'm a small forward. She used her size well on the inside, and she had one monster block on AB that was all, "NCAA rings don't matter in the W, byotch!" Allison Feaster… sadly, I don't think she'll ever be the player she was, a shooter that you could not leave open. I think that player is now Kelly Mazzante, who also earned my ire by attempting a slide-tackle/grab on Loree. Tsk, tsk. I swear, you wouldn't think they taught such physical play at Penn State.
Sherill, Becky, look over there. See those other women in white? They're your teammates. Please to find them on the fast break, kplzthx? Sherill especially. I realize that Becky spent most of the night with a much larger defender on her- and why the posts didn't set screens for her, I will NEVER know- but Sherill should not be taking more shots than Becky. I don't care how much of the future she is. Also, guys? Please not to be watching your point guard lead the team in rebounds, okay? Yes, I realize there were a lot of sixes and fives scattered about (mwah! to that, Sherill, and wow, was Iciss trying to show Mo up?), but this comment is mostly addressed to Barb's 2 rebounds in 19 minutes and Schuey's 4 in 26 minutes. Especially Schuey. My God, but did she look lost tonight. She blocked shots, but that was about it. Barb probably would have turned it up in the second half were it not for the fouls; I don't know so much about Schuey. One of these days, Loree is going to learn to score, and her teammates are actually going to hit their shots, and she's going to pull down a triple-double on us. It won't be a very impressive triple-double, probably a 10-10-10, but she pads the stat sheet nicely. Shameka turned it up late, but she seems to have bought into the Phoenix/Seattle idea of defense: score more than your opponent, except that she didn't. I liked her rebounding tonight. It was good to see her mixing it up inside- she needs to keep that up, especially when the threes aren't falling. Cathrine played well tonight, but damnit, where have the Screens of Death gone? Yeah, I like offense, and I like threes and taking it to the hoop, but getting your shooters open is also of great importance, as is covering on the defensive end.
Idiot refs. What else is new? Equal opportunity suckage, though, so I suppose that's fair. Darling and Mazzante were awfully physical. And I nearly died laughing when I saw how Becky fouled Darling during the endgame foul derby. No wonder she missed the first free throw- the touch probably traumatized her!
After the game, the boy and I went out to dinner at Café 31- the wings are as good as advertised, and they've improved the Italian portion of the menu, but don't order a burger because they're dreadfully dull. We saw Coach Stanley when we came in, glued to the Sacramento-Seattle game with a soda and presumably her dinner eventually, and Lisa White when we headed out (in the company of an awfully familiar bleach blonde, but I wasn't quite sure if that was Becky's bad bleach job or not).
If it hadn't been for that third quarter…
June 21st, 2006: Washington at New York
New York Liberty 72, Washington Mystics 66
Alana Beard is a bad-ass, Crystal Robinson is welcomed home, and Loree Moore's starting to grow up.
That was a very unexpected win. A pleasant surprise. I don't think the Mystics are reacting well to the lack of DeLisha.
Anthem- again with the Sweet Adelines! Seriously, when Blaze gets run out of town on a rail, one of the sordid little secrets that will come to light is that she has a secret jones for the sound of many middle-aged women singing sweetly. Not that I mind, but last year it got ridiculous.
Alana Beard is really out to prove that Taurasi isn't better than her, isn't she? She just turned it up in the second half. I think she even tossed in a hook shot at one point, and you know me, I think hook shots are the sexiest damn thing in basketball. But either Richie was brain-dead or she just didn't have it defensively, because Becky… but the Liberty are a different paragraph. Onward, then, to Teasley, who just couldn't find the basket all night. I think that was part of the problem for Washington- they need her to be a threat, and at her size, with her shooting ability, she should be. It wasn't her night as a distributor, either, but then, it wasn't really a night for assists. Melvin and Sanford both played tough and rough inside- I don't think I've ever seen Chas go after that many rebounds. She had three and-ones, which impressed me. Sanford got into it with Maddie at the beginning of the game, because she was standing on the logo, and the Liberty always have Maddie jump on the letters of the logo for call-and-response. I'll grant that the video really drags on, and that the A/V guys sucked tonight, but get offada logo! And she was LOUD! After one call, *I* could hear her barking at the refs- and I'm in the upper deck! Meanwhile, poor Crystal couldn't hit water if she fell out of a boat- I think she hit two of her first three shots, ended up 2-12. Ugly. And if she was assigned to Shameka on defense… meanwhile, Richie's back to his usual tricks with the rotation, basically playing seven, with Koehn as a situational shooter. Coco Miller didn't impress me; I might have taken a chance with Blue and shifted Teasley to the off guard. Byears played well, fighting for rebounds. Though the Mystics ended up outrebounded, I think they were rebounding better; if Loree Moore didn't have such a bizarre knack for pulling down boards, the Liberty would have been screwed. Richie nearly lost his temper a couple of times, and that shirt was horrendously ugly.
Ah, New York. Stubbornly resisting the 24-second era of higher scoring. Gotta love the throwbacks. :P For example, someone noticed this earlier, and now that I look, it seems more obvious, but dang, does Loree physically resemble Spoon if you're not looking carefully. Not as good a scorer (and yes, I know exactly what I'm saying) but I've never seen a guard rebound like her. There was one board early in the game that she just took from Nakia Sanford, and since Sanford had been pulling shit on the logo, I cheered loud and long for that. I just wish she'd take some shots from inside the arc. Five out of eight shots being three-point attempts is NOT ON. Becky was incredible tonight; it was one of those nights when all the circus shots, or at least most of them, went in, which allowed her to both drive the lane and put up the long balls. Likewise, Shameka started going inside more. It was a beautiful thing, seeing her work in the paint; not only did she score baskets, she got herself to the line more than I've ever seen. Brava! And more, please! Barbara had so much trouble finishing that I wanted to scream, and she and Schuey (and Cathrine) were letting the Mystics' posts have their way inside all night. If Sanford could actually hit, it would have been ugly. Schuey seems to have gotten tentative on the inside. Not good. Cathrine looked awful, in more ways than one. She couldn't score, she couldn't defend, and near the end of the first half, she couldn't do much of anything. No, seriously, she was wiped. It's a little easier to see with the white players; they turn bright red, and Cathrine was approaching shades I've only ever seen on Richie. I honestly thought she was going to collapse right there on the court for the last minute. She kept looking over at Coyle to pull her, but no dice. Most of the Liberty bench disappointed me, though Ashley seemed solid. Sherill really showed her rookie colors.
Damn it, if Richie was going to put Koehn in, and Patty was going to match with Erin, why, oh WHY didn't they just get out the O Brother, Where Art Thou? soundtrack and have Dueling Three-Balls? Clear everyone else out and have them go at each other. That would have been awesome. Just one of a few botch-ups by both sides. Note to Patty: if your players are turning bright, BRIGHT red, get someone up in the pen. Also, Loree Moore? Not a small forward. Note to Richie: Nikki Teasley? Likewise not a small forward. Also, I'd really like to know why Nikki Blue's fallen out of the rotation. I know James was never in it, but you'd think a second point guard (and NO, Coco Miller is NOT a point guard) would be a necessity.
The refs were weird tonight- most of the fouls, but very few of the violations. Very few travels, palms, carries, five-seconds… the only violation I saw being called on a regular basis was three seconds. Maybe they couldn't get all the way up to five? ;) (KIDDING.)
The crowd was disturbingly dead. If that was 8K, I'll eat my bucket hat. I think the most animated anyone got was when a catfight broke out in the endcourt stands. That was weird.
Spotted Kym and Sue in the crowd; one of my friends also spotted Spoon. I s'pose everyone was there to welcome Crystal back to town. Maddie certainly did; he hugged her and stood next to her for the anthem.
I'm still not optimistic about this Liberty team. They rely way too much on the three-point shot: 23 of their 64 attempts tonight. They also give up big leads and big nights. About the only thing this game has changed my mind on is my early assertion that Washington will win the East's regular season. I may be leaning back towards Connecticut.
June 2006: New York Liberty Season Subscriber Event
Barbara Farris works big rooms, Ashley Battle is all kinds of awesome, Kelly Schumacher is a space cadet, and Erin Thorn delivers a zinger.
I know it's tradition and everything, but they really need to quit having the players introduce each other. If it's not forced awkwardness, it's silliness, and if it's not that, it's language barriers, and if it's not that, it's grandiose claims. (No, Sherill is not our Dwayne Wade; completely different playing styles, yo.)
Those of us in section 23 started with Kiesha and Iciss. Poor Ice was under the weather. She sounded miserable. I wanted to hug her and give her a cup of herbal tea. Someone asked Iciss if they should use "Ice Ice Baby" as her Cheesy Musical Hook, and she thought it was a good idea. Obviously that was the medication talking. Kiesha reminded us all that it *is* a new team that got off to a slow start, but there was a lot of question dodging in there. She really likes the city and the wandering- you can find something to do or a whole bunch of nothing. (paraphrase). We had a few stock questions being asked, including hometowns. Someone inquired as to majors, another to female sports idols, and there were two kids I swear work for Kidsday asking all sorts of inane questions. Kiesha majored in speech communications, Iciss in economics- very cool, that. Iciss idolized La Leslie, Kiesha Dawn and Spoon.
The first question to Loree was "how did you get those shoulders?" She credited her parents and lots of heavy lifting in college. As we know, she spent her offseason relaxing and rehabbing her injury- she *does* plan to go overseas this offseason. As a kid, she played kickball and soccer and enjoyed movies; her favorite is The Lion King, and yes, she's seen the stage show. She majored in sociology. Her favorite part of being in New York is playing in front of fans, which confused me, seeing as there are an awful lot of people in Thompson-Boling. If you care, she has the good taste to prefer mint chocolate chip ice cream. Someone asked her about differences in coaching styles. Loree paused for an ellipse or two before answering, "Different." She talked about how intimidating Coach Summitt is, how competitive she is, and how she's very hard on her point guards. Her best games, or at least the most memorable ones, were winning her first SEC tournament title and beating UConn in Connecticut. Pay attention, this will come up later. Her favorite part of New York is the shopping.
