Just the Facts, Ma'am: New York came back from an early hole, but Shenise Johnson's jumper with 36.1 left in overtime turned out to be the winning basket in the Silver Stars' 78-77 win at the Prudential Center. Danielle Robinson led San Antonio with 18 points, adding seven rebounds and five steals, while Danielle Adams had 16 points and 11 rebounds. For New York, Cappie Pondexter had 19 points, 13 after the halftime break, and 11 rebounds.
For homages, PATH issues, dribbling, key blocks, microwaves, the sudden wrath of God, and the new kid in town, join your intrepid and blistered blogger after the jump.
Good afternoon, everyone, and hello once more from the Prudential Center in beautiful, fragrant Newark, New Jersey! Today's matchup features the New York Liberty and the New York Liberty Alumnae All-Star Squad the San Antonio Silver Stars.
It's Pride Day at the Rock, so rainbow flags and other LGBT paraphernalia abound. Your intrepid blogger and her dashing companion rocked the Michele Van Gorp jerseys during pregame warm-ups (since I don't have a Sue Wicks jersey, we can't find the Loree Moore, I wouldn't wear Janel McCarville if you paid me, Sheryl Swoopes is doing the closet hokey-pokey, and I don't think anyone else in my collection is openly gay). We're also looking for this year's Pride swag- they did the Liberty Proud t-shirts last year, and you have no idea how much it warmed my soul.
There's a guy in a Faried name and number shirt in the endcourt courtside seats. He's bald as an egg, though.
Shenise Johnson is absolutely adorable when it comes to people asking for her autograph. You almost expect to hear her say "aw, shucks". Plenette gave a lot of grief to one of our season subscribers who was rocking the Shameka Christon San Antonio jersey, even after the Liberty shirt underneath was revealed.
Becky Hammon is traveling with the team, though she didn't seem to be wearing the cast. Pretty shade of blue she was wearing.
The graphics are waving a pride flag with a Liberty logo, and I want it to be real so very badly. I would wave that thing like a majorette.
Props to the fan who came down from Montréal for the game- I just hated to be the one who had to tell her that despite the awesome Cheryl Ford jersey she was wearing, she wasn't going to be seeing Cheryl in this game.
I'm not sure how I'll react when I see Cappie in the Wicks jersey. Part of me still thinks Cappie wearing 23 in any way, shape, or form is blasphemy; part of me is relieved that Cappie's acknowledging part of her history as a Scarlet Knight and as a Lib. It'll be strange.
Ridiculously oversung anthem, but I can deal with that.
We're only down two at the half, and after the way San Antonio defended us in the first quarter, I'm actually kind of relieved. Danielle Robinson is crazy fast. Quick truly ain't fair. Avery Warley has been a secret weapon off the bench, with the foul trouble that all the Liberty posts are in.
Halftime, Sue Wicks is being honored. She'll be saying a few words, which translates to "the opposing team is going to be staring at her coming out of the tunnel for warm-ups". Gutsy move of her acknowledging Vickie Johnson and Becky Hammon from the opposing team.
In case there is a sudden rash of injuries and/or alien abductions, there's at least one emergency reserve in the stands. (Hi, Shenneika.)
Lots of the Usual Suspects in the stands, and of course, plenty of Wicks jerseys. JEALOUS OMG. They never pop up on eBay for some reason. Sue, VJ, and Tari- those jerseys you never see for sale.
Avery reminds me a lot of La'Keshia Frett around the face- not just the number and the style of play.
I understand San Antonio gear, and my husband and I wore Portland gear for a reason, and there's that stray Detroit jersey in the stands, but why in the world would someone be wearing a Chicago #22? That was Price and Vandersloot, not Christon or Perkins, right?
So, clock management. Much like this PATH train, it was a bit stop-and-start at odd moments. But we'll get to that a bit later.
Dan Hughes, I could see your tie from the eighteenth row behind the home bench. It was almost as loud as you were. I like him, but he does have a tendency to complain about calls. As it happens, today he did have some strong cases, but sometimes you've got to know when to fold them. Know when to walk away from the ref.
Kayla Alexander rebounded well, with some nice boxing out, but couldn't shoot for love nor money. They looked like such easy shots, and yet she couldn't get them to go down. Her work on the offensive boards frustrated me to no end- I kept wanting to scream "there are posts in Finland who did a better job on Kayla Alexander!" but that's just the St. John's-Syracuse rivalry talking there. Davellyn Whyte played a little bit, but not much- I think she was there more for her defense than her not-quite there shot. Shenise Johnson had some trouble getting her jumper to fall from the outside, but she made up for it on defense and with her rebounding. You know all those long rebounds that Leilani Mitchell was poaching in the last couple of games, and the way she was running into the mass of bodies to come out with the ball like a winger in a scrum? Johnson did that today- twice swiping it away from Leilani, no less. She's got much better defensive instincts than I expected from a player who was known so heavily as a scorer in college. I think I like her.
Shameka Christon got the start, but I think Hughes was looking for a quick pop from the Liberty crowd and all the #20 jerseys out there. She did not look good. Something seems off about her shot- her footwork is even weirder than it used to be, and she looks very much out of rhythm. Maybe it's the lack of conditioning and the extra weight- maybe she just isn't the same after the knee and the rearranging of her face- but she looks lost out there. I hope she finds herself. She's good people. Jia Perkins was solid on defense and made big plays in the fourth quarter and overtime after being an offensive non-factor during the middle of the game. Her steals were very impressive. DeLisha Milton-Jones is DeLisha Milton-Jones, and if any team should know that, it's the New York Liberty and all its former Detroit Shock players. She's going to take the outside shot instead of going to the basket. She does have three-point range and she's not afraid to use it. She's going to defend you with those long arms like one of those inflatable tube guys. And she's going to get all over you in extremely unpleasant and uncomfortable ways. Why the Liberty seemed surprised about this- especially Plenette, who has just a little bit of history with DMJ- I will never understand and I'll chalk that up to coaching. Danielle Robinson embodies "quick ain't fair". Seriously, she's the living personification of it. She plays fast, and her hands are fast, and her shot is pretty, and man, quick ain't fair. Danielle Adams did try to argue a blocking call where she was pretty blatantly planted in the circle, which I thought was cute. She used her body well on the boards- even if she wasn't getting the rebound herself, she was making sure that no one else was getting that rebound. (Not that she wasn't getting plenty of those rebounds herself.) She knows her job and gets her job done, which is pretty much the signature of a Dan Hughes team/player- know your job, do your job, and kvetch to the refs when you're done.
I... would not have worn that outfit, Becky, but you know how to shoot things, so do whatever you want.
Avery Warley may not be the sharpest knife in the drawer, but to use her as an energy rebounder with a nose for the ball and the will to go to the basket, she doesn't necessarily have to be the quickest player in the world to pick up plays. She was a quick burst of energy in the first quarter after Kelsey and Kara both picked up their second fouls in rapid succession and Bill needed someone. San Antonio adjusted to her, and there wasn't as much need for her in the second half because the fouls were less of an issue, but if she can do it once a game, I'm okay with that. Alex Montgomery forces tie-ups better than anyone in the league. Love watching her work. The shots she hit were huge. Toni Young played briefly, was not impressive, and vanished into the ether. Leilani Mitchell ran a solid offense and was arguably our best option at point guard today. She had a beautiful crossover on Shenise Johnson that had the crowd roaring (of course, then she gave the ball up to Perkins, because that's how we roll). I like that she's proving me wrong, that she does belong on the team, that there's a place for her under Laimbeer and with the Not-Quite-As-Bad Girls. Kelsey Bone had a gorgeous block in the fourth quarter, but couldn't put the pieces together against the San Antonio defense. (I wonder how Gary Blair felt about the Adams-Bone match-up. Conflicted emotions or pure pride?)
Kara Braxton was facepalm-inducing today to the max. Grab the rebound, Kara! Don't tap it out to a San Antonio player who will then lead a fast break and score on your attempted miserable failure of a rebound! She would have had eight or nine rebounds, and the team might have had a few more team rebounds, if she could have not repeatedly tipped the ball to San Antonio players. It was exceedingly frustrating, especially coupled with her inability to catch passes and finish shots. Plenette Pierson played like someone had lit a fire under her. Maybe she just dislikes D-Nasty that much- I can't say I blame her. But she was fierce in the lane and from the elbows (not with the elbows) and she was an absolute beast on the offensive glass- she did her best to save the last possession of both the fourth quarter and overtime. Katie Smith hit a couple of big threes in the second half, though I don't agree with the decision to go to her for the last shot of overtime- it was a one-point bob, there was no need for a three-point dagger except for Bill to try and demonstrate his superior manhood. Kamiko Williams got the start, played briefly enough for Bill to determine that a rookie who decides things slowly might not be the best match-up against San Antonio, and sat down. Cappie Pondexter... well, in a couple of ways, she did live up to that Wicks jersey- she did well rebounding and her shooting was pretty awful (until the fourth quarter). (Don't get me wrong, I love Suuuuuuuue to death, but her offense was not her primary skill in a Liberty uniform, and certainly not her jump shot.) She was telegraphing her passes pretty badly and throwing them directly to Silver Stars. This is a bad plan unless you play for the Silver Stars.
The officials in this game can take all the seats. They were pathetic. In the first quarter, pretty much all they could figure out how to call was illegal screens. After that, it was a bit more varied and even more random. And I'll be the first- or probably third, after Dan Hughes and DeLisha Milton-Jones- to admit that San Antonio got the worst of most of those calls. The out-of-bounds calls all seemed to be in the Liberty's favor. A lot of the physical play went uncalled on both teams. It got chippy out there, and once or twice I thought it was going to get ugly. I'm glad it didn't.
I liked Essence's outfit, though that shirt did come dangerously close to making embarrassing revelations once or twice. Not sure if I approve of her version of "Rapper's Delight" for the All-Star campaign, though props to the Liberty for finding a way to incorporate her without telling people to vote for an injured player.
San Antonio plays tough, gritty defense, but this shouldn’t surprise anyone. They're tough. They adjust well. They body up. They combine speed with size quite well. Not a good combination for a team that produces more turnovers than Drake's. We picked up the defense in the second half, but San Antonio kept it up for most of the game.
Nice dance moves during the timeout contest.
Announced attendance at 6000 or so, which I thought was a bit low. Come on, Lib fans, how much more inducement do you need to get out there?