Cathrine had on a lot of jewelry- four plain silver rings I could see, a bracelet, and a chain. Someone asked her if she enjoys being tall, and she does, mostly, except it's hard finding shoes for size 14 feet- not a lot of shoes in her closet, mostly sandals, no heels. She hit her growth spurt in middle school, was average height before that, which I find interesting, because isn't that not usually the way it goes? One of the kids asked if she had any friends from grade school that she misses. She thought about it and said there are a few folks from high school she hasn't kept in touch with. I asked her what part of her game she takes the most pride in. To my surprise, it's not the Screens of Death, but her shooting- she said that it allows her to open up and improve her overall game, because most posts don't have the outside game (except, um, the Euros and the Aussies, but whatev, Cat), so it makes her more useful. Someone had asked her the hometown question; she told us Kirkland but said that she usually just says Seattle. Since she's from the West Coast, she mentioned that she doesn't know a lot about New York and the East Coast and would like to see more. She's a football fan, and wanted to play as a kid except her mom wouldn't let her- if it comes to a choice between watching football and basketball, she'd rather watch football. She's a Seahawks fan, but not a fanatic. Another of the stock questions was "have you ever hit any game-winning shots?" Cathrine hit one in high school, plus a halfcourt shot in middle school.
There weren't a lot of questions for Christelle and Emilie, which was sad. It was nice to know that Emilie is Parisian, though, because that helps confirm my dad's theory about Parisian women and scarves. Most of that five minutes was us against Christelle in a trivia contest. Poor Christelle was so lost. I meant to ask the pair of them if they'd been watching World Cup, but it didn't seem quite proper.
Barbara is a hoot. She had us all laughing. Someone asked what it was like being experienced but a newbie. She said they worked her into the co-captaincy because she came to camp late, but she's taking on the challenge of leadership for this team. She thinks we have a great team. I think Schuey nailed her with an elbow. Her favorite country that she's played in overseas is France, but she loves the European lifestyle overall- they really know how to live, we're killing ourselves over here! Her favorite food is dark, dark chocolate- "it's good for you… it'll cure cancer someday, you'll see". She's another sociology major. WTF is sociology anyway? At least she's planning to go back to school. She has a lot of nicknames, not just Barb but also B. "Barbara seems to be too long for them to say." She picked "Fearless Farris" from a selection from her unofficial booster selection. Someone asked what it was like having Laimbeer as a coach. "Bill is always gonna be Bill." He liked her, though, so that was okay. He'd always have the tape of his old games in when she was at his house for dinner (though I assume when she said she, she meant the entire Shock team, 'cause otherwise it's the return of inappropriate player/coach conduct in Detroit!) and he'd be in the itsy-bitsy shorts- "he couldn't get into those shorts now if you paid him". Her best game? Well, the one that came to mind for her was Game 3 of the 2003 Finals. Wonder why. I asked what it was like to play in the ABL. She said it was different, fun… since she was with the Blizzard, she had the UConn fan base, and she liked them. Her kid activities were pretty much standard young'uns, although she was a late bloomer in hoops- didn't hit it until 13 or 14.
Becky relishes the challenge of being the new leader of this team after "Spoon and that group" left. She kept expecting them to walk through the door, but "you gotta move on". Someone asked what it was like to be named an All-Star. She said it was hard to put into words, but it was very awesome and almost a little bit humbling. She can't count how many game-winning shots she's hit, terming it "my share". Apparently they don't have Italian ices in South Dakota. Yet another reason never to move there. She learned a lot not only from Spoon (who the original question was about) but also VJ and Crystal, who are all "ridiculously smart" when it comes to basketball. I asked, because I'm curious about this kind of thing, why she calls herself Becky officially. She said it was 'cause it's shorter and everyone calls her that… except her mom when she's in trouble; even now, she's still "REBECCA LYNN!" Her favorite sport other than hoops, to watch and to play, is football. (Apparently she doesn't count hunting, fishing, and scuba diving as sports for the sake of the kids.) During the offseason she likes to get home for the holidays because she'd be disowned otherwise. One of the stock questions was hobbies. She says hers is sleeping. Right, Becky. [I]Sleeping.[/I] ;)
The first question to Shameka was "can I have your autograph?" Most of these were fashion-related questions, since she was introduced as a diva. She likes fashion. She gets a pedicure at least once a week, which I think is just wasteful. She loves Israel and told us it's not like we think it is, but she enjoyed her first year more because she had issues with the staff last year. Coaching staff, I assume, not press. ;) One of the kids asked her what designer she would pick for her entire wardrobe. She had a LOT of trouble picking one, but her first instinct was Gucci. She wants to be a fashion designer. Someone asked the hometown question, and she leaned in close and said, "Do you know where Arkansas is?" Apparently when she first got to New York and told people where she was from, people asked her, "Is that in the United States?" I weep for those people. She was another late bloomer, around the same age as Barb. Which made the next question really stupid, because it was, "did you know you were going to play basketball when you grew up?" Shameka's response was, "I did not think I was going to be playing basketball, dear!" I remember the dear part because it was fun.
Someone asked our intrepid staff if it was hard to coach. Patty, who had her Philly smart-assery cranked to the max, said "Nawwwww…" She said it's very rewarding. Someone else asked how they divide the coaching duties. "I do it all," she said. Before Glenn and I could die of laughter and/or apoplexy, she clarified that Catherine (who is apparently an assistant after all) does the organizing- "she's the brains of the operation"- Marianne is in charge of the posts, Nick is in charge of the guards, and they divide the scouting equally. "They work harder than I do." She's very proud to be a Philly girl, and that includes occasionally taking a potshot at New York. I asked both her and Marianne about the transition from player to coach, and I realized later that that wasn't quite the question I meant to ask, but in any case, they answered it. It's a way to stay in the game. Marianne loves coaching, wouldn't trade her job for the world. Someone asked Patty about Cappie's odds for ROY, and she thinks Cappie's got a good shot, but also mentioned "that kid from Minnesota" and Sherill. I'm sorry, but you really should be able to namedrop Seimone Augustus. Maybe she thinks Thorburn's that good…
Ashley was next up. Someone asked what it was like having Geno as coach. "I think everyone should have to go through it… I think everyone should have to take some verbal abuse." More in that vein. We were stumped for a moment, at which point our minder suggested that she pick on someone. With an unerring eye for trouble, Ashley pointed at Glenn. He looked nonplussed for a moment, then had the brilliant idea to mention that Loree had said her best game was beating UConn in Connecticut, and what did she think of that? AB stuck her hand out and said, "We got the rings." Someone asked what it was like playing against former teammates, especially Phoenix (I think they thought she was a true rookie and didn't know she was a five-year student). She said that it's fun, and you can laugh at the things they do, but there's a competitive edge- you can't let them have bragging rights. She spent her last offseason in Spain. Her dream vacation is on a beach in Tahiti with nothing to do, a Gatorade in one hand. She draws when she needs to calm down. Very cool. New York is very different from Pittsburgh (um, duh?) but unlike most Libs, she's been visiting the city since she was a kid; when she was ten, she told her mom that she wanted to live in New York. "Now you do," someone in the crowd said, but she said she doesn't quite, but she's here a lot of the time. She double-majored to get her fifth year, economics and business, and I think Glenn has acquired a new favorite player. "I got the brain, too," she said before walking off.
The first little-kid question of Erin's session, other than "what's your hometown" and the "Do you know where Utah is?" thing, was "What's your favorite soda?" Apparently, she doesn't drink soda, just water, lemonade, and Gatorade. [url=http://web.archive.org/web/20021026175515/http://templehill.com/soda_caffeine.html]Sounds familiar from somewhere.[/url] On the Liberty, she learned the most from Becky and VJ because they play the same position. Her best games ever involved hitting nine three-pointers- once in AAU, once in high school, once in college. Hey, doesn't that mean she's due? Let her loose, Patty! :D Someone asked about the pressure of playing in New York. "Believe me, we want to win!" Someone followed that up with a question along the lines of New York fans being spoiled, and the questioner started listing teams. Erin cut her off after the Yankees and, deadpan, said, "The Knicks." Best one-liner we had that night. We busted up laughing like you wouldn't believe. After a few seconds of this, she looked at us, looked at the Garden employee standing over her shoulder, and said, "I'm not supposed to say that. I'll get in trouble." Someone referenced the free throws against San Antonio and asked her how to be prepared. She said that she knows that it's her shot to prove that she can play and help the team. As for the free throws… "They're free. No one's guarding me."
We had Schuey last. She claims Cincy as her hometown, and American as her nationality (although I could have *sworn* she was taking pride in the Canadian thing a few years ago…), although when she moved to Quebec, she learned some French. Someone asked if she translates for the new players. She looked horrified at the thought. Christelle does that! She's great at it! And she went on to mention that since she's been playing in Spain, she's been experiencing second-language difficulties. "My French has turned into Franish." She didn't know that "Boogie Shoes" was her Cheesy Musical Hook, but she likes it. It's hard to hear the music on the court, especially when you get into a zone, but although you block it out, it gets you up. I asked her why she picked #17, knowing that #11 was out of the question, and she went on this weiiiiiiiiird tangent about how the numbers have to be visually even and look right, and it was weird, and it was what I expected from Schuey. She claimed 6'5" at the beginning of the night, over on our right, but by the time she got to us, she was 6'4" ¾. She's shrinking! Nooooooo! She claims that Patty is thorough. I claim she's crazy. Schuey also says she analyzes everything about a game, and if they lose, she goes, "We didn't do this and this and this!" Growing up, she always knew she was going to play *a* sport, because she played everything: basketball, soccer, volleyball, tennis, badminton… Her championship ring from UConn is stashed away to show to the grandkids- "at that point I'll be wearing everything".
She was the last, if you've been keeping count, so we came to the free throw shooting contest with the fan participation in. Guess who had the lucky envelope under her seat. Yeah. Me. Me trying to shoot free throws. I was the one who cussed when I forgot to rebound. I actually managed to hit one and hit the rim twice out of four shots. W00t! It's very disconcerting when you think of yourself as a taller-than-average woman (I'm 5'6" barefoot, 5'8" in shoes) and you come up to someone's shoulder. I felt tiny. It was weird. Schuey's cool, though. I like her, even if she's woefully inconsistent.
There weren’t a lot of people there. I got in maybe five minutes before the gates were scheduled to open and the line was only just starting to hook around. I guess there aren't a lot of subscribers left… at least ones who could make it after work.
June 16th, 2006: Houston at New York
Houston Comets 72, New York Liberty 58
The Game Notes are surprisingly impressed with the Houston Comets, and Shameka Christon and Erin Thorn may have switched bodies.
Patty, sweetheart, boobala, don't you *know* that pink totally clashes with that flush you have going on?
The Garden PA announcer gave Dawn the honor of being last announced for the Comets, and gave her a lovely little speech in honor of this being the last game she'll play on the Garden floor.
Congrats to Sheryl on 4K. That's awesome.
TT. OMG.
Dawn had an awesome look-away pass to Tari for a lay-up. Play of the night, methinks.
It was awesome seeing them on the offensive glass tonight, although there were long stretches during which Schuey was the one Lib surrounded by four red jerseys. Baaaaaaaad.
Canty is stealth. I looked up at halftime and was all, "wait, when did SHE get 12 points?" Then again, I managed to miss Tari's fouls, so what do I know?
Anastasia Kostaki is embarrassing my mother's people almost as much as Peter Angelos. *facepalm* And I'm sorry, we do not come in *natural* blonde.
Iciss should know better than to shoot a 3 in the face of the best American-born three-point shooting post in the league. That is just mind-bogglingly stoopid.
I still maintain the "Freaky Friday" theory regarding Shameka and Erin.
The Olivia guerilla marketers were at it at the Garden, handing out buttons at every opportunity... including during game action. Yes, they were actually inside, not at the door, but I don't think they were supposed to be handing stuff out. They're very pretty buttons, from what I saw of them (didn't get one, as they were only working the aisles and we sit in the center of a row). Still, their presence smacked of unethical marketing tactics... and I would be saying the SAME DAMN THING if they were marketing ANYTHING, mmm'kay?
June 13th, 2006: Indiana at New York
Indiana Fever 80, New York Liberty 78
Signs, signs, everywhere signs, both of disaster and of Loree Moore.
That was a frustrating game, but the signs were there. Oh, the signs were there. The video screens malfunctioning? Definitely an omen of malfunctions to come. The constant dual piping of music through the sound speakers? Sure sounds like the Liberty were playing two different songs. Playing "Celebration" in the middle of a game? Oh, that's hubris right there. The early lead again? Déjà vu all over again, you know?
Small crowd. What, did everyone want to watch the Finals?
It was an Enterline game. You know it's a bad sign when you can recognize a referee from the third deck, with his back turned, with his jacket on. He overruled some calls from Barb Smith that he oughtn't. I won't blame him for the game, though.
Spoon sighting, parked behind the Fever bench. Way to show who you're loyal to, Teresa.
Cute kids singing the anthem. Very nice. Drums of Thunder at the half, and they're very cool.
I have never seen a team so at ease in an opponent's arena as the Fever. Yes, I know they have three former Liberty players, but still. And Whitmore did not come out for the shootaround. Let's see if I can set the scene… Fro and K.B. were holding court in the far corner, right over by the Liberty bench. Tully was working the front row behind the Fever bench. And Charlotte Smith was parked in Alison-from-the-commercial's seat, just behind the Liberty bench, right on the aisle. I was half-hoping Ali would show up and boot her, but she got up and started taking shots before Ali arrived. It was great. The Fever, in that sense, remind me of the oooooold Sting or the Rockers- very personable team, very fan-friendly; presumably, if someone doesn't feel like being fan-friendly, they don't come out for shootaround.
The only note I took tonight was "6:23 1st- it's a game". Because as anyone who hangs out with Stormfans knows, it's not a game until Tully hits the floor. Of course, she hit the floor at that point because Whitmore came barreling into her like a ton of navy-blue bricks. She and Catch were incredible on defense, hassling Becky against the baseline, because everyone ought to know by now that Becky loves the baseline, and trapping her there is brilliant. Tully also got fouled on a three-ball, which was stupid, but she only hit two of three, if I recall correctly. Catch was unstoppable when Shameka was on her, surprisingly contained for the few possessions Loree had her. She's very physical, and I think she's gotten more reckless because she can get away with more. DeForge was a non-entity. Whitmore played pissed (or like she was trying too hard to impress someone), went up strong but wasn't good at finishing. Hoffman cleared space well, but I don't think she made a statistical impact. Tan White had a play that I’m sure touched off the creation of "Tan White!" threads, and she seemed solid, but the sea anemones that have taken up residence in her dreads have *got* to go. Atkinson was a defensive substitution, but I can't recall any plays she was a major factor in. Charlotte Smith hit a couple of big shots at the end of the shot clock, but then, why should any of us be surprised at Charlotte Smith hitting big shots as time expires? Alas, no Fro or K.B. I despaired.
I never thought I'd see the day when the Liberty player who most impressed me on the floor was Loree Moore. 8 assists and 8 rebounds- you *go*, girl! I think bibb was right about having to play through her mistakes; without the threat of the hook, she's learning and playing. Joy! She was so clutch in the last minute of regulation, both on the offensive end and the defensive end- I couldn't believe how she covered Catch. Becky hit big shots, which is good, since that's what she's hired for, but I'm worried that more teams will try to take advantage of her propensity for the baseline. Also, fouling a three-point jump shooter is not cool. Schuey came out in the first quarter like she had something to prove… and by the fourth quarter we were wondering if she had been replaced by a holographic projection, and for the love of Goddess, would she please quit it with the threes? Barb started hitting shots, but I'm still not pleased with her defense. Bad Girl, my ass. Sherill looked lost tonight, which put more pressure on Loree and Becky. She knows how to get her points, but I think her passes getting picked off has forced her to look more for her own shot, and that's not good if we want to use her as a PG at some point. I love Ashley's defense, and those corner threes, when she hits them… oh my God, I just realized… we have the female Bowen, don't we? Cathrine hit some shots, but I think we needed some Screens of Death from her tonight to get the serious shooters open, and either she wasn't laying them or Indiana was getting around them. The Fever were fabulous at getting around screens on the defensive end. I'm still trying to figure out why we have Iciss Tillis if she's not going to model on the inactive list. Big honkin' ditto for Emilie.
Pink is not Patty's color. It clashes with her flush. And Christelle? Capris were not meant for toothpick calves and bony ankles, especially not baggy capris. It was an ugly sight, even across the arena.
A young team plus an incompetent coach equals plenty of opportunities for last-minute mistakes to destroy the efforts of 39 or 44 previous minutes. Becky's foul on Tully's 3, Ashley with the inbound foul on Catchings, those fumbles in the last minute… a more settled team doesn't do one of those things, and either this motha is settled in regulation, with a Liberty win in OT, or a double OT. I think the youngsters have the potential to do great things, but they have to first be taught not to do stupid things.
June 7th, 2006: Connecticut at New York
Connecticut Sun 75, New York Liberty 60
Even an 11AM tip time doesn't daunt the Game Notes of Doom; fashion reports, yearning for Aussies, lots of elbows, and one sparrow (no hurricane, though).
Okay, first priority before diving into the Game Notes of DOOM: Shameka says she just tweaked her ankle, and that she came down on someone's foot, but that she's okay. I'm skeptical if only because she's Crystal's protégé, and Crystal once said she was okay and then came out for the game in street clothes. Still, it wasn't the knee, and she was walking by the end of the whole mess, so I feel optimistically skeptical, if such a thing exists.
Defense, motherfuckers! Do you PLAY it?
[/Samuel L. Jackson]
Seriously, although the Sun shot better from the field and got way more free throws, it was the lack of defensive intensity that did the Liberty in. Not that it wasn't a physical game, and not that the Sun didn't get the absolute worst of it (how on earth Margo Dydek got elbowed in the eye escapes me, and I also wouldn't have wanted to be her after Becky's elbow went… um… let's just say we were all very glad Margo is not male at that point.) At one point, Cat came back with some nasty bruises on her upper arm, and Becky had a very swollen left eye. So much owie. It made me wince in sympathy for all of them.
So I was hanging out after shootaround with Alison-from-the-Liberty-commercial, and hanging out, and hanging out… and I kinda ended up hanging out with her until the end of the game. It was very cool, since she sits right next to where folks come on and off the court. And thank you, kind and not over-paranoid MSG security, for not kicking me out of the seat I shouldn't have been in. I swear on my life and honor not to abuse the privilege.
There were lots of kids from schools. [b]I[/b] never got to go on cool trips to sporting events when I was in school, darn it! The anthem, in keeping with the school bit, was performed by an AP from a middle school. Interesting voice, very pleasant anthem, though she botched a word- it's fight, not flight.
As mentioned earlier, it was a very physical game. One thing that intrigued me was the number of great screens by both teams. Taj and Margo for the Sun, and Cat, Barb, and Schuey for the Liberty, all set great screens/picks for their shooters. It's a small aspect of the game, but one that I love. Sloppy game, too. Someone forgot to provide coffee to the locker rooms, I guess. Lots of turnovers.