Shiiiiiiiny cards with black and white photos. (They couldn't get the Cheryl Ford cards out of the packs in time. Much laughter was had.)
It was a good game. Frustrating, but good. The energy was high at the end of the game, and that's more important for the future.
Sunday, June 23, 2013
June 23rd, 2013: San Antonio at New York
June 23rd, 2013: San Antonio at New York
Just the Facts, Ma'am: New York came back from an early hole, but Shenise Johnson's jumper with 36.1 left in overtime turned out to be the winning basket in the Silver Stars' 78-77 win at the Prudential Center. Danielle Robinson led San Antonio with 18 points, adding seven rebounds and five steals, while Danielle Adams had 16 points and 11 rebounds. For New York, Cappie Pondexter had 19 points, 13 after the halftime break, and 11 rebounds.
For homages, PATH issues, dribbling, key blocks, microwaves, the sudden wrath of God, and the new kid in town, join your intrepid and blistered blogger after the jump.
Good afternoon, everyone, and hello once more from the Prudential Center in beautiful, fragrant Newark, New Jersey! Today's matchup features the New York Liberty and the New York Liberty Alumnae All-Star Squad the San Antonio Silver Stars.
It's Pride Day at the Rock, so rainbow flags and other LGBT paraphernalia abound. Your intrepid blogger and her dashing companion rocked the Michele Van Gorp jerseys during pregame warm-ups (since I don't have a Sue Wicks jersey, we can't find the Loree Moore, I wouldn't wear Janel McCarville if you paid me, Sheryl Swoopes is doing the closet hokey-pokey, and I don't think anyone else in my collection is openly gay). We're also looking for this year's Pride swag- they did the Liberty Proud t-shirts last year, and you have no idea how much it warmed my soul.
There's a guy in a Faried name and number shirt in the endcourt courtside seats. He's bald as an egg, though.
Shenise Johnson is absolutely adorable when it comes to people asking for her autograph. You almost expect to hear her say "aw, shucks". Plenette gave a lot of grief to one of our season subscribers who was rocking the Shameka Christon San Antonio jersey, even after the Liberty shirt underneath was revealed.
Becky Hammon is traveling with the team, though she didn't seem to be wearing the cast. Pretty shade of blue she was wearing.
The graphics are waving a pride flag with a Liberty logo, and I want it to be real so very badly. I would wave that thing like a majorette.
Props to the fan who came down from Montréal for the game- I just hated to be the one who had to tell her that despite the awesome Cheryl Ford jersey she was wearing, she wasn't going to be seeing Cheryl in this game.
I'm not sure how I'll react when I see Cappie in the Wicks jersey. Part of me still thinks Cappie wearing 23 in any way, shape, or form is blasphemy; part of me is relieved that Cappie's acknowledging part of her history as a Scarlet Knight and as a Lib. It'll be strange.
Ridiculously oversung anthem, but I can deal with that.
We're only down two at the half, and after the way San Antonio defended us in the first quarter, I'm actually kind of relieved. Danielle Robinson is crazy fast. Quick truly ain't fair. Avery Warley has been a secret weapon off the bench, with the foul trouble that all the Liberty posts are in.
Halftime, Sue Wicks is being honored. She'll be saying a few words, which translates to "the opposing team is going to be staring at her coming out of the tunnel for warm-ups". Gutsy move of her acknowledging Vickie Johnson and Becky Hammon from the opposing team.
In case there is a sudden rash of injuries and/or alien abductions, there's at least one emergency reserve in the stands. (Hi, Shenneika.)
Lots of the Usual Suspects in the stands, and of course, plenty of Wicks jerseys. JEALOUS OMG. They never pop up on eBay for some reason. Sue, VJ, and Tari- those jerseys you never see for sale.
Avery reminds me a lot of La'Keshia Frett around the face- not just the number and the style of play.
I understand San Antonio gear, and my husband and I wore Portland gear for a reason, and there's that stray Detroit jersey in the stands, but why in the world would someone be wearing a Chicago #22? That was Price and Vandersloot, not Christon or Perkins, right?
So, clock management. Much like this PATH train, it was a bit stop-and-start at odd moments. But we'll get to that a bit later.
Dan Hughes, I could see your tie from the eighteenth row behind the home bench. It was almost as loud as you were. I like him, but he does have a tendency to complain about calls. As it happens, today he did have some strong cases, but sometimes you've got to know when to fold them. Know when to walk away from the ref.
Kayla Alexander rebounded well, with some nice boxing out, but couldn't shoot for love nor money. They looked like such easy shots, and yet she couldn't get them to go down. Her work on the offensive boards frustrated me to no end- I kept wanting to scream "there are posts in Finland who did a better job on Kayla Alexander!" but that's just the St. John's-Syracuse rivalry talking there. Davellyn Whyte played a little bit, but not much- I think she was there more for her defense than her not-quite there shot. Shenise Johnson had some trouble getting her jumper to fall from the outside, but she made up for it on defense and with her rebounding. You know all those long rebounds that Leilani Mitchell was poaching in the last couple of games, and the way she was running into the mass of bodies to come out with the ball like a winger in a scrum? Johnson did that today- twice swiping it away from Leilani, no less. She's got much better defensive instincts than I expected from a player who was known so heavily as a scorer in college. I think I like her.
Shameka Christon got the start, but I think Hughes was looking for a quick pop from the Liberty crowd and all the #20 jerseys out there. She did not look good. Something seems off about her shot- her footwork is even weirder than it used to be, and she looks very much out of rhythm. Maybe it's the lack of conditioning and the extra weight- maybe she just isn't the same after the knee and the rearranging of her face- but she looks lost out there. I hope she finds herself. She's good people. Jia Perkins was solid on defense and made big plays in the fourth quarter and overtime after being an offensive non-factor during the middle of the game. Her steals were very impressive. DeLisha Milton-Jones is DeLisha Milton-Jones, and if any team should know that, it's the New York Liberty and all its former Detroit Shock players. She's going to take the outside shot instead of going to the basket. She does have three-point range and she's not afraid to use it. She's going to defend you with those long arms like one of those inflatable tube guys. And she's going to get all over you in extremely unpleasant and uncomfortable ways. Why the Liberty seemed surprised about this- especially Plenette, who has just a little bit of history with DMJ- I will never understand and I'll chalk that up to coaching. Danielle Robinson embodies "quick ain't fair". Seriously, she's the living personification of it. She plays fast, and her hands are fast, and her shot is pretty, and man, quick ain't fair. Danielle Adams did try to argue a blocking call where she was pretty blatantly planted in the circle, which I thought was cute. She used her body well on the boards- even if she wasn't getting the rebound herself, she was making sure that no one else was getting that rebound. (Not that she wasn't getting plenty of those rebounds herself.) She knows her job and gets her job done, which is pretty much the signature of a Dan Hughes team/player- know your job, do your job, and kvetch to the refs when you're done.
I... would not have worn that outfit, Becky, but you know how to shoot things, so do whatever you want.
Avery Warley may not be the sharpest knife in the drawer, but to use her as an energy rebounder with a nose for the ball and the will to go to the basket, she doesn't necessarily have to be the quickest player in the world to pick up plays. She was a quick burst of energy in the first quarter after Kelsey and Kara both picked up their second fouls in rapid succession and Bill needed someone. San Antonio adjusted to her, and there wasn't as much need for her in the second half because the fouls were less of an issue, but if she can do it once a game, I'm okay with that. Alex Montgomery forces tie-ups better than anyone in the league. Love watching her work. The shots she hit were huge. Toni Young played briefly, was not impressive, and vanished into the ether. Leilani Mitchell ran a solid offense and was arguably our best option at point guard today. She had a beautiful crossover on Shenise Johnson that had the crowd roaring (of course, then she gave the ball up to Perkins, because that's how we roll). I like that she's proving me wrong, that she does belong on the team, that there's a place for her under Laimbeer and with the Not-Quite-As-Bad Girls. Kelsey Bone had a gorgeous block in the fourth quarter, but couldn't put the pieces together against the San Antonio defense. (I wonder how Gary Blair felt about the Adams-Bone match-up. Conflicted emotions or pure pride?)
Kara Braxton was facepalm-inducing today to the max. Grab the rebound, Kara! Don't tap it out to a San Antonio player who will then lead a fast break and score on your attempted miserable failure of a rebound! She would have had eight or nine rebounds, and the team might have had a few more team rebounds, if she could have not repeatedly tipped the ball to San Antonio players. It was exceedingly frustrating, especially coupled with her inability to catch passes and finish shots. Plenette Pierson played like someone had lit a fire under her. Maybe she just dislikes D-Nasty that much- I can't say I blame her. But she was fierce in the lane and from the elbows (not with the elbows) and she was an absolute beast on the offensive glass- she did her best to save the last possession of both the fourth quarter and overtime. Katie Smith hit a couple of big threes in the second half, though I don't agree with the decision to go to her for the last shot of overtime- it was a one-point bob, there was no need for a three-point dagger except for Bill to try and demonstrate his superior manhood. Kamiko Williams got the start, played briefly enough for Bill to determine that a rookie who decides things slowly might not be the best match-up against San Antonio, and sat down. Cappie Pondexter... well, in a couple of ways, she did live up to that Wicks jersey- she did well rebounding and her shooting was pretty awful (until the fourth quarter). (Don't get me wrong, I love Suuuuuuuue to death, but her offense was not her primary skill in a Liberty uniform, and certainly not her jump shot.) She was telegraphing her passes pretty badly and throwing them directly to Silver Stars. This is a bad plan unless you play for the Silver Stars.
The officials in this game can take all the seats. They were pathetic. In the first quarter, pretty much all they could figure out how to call was illegal screens. After that, it was a bit more varied and even more random. And I'll be the first- or probably third, after Dan Hughes and DeLisha Milton-Jones- to admit that San Antonio got the worst of most of those calls. The out-of-bounds calls all seemed to be in the Liberty's favor. A lot of the physical play went uncalled on both teams. It got chippy out there, and once or twice I thought it was going to get ugly. I'm glad it didn't.
I liked Essence's outfit, though that shirt did come dangerously close to making embarrassing revelations once or twice. Not sure if I approve of her version of "Rapper's Delight" for the All-Star campaign, though props to the Liberty for finding a way to incorporate her without telling people to vote for an injured player.
San Antonio plays tough, gritty defense, but this shouldn’t surprise anyone. They're tough. They adjust well. They body up. They combine speed with size quite well. Not a good combination for a team that produces more turnovers than Drake's. We picked up the defense in the second half, but San Antonio kept it up for most of the game.