Okay, so Katie Douglas's middle name needs to be something like Clutch, or Assassin, or if you're not a fan of her team, simply Bleeping, because she hits her best shots near the end of the game. She and Megan Mahoney did a great job of keeping Becky from trying to take over the game. Taj made me very glad that I took her for my fantasy team (at least I think I did oh god did I?), because she and Asjha Jones OWNED the paint, along with Margo Dydek. Every game I've watched this season, Margo looks like she's finally gotten used to this seven-two thing and has decided to work it for all she's got. Plus she still has the outside stroke, which makes her a deadly combination and did I just type that about [I]Margo Dydek[/I]?! Whalen doesn't look like her old self, still, but she's looking better, and her recovery, plus the talent of Erin Phillips, is squeezing Jamie Carey out. Miz Phillips, however, sometimes seems to forget that this is not, in fact, Aussie Rules. Summerton seemed really out of it today- did she miss her Vegemite or her coffee? She was having one of those "how long is the court again?" days. Carey and Willingham were DNPs, and as I said earlier, I think Carey is going to spend a lot of time either DNP or essentially DNP.
It seemed that Loree and Sherill were the only ones playing defense today. Srsly. And even though she didn't score, I *loved* how Loree played today. She handled the ball with confidence, netted five steals, and was high rebounder with eight boards. No, I am NOT joking. Sherill at least stayed with her man, though her day on the offensive end… eh, not so much of the good. Our UConn girls made with the showing off in the first quarter, what with Schuey scoring the first seven points of the game for New York and Ashley hitting a 3 on her first touch. They both cooled off, though, and Schuey couldn't stop any of the Connecticut posts. (Ashley at least put a decent tackle on Asjha Jones, perhaps led to believe that this was in fact footy.) Barbara couldn't the broad side of a barn, as much as she tried. Becky was covered too tightly to really get anything going. Shameka… when exactly did she start thinking she was a three-point specialist? Or did she and Erin Thorn do the Freaky Friday thing? Because I'm getting tired of seeing her spend almost all of her time beyond the arc. She's wasting her length. Likewise Cathrine. She looked dreadful today, no matter how much the PA guy loves her name. I would have liked to see more Christelle- I think she might have informed Taj\Asjha that we'd had quite enough of this inside thing from them.
Being so up close and personal intrigued me. Patty actually did some coaching. So did Marianne. What intrigued me most was the huddle at or near the start of the fourth quarter, where Barb spoke up. It's nice to see her embracing her role as team captain. Granted, sometimes I got to see things I did not need to see (Shameka, switch to gel, 'kay? Erin, please borrow and strategically place Emilie's scarf, 'kay?)
Props to the Hartford Courant for sending Lori Riley to the game. I <3 road press.
The Prima Donna was in the building, and at one point she was chatting with Blaze. Hopefully she was telling her not to fuck up much more.
Our halftime "entertainment" was the extremely annoying Simon Sez guy who I wish would drop off the face of the earth already.
Kiesha Brown seems to know everyone on the Connecticut roster. Still trying to figure that one out.
We got a motherfucking sparrow on the motherfucking plane! [/Samuel L. Jackson] No, seriously. No. Seriously. There was a sparrow flying through the building. They had to throw out two cups of Gatorade because the bird landed on them and sipped. It was the weirdest and cutest thing.
After the game, either she hung back or she came back out, but Margo was signing for people. It was very cool. I took a picture- should have 'em up in a few days. Erin Phillips also wandered out to stare at whatever the post-game kids' event was. She looked a little lost. A few of us teased her about adopting her- "we need an Aussie! We have a jersey for you!"
Catty Fashion Report:
Marianne, for the love of whatever you believe in, lose the ponytail. Put it in a bun, put it in a braid, wear it loose, chop it off, but the ponytail does nothing. Seriously. It is NOT flattering.
If that was Ambrosia Anderson with the light brown hair, wearing the long flowing skirt, I liked the outfit. For all that I'm a blue-jeans and sneaks person, I love a billowing ankle-length skirt. If not… well, whoever you were, that was a nice outfit.
Erin put herself together quite neatly, except for the problem that Emilie's Strategically Placed Scarf could have rectified (because, um, it was not that cold in there, and I didn't think she'd be that happy to be inactive). And the pants needed a touch of hot iron.
Emilie. My God. I never thought I'd say this, but I think she's even more glamorous than Tari. *whistle* Today she was in black, well-fitted, with a subtle design along the hem of the top, and a white scarf draped oh-so-stylishly about her neck. Is it a French thing, or is she just stylish?
Iciss kept it simple, a very nice white blouse with frills down the buttons, and black pants. Not what I was expecting of this rumored fashionista, especially not the shoes (white, flat, soft, leather almost moccasins).
Shameka had something gauzy and green, a shade of green that was not pretty but that she wore well. Pink was involved in the designs, which explained the big honkin' pink earrings.
[/catty]
How do I know what Shameka and Iciss were wearing when they were active? Because the section I was squatting in was the lucky autograph section, and despite threats of checking tickets, they just made sure we had the autograph vouchers. Life is sweet. And Shameka is getting lazy with her autograph; she's down to S. Christon. And disturbingly, Iciss uses about the same number of letters of her name that her predecessor in #3 did/does. Maybe it's a numerical thing?
Now comes the Texas Two-Step, a trip from which we could conceivably come back 0-2. Connecticut, man, they still look remarkable. When Lindsay Whalen is your weak link, you have one HELL of a team.
June 3rd, 2006: Los Angeles at New York
New York Liberty 89, Los Angeles Sparks 79
The Sparks are obnoxious, the Gardenvision guys can't spell, four outspoken women don't get to talk, and Erin Thorn needs to lose the argyle.
We won! Joy and bliss! Shrieks of excitement!
No autographs for me today. Depressing a bit, to get down to the railing only to see most of the Sparks' roster trooping into the locker room as one. The ceremony, such as it was, cut into the warmup time, which kind of sucked a little.
The ceremony was not all that great. Part of it may have had to do with ABC and getting the game tipped exactly at 4, but I also suspect that Blaze thought it might be a bad idea to hand a mic to four rather outspoken women and let them talk. The PA guy read off their accolades and brought back their old intros. I had forgotten how Rebecca Lobo's name came over on the PA.
Anthem by Girl Scouts. Very nice harmony, but I still maintain that if you have Kym Hampton in the building, you don't farm out the anthem singing. Silly Garden. I feel the urge to blame this on Blaze going blonde- at last, her hair matches her brain!
Schuey was inactive and absent. Though I heard afterwards that there's something up with her family, I much prefer the theory that she was deactivated for a sore wrist or something and promptly forgot when the game was (it's not unprecedented- read [I]The Same River Twice[/I].) In any case, best wishes to her and hers. (And to Holdsclaw and her family, too. Can't be unbalanced here.) Erin, while in a very nice skirt and with gorgeous hair (I have *got* to find out what conditioner she uses), needs to lose the argyle like NOW.
Lisa Leslie is a force this year. Triple-teamed and she still made shots. There were points when she was outrebounding the entire New York Liberty. If she had a Robin, she and the Sparks would run away with the West at the rate she's playing, but with Holdsclaw out, Mabika a shadow of her old self, and Johnson's penchant for choking, and after the loss of Teasley and Milton to the Mystics, she doesn't have that sidekick she needs in the new and improved WNBA. And unfortunately, the evil that hangs over Los Angeles has infected the aforementioned Temeka Johnson, as well as Christi Thomas. Thomas committed a flagrant on Christelle, and Johnson used her size to trip people up- I'm remembering it as Sherill and Ashley, but I might be wrong- and seemed to head-butt Cathrine's legs. Tsk, tsk. Mabika, other than charmingly shoving someone out of bounds (Ashley again?) left no mark on my memory. Page, like Leslie and Thomas, fouled out. Johnson hit the shots late, but her fumble in the closing seconds of regulation- so reminiscent of the Tennessee game- cost the Sparks a chance to win in regulation. Tamara Moore and Doneeka Hodges-Lewis impressed me, and one or both of them should be starting. Bryant has even less of a clue about the end of his bench than Patty does about hers, and if a Liberty fan is remarking on bench management, your bench management pretty well sucks.
On the other side, we were surprised by Becky's early reticence to drive the lane, but she got over it- I wonder if she was afraid of getting mugged. She looked really good. W00t! Cathrine was so clutch. Not only did she hit the big tying three that caused me, and I'm sure many other Liberty fans, to go utterly hoarse, she also got our first official offensive rebound (Christelle got fouled on an earlier attempt) and had a couple of monster blocks. Screen of Death, Glare of Death, Shot of Death…. I detect a trend here. Sherill is flat-out amazing, and after this game, I would like to jump on her bandwagon. She's something else, and she needs to make with the starting NOW. Nothing against Loree, but Sherill is more effective for longer periods- maybe if Loree can learn to adjust to in-and-out substitutions, she can serve as a sparkplug off the bench, which might be a good way to use her short bursts of effective play. I loved Christelle's play today- she looked like yet another late-round steal the Liberty seem to have a knack for picking up (a trick we have yet to manage for first-round picks, although Sherill is changing my mind on that…). I also liked Ashley Battle's play- she's solid, and I like that. Barbara continues to disappoint me- where did her Bad Girl nature go? Shameka, I think, needs to look more for her midrange and inside game- use those long legs and long arms and big steps to get herself space for easy baskets inside before she starts stepping back, because she's not all that consistent an outside shooter. The substitutions at the end were quite intelligent, and while I was all ready to give Patty the credit for having a brain transplant, my more observant half claims he saw Marianne Stanley making the signals for the subs. Whichever of them it was, she handled her bench smartly. I just wish Emilie had gotten a few minutes.
Note to the scoreboard/Gardenvision guys: Sherill Baker. Kiesha Brown. Yes, I know Keisha looks better, but it's Kiesha. Please to be spelling it right, thanks.
The Golden Maddie is hysterical and needs to stay around, much like Liberty Ad-Libs and this year's lyrics to the rally song. Although, must we raise the roof? I do not do Comet things.
What a crowd. What a team. What a game. Welcome home, New York Liberty!
May 20th, 2006: New York at Connecticut
Connecticut Sun 91, New York Liberty 74
Foolishly, the Game Notes hit the road, banner raisings are way way cool, the Liberty have some flaws, and Patty Coyle has no love for rookies.
So after being certain that common sense would prevail and yours truly would be watching the Liberty's opener on my laptop, my honey and I ended up heading to Connecticut after all. I forgot how much I like Mohegan Sun… and how much I don't like their security procedures, or their lack of roster cards. For some reason there's almost always trouble with roster cards when I go there.
Good crowd; the boxscore later showed it at over 8000, though there were probably empty seats counted as present folk. Loud crowd, too. Some of them were a bit snarky, but in their defense, we were rather disruptive.
Lousy anthem. Javier or Xavier or however you spell it, stick to the guitar; at least that didn't sound too awful. At least he didn't muff the words, because that's inexcusable when they're on the video board.
Banner raisings are awesome. Everyone should have a chance to see one. Of course, it's highly preferable that the banner being raised belongs to your team, but even if it doesn't, it's something that needs to be checked out. I think the fireworks were a little over the top, though. Just a thought.
The other thing I like about openers is that everyone gets introduced. The Sun got introduced with little jets of flame- or not so little, for the starters. I was certain something was going to go catastrophically wrong and we'd have flambéed Sun (or possibly referee flambé, since Enterline was there), but nothing happened, and they managed to get the flame-spurting thing out of the way safely.
The quarter thing seems to be working well for the Sun. They came off today as a very poised, polished team. I saw a lot of plays that got disrupted end well for Connecticut because Taj or Katie Douglas or someone made the diving play and got the pass off or got the putback or got the rebound or *something* that they were supposed to do. Very smart team, and they seem to have become more aware of the shot clock- the only 24-second violation in the game belonged to the Liberty (and there were some New York plays where heaves went up because no one had kept track of the damn clock, but we'll be getting to that in the Liberty section of the notes).
Where do I even begin? Keesh was cool (and slick- she had a very nifty pick). Katie Douglas should never be left open, even if you don't have the personnel to handle a guard of her size, and she continues her solid defensive play. Dydek is still not someone you should try to shoot over. (I'm looking at you, Barbara.) Taj, while she needs to lose the pigtails STAT, remains a fearsome force on the inside, and Asjha Jones is learning well from her. The bench for the Sun also showed me something, especially Erin Phillips and Megan Mahoney- can we trade Erins with y'all, and I loved Mahoney's shooting. Didn't see a lot of Carey, which might have been a good idea on Coach T's part. I really do like the way he works.
Becky hit a couple of circus shots- a shot-clock-beating heave that went off the back of the iron and the glass in some order and then fell in comes to mind- but once she started hitting those, she started thinking she could hit everything, and well, no. Shameka had one of those games where her outside shooting was on, and it was pretty- but can she keep it up? She also led the team in rebounding. Schuey really needs to get shooting lessons of some sort- 1-9 and 3-8 do NOT work for a post player. Cathrine has added the Glare of Death to her collection, as an accompaniment to her Screen of Death, and at one point she directed it at Carey, hence why it was a good idea for Carey not to get too much playing time. Cat also committed a lot of fouls, a couple questionable and one just plain stupid, and hit late threes. I can barely remember that Barbara played, which is generally not a good sign when it comes to your starters. Ashley brought the D- she might be the only player we have who can guard the big guards, which is not good when the big guards are the new trend. That's part of the problem, our entire backcourt is either short, slight, or both. I honestly don't know why Kiesha Brown is active, unless it's for those interceptions, and if that were the case, she should just sign with the Jets and have done with it, because Emilie would be a lot more useful right now.
The problem with writing the game notes twelve hours later is that it's hard to remember the plays. Let's just pretend we all saw the highlight reels.
The worrisome thing comes from postgame. Hanging out after the game, we spotted Coach Coyle coming out of the arena. While I attempted to keep from impaling her on my retractable Sharpie, Glenn got her to sign his jersey and commented that the kids played well (which they kinda did, at least compared to the brain farts some of our veterans had). Her response? "Yeah, but we made a lot of mistakes." (emphasis mine) Uh, hello, lady, those "kids" are also part of your team.
I can't say yet that I'm sticking to my predictions, because I haven't seen Washington, but Connecticut looks like they have all the pieces for another run at the big prize. And if New York can't pull it together, then I at least want to see the other bridesmaid get it.
September 16th, 2005: Sacramento at Connecticut, WNBA Finals
Connecticut Sun 77, Sacramento Monarchs 70
ROAD TRIP! The Game Notes learn not to count their chickens before Brooke Wyckoff sets, Kara Lawson is in hostile territory, and referees suck.
Have I ever mentioned that my mom is crazy and will, on the spur of the moment, plan an excursion?
No matter what nicknames y'all want to pin on Mr. Enterline, he should be drawn and quartered, and those other two with him, after that pathetic excuse for refereeing last night. The first half was especially appalling in the number of unevenly made calls. Of course, the importance of the two out-of-bounds plays in the second half (the Taj shot and the deflection off Katie's sock) almost counterbalances the quantity from the first. I'd swear that Chelsea Newton spent more time horizontal than vertical on the floor, and not by her own volition (and the one time the call went in her favor was one of the two screw-ups that went in Sacto's favor, go figure!)
On the other hand... Whiz: WTF did Ticha play so much near the end of the game when she wasn't doing squat, and Chelsea and K-Law were being so much more effective?
Damn scoreboard stopped acknowledging DeMya's existence sometime in the second half. Very bizarre.
AJ's butt is a weapon of mass destruction.
I don't want to talk about the people I was sitting around, because they only strengthened the bad impression I get of Sun fans every time I go to the casino for a game as an opposing fan, and there are a couple of Sun fans on this board that I like and don't want to paint with the same brush.
I third Admiral and dts's previous statements about Erin Buescher and her sister. Seriously. "...and I shall call [her] Mini-Me."
Folks sighted: Lady Grooms and adorable child (and presumably Mr. Grooms); Ruthie Bolton, with lovely long hair; Temeka Johnson; DeLisha Milton-Jones, and I think the gentleman sitting next to Miz Johnson was Mr. Jones (why Temeka was sitting between them, the world may never know).
Pictures I would have taken had I a camera: Mama Lawson chatting with Lady Grooms, as two generations of Sacramento motherhood; Ticha and Margo wandering around Restaurant Row, kicking it '98 draft style; Tante Maiga in the company of a small, adorable blonde girl, study in contrasts much?.
K-Law was in *quite* the mood after the game; didn't stop for signing, and I had to keep up like a defender on a fast break to make sure I got my sharpie back. I can understand where she was coming from, though, considering the reception she gets in Connecticut, and considering the game. The Sun fans who referred to her as nasty and as evil after the game can kindly get in line and bite me- do you *really* think she's gonna be sweetness and light to folks in Connecticut gear after all that?
Player family posses amuse me; everyone's in gear, making it easy to figure out who 'tis. Powell looked like she had an entire entourage.
Baby Yo even has Mama Yo's hair now. If they aren't careful, we're going to have the basketball remix of All About Eve.
August 25th, 2005: Charlotte at New York
Charlotte Sting 78, New York Liberty 66
The Game Notes would like to actually be appreciated on Fan Appreciation Day, if it's all right with you.
If this is what the Liberty, as a team and as a franchise both, think of their fans, then perhaps they should stop wondering why people have stopped coming back. On the flip side, the behavior of a large number of Liberty fans this past night made them unworthy of serious consideration by any franchise that has half a clue.
I remember a time when the Charlotte Sting were a worthy rival, a team that Liberty fans couldn't stand during the games and would stand staunchly by once the buzzer sounded. We applauded Stint, Dawn, Vicky, Allison- all their stars, because they knew we knew what we were talking about, and we knew they were worthy. Obviously, that era is over, and I mourn it. Sheri Sam never shuts up. Helen Darling never shuts up. Tammy Sutton-Brown showboated- is she aware that she may be the first RU alum to get booed the next time she sets foot on the Garden court? That was the cockiest, nastiest 5-24 team I ever saw take a court for a game that only mattered for pride. At least Adrienne Goodson let Elena help her up off the floor this time. Nasty and physical and excessive, and I have the sneaking suspicion that when Kelly Mazzante was backing Becky up and talking trash in her face that she was using language that would have gotten her banned from any board in this fandom. You would think simple instructions regarding defense against Charlotte would have stuck for the Liberty, what with having played this team on this fucking court, oh, eleven days ago, but nooooo, Mazzante kept floating to the corners, Sutton-Brown kept getting looks in the paint, and Sam kept shooting no matter what. Matter and Mazzante on the floor at the same time is just too much zone-busting blondeness for one court to take, especially if Becky's on at the same time. Ayana Walker has serious ups. Janel McCarville needs to stick to the post. Muggsy needs to either get suits that fit properly or go get the peripherals and start moonlighting as a pimp (and if he follows up on the second option, I have a couple of suggestions as to who should be in his stable).