Nice dance moves during the timeout contest.
Announced attendance at 6000 or so, which I thought was a bit low. Come on, Lib fans, how much more inducement do you need to get out there?
Shiiiiiiiny cards with black and white photos. (They couldn't get the Cheryl Ford cards out of the packs in time. Much laughter was had.)
It was a good game. Frustrating, but good. The energy was high at the end of the game, and that's more important for the future.
Sunday, June 16, 2013
June 16th, 2013: Seattle at Connecticut
Just the Facts, Ma'am: Four Storm players scored in double figures as Seattle notched a much-needed 78-66 win in Connecticut. Tina Thompson led the Storm with 17 points, with Shekinna Stricklen adding 16 off the bench and Camille Little just missing a double-double with 15 points and nine rebounds. Allison Hightower's 17 points paced Connecticut, while Tina Charles had 15 points and a team-high six rebounds.
For parachutes, Freudian musical selections, scuffles, screens, picks, rolls, and missing a t-shirt by thiiiiiiiiiiiis much, join your intrepid and radioactive blogger after the jump.
Hello again, from the bus lobby and the bus back to Flushing from Mohegan Sun Arena, where the Connecticut Sun and Seattle Storm faced off in one of the world's oldest rivalries.
I think there was some kind of season ticket holder event for the Sun before the game, because we got to the box office a bit before three and people were being patted down at security. Since we do not have Sun season tickets, we have no idea what it might have been.
Excellent anthem today. That's what I like to get my blood pumping for the game. Powerful, passionate, and accurate.
We got the same section that we were in for the preseason game, so we were with the same group of wisenheimers that were there before, and I love them. They're a lot more fun when you're rooting for the same team as them. Like many hardcore fans, they are of the ardent belief that there is no such thing as a good call against their team and no such thing as a bad call against the opposing team. (We may have unleashed something we can't handle for later in the season, though- we introduced them to the slow count, a trick that we use in college. We were so close to the Storm bench that it seemed like a good time to risk it.)
(Seriously, if you're part of that section 19 coterie that gets loud at games, come visit us up in section 9 at the Prudential Center. And bring your rep; she and that poor unlucky wretch Melissa probably need to commiserate over drinks.)
Props to the two fathers who were willing to do the insane moves proposed to them by the Solar Power dancers during the contest, because it takes a real man to prance and twirl in front of thousands of people when this does not seem to be something they do with any great frequency.
We skipped the halftime show. Never share billing with dogs or children.
I'm not quite sure where we're going to put this "wobble-head" thing, but it's... interesting. It appears to be a cross between a bobble-head and a cardboard cut-out. I certainly don't know what we're going to do with two of them.
(Apologies for any typos I make and don't catch in this one. The bus is completely full and the woman in front of me has her seat reclined; I'm balancing my laptop on one leg and holding it down with my wrists, so my manual mobility is somewhat limited and my fingers aren't always going where I want them to go.)
Nakia Sanford was in to be physical, to be tough, and to make space for her teammates. She did so admirably. I feel like she did more on the offensive glass than the numbers show. Tianna Hawkins looked very much like a player who was in over her head. She got stuffed hard twice, even if the box score only says once, and took a lot of hard hits. I can see that she has a nose for the ball, but she has to learn that the officials in the WNBA allow a lot more contact- she spent a lot of her time on the court looking for a foul and not getting it. Cierra Bravard came in at the very end of the game and proceeded to commit a silly foul, which is about par for the course. That's the player I remember with such... fondness from Florida State. She has a surprisingly high, almost little-girlish, voice. Alysha Clark picked up two very quiet buckets early in the game and added one at the very end of the game, as if to make the point that the Sun were done. Shekinna Stricklen ran the show in the second quarter. She was twisting inside for lay-ups, fighting on the glass- she hit her second attempted three clean, just when you thought it might be a bad idea for her to take that shot. Watching her run is a thing of beauty. She shone in her minutes, and looking at the box score, I'm surprised Agler didn't play her more. Then again...
It's like the straight-away three from the top of the key is Tina Thompson's signature or something, even more than the lipstick shtick. You can't leave her open for that shot. (This goes double for you, Mistie Bass- three name changes and seven years ago, you played with TT in Houston, how do you not know this?) The Warrior Princess still looked like she had plenty left in the tank in this one, throwing them up from all over the floor and watching them go in. And she got the job done on the boards, too. Noelle Quinn had some nice defensive plays- she handled herself well in the scrum and stayed with her assignment. Tanisha Wright seemed to be under the impression that playing in Connecticut meant that she was auditioning for WWE. There are no pins in basketball, T. Somehow she kept slipping under the Sun's defense for lay-ups. I think she had a couple of fast breaks, too. Temeka Johnson used her height, or lack thereof, very much to her advantage- I don't know if anyone in this league can get as low as she can, even players like Angel Goodrich who are in the same height range. When you would think that she'd be smothered by a taller defender like Allison Hightower, she ducked way low and evaded those reaching arms like a little kid slipping under the turnstile. Camille Little drove hard and forced contact. She's never going to make you ooh and ahh, and she's never going to get the respect she deserves, but that woman puts in work out there.
The Storm posts did a fantastic job of setting screens and picks to free up their teammates. Say what you will about the age, potential imbalances, and other flaws of this roster- Brian Agler at least knows how to lie in the bed that he made.
Kelly Faris played good defense when she was in, but the fans around me were irate that her teammates couldn't find her when she was open in the corner. It does seem odd that she's not taking a shot that was one of her strengths in college; if this is part of Donovan's plan, not only do I think it's a bad plan, the UConn fanatics who absolutely adore Faris will flame Donovan to a crisp. Iziane Castro Marques showed off her speed on a fast break, but the other shots she took were pretty stupid. But this is sort of what you expect from Izi at this point- she'll show just enough on defense to make you think that she could be a great defensive player, but then she'll take a bunch of stupid shots that might or might not go in, depending on how the universe feels that particular evening. Ashley Walker had a couple of dumb plays, but overall it felt like a good thing that she was in the game; she countered Seattle's grit better than most of the Sun players did. Mistie Bass was ineffective early on, though she got better in the fourth quarter. (Maybe that whole public embarrassment on Friday affected her more than we though.)
I devoutly hope something is wrong with Tina Charles, because if something's not physically wrong with her, then something mental is the issue, and I don't think I like that if I'm a Sun fan. She got hot a little in the fourth quarter, but for most of the game, she looked like her give a damn was busted. There was no energy in her. She threw up shots as if she didn't care whether they went in; she looked at missed shots as if to say, "oh, that's interesting- wait, I'm supposed to be doing something?" Kelsey Griffin was called upon a bit too often, IMO, as the first or second option. And then Amy Bonner decided there was something she didn't like about this Alaskan kid. Griffin had no fouls in the first half; by the middle of the third quarter, she had three. Donovan pulled her. Then she came in near the end of the quarter. Whistle. Fourth foul. The guy behind me in the Kelsey Griffin jersey was... not amused. I am far from Griffin's staunchest defender (quite the opposite), but I thought two of those calls were utter nonsense. Kara Lawson's shot was off for most of the night, and she looked like her back might be bothering her a little bit. I've never seen her fumble unforced like that before. Kalana Greene kept forgetting where the three-point line was- KG, have you been hanging out with Essence again? She also seemed very hesitant to shoot- granted, the shots that she was passing up weren't in her comfort zone, but they were shots that a professional player should be willing to take. In my view, Allison Hightower was the lone bright spot for the Sun. I love to watch her work. She plays both ends of the floor very smartly and smoothly. And the woman behind me made it sound like a bad thing that she had 17 points...
Connecticut looked scared to shoot most of the night. Too much of game plan seemed to be "give the ball to Tina" without there being a second step or a backup plan. Always have a backup plan.
The refs were a bit sketchy, but what worries me more is how frequently I'm seeing some of them. I think this is the third straight game I've seen with Tom Mauer, for example, and though the box score says Jeff Smith, I thought the PA guy announced Greene, who also did the game on Friday. (I almost hope it was Greene. He's got a good eye for not letting buffoonery occur- he's the one who spotted the kicked ball on Friday and Jeff Whatever-His-Last-Name-Might-Be spotted a pushout that Bonner was about to call out-of-bounds turnover today.)
Right when the PA announcer did the brief announcement of Tina Thompson's retirement was when a whole slew of Sun fans decided to leave. To be fair, a lot of them were out of their seats before that announcement, but it didn't look good for Sun fans. Yes, we get how ardently you don't care about anything non-Connecticut, but show some respect for history.
Madam President was on hand to announce the opening of All-Star balloting. The stress of the job is getting to her. Either she was wearing the single most unflattering jacket in the world or she's put on about forty pounds since last season. (I suppose it's moderately healthier than Orender's preferred method of stress management, but not much...)
I think Donovan's on a short leash with Sun fans. They gave her a very tepid welcome, and the folks around me didn't seem all that happy with her. She needs to right the ship in a hurry... but how right can she get it without getting her offensive bench weapons back? And if she and Charles aren't working out, this could be a long season at the casino.
But hey, at least I broke even.
Friday, June 14, 2013
June 14th, 2013: Connecticut at New York
Just the Facts, Ma'am: Cappie Pondexter scored 12 of her 20 points in the third quarter to spur a game-changing 34-10 run for the New York Liberty in their 78-68 win at the Prudential Center. Leilani Mitchell added 16 points, nine rebounds, and five assists off the bench, and Kara Braxton had 11 points and a game-high 13 rebounds, the latter tying her career high. For Connecticut, Allison Hightower had 17 points and five assists, and Kara Lawson had 16 points, six rebounds, and six assists. Tina Charles was held to seven points on 3-17 shooting and four rebounds.
For fuel, fire, desire, no actual Metallica songs, plot twists, other sorts of twists, bad screens, good screens, and getting Thibaulted, join your intrepid and itchy blogger after the jump.
Good evening, loyal readers! Your intrepid blogger comes to you from the Prudential Center, where the New York Liberty and the Connecticut Sun face off again, because it's been so long since we've seen them.
I don't know why we got stuck with a rendition of "God Bless America", but that guy was better than the choir who did the anthem. If you're a choir, you should generally have something that vaguely resembles harmony, and these guys didn't. They also didn't take advantage of the ways you can use a choir to create vocal effects. Everyone sang everything at once.