Where do I even begin with the Liberty? Do I start with Shameka, who is a sweet kid with a world of talent and great potential, but without a lick of common sense and the worst learning curve I've seen on almost any player to come through the Liberty organization? Or maybe Crystal, who we already know can't shoot with her pinky sliding out of place the way it is, who should really be getting the rolls on those slashing drives to the basket, who let Sheri Sam get under her skin to the point where her defensive game was wildly off so that Sam had to be entrusted to lesser defenders with tragic results? Maybe I should save some vituperation for Elena, who couldn't buy a bucket but failed to realize that her metaphorical credit card was being declined. I should also spare some words for Becky's lackadaisical defense and VJ's grinding hesitation that slew fast breaks before they could even be a hope of quick points. The bench must also get its proper due; after all, where would we have been without Erin's absolute lack of production, or those lay-ups that La'Keshia just couldn't get down? I can't really go sarcastic bitch on Cathrine, because she didn't do anything I needed to bitch about, though I'd like to know what happened to the full-fledged beast we've all come so quickly to love; she just wasn't fully herself tonight. I mean, yeah, there were some good points to the game- Elena and Becky were rebounding like nobody's business, VJ was driving and scoring, Cathrine was the ultimate sparkplug, and since when could Crystal dish like that? But it ws a frustrating game, half-played like it mattered more than life itself and half-played like it mattered not at all. Pick a damn inclination and stick to it. If you're going to play it, play it out. If you're going to fluff it as an extra you don't want and don't need, then start Cat and put Jennifer in before 1:01 of the second half. Rest the hosses you're going to need against Indiana on Tuesday. Experiment with the bench. Exhaust the crack supply. I'll bet that Elena's ankle wishes Patty had put La'Keshia in one play sooner. That bloody idiot- uh, Patty, not Elena or her sore ankle- is in over her head and needs to be GONE.
Rule of thumb: Fan Appreciation Day is not the day you blow past fans who have Sharpies. Fan Appreciation Day is the day you smile, accept that you'll be five minutes late, and talk to the nice people, because, hey, we know the schedule and we'll be quick, or maybe we'll slip you a few bucks towards the fine. This goes double if you decide to blow through the tunnel like you've been struck deaf. Elena, hon, I love ya, I danced in my dorm room when I read the dispersal draft results, but that's just bad karma, and bad karma's a bitch. Next rule of thumb: Fan Appreciation Day is not the day to be an officious ass to someone who's hanging out with a friend in a seat they have admitted isn't theirs, at least not twenty minutes before the game when the person's already said they're not planning to stay. Next rule of thumb: Fan Appreciation Day is the last day that arena management should neglect to select an autograph section.
Some other things to keep in mind: don't give your mascot playoff tickets and have him traipse around the arena unguarded unless you want the guy to die from suffocation. Kraayeveld spells her name Cathrine, not Catherine; at least that's a more explicable mistake than the infamous Vicky Johnson. If you're going to make the t-shirts rare, at least make them nice instead of some cheap-ass thing that looks like a basketball version of MST3K. Oh yeah, and don't play the goddamn rally song while one of your starters is on the floor clutching her ankle!
Not that the idiots with whom I shared much of the Garden were any better. After all, they were the ones pushing and shoving to get in like they were giving away money in that damn building. They were the ones who swarmed poor Maddie. They were the ones dancing and cheering while Elena writhed. I'm sure that must have made her feel special, knowing that no matter what, the precious show must go on around her. Because it's all about the free shit and the big furry dog, right? The basketball game is secondary, right? It has to be an entertainment experience, because nothing can be about itself anymore.
It's days like these, when people are idiots and it's the Sting players who turn around when someone calls while the Liberty walk right on by, that I'm left to wonder how much the Garden cares about people like I used to be, mid-range season ticket holders who drop their $200 on tickets and their $50 on tchochkes and their $50 on food, and they love their team like the child they maybe never had or the first crush they maybe never got over, and they choose going to every game in green seats over eight games in purple seats or two games in folding chairs because they fucking have to be there (doesn't matter where, but they have to be where their heart beats faster and their throat grows sore). We are family, Liberty fans; we swap gear and tickets and loan out our stuff like Cousin Jimmy just came in from Podunk; we trade favors and make deals, and when we're on the road ain't no one a stranger.
But Goddess almighty, why can't the people we came together for see that? Days like these, man, it's days like these when I feel Easy Spirit pumps coming down on my metaphorical fingers, and I think it would be so easy to get a life.
(kate, you likey the posters? I couldn't stay to give 'em to you in person.)
Thursday, March 20, 2008
August 20th, 2005: New York at Connecticut
New York Liberty 64, Connecticut Sun 58
The Game Notes are on the road again, Cathrine Kraayeveld lays the Screen of Death on Jamie Carey, Katie Douglas may or may not be a harbinger, and Le'Coe Willingham's hair is absolutely stunning.
Sloppy but fun, so very fun.
To the choir doing the anthem: for future reference, pick a damn harmony and stick to it! You don't have to dramatize it. Most of us know what happened, or can intuit it from the lyrics.
Lindsay Whalen went off, which in and of itself is often a bad sign for the Sun, because it means that the big guns aren't firing. Also, she has got to stop with the holding, or at least with the innocent look after said holds. It's not charming, it's not endearing, and it makes intelligent fans act like idiots. Nykesha Sales was kinda quiet offensively, although there were times when the defense on her was 'hope that she misses'. She got a lot of exercise on the defensive end, though, so tha twas fun. Taj was suprisingly ineffective against Shameka- you'd think Taj would be able to muscle in on a slender forward who shouldn't even be playing the four in the first place. Really, it got to the point that I as a Liberty fan got more nervous when Asjha Jones got in, because she was getting it done. She's come into her own as one of the Fab Four, I have to say. Margo barely played- was Coach conserving her because she had gotten back and was jet-lagged, because he wasn't impressed with what he saw out of her, or in some sort of stupid fit of pique that she left in the first place? She does have a lovely outside shot, though. Some day she and Elena are going to run a camp and call it "Things you're NOT supposed to do as a post player". Katie Douglas... for a while, I would have thought of her as the weak link in this Connecticut lineup, but now I'm not so sure of that. She's a powerful guard who plays hard on both ends; something tells me her that her type of player is the wave of the future, and while people are going to think that it was Taurasi who spearheaded the charge of the big guards, we'll know otherwise. (You could even argue Sales as foreshadowing of the trend, but that's a debate for when it actually happens.) Brooke Wyckoff also impressed me- she's more powerful than she looks, which made the Whalen/Sales/Douglas/Wyckoff/Jones lineup less like something that came out of a crack pipe. Derevjanik didn't impress me, and obviously didn't impress Coach Thibault either, since Jamie Carey took the rest of the point guard rotations. The afrementioned Carey got her bell quite thoroughly rung when she ran into an illegal screen from Cat Kraayeveld. For a self-proclaimed nerd, she's not too quick on the uptake, though; the next time she went into the game, she was up in Kraayeveld's face, like she was completely unaware that Cat had just knocked her ass to the floor and would probably be willing to do it again if provoked the right way. Le'Coe Willingham didn't play, but it would be a travesty if her magnificent hair didn't get a mention: she has a gorgeous and intricate crown of small curls, tightly packed and (I think) highlighted gold. I mean, damn, that hair could get her pretty deep into a W diva contest.
When did Crystal start driving like that? Did someone remind her that part of being a forward is the implication that the paint isn't all that scary? Not that I mind at all, although I did find myself wondering when her defense started involving so much holding. Becky still neds to learn that the "drive the ball into the lane and go up at random" trick only works once a game, maybe twice. After that, the other team's ready to deflect the pass out, swat the shot into the next state, or swat *her* into the next state. So when she started going outside more, I was happy. Elena, on the other hand, needs to learn more about the appropriateness of a shot: if you're missing bunnies on the inside, that is not your cue to, one or two possessions later, put up a three that has no chance in hell of going in. (However, the 17 boards are quite acceptable. <3) VJ was... you know, VJ. Solid but unspectacular. Shameka, adorable as she is, pretty much lost her mojo after her first two baskets. After that, we were back to screaming in frustration whenever she did something remarkably stupid. Off the bench, Erin was rather bleh, and someone needs to sit her down and break the news to her that she's not Sheryl Swoopes: those off-balance shots work for Her Majesty, not so much for someone who's only in the rotation because we're shorthanded. Loree came in, made a mistake, and was shortly thereafter banished to Siberia. We really need a point guard that Patty can feel comfortable going to, because right now it's not Loree and it oughtn't be Erin. Sadly, August isn't really a good time to figure this sort of thing out. La'Keshia was solid in the post, hit a shot or two, basically did what she was hired to do, and I can't complain about that. But that game belonged to Cat, who decided to demonstrate why so many people compare her to Elena. What did she have, three triples plus what she got bullying on the inside? Plus those fabulous screens, although she has to get her arms into position faster- this isn't college anymore, and if she doesn't learn, she's going to start getting called for illegal screens because people run into her elbows. For homework, compare/contrast Cat's screen in the backcourt that clocked Carey with Elena's screen in the flow of play that leveled Whalen. Good thing the "poor man's Elena Baranova" has the real Elena in the locker room to teach her, isn't it?
What is it about TV games that brings out the worst in every team? You'd think they got stage fright or something. The amount of sloppiness in this game couldn't have won any converts. Ditto for everyone's favorite complaint, although I'll admit that they benefited the Liberty more than they did Sun, if only because Cat wasn't ejected on a flagrant-2. And am I the only one who missed the memo that Cameron Inouye is female?
If you were part of that foot-stompin', hand-clappin', chant-screamin' crew who hung around the box office a good hour after the game, holla! That was the most uncouth fun I've ever had in my life. You know the fans have gone crazy when Patty's receiving approbation. (I didn't go so far as to join in that chant. I do have some pride left.) There are no strangers on the road. If the regional rivalry isn't on now, y'all Sun fans are just dead. I think we scared Shameka. I'm fairly sure my boyfriend did. He's the, er, gentleman who launched into "Sister Christian" for her. We had so much fun it's not even funny and probably shouldn't even be legal.
But just to throw a little more fuel on the fire, just to make sure y'all Sun fans have a pulse, I got one more thing to say: if y'all think we're bad now, if y'all think we're crazy now, y'all should see us after we win a few playoff games! We'll take the roof off any house in this league. Yeah, even yours.
(Heh. I haven't talked trash like this in ages. I forgot how fun it could be.)
August 16th, 2005: Washington at New York
New York Liberty 72, Washington Mystics 66
Shameka Christon plays in traffic, there are head coaches everywhere, and the Game Notes are surprised at Richie Adubato's disinterest in attacking a Liberty weakness.
There's nothing quite as terrifying as seeing the potential future of your franchise run out into the middle of 33rd Street with traffic, knowing that you've seen some idiot go the wrong way down that street. I don't care if Shameka was in a hurry- if you're the potential future of the franchise, you cross at the corner. Nothing like a portent of doom to start the game for you, huh?
This was my first Mystics game of the season, since I had to miss the first one at the Garden for "Dirty Rotten Scoundrels". So I didn't know until tonight that Temeka Johnson is the real deal. She's sneaky quick, built enough that you can't just knock her over, knows no fear, and has a rather pretty jump shot. And she's a sweetheart. DC, you've got a winner. There was one play when she boxed out Elena that was quite impressive. Alana Beard is really gonna be a superstar if she can get those ankles healed, because she's gutsy enough without being fully healthy. If she'd spent more time being the one to cover Becky, the game might have had a different result. Charlotte Smith-Taylor and DeLisha Milton-Jones were death from above tonight, or more properly death from outside. Couldn't leave them open. Couldn't let them get the ball. Plus DeLisha was Captain Grabby tonight- not quite dirty, but perhaps a bit grungy. Chasity Melvin needs to learn how to make a post move that doesn't involve extra steps, and when she does that I'll have a lot more respect for her remarkable low post game. The problem with Washington is that their bench was rather unmemorable. Laurie Koehn didn't do anything with the shots she got, the only thing I remember Coco Miller doing is putting up some assists and doing some whining, and Murriel Page was really at her best eating up minutes. Nakia Sanford didn't play, which I think was a tactical error on Ol' Tomato-Head's part; knowing that Ann Wauters was out, that DeTrina White hasn't been effective for a few weeks, that Jennifer Smith has yet to actually do anything other than sit on the bench and look pretty, why wouldn't you pound the ball down low at every opportunity in order to neutralize the Liberty's backcourt advantage? A slightly muted ditto on that for Kaayla Chones. Chucky, however, can keep her ass parked on the bench, and it's all good. Speaking of Ol' Tomato-Head himself, he was in fine form, hitting shades I don't think I've ever seen on him. Very impressive.
Shameka, when not causing Liberty fans everywhere to panic, was awesome tonight. If she could consistently play defense like her senior namesake, we'd be set. Although if she keeps laying those tackles on players, she's going to be starting for the Giants' defensive line before she becomes a Liberty superstar. Becky, though she was getting tired late, rustled up the points we needed for us to win and that she needed to hit the big 2-0-0-0. Elena didn't have it tonight on the offensive end, but if she D's up and rebounds, I shan't complain too much. At least she eventually gets the message that the mojo isn't there and stops shooting. She's gotten better about that. Crystal's offense, while slightly more attractive than it's been as of late, is still mostly absent. But she brings the defense, and everyone knows how awesome the defense is. It's also nice to see Vickie putting it back together again; earlier this season she looked fabulous, then she slumped, but now she's back to putting up that beautiful jumper and those graceful drives on one end and laying the defensive smackdown on the other. Cathrine is a keeper. F'real, I love the screens, the defense is rapidly improving (although she was still giving up too much ground to Chas Melvin), and the offense is just enough to make her very, very handy. She reminds me of the role La'Keshia played this time last year: the temp who played her way into the rotation and into the hearts of Liberty fans across the land. Erin didn't contribute much tonight, though she really didn't need to. Plus, she didn't fuck up in the zone, which is always helpful. (What can I say? I look for little silver linings where I can.) Loree was a well-deserved DNP- I'm sorry, she's a nice kid, but y'all know me and my brutal honesty. Patty didn't quite match Richie on the Red-O-Meter, but what would you expect? She is but the student when it comes to doing tomato impressions.
Did this game set a record for most current and/or former head coaches involved? Besides Patty and Richie, we had the Sting's first head coach assisting Richie in the person of Marynell Meadors, and of course Marianne was on the bench for the Liberty.
Refs sucked, but what would you expect from Bryan Enterline's crew? I swear, Mighty Mouse came thisclose to putting a body-slam on Shameka, no call. Mystics fans can argue the refs sucking too, which I suppose balances things out a touch. Just a little.
Another Sweet Adelines chorus for the anthem. Is this Blaze's secret passion or something?
Kym and Sue sightings. Orange is a slight improvement over lime green, but not much. C'mon, Sue, you have a rep to maintain.
Had a pleasant chat pregame with a Mystics STH who had come down for the game. The only unpleasantness came when he insisted on comparing Sue's game to Mery Andrade's. Dude, don't compare Suuuue to the Queen of Flop in NYC. Just no.
August 14th, 2005: Charlotte at New York
New York Liberty 73, Charlotte Sting 65
The Liberty need some calcium, the Sting miss Allison Feaster, and Cathrine Kraayeveld proves to Helen Darling that thou shalt not fuck with a Liberty player.
Today's win was about those things that haven't been a strength of the Liberty this season: offensive rebounding and the bench. Today's game also demonstrated how much the Sting miss Allison Feaster, but we'll get to that in, uh, due time.
Don't stylize the anthem. I don't care who you are: don't do it as a round, don't change the words, and don't repeat phrases for dramatic emphasis. It is not cool.
Helen Darling is a real piece of work: she was grabbing and holding all night long, and if she weren't out of Penn State, I'd suspect an ulterior motive for some of those holds. She's a speedy little thing who does know how to make sneaky passes. Tangela Smith is so smooth it's almost painful- if you're not rooting for her team. Bogues played her the entire 40 minutes, according to the box score. She's tough, but damn, does that girl walk like an 8th Avenue hooker. Tammy Sutton-Brown struts almost the same way, but she's not quite as smooth about it. She stepped her game up slightly, I guess because someone had to. Kelly Mazzante was pretty ineffective today, and the only significant shot she hit was the halfcourt shot that ended the Sting's shootaround. Sheri Sam is a lot tougher and more physical than I remembered, and for some reason the Liberty defensive scheme often decided to leave her weakly defended. Adrienne Goodson still has it, but if it came down to either guarding Sam closely or guarding Goody closely, I'd guard Sam first. Jia Perkins is stockier than I had thought her. Teana Miller is still a tank, though a slightly smaller one. If Sam was on Crystal, she gets the award for best defense by a Sting player. Yes, I know Crystal is effectively a defense-only player right now, but she was the only one who really seemed to be stopped by someone else's actions. Muggsy really needs to work on his fashion sense, because that suit quite patently didn't fit him. He also needs to learn not to ride his starters into the ground. The more things change...
#25 was Becky Bigtime today, no doubt. When we needed a big shot, she stepped up. She picked her spots, and she picked them well. Likewise, VJ knew when to put the daggers in with those gorgeous drives to the hoop and the fastbreak lay-ups- really, is there anyone in the league better at catching up to those ridiculous passes and converting them to points? Loved her D today, too. Crystal had to bring the D, because her shooting is still slightly impaired. She shared a problem with a few of her teammates- if you're going to take a long jumper, make sure you're behind the line. Foot on the line gets you as many points as a lay-up. Elena was so fierce on the boards that it did my heart good. When she clears out, you could tape it and use it for instructional tapes, because she goes up strong, she brings it down strong, and she makes damn sure no one's getting friendly with her. Shameka just didn't have it tonight. Patty did right not playing her too much. La'Keshia was a real spark; she usually does well against her former teams. Cathrine was amazing off the bench, scoring, playing physical defense, setting those rock-solid screens that are already her specialty, and most of all, demonstrating to Miz Darling that thou shalt not fuck with a Liberty player unless thou dost wish to be fucked with thyself. That back elbow, in its twisted way, made her more truly a Lib than anything else she's done this year. Erin- while her defense on Sheri Sam and Goody made me cringe, flinch, and other assorted bad things- did what we needed her to do off the bench; unless I miscalculated, she was good for 12 VGM. Loree was a non-factor. It's times like these that I remember why she was a lousy first-round pick. (Not that I have anything against her, but she hasn't shown much in her last few spurts.) Patty, of course, spent most of the game being accused of being on crack. Earth logic makes no sense to her.
Refs were wildly inconsistent, per usual. Charlotte got away with more holding, but the Liberty had a couple of ignored infractions.
Note to Garden brass: do not set up the fan tunnel fifteen minutes before the Liberty are scheduled to come onto the court, while the other team is still on the floor. That's just bad timing, and bad timing is trouble for all concerned. Likewise, standing in an aisle anywhere in New York is a very bad idea, unless you *like* it rough.
Danni, sitting with you and your mom was a TRIP. We gotta do it more often next year.
Poor Ann. Really, this team needs more calcium. And we need to keep up the solid bench play.
August 10th, 2005: Los Angeles at New York
New York Liberty 74, Los Angeles Sparks 69
Becky Hammon kicks ass, Cathrine Kraayeveld starts showing off her interesting shades of red, and the Game Notes have a brilliant idea to deal with Los Angeles and New York's coaching situations.
{Forgive my lateness. I live with a psycho woman.}
Bibby has weird substitution patterns and way too much faith in Laura Macchi. Christi Thomas and Jessica Moore seemed to be on a yo-yo for a while- we're talking one possession and out came the hook. Chicca seems to have too many joints in her legs; either that, or that's the most inefficient jump shot in the league, because she fell down every time she took it, and trust me, she wasn't getting hit. Chamique was... you know, I used to believe she was overhyped, that she didn't have the talent everyone said she did. I hereby take that statement back. She makes everything look too easy. She's gorgeous to watch on the court. She was all kinds of on tonight. LL was her usual self as well, although there were a couple of plays on which she seemed to be channeling Kareem. She tossed in a couple of cheap shots, but nothing too over the top tonight. Doneeka Hodges seems to have gotten a wicked three-pointer from somewhere; she made the game interesting near the end. Per usual, Tamika Whitmore was a real piece of work; I think the only compliment I can pay her is that I like her hairstyle. Mwadi was just... off. A lot. It was painful. And there was one play where she and Shameka were getting a bit entangled. Dixon was a non-factor. We saw her getting her ankle/foot/heel taped up on the bench. She looked like she was going for the stylish mummy look, a la Tari. Except that Dixon can't pull off the stylish. Edniesha Curry is fast, but other than that, the only thing I can recall about her playing time is that she made the Oregon fans happy by existing, even as a Spork. And Bibby never seems to STFU during the game. I swear, Crystal was this close to giving him a piece of her mind, the way he kept yammering in her ear.