We are watching men on pogo sticks at halftime. Really. This is my life. I suppose we should count ourselves fortunate that we're only down 33-24, given the way we're throwing the ball to Connecticut. I don't know how many steals Kalana Greene has, but it's got to be a lot. The Sun are playing the passing lanes well, and Kara Braxton keeps leaving shots short.
Cheryl Ford is not with the team. I don't know where she is. I also don't know where Mama Taj got that skirt, but it's not a good look. She looks like she's got a bustle. Mama Taj don't need no bustle.
There are four rows of Connecticut fans behind their bench. Good on them for coming down.
Someone has a modern custom 50. I can't see the name on the back, but throw"forwards" amuse me. (In fact, she is on the train with me right now.)
Well, that was the clichéd tale of two halves, wasn't it? The electicity in the building after Cappie hit the jumper to give the Liberty the lead was amazing. It's been a long time since I've seen a Liberty team with that much heart pull together a second half like that. The second-half numbers are surreal: three turnovers (after 13 in the first half), 54-35 split... wow.
Ashley Walker stuffed Cappie Pondexter twice. It was moderately embarrassing for those of us cheering for the Liberty. She was a long, lanky presence, but the rim didn't like her. Then again, the rim didn't like a lot of people tonight. Iziane Castro Marques came into the game and shot pretty much as soon as she got the ball, which is pretty much Izi in a nutshell. We got a glimpse of the player that she could be with a different mindset during one defensive possession, when Alex Montgomery was inbounding the ball. Izi used her long arms and her ups to hassle the daylights out of Alex, forcing a second inbounds after Izi knocked it out and almost got Alex on the way out. Kelly Faris had a very good first defensive possession, managing to keep her feet on a Cappie crossover (which a lot of veterans can't quite manage), but got run down a bit later. Her teammates did a good job of getting open threes for her, though she was somewhat hesitant to take some of them- one possession she had three different opportunities before she actually took the shot. If this keeps up, she might be earning her keep more along the lines of Ashley Battle or Kalana Greene than Renee Montgomery. Mistie Bass did what Mistie Bass does: mixed it up in the paint for rebounds, took open jumpers, set screens, and wore the look of "this is the most embarrassing experience in my life" when Maddie's Soul Train just happened to be doing the Twist.
Tan White rocked the preppy look tonight. Strangely enough, the sweater-vest look suits her.
Allison Hightower was very fond of the little push shot- she must have had four or five of them, with three or four of them going in. When she's on, she's so much fun to watch. When she's off, Brick City has new construction material. I do wonder if some of her offensive production is coming at the expense of her defensive energies; she didn't seem to be as intense on the ball as she usually is. That's the usual exchange, though, and with White and Montgomery out, Connecticut needs offense from her more than defense. Kelsey Griffin showed a knack for positioning. She's never going to be the first option on a play unless a lot of misdirection is involved, but she does a good job of getting in the right place to be a bailout. She's like a security blanket, sort of. The screen she set on Alex was not the brightest thing she's ever done in her life- it seemed rather frustrated. I can understand a Sun player's frustration in that second half. Tina Charles was facing constant pressure all night, either from a single big like Kara Braxton or Kelsey Bone, or by a 4 and help (the duo was Plenette and Leilani on one play, for example). She never really got comfortable, and she never got going, and I think the defense was in her head. Kara Lawson abused Leilani on defense a couple of times, but got sloppy with the ball and fumbled at inopportune times (inasmuch as there is an opportune time to commit an unforced turnover). Kalana Greene played the passing lanes really well, but we all know that defense is her calling card. She mostly disappeared in the second half.
Alex Montgomery got her bell rung on that Griffin screen, but seemed to come out of it no worse for wear- she was out a couple of possessions but got right back into the game. She was all over the boards, though she would probably have hit double figures in that regard if she stopped setting the ball and managed to hold on to it. I think there were at least three possessions where she batted the ball and it ended up in a Sun player's hands. You have to love the hustle, though. Kelsey Bone wasn't quite the beast on defense that Kara Braxton was, but she brought the physical edge that we needed from her. I'd rather she picked up boxing out tips from Plenette rather than that bizarre jackknifing kick Plenette adds to her shot, but it is what it is, and I'm not about to argue with either of them. Leilani Mitchell had a buzzer-beater called back in the first quarter- and the first thing she did in the second was can a three, as if to say "fine, you're going to have to count this one!" And in the second half it was like she found another gear. Suddenly her hands were everywhere. Suddenly she wasn't having as much trouble keeping Lawson in front of her. And then she was raining threes like she was Erin Thorn or something. Toni Young had a gorgeous stuff in the third quarter, but she's got to work on her shooting form; barring that, she's got to work on her ability to get on the offensive boards. She can't be missing those chippies if she's going to be a big part of Laimbeer's plans, and she definitely can't ignore the glass if she think she's going to be a 4 on this level.
Congrats to Katie Smith on passing La Leslie! I am always in favor of someone doing things better than Lisa Leslie does. She brought the defense, and her veteran savvy showed in sideline plays (though there was that one fumble on the sideline, the ball trickling right through her legs, that reminded me of another Smith). Her twisting lay-up in the fourth quarter got the crowd going. Much to my surprise, I'm really starting to like Katie. She seems to fit with the quirky vibe that all the best Libs have. Kamiko Williams was all right- nothing to write home about. But she'll be all right one of these days. Plenette Pierson was tough on the boards- even if she didn't come down with the rebound, she was boxing out to make sure a Liberty player did. The moving pick was not the smartest thing she's ever done, but she does tend to do stupidly aggressive things sometimes. It happens. Kara Braxton could have been both the hero and the goat of this game. In the first quarter, she was about the only Liberty player who had any kind of vague interest in knowing what a rebound was. She rebounded ALL the things. And I can't say enough about the defensive pressure she put on Charles. That alone might have won us the game. But her shooting was horrible and she kept leaving shots short. I also cannot abide a player who dawdles in the backcourt to get air. If you're a professional athlete, this is what you're paid to do. Get your tush over that halfcourt line and get in position to help your team. No, seriously, there was a possession in the first half where she got the rebound, outleted to a teammate, and stood in the backcourt. Your dashing reporter believes that she got popped in the mouth, a report I can neither confirm nor deny from my own two eyes. Cappie Pondexter was a non-entity in the first half. One field goal, woeful shooting, bad passes- and then the third quarter started, and by the end of the third she had 14 points and the arena was rockin' and a-rolling, reelin' and a-rocking.
The second-half run, from the middle of the third quarter to the middle of the fourth quarter, was a trip, and I mean that in the best possible terms. The start of the third quarter had more intensity than that hot mess of a first half, but Connecticut was still pretty much matching basket for basket, the lead bobbing between 9 and 11. Then the switch was flipped. The defense stepped up and spurred the offense. Cappie's fadeaways started fading in. Everything clicked. It was glorious.
Mistie Bass's dad was there. Maddie persuaded him into a little Twisting. This is when Bass put on the "embarrassed for all eternity, OMG" face and muttered something to Hightower. I don't know what it was- for all I know, it was the play two or three possessions later where Hightower shot it off the glass and Bass was there for the putback. Sometimes I wonder if Bass gets tired of people treating her dad like a big deal.
Props to the woman in the Detroit Shock shooting shirt. Well, we do have your coach and a whole passel of your players. Welcome aboard.
Officially sanctioned "Caption This"! They dug up a couple of Pistons photos of Laimbeer and asked Liberty players to caption them. One was of him in facemask and uniform, pointing foreboding towards the camera; the other was of him swaggering in his jersey during Shooting Stars, or whatever they're calling it these days. For the first, everyone pretty much went with "I'm coming for you!" (or "I'm gonna git you sucka!", according to Cappie); my favorite was Alex's, who proposed that he was cuing a teammate to follow his screen. I think it says a lot about her style of play that she assumed he was helping a teammate instead of threatening an opponent. For the second, the responses were pretty much "look at me!" Katie proceeded to describe in detail "the toned arms, the chiseled physique". Plenette started singing, "I'm too sexy for my shirt..."
I keep forgetting how deep Kara Braxton's voice is.
I've been seeing more and more people in St. John's gear at games. It's nice to see the crossover, but I keep feeling like someone did not get around to mentioning that Shenneika got cut.
More towels! More schedule pens! Swaaaaaaaaag.
That was a heck of a game. A lot of fun, though it got a little tense in the fourth quarter when the Liberty started stalling. Can we not with the stalling? Las Danielle won't have with it on Sunday.
Sunday, June 9, 2013
June 9th, 2013: Atlanta at New York
Just the Facts, Ma'am: Cappie Pondexter scored 10 of her 17 points in the fourth quarter to fuel a 76-67 comeback win for New York. Pondexter also added six rebounds and six assists before fouling out. Plenette Pierson tied the team high with 17 points, chipping in five boards. Sancho Lyttle led Atlanta with game highs of 18 points, 11 rebounds, and four blocks.
For adjustments, nasty pointy teeth, rudeness, the roar of the crowd, frozen custard, intangibles, and heroic willpower, join your intrepid blogger, WHO DOES NOT WORK FOR PATH, after the jump.
Hello again from beautiful, scenic, and somewhat ammonia-scented Newark! Today's game features the undefeated Atlanta Dream and the New York Liberty.
Word came to us officially today about Essence Carson's ACL, which makes us all very sad. Essence managed to bridge the distance between the Rutgers fans and the rest of the fan base pretty well. Also, she's awesome.
PATH is not exactly popular with your intrepid blogger and her dashing cohort right now, since the SmartLink machine decided to eat his money. $21 is not something to trifle at. Three different people asked me for help at three different times. I DO NOT WORK FOR PATH. I do not wish to be affiliated with people who steal my husband's money.
Sancho Lyttle set an excellent screen for Alex Bentley during autographs. Well, at least we know what all their rookies look like for the return trip. I nearly busted up watching Angel McCoughtry shimmy to the pregame music. Break it down, Angel!
The in-game giveaway was a very nifty photo collage of Toni Young on her way up for a dunk. I'm not a big fan of dunking, but it does make for some very cool photo ops.
Cheryl Ford is in uniform, no idea whether she's going to play. With Laimbeer, it's hard to figure out who's doing what when. No sign of Essence at all.
There's a woman a few rows down from us who looks weirdly like Barbara Turner. Weird because I thought Turner was still overseas.
They're doubling up on the roster cards- this card of Toni will also be used for the Connecticut game. That means that there's no room for the alma mater/country on the opposing teams, so I'm prepared to answer more questions than usual.
The arena staff seem to be having fun with their new toy, the "Oblivious Cam"- find people really aren't paying attention and see how long it takes them to notice that the camera is trained on them. They've had a couple of good ones so far.
The ribbon board thinks that Kamiko Williams went to Louisiana Tech. The main board correctly states that she went to Tennessee.
I've never heard "y'all" used as a possessive before, but Toni did: "get on y'all feet".
A gentleman with a truly spectacular beard just walked past us. I salute your playoff beard, sir. May you have enjoyment of all your sports.
Whistle works.
We're only down one at the half, which is a pleasant surprise. 33-32, with Kara Braxton and Plenette Pierson carrying the bulk of the load. Katie Smith got the start for Essence Carson, a move that I'm not sure I agree with. There's been a lot of quick defensive moves in this game, which should surprise no one. Kamiko seems to be trying to out-fancy the Dream, which is not a plan that will end well.
One of the small yet nagging worries I've had on my mind was resolved- they showed Kara's son on the big screen. I was starting to wonder if something tragic had happened that the league didn't want getting out, or she had misplaced him in a bar, or something. It's just so unusual for a player's motherhood not to be discussed, I assumed something bad had happened.
There seem to be an exceptionally stupid number of people in today's crowd. A lot of late arrivals and people who don't seem to realize that standing in the aisle during play is incredibly rude and blocks other people's view of the game. Also, if you touch my bag, I reserve the right to go Elaine Powell on you. If it's in your way, ask me to move it. Do not take it upon yourself to move my bag (with my computer). Do not get pissy if I get annoyed at you moving my personal belongings without my express consent.
Well, that was a heck of a turnaround in that fourth quarter. That's Liberty basketball at its finest, even when the ball goes off the back of the backboard.
Anthem singer was very hockey-esque. I liked, though he did have a couple of rough patches and made the frequent "for" instead of "o'er" mistake.
I mostly remember Le'Coe Willingham for her bright pink eyeshadow and the lipstick I could see from the 19th row. I'm sure she did things at some point, but I don't remember what they were. One good boxout, but that's really all I can think of. Alex Bentley looks less squarish now that she's out of Penn State colors, but she does seem to think that she took Maggie Lucas's shot out for a joyride. From what I've seen of her, both in college and the one game I've seen of her in the pros, I think she's caught between positions, and I don't know if she can adapt to one or the other at the pro level before her number comes up and she gets pushed off the roster. Tiffany Hayes fell down a lot- she ended up in the front row seats once and in what appeared to be a compromising position with a photographer once. She took a couple of tumbles on the hardwood, too. Got a lot of free throws out of her headfirst style and took advantage of all of them. Aneika Henry was omnipresent in the minutes that she played, hitting the boards and boxing out. She's a superb reserve post, and an excellent complement to Lyttle and de Souza. I'm not sure she'd be as good if she weren't complementing them.
Armintie Herrington showed a tendency to get all up in people's business. When she hit a midrange jumper in the third quarter, I thought we were done for- since when does Herrington hit outside jumpers? I think that's actually one of the codified signs of the apocalypse. Her speed was killing us, too. I think Cappie tried to outrun her. This is not a good plan. Jasmine Thomas was kind of a ninja- I kept forgetting that she was out there, and she ended up with 11 points. Go figure. But it's probably not a good sign for Atlanta that she's not getting involved in the team's ball movement. Angel McCoughtry got hot in the third quarter and very late in the game, but I don't know that her head was completely in the game. She got into a spirited argument with the entire officiating crew when she forced a held ball on Kelsey Bone- I have no idea what she was kvetching about, but as long as it went, I was surprised they didn't call delay of game on her, since she refused to return the ball in a reasonable amount of time. The threat of her defense also stopped the Liberty cold at least once; she was on Leilani Mitchell and Leilani had no way of throwing a pass over her to get to the open post behind her. Érika de Souza was a rock in the middle at both ends- she got smothered by the Liberty defense later in the game, but when they looked for her and she got the ball, it was going in. She had more of an impact on defense. That's not a woman I want to try to move around easily. Sancho Lyttle was spectacular, though she was also a prime example of why the right matchup matters, but we'll get to that later. She slapped a shot over two rows of photographers and nearly took out a reporter in the first half. She rebounded pretty much all the things and even started hitting those threes that make Dream fans tremble in fear. When she's on, I love to watch her play, and it's been so rare that she's been on the last couple of years that I was cheering a couple of her defensive plays even though they were against my team.
Talking about the right match-up: it took a while, but Laimbeer came with Toni Young against Lyttle, and it worked pretty well. Toni has the kind of athleticism and build that can counter Lyttle, even if she did get dinged for fouls doing so. Overall, she looked less scared than she did in the first few games. Now, part of her apparent increase in comfort level might be that Laimbeer is forced to use her at her old 4 spot instead of continuing to move her to the perimeter, and therefore she can play the game she's used to playing instead of having to adjust to a new position and role in the offense. We'll see if that lack of stage fright holds if/when the experiment continues. Alex Montgomery was solid- did a lot more ballhandling than I'm personally comfortable with, but she seems to be getting the hang of it, so more power to her. I like the way she's finding her teammates, too. Kelsey Bone looked a little slow on the boards and on defense, but her two assists were absolutely beautiful. I don't envy any rookie the responsibility of going up against Lyttle and de Souza in her first month in the big leagues. Leilani Mitchell turned up the defense and the rebounding in the fourth quarter. Fluffy Little Bunny showed her nasty pointy teeth when she sneaked in for low rebounds and deft steals. (And I think the official scorer shorted her a rebound; she came up with the ball twice on one Liberty possession in the fourth quarter, after she left a three-pointer short on the first shot and recovered after a scrum on the second shot.)
Cheryl Ford dressed but did not play. Not amused, Bill.
Katie Smith was all over Angel McCoughtry, and all up in her head, too. Granted, McCoughtry's an easy target, but if anyone knows psychological warfare in basketball, it's Katherine May Smith. She hit her three early in the game, and almost had a second on a heave to beat the shot clock- it got glass and front rim before going wild. Katie was in solely for her defense and for her ability to throw the hard pass. Kara Braxton had her usual array of dumb moves, but she stepped up with three big shots during the big run in the fourth quarter. She went strong against de Souza, and I have to give her props for that. Plenette Pierson took the load of the offense on her shoulders for much of the first half, scoring on drives and little outside jumpers. (Honestly, I think the "let's turn a 4 into a 3" trick might work better with Plenette than Toni. He's talked about that too.) Kamiko Williams started, but didn't play a lot. She kept trying to get cute around the Atlanta defenders, and you can't get cute when it comes to Atlanta, or they will strip you like a Best Buy shelf on Black Friday. She's going to have to get used to that kind of pressure, but I can understand why Bill decided not to make her do it today. Cappie Pondexter stepped her game up in the second half, both on the scoreboard and finding her teammates. I don't think she should have fouled out; I thought the foul they gave her for her fifth was rightfully Plenette's, which would have made that bone-headed sixth foul only her fifth. I think Bill has to determine whether she's going to be more of a distributor or more of a scorer- and has to be aware that either he has to make a choice or he has to radically change the way Cappie thinks. The latter may be somewhat more difficult.
Officials were all right, for the most part. A couple of holds went unnoticed (Kara, it's kind of obvious when you yank on someone's jersey) and Herrington and Alex got into a wicked collision that both seemed to feel should end with a foul on the other.
Dark humor moment of the game: the big screen showed a fitness tip about learning how to land in sports that involve a lot of cutting and jumping. Cut to Essence and Cheryl looking at each other like "yeah, right, that'll help".
D'awww moment of the game: it is a recent Liberty tradition that Essence Carson gets in the middle of the huddle and fires up the team with really enthusiastic, energetic dancing. What with being on crutches and all, she's not currently capable of doing so. So Maddie jumped into the huddle instead and took over with the dance moves.
Halftime was a Tic-Tac-Toe game with fathers and daughters and lay-ups and spinning. I think the one guy was very fortunate he didn't need to use the helmet he was wearing.
Mama Taj continues to be 100% flaw-free.
Essence cleans up nicely. I just wish she didn't have to :(
Entirely too many late arrivals for my liking. The start of play is not your cue for you to start down the stairs and block people's view of the game they paid for. Grah.
It was Dads and Daughters Day, so there was a lot of emphasis on the father-daughter dynamic. It's hard for me to get into this theme, since the sports in the family comes through the maternal line (sports conversations with my dad tend to include a lot of translating and apologizing for bringing up sports in the first place; either that or Serie A, and I don't like soccer all that much).
Lots of former Knicks in the house: Allan Houston, John Starks, Herb Williams, and Larry Johnson.
That fourth quarter pleased me greatly. The defense was tough, the big shots came at the right time, and the ball movement was great. That's the kind of thing I like to see. Onward to Connecticut! Seek vengeance for thine first loss!
June 9th, 2013: Atlanta at New York
Just the Facts, Ma'am: Cappie Pondexter scored 10 of her 17 points in the fourth quarter to fuel a 76-67 comeback win for New York. Pondexter also added six rebounds and six assists before fouling out. Plenette Pierson tied the team high with 17 points, chipping in five boards. Sancho Lyttle led Atlanta with game highs of 18 points, 11 rebounds, and four blocks.
For adjustments, nasty pointy teeth, rudeness, the roar of the crowd, frozen custard, intangibles, and heroic willpower, join your intrepid blogger, WHO DOES NOT WORK FOR PATH, after the jump.
Hello again from beautiful, scenic, and somewhat ammonia-scented Newark! Today's game features the undefeated Atlanta Dream and the New York Liberty.
Word came to us officially today about Essence Carson's ACL, which makes us all very sad. Essence managed to bridge the distance between the Rutgers fans and the rest of the fan base pretty well. Also, she's awesome.
PATH is not exactly popular with your intrepid blogger and her dashing cohort right now, since the SmartLink machine decided to eat his money. $21 is not something to trifle at. Three different people asked me for help at three different times. I DO NOT WORK FOR PATH. I do not wish to be affiliated with people who steal my husband's money.
Sancho Lyttle set an excellent screen for Alex Bentley during autographs. Well, at least we know what all their rookies look like for the return trip. I nearly busted up watching Angel McCoughtry shimmy to the pregame music. Break it down, Angel!
The in-game giveaway was a very nifty photo collage of Toni Young on her way up for a dunk. I'm not a big fan of dunking, but it does make for some very cool photo ops.
Cheryl Ford is in uniform, no idea whether she's going to play. With Laimbeer, it's hard to figure out who's doing what when. No sign of Essence at all.
There's a woman a few rows down from us who looks weirdly like Barbara Turner. Weird because I thought Turner was still overseas.
They're doubling up on the roster cards- this card of Toni will also be used for the Connecticut game. That means that there's no room for the alma mater/country on the opposing teams, so I'm prepared to answer more questions than usual.
The arena staff seem to be having fun with their new toy, the "Oblivious Cam"- find people really aren't paying attention and see how long it takes them to notice that the camera is trained on them. They've had a couple of good ones so far.
The ribbon board thinks that Kamiko Williams went to Louisiana Tech. The main board correctly states that she went to Tennessee.
I've never heard "y'all" used as a possessive before, but Toni did: "get on y'all feet".
A gentleman with a truly spectacular beard just walked past us. I salute your playoff beard, sir. May you have enjoyment of all your sports.
Whistle works.
We're only down one at the half, which is a pleasant surprise. 33-32, with Kara Braxton and Plenette Pierson carrying the bulk of the load. Katie Smith got the start for Essence Carson, a move that I'm not sure I agree with. There's been a lot of quick defensive moves in this game, which should surprise no one. Kamiko seems to be trying to out-fancy the Dream, which is not a plan that will end well.
One of the small yet nagging worries I've had on my mind was resolved- they showed Kara's son on the big screen. I was starting to wonder if something tragic had happened that the league didn't want getting out, or she had misplaced him in a bar, or something. It's just so unusual for a player's motherhood not to be discussed, I assumed something bad had happened.
There seem to be an exceptionally stupid number of people in today's crowd. A lot of late arrivals and people who don't seem to realize that standing in the aisle during play is incredibly rude and blocks other people's view of the game. Also, if you touch my bag, I reserve the right to go Elaine Powell on you. If it's in your way, ask me to move it. Do not take it upon yourself to move my bag (with my computer). Do not get pissy if I get annoyed at you moving my personal belongings without my express consent.
Well, that was a heck of a turnaround in that fourth quarter. That's Liberty basketball at its finest, even when the ball goes off the back of the backboard.
Anthem singer was very hockey-esque. I liked, though he did have a couple of rough patches and made the frequent "for" instead of "o'er" mistake.
I mostly remember Le'Coe Willingham for her bright pink eyeshadow and the lipstick I could see from the 19th row. I'm sure she did things at some point, but I don't remember what they were. One good boxout, but that's really all I can think of. Alex Bentley looks less squarish now that she's out of Penn State colors, but she does seem to think that she took Maggie Lucas's shot out for a joyride. From what I've seen of her, both in college and the one game I've seen of her in the pros, I think she's caught between positions, and I don't know if she can adapt to one or the other at the pro level before her number comes up and she gets pushed off the roster. Tiffany Hayes fell down a lot- she ended up in the front row seats once and in what appeared to be a compromising position with a photographer once. She took a couple of tumbles on the hardwood, too. Got a lot of free throws out of her headfirst style and took advantage of all of them. Aneika Henry was omnipresent in the minutes that she played, hitting the boards and boxing out. She's a superb reserve post, and an excellent complement to Lyttle and de Souza. I'm not sure she'd be as good if she weren't complementing them.
Armintie Herrington showed a tendency to get all up in people's business. When she hit a midrange jumper in the third quarter, I thought we were done for- since when does Herrington hit outside jumpers? I think that's actually one of the codified signs of the apocalypse. Her speed was killing us, too. I think Cappie tried to outrun her. This is not a good plan. Jasmine Thomas was kind of a ninja- I kept forgetting that she was out there, and she ended up with 11 points. Go figure. But it's probably not a good sign for Atlanta that she's not getting involved in the team's ball movement. Angel McCoughtry got hot in the third quarter and very late in the game, but I don't know that her head was completely in the game. She got into a spirited argument with the entire officiating crew when she forced a held ball on Kelsey Bone- I have no idea what she was kvetching about, but as long as it went, I was surprised they didn't call delay of game on her, since she refused to return the ball in a reasonable amount of time. The threat of her defense also stopped the Liberty cold at least once; she was on Leilani Mitchell and Leilani had no way of throwing a pass over her to get to the open post behind her. Érika de Souza was a rock in the middle at both ends- she got smothered by the Liberty defense later in the game, but when they looked for her and she got the ball, it was going in. She had more of an impact on defense. That's not a woman I want to try to move around easily. Sancho Lyttle was spectacular, though she was also a prime example of why the right matchup matters, but we'll get to that later. She slapped a shot over two rows of photographers and nearly took out a reporter in the first half. She rebounded pretty much all the things and even started hitting those threes that make Dream fans tremble in fear. When she's on, I love to watch her play, and it's been so rare that she's been on the last couple of years that I was cheering a couple of her defensive plays even though they were against my team.
Talking about the right match-up: it took a while, but Laimbeer came with Toni Young against Lyttle, and it worked pretty well. Toni has the kind of athleticism and build that can counter Lyttle, even if she did get dinged for fouls doing so. Overall, she looked less scared than she did in the first few games. Now, part of her apparent increase in comfort level might be that Laimbeer is forced to use her at her old 4 spot instead of continuing to move her to the perimeter, and therefore she can play the game she's used to playing instead of having to adjust to a new position and role in the offense. We'll see if that lack of stage fright holds if/when the experiment continues. Alex Montgomery was solid- did a lot more ballhandling than I'm personally comfortable with, but she seems to be getting the hang of it, so more power to her. I like the way she's finding her teammates, too. Kelsey Bone looked a little slow on the boards and on defense, but her two assists were absolutely beautiful. I don't envy any rookie the responsibility of going up against Lyttle and de Souza in her first month in the big leagues. Leilani Mitchell turned up the defense and the rebounding in the fourth quarter. Fluffy Little Bunny showed her nasty pointy teeth when she sneaked in for low rebounds and deft steals. (And I think the official scorer shorted her a rebound; she came up with the ball twice on one Liberty possession in the fourth quarter, after she left a three-pointer short on the first shot and recovered after a scrum on the second shot.)
Cheryl Ford dressed but did not play. Not amused, Bill.
Katie Smith was all over Angel McCoughtry, and all up in her head, too. Granted, McCoughtry's an easy target, but if anyone knows psychological warfare in basketball, it's Katherine May Smith. She hit her three early in the game, and almost had a second on a heave to beat the shot clock- it got glass and front rim before going wild. Katie was in solely for her defense and for her ability to throw the hard pass. Kara Braxton had her usual array of dumb moves, but she stepped up with three big shots during the big run in the fourth quarter. She went strong against de Souza, and I have to give her props for that. Plenette Pierson took the load of the offense on her shoulders for much of the first half, scoring on drives and little outside jumpers. (Honestly, I think the "let's turn a 4 into a 3" trick might work better with Plenette than Toni. He's talked about that too.) Kamiko Williams started, but didn't play a lot. She kept trying to get cute around the Atlanta defenders, and you can't get cute when it comes to Atlanta, or they will strip you like a Best Buy shelf on Black Friday. She's going to have to get used to that kind of pressure, but I can understand why Bill decided not to make her do it today. Cappie Pondexter stepped her game up in the second half, both on the scoreboard and finding her teammates. I don't think she should have fouled out; I thought the foul they gave her for her fifth was rightfully Plenette's, which would have made that bone-headed sixth foul only her fifth. I think Bill has to determine whether she's going to be more of a distributor or more of a scorer- and has to be aware that either he has to make a choice or he has to radically change the way Cappie thinks. The latter may be somewhat more difficult.
Officials were all right, for the most part. A couple of holds went unnoticed (Kara, it's kind of obvious when you yank on someone's jersey) and Herrington and Alex got into a wicked collision that both seemed to feel should end with a foul on the other.
Dark humor moment of the game: the big screen showed a fitness tip about learning how to land in sports that involve a lot of cutting and jumping. Cut to Essence and Cheryl looking at each other like "yeah, right, that'll help".
D'awww moment of the game: it is a recent Liberty tradition that Essence Carson gets in the middle of the huddle and fires up the team with really enthusiastic, energetic dancing. What with being on crutches and all, she's not currently capable of doing so. So Maddie jumped into the huddle instead and took over with the dance moves.
Halftime was a Tic-Tac-Toe game with fathers and daughters and lay-ups and spinning. I think the one guy was very fortunate he didn't need to use the helmet he was wearing.
Mama Taj continues to be 100% flaw-free.
Essence cleans up nicely. I just wish she didn't have to :(
Entirely too many late arrivals for my liking. The start of play is not your cue for you to start down the stairs and block people's view of the game they paid for. Grah.
It was Dads and Daughters Day, so there was a lot of emphasis on the father-daughter dynamic. It's hard for me to get into this theme, since the sports in the family comes through the maternal line (sports conversations with my dad tend to include a lot of translating and apologizing for bringing up sports in the first place; either that or Serie A, and I don't like soccer all that much).
Lots of former Knicks in the house: Allan Houston, John Starks, Herb Williams, and Larry Johnson.
That fourth quarter pleased me greatly. The defense was tough, the big shots came at the right time, and the ball movement was great. That's the kind of thing I like to see. Onward to Connecticut! Seek vengeance for thine first loss!
June 9th, 2013: Atlanta at New York
Just the Facts, Ma'am: Cappie Pondexter scored 10 of her 17 points in the fourth quarter to fuel a 76-67 comeback win for New York. Pondexter also added six rebounds and six assists before fouling out. Plenette Pierson tied the team high with 17 points, chipping in five boards. Sancho Lyttle led Atlanta with game highs of 18 points, 11 rebounds, and four blocks.
For adjustments, nasty pointy teeth, rudeness, the roar of the crowd, frozen custard, intangibles, and heroic willpower, join your intrepid blogger, WHO DOES NOT WORK FOR PATH, after the jump.
Hello again from beautiful, scenic, and somewhat ammonia-scented Newark! Today's game features the undefeated Atlanta Dream and the New York Liberty.
Word came to us officially today about Essence Carson's ACL, which makes us all very sad. Essence managed to bridge the distance between the Rutgers fans and the rest of the fan base pretty well. Also, she's awesome.
PATH is not exactly popular with your intrepid blogger and her dashing cohort right now, since the SmartLink machine decided to eat his money. $21 is not something to trifle at. Three different people asked me for help at three different times. I DO NOT WORK FOR PATH. I do not wish to be affiliated with people who steal my husband's money.
Sancho Lyttle set an excellent screen for Alex Bentley during autographs. Well, at least we know what all their rookies look like for the return trip. I nearly busted up watching Angel McCoughtry shimmy to the pregame music. Break it down, Angel!
The in-game giveaway was a very nifty photo collage of Toni Young on her way up for a dunk. I'm not a big fan of dunking, but it does make for some very cool photo ops.
Cheryl Ford is in uniform, no idea whether she's going to play. With Laimbeer, it's hard to figure out who's doing what when. No sign of Essence at all.
There's a woman a few rows down from us who looks weirdly like Barbara Turner. Weird because I thought Turner was still overseas.
They're doubling up on the roster cards- this card of Toni will also be used for the Connecticut game. That means that there's no room for the alma mater/country on the opposing teams, so I'm prepared to answer more questions than usual.
The arena staff seem to be having fun with their new toy, the "Oblivious Cam"- find people really aren't paying attention and see how long it takes them to notice that the camera is trained on them. They've had a couple of good ones so far.
The ribbon board thinks that Kamiko Williams went to Louisiana Tech. The main board correctly states that she went to Tennessee.
I've never heard "y'all" used as a possessive before, but Toni did: "get on y'all feet".
A gentleman with a truly spectacular beard just walked past us. I salute your playoff beard, sir. May you have enjoyment of all your sports.
Whistle works.
We're only down one at the half, which is a pleasant surprise. 33-32, with Kara Braxton and Plenette Pierson carrying the bulk of the load. Katie Smith got the start for Essence Carson, a move that I'm not sure I agree with. There's been a lot of quick defensive moves in this game, which should surprise no one. Kamiko seems to be trying to out-fancy the Dream, which is not a plan that will end well.
One of the small yet nagging worries I've had on my mind was resolved- they showed Kara's son on the big screen. I was starting to wonder if something tragic had happened that the league didn't want getting out, or she had misplaced him in a bar, or something. It's just so unusual for a player's motherhood not to be discussed, I assumed something bad had happened.
There seem to be an exceptionally stupid number of people in today's crowd. A lot of late arrivals and people who don't seem to realize that standing in the aisle during play is incredibly rude and blocks other people's view of the game. Also, if you touch my bag, I reserve the right to go Elaine Powell on you. If it's in your way, ask me to move it. Do not take it upon yourself to move my bag (with my computer). Do not get pissy if I get annoyed at you moving my personal belongings without my express consent.
Well, that was a heck of a turnaround in that fourth quarter. That's Liberty basketball at its finest, even when the ball goes off the back of the backboard.
Anthem singer was very hockey-esque. I liked, though he did have a couple of rough patches and made the frequent "for" instead of "o'er" mistake.
I mostly remember Le'Coe Willingham for her bright pink eyeshadow and the lipstick I could see from the 19th row. I'm sure she did things at some point, but I don't remember what they were. One good boxout, but that's really all I can think of. Alex Bentley looks less squarish now that she's out of Penn State colors, but she does seem to think that she took Maggie Lucas's shot out for a joyride. From what I've seen of her, both in college and the one game I've seen of her in the pros, I think she's caught between positions, and I don't know if she can adapt to one or the other at the pro level before her number comes up and she gets pushed off the roster. Tiffany Hayes fell down a lot- she ended up in the front row seats once and in what appeared to be a compromising position with a photographer once. She took a couple of tumbles on the hardwood, too. Got a lot of free throws out of her headfirst style and took advantage of all of them. Aneika Henry was omnipresent in the minutes that she played, hitting the boards and boxing out. She's a superb reserve post, and an excellent complement to Lyttle and de Souza. I'm not sure she'd be as good if she weren't complementing them.
Armintie Herrington showed a tendency to get all up in people's business. When she hit a midrange jumper in the third quarter, I thought we were done for- since when does Herrington hit outside jumpers? I think that's actually one of the codified signs of the apocalypse. Her speed was killing us, too. I think Cappie tried to outrun her. This is not a good plan. Jasmine Thomas was kind of a ninja- I kept forgetting that she was out there, and she ended up with 11 points. Go figure. But it's probably not a good sign for Atlanta that she's not getting involved in the team's ball movement. Angel McCoughtry got hot in the third quarter and very late in the game, but I don't know that her head was completely in the game. She got into a spirited argument with the entire officiating crew when she forced a held ball on Kelsey Bone- I have no idea what she was kvetching about, but as long as it went, I was surprised they didn't call delay of game on her, since she refused to return the ball in a reasonable amount of time. The threat of her defense also stopped the Liberty cold at least once; she was on Leilani Mitchell and Leilani had no way of throwing a pass over her to get to the open post behind her. Érika de Souza was a rock in the middle at both ends- she got smothered by the Liberty defense later in the game, but when they looked for her and she got the ball, it was going in. She had more of an impact on defense. That's not a woman I want to try to move around easily. Sancho Lyttle was spectacular, though she was also a prime example of why the right matchup matters, but we'll get to that later. She slapped a shot over two rows of photographers and nearly took out a reporter in the first half. She rebounded pretty much all the things and even started hitting those threes that make Dream fans tremble in fear. When she's on, I love to watch her play, and it's been so rare that she's been on the last couple of years that I was cheering a couple of her defensive plays even though they were against my team.
Talking about the right match-up: it took a while, but Laimbeer came with Toni Young against Lyttle, and it worked pretty well. Toni has the kind of athleticism and build that can counter Lyttle, even if she did get dinged for fouls doing so. Overall, she looked less scared than she did in the first few games. Now, part of her apparent increase in comfort level might be that Laimbeer is forced to use her at her old 4 spot instead of continuing to move her to the perimeter, and therefore she can play the game she's used to playing instead of having to adjust to a new position and role in the offense. We'll see if that lack of stage fright holds if/when the experiment continues. Alex Montgomery was solid- did a lot more ballhandling than I'm personally comfortable with, but she seems to be getting the hang of it, so more power to her. I like the way she's finding her teammates, too. Kelsey Bone looked a little slow on the boards and on defense, but her two assists were absolutely beautiful. I don't envy any rookie the responsibility of going up against Lyttle and de Souza in her first month in the big leagues. Leilani Mitchell turned up the defense and the rebounding in the fourth quarter. Fluffy Little Bunny showed her nasty pointy teeth when she sneaked in for low rebounds and deft steals. (And I think the official scorer shorted her a rebound; she came up with the ball twice on one Liberty possession in the fourth quarter, after she left a three-pointer short on the first shot and recovered after a scrum on the second shot.)
Cheryl Ford dressed but did not play. Not amused, Bill.
Katie Smith was all over Angel McCoughtry, and all up in her head, too. Granted, McCoughtry's an easy target, but if anyone knows psychological warfare in basketball, it's Katherine May Smith. She hit her three early in the game, and almost had a second on a heave to beat the shot clock- it got glass and front rim before going wild. Katie was in solely for her defense and for her ability to throw the hard pass. Kara Braxton had her usual array of dumb moves, but she stepped up with three big shots during the big run in the fourth quarter. She went strong against de Souza, and I have to give her props for that. Plenette Pierson took the load of the offense on her shoulders for much of the first half, scoring on drives and little outside jumpers. (Honestly, I think the "let's turn a 4 into a 3" trick might work better with Plenette than Toni. He's talked about that too.) Kamiko Williams started, but didn't play a lot. She kept trying to get cute around the Atlanta defenders, and you can't get cute when it comes to Atlanta, or they will strip you like a Best Buy shelf on Black Friday. She's going to have to get used to that kind of pressure, but I can understand why Bill decided not to make her do it today. Cappie Pondexter stepped her game up in the second half, both on the scoreboard and finding her teammates. I don't think she should have fouled out; I thought the foul they gave her for her fifth was rightfully Plenette's, which would have made that bone-headed sixth foul only her fifth. I think Bill has to determine whether she's going to be more of a distributor or more of a scorer- and has to be aware that either he has to make a choice or he has to radically change the way Cappie thinks. The latter may be somewhat more difficult.
Officials were all right, for the most part. A couple of holds went unnoticed (Kara, it's kind of obvious when you yank on someone's jersey) and Herrington and Alex got into a wicked collision that both seemed to feel should end with a foul on the other.
Dark humor moment of the game: the big screen showed a fitness tip about learning how to land in sports that involve a lot of cutting and jumping. Cut to Essence and Cheryl looking at each other like "yeah, right, that'll help".
D'awww moment of the game: it is a recent Liberty tradition that Essence Carson gets in the middle of the huddle and fires up the team with really enthusiastic, energetic dancing. What with being on crutches and all, she's not currently capable of doing so. So Maddie jumped into the huddle instead and took over with the dance moves.
Halftime was a Tic-Tac-Toe game with fathers and daughters and lay-ups and spinning. I think the one guy was very fortunate he didn't need to use the helmet he was wearing.
Mama Taj continues to be 100% flaw-free.
Essence cleans up nicely. I just wish she didn't have to :(
Entirely too many late arrivals for my liking. The start of play is not your cue for you to start down the stairs and block people's view of the game they paid for. Grah.
It was Dads and Daughters Day, so there was a lot of emphasis on the father-daughter dynamic. It's hard for me to get into this theme, since the sports in the family comes through the maternal line (sports conversations with my dad tend to include a lot of translating and apologizing for bringing up sports in the first place; either that or Serie A, and I don't like soccer all that much).
Lots of former Knicks in the house: Allan Houston, John Starks, Herb Williams, and Larry Johnson.
That fourth quarter pleased me greatly. The defense was tough, the big shots came at the right time, and the ball movement was great. That's the kind of thing I like to see. Onward to Connecticut! Seek vengeance for thine first loss!
Wednesday, June 5, 2013
June 5th, 2013: Indiana at New York
Just the Facts, Ma'am: Indiana started strong, but New York finished stronger, outscoring Indiana 14-8 in the overtime to take a 75-68 win. The Fever's Tamika Catchings led all players with 21 points, eight rebounds, and five steals. Shavonte Zellous had 15 before fouling out in the extra period, while Briann January had 13 points and a game-high five assists. Essence Carson led New York with 21 points. Cappie Pondexter had 17, 11 in the fourth quarter and overtime; Alex Montgomery added 6 of her 13 overtime.
For screens, thundersticks, the Katie who walks alone, floor care, relief, stupidity, physicality, and cardiac issues, join your intrepid and salty blogger after the jump.
Good afternoon, everyone! Your intrepid blogger comes to you on tape delay from a school day game at the Prudential Center, featuring the 2012 WNBA champion Indiana Fever and the New York Liberty.
No exaggeration: we had to put up with the stentorian preaching of a particularly annoying zealot from Jamaica Center to Times Square. That's twelve stops. That did not put me in the best of moods for this game. Then again, the weather is absolutely gorgeous, so that made me feel much better.
The seafoam green thundersticks have made their triumphant return, and they'll be going up on the wall one of these days, with the ones from ten other teams. (Talk to me, Tulsa fans! I collect inflatable banging things, and you're the one team I'm missing!)
Attendance is a bit disappointing so far, a half hour before tip. There are empty sections and sections that might as well be empty. The team and league keep forgetting that New Jersey actually believes field trips should be educational, don't they?
Layshia Clarendon's hair is just as cool up close. Really, Indiana is a good team to have come in on a school day, when you think about it: they have kids from Stanford, Cal, and Duke, and a couple of the other alma maters on the roster aren't too shabby either.
We're in the season ticket section, which is one over from our usual seats and a few rows down. I may consider upgrading to these or their equivalent when we move back to the Garden. I'll be able to do it, and that excites me.
At least the kids who did come are as loud as they're supposed to be.
We're getting a Timeless Torches performance today. Not sure how I feel about that. Well, actually, I am, but my opinion of the Timeless Torches has been recorded in the past- if I want to see people my mother's age gyrate, I'll give my mother Pepsi.
Cheryl's fashion continues to be very stylish, but I'd really, really rather see her in a uniform. I am starting to get quite irked at SFO.
I would very much like my "Strike It Up" back, Liberty. At least you played more of it this time, but this is a change I do not like. Not to mention that Toni's mix has two of the same songs as Kamiko's, and if I have to be exposed to mediocre rap, I'd at least like to be exposed to different mediocre rap.
At halftime, it's 36-30 Fever, and I can't believe how flat we're playing. Stupid passes, a horrific lack of boxing out, dumb fouls... the first half was a hot mess. The second quarter had a little more flow to it, so I can be a bit more optimistic. Essence Carson looked good in the second quarter.
This absolutely insipid anti-bullying presentation is not going to convince anyone that mocking their classmates is a bad idea. If this is your plan for ending bullying, honey, I don't think you're going to be Miss New York.
Hello, random guy in St. John's cap! Uh, you did hear that Shenneika Smith got cut and Nadirah McKenith plays for Washington, right? But I'm not going to be the one to break the news to you.
I really want Cheryl Ford's skirt, but I'd really rather see her in uniform.
Teams taking their sweet time coming out of the locker room today.
The box score lies. Jeanette Pohlen is with the team, just not dressed. Well, I mean, she's wearing clothes, albeit ones of questionable taste, but she's not dressed to play.
So that came very close to being in the same echelon as the infamous 54-44 Portland game, and then it came very close to Tamika Catchings blowing the game on an uncharacteristically stupid act, and then it turned into The Alex Montgomery Spin Show. A lot of things to happen in one game, but I tell you, if the Liberty keep doing this, you're going to be short one intrepid blogger, because my family has a history of heart conditions and I simply can't take any more of this.
Anthem singer was all right. Knew how to sing, just didn't have the voice for what he wanted to do.
Libz Bop would be terrible, but it would be amazing at the same time, and I can't help but want it. Also, Essence Carson rocks the pink leopard-print pimp hat far better than Leilani Mitchell does. Sorry, FLB.
We were not expecting a lack of Katie Douglas, but the lack was... um... rather noticeable. You do do a double-take when the only blonde on the floor is Layshia Clarendon...
Jessica Breland played off Erlana Larkins really well (which I guess makes sense, what with the North Carolina thing). They were a heck of a team on the boards, especially offensively. She also had a stunning stuff of Kelsey Bone. She looked better than she ever did in a Liberty uniform, I'll say that. Nice pickup for Indiana. (You're welcome, Lin. Again.) Sasha Goodlett threw her body around, but that was really all she did, although her one shot, a turnaround in the lane, was rather pretty. I'll give her that. Karima Christmas drew a lot of hard assignments. I don't envy her. She didn't play well, but honestly, when you're the only guard off the bench because Lin Dunn has to go three-guard set because you don't know how many minutes you can get from Breland, you're going ot end up in a lot of uncomfortable situations.
Layshia Clarendon is not afraid to shoot. The rim across from the Liberty bench seemed to absolutely hate her. Then the second half started and she hit her first two shots clean. Then she went cold again until one lay-up in overtime. Her hands are impressively quick, though. She poke-checks better than half the New York Rangers. (Better hope and pray that Thibault doesn't get his hands on her. You know he'd love it.) I think she set up at least two steals that were recovered by other players by causing the initial deflection. Erlana Larkins was a beast on the boards. Tough. Scary tough. Butterfingers on hands of stone, though. Six and six might have been eight and eight if she could keep her hands on the ball long enough to be effective. Shavonte Zellous committed an appalling number of stupid fouls, though for what my opinion is worth, I thought the charge that took her out of the game was a giant steaming heap of nonsense. She was very hot in the early going- ten points in the first quarter- but wore down as the game went on. Briann January is really growing on me. I think she'd annoy me more if we had a rivalry with the Fever, but as it is, I rather like her. If nothing else, I appreciate a player who knows how to fall and roll with it. Maybe martial arts training should be part of all players' training regimens. She carried the offense in the third quarter on sweet little outside jumpers. Tamika Catchings was Tamika Catchings, but a somewhat muted version. Because of the lead that the other players were able to stake Indiana to, she got to rest a bit in the second and third quarters. It's generally not a good thing for the opposing team when Tamika Catchings gets to rest. She cleaned up everything, and why would you even try to disconcert her at the line? Her defense was good, but not up to her high standards, IMO. Tamikaze was also in full effect, and I'm surprised she didn't get more punishment from the Liberty for it. That's not the kind of thing I'd expect the Liberty to roll over and take.
Toni Young played in spurts, but her youth was far too apparent. I think the physicality of the game might have gotten to her, though the one shot that she hit in the second quarter was nice. Katie Smith started the second half after Plenette Pierson was knocked out of the game, and she had to play defense all over the floor. She drew the short straw of having to cover Catchings most often, and she did as admirably as she could considering the size difference. I think she was in Catch's head a little bit, and I can deal with that. Her shot to beat the shock clock was a pure prayer, certainly one purer than that of the street preacher who annoyed me so on the way in. Leilani Mitchell got a fair bit of run, and demonstrated that she could totally be as physical as a Laimbeer player needed to be by fouling January (I think) hard on the break. She's still a defensive liability overall, though. Kelsey Bone looked okay on the boards, certainly better than the stats indicated, and I think she got more comfortable as the game went on. She also seems to have been practicing her free throws. I like that in a post. (Despite my St. John's affiliation.)
Alex Montgomery gets her own paragraph because she was the hero of overtime. She cranked her game up with incredible wild spin moves that somehow found the bottom of the basket. Her defense was excellent all game. For what it's worth, I think Essence Carson is the overall superior defender, but Alex has her beat defending on the ball. And she was all over every loose ball out there, too, which is good, since the veterans don't seem inclined to get their uniforms dirty. For stepping her game up in the second half and overtime, Alex is my player of the game.
But Essence Carson is a very close second. There were long stretches during the first half that it looked like Essence was the only Liberty player who actually woke up for the game. It looked like everything was going in for her. She wore down in the latter stages of the game- if she turns strange colors like Kraayeveld used to do, it's hard to tell, but she was shimmering with sweat by the end of the fourth. Kamiko Williams looked like a rookie. Indiana looks like a good match-up for her on the surface, and when she gets her legs under her she'll do well against them, but a rookie point guard not used to the position, running into the buzzsaw of the Indiana defense, even a buzzsaw that's missing some of its teeth- that doesn't end well for the rookie. Plenette Pierson took a hard hit in the first half and came up holding her face. When she went back to the bench, she covered her ears as soon as the loud music came on, so I suspect that she's going to be out for a couple of games with a concussion. NOW can we get Cheryl Ford on the floor? Plenette played well in the time that she was in the game, though she suffered from the same malaise as her teammates early on- no one was following their shots. No one. It was sickening. Kara Braxton was awful. Saying she looked hungover might be a compliment. Her defense was mostly limited to distracting people with her... huge tracts of land. She did have one nice feed to Alex (I think) in the middle. Cappie Pondexter was shifted all over the lineup and was basically Cappie. The turnovers made it hard for her to run the point, and the Indiana defense did the rest.
This is how Tamika Catchings almost became the goat for Indiana: Indiana had the ball up 2. Catchings took a hard fall and lay on the ground for a few moments longer than necessary, with no evidence of pain when she popped back up. While New York was playing five-on-four, Cappie hit an open three that gave the Liberty their first lead of the game at 60-59. Fortunately, Catch was saved from full-fledged goathood when Briann January gave Indiana the lead back and Cappie went only 1-2 from the line to force overtime.
The refs spent a lot of time reviewing and discussing calls. I expect better, or at least firmer, from a veteran crew like Mauer/Humphrey/J. Smith. They also had to reverse a couple of decisions based on quirks in the rulebook, such as a defensive three-seconds call reversed because the ball was in the air. 2:20 is long even for an overtime game, am I right? I think they realized things had gone too far in the first half and tried to overcompensate in the second half. That didn't go well.
LOL of the day: during a stoppage, the PA had a drumbeat that got faster and louder as it went on. The stoppage being particularly long, Katie proceeded to start nodding her head to the beat. It wasn't full-on headbanging, but something tells me that if the delay had been much longer, it might have. Larkins was cracking up at her. Katie is... strange.
It was getting kind of Indiana-Detroit out there for a while, which is not necessarily a surprise, given that half the Detroit Shock work for the Liberty in some capacity. And both teams were giving as good as they got. I really thought someone was going to lose their cool, more than Cappie did when she decided that shoving Briann January in the chest after the whistle was a brilliant plan with no hope of failure. (Cappie, I'm not saying you were wrong... actually, yes, I am, that was mind-numbingly stupid... but I'm just saying that if I were to decide to step to a Fever guard, I would probably not tango with the black belt. Do not taunt happy fun Briann.) Lots of grabbing