Becky knew no fear tonight. She drove, and drove hard. When the shots stopped going in, she delivered to Ann on gorgeous assists. I think I can deal with a 23/8/6. Just a little. Her boxing out really amazes me- she's so close to normal-sized, and she's blocking out these big honkin' post players. Elena made me so very happy, the way she was ripping down those rebounds. I have to admit that I cursed when Ann got the last Lib rebound, because I was hoping that it would go to Elena and give her the double-double. Of the bigs who played serious minutes, she played the best defense on Leslie. She and Ann were big down the stretch. Ann picked up as the game went along, so hurrah. Crystal looked a little lost on defense, and I saw her do something I've never seen before- when she came out of the game for Shameka, she said something extremely intense to Patty both before and after the horn. I don't think she wanted to come out. Those sitting closer to the action might be able to fill in the details, if they haven't already. VJ, who apparently is hurt- thank you so much, local publications, for not mentioning something important like that- did her part on defense, switching onto Chamique when it became clear that Crystal didn't have *it*. Shameka demonstrated once again that her basketball instincts outpace her logic- she made a couple of fantastic saves in front of our section, but she got faked out repeatedly on D. Cathrine continues to get more minutes than almost any free agent I've ever seen don the various colors of the Liberty, and more minutes than it looked like she was used to, because she was turning interesting shades of red late in the game. She got eaten alive on defense, but she still shoots a pretty jumper and sets a mean screen. La'Keshia and Loree made cameos, La'Keshia's slightly more effective than Loree's. DeTrina was a DNP, but that may be because most of the fingers on her left hand are taped together. It's freaky. As usual, Patty lost her temper, but not constructively. I think she and Bibby in a yelling match would make a great halftime promotion. They'd kill each other, and thus we'd all be happy.
Anthem was pleasant, if strangely flat. Dancers were everywhere, including the troupe that swarmed La'Keshia before the game. (oblivious WNBA player+dance troupe with picture-collecting dynamo=glomp; I think La'Keshia wished she had used the side door after all)
Kym sighting, with A'riel, aka the cuuutest kid in the world. Sue sighting, with suspiciously bright blonde hair (and someone needs to tell her that chartruese was not a color designed for blondes).
Game show night. Oh, how the stupid buuuuuuurned.
But the game made me happy, and highlighted the problem that the Sparks have- if their complementary players are on, they win; if not, they don't have the horses.
August 6th, 2005: Seattle at New York
New York Liberty 79, Seattle Storm 67
Do not go on a fast break with the game well in hand, Cathrine Kraayeveld is so new her name is getting misspelled, and there are some seriously WTF coaching moves.
I am a Liberty fan. I am a fan of Storm fans, and this has given me some interest in the Storm. But first and foremost, I am a basketball fan. I call them as I see them. If you feel this report to be flameworthy, go right ahead.
This was a great game, marred by a couple of overly physical sequences, some boneheaded coaching moves, and a lay-up that will get its own paragraph. Finally, an uncursed TV game. I think Satan just ordered ice skates.
Card collectors, thank me. I saved an innocent Bird/LJ jersey card from having some girl try to get it signed. Combine that with the Brunson Gold Medallion I saved earlier this season, and I'm on a roll.
Sue Bird has one of the most fundamentally beautiful jump shots I've ever seen in the game, and since I have a soft spot for fundamentals (not to be confused with fundamentalists, because ew), I like watching her shoot. Her 10 assists also proved that she sees the floor well. She got a little friendly on defense, but got told off in no uncertain terms a couple of times as well. LJ was on fire. I couldn't help but wonder if the Liberty's defensive plan was to let LJ get hers and make sure no one else got theirs. But she got almost no time out, and I wonder if that affected her offense- she was settling for long jumpers. Granted, she was hitting them, but it's still not a good habit to get into. Izi was hot early in the game, when the defense would sag off her, but they didn't seem to take advantage of that later on. No, I don't get it either. Tanisha Wright- you have no idea how much my bad pun generator wants to call her Tan Wright- drove effectively, but didn't really make me notice anything else about her. Janell Burse has quite the set of elbows on her- she got Ann but good across the face, the kind of shot that makes you wince in sympathy. She's a toughie. It burns my blood to think that we could have had her if Richie and Blaze hadn't felt the burning need to add Andrea Nagy to their roster. There was one foul on her, either the fourth or the fifth, that was a verrrrry questionable block/charge, and I personally would have called it on Ann. But we'll get back to that later. Batgirl, beside having one of my favorite nicknames in the league, impressed me, although she needs to work up her stamina- might have helped out down the stretch when Burse was in deep foul trouble. "The Great Barrier Reef" is a very apropos nickname for the Batgirl-LJ front line. Zara didn't show me much. Chelle Thompson (officially known as Alicia) whistled a couple of long shots- a long two and a three, I think. Simone had to come in when Batgirl was tired and Burse had five; she picked up a couple of boards, and I suspect a couple of pieces of gossip from Crystal, as well. For reasons unknown to me, Vodopyanova (sp?) was a DNP-CD. I dunno. If I were AD, I might have played her in some scrambled lineups once I knew I didn't have B-Money and Janell was out for a long stretch. But then, Anne Donovan made some very questionable and confusing moves, bringing Burse back about four minutes too early with five fouls; there was also that timeout she took that she should have saved for later, and the decision to leave Burse in the game when intentional fouling was called for. (That's Glenn's contribution. I felt that AD didn't care if Burse fouled out, because she had Batgirl on the bench.) I got the sense that the offense gets a little scrambled when a major cog is out.
On to the Liberty. Elena. Yay, Elena! One rebound from a double-double, and she was the initiator of a gorgeous touch-passing sequence, Elena to Ann to Shameka for three in less time than it took me to type that clause. Ann got the assist on the play, but if this were hockey or soccer, Elena would have been credited as well. Ann was a little off her rebounding pace, but she put up the points with moves in the lane that were probably driving Janell up the wall. Those two were really going at it hammer and tongs. VJ's offense is still MIA, but she was an efficient litle distributor, racking up 8 assists. At least that's the number I remember. If it was 9, then I may have another issue with her. Crystal was quiet, but she had a couple of big defensive assignments, including LJ at some points. Shameka was very solid, but damn, that off-balance jump shot is going to give someone a heart attacksome day. Not that I don't mind when it goes in, but, y'kow, fundamentals. Those spread feet are gonna get her in trouble some day. There were some interesting moments in the game where she and Burse were on each other. Tres strange. I'm glad to see her coming into her own. Loree had jitters, or something. Is she aware that there's a campaign among fans in the stands to get her more minutes? Damn, first she's gotta deserve them. Ditto for La'Keshia. Cute Loree moment: someone makes a great play, and she hops up to high-five the bench. She high-fives Catherine, comes to VJ, turns right back around, and goes back to her seat. Catherine actually looked really good out there, doing her best Elena impression. At least the Oregon fans have something to be happy about. Erin was a DNP-CD, as was DeTrina. I wouldn't want to be in D-Train's shoes right now, between the lack of playing time and the death of her college coach. Patty had a couple of brain farts- calling a timeout when you're up eleven and your opposition's best player needs a break is NOT smart. Nor is running four subs out there with Crystal.
Unfortunately, beautiful as this game was, there were some mments of utter classlessness on both sides that made me go grrr. During the anthem... well, I'll admit that I might not have had the best view, but it sure looked like the Aussies were having themselves a little conversation. Look, I wouldn't yak through "Advance Australia Fair", you do not get the right to yak through the "Star-Spangled Banner", especially when it was actually a lovely choral group of Sweet Adelines. There was the whole thing with Janell and Ann, and I saw how close it came to coming to blows. And then there was the lay-up.
If you recall from last game, I castigated Lindsay Whalen for going on a fastbreak when the game was well in hand. Becky pulled the same stunt tonight, and I find it just as classless and tacky as it was when my team was on the receiving end of the taunt. This may have even been more extreme, because in the earlier timeout,we saw Becky with the clipboard and her teammates' rapt attention while the coaching staff went over yonder. When it comes to my team, I prefer to give them the benefit of the doubt; I'd rather believe that she was drawing up a defensive play or discussing the lines for tomorrow's baseball games, but it's far more likely that she was diagramming that fastbreak play. Anyone who was closer to the action is welcome to correct me, but as far as I know, she was planning to rub salt in the wound. I'm going to be even more brutally honest here: I don't think she had the metaphorical balls to pull that kind of stunt if she knew they would have to play in Seattle. That is not cool.
*deep breath* For the first time in my life as a sports fan, I have this to say: the refs were actually tilted in favor of New York. There were a couple of questionable calls that went the Liberty's way, as I mentioned when talking about Burse, and there were several violations that went unreported, such as Becky pushing off on Sue Bird on a play. Not that the refs did much in this game, and not that there weren't confusing calls and non-calls in Seattle's favor, but overall, it was in favor of the Liberty.
Overall, I had a blast. Okay, so it probably wouldn't have been the same if Lennox had been available, or if Anne Donovan hadn't left her brain in her other purse, but still. LJ was on, and Birdy was on, and the Liberty still pulled out the win. Huzzah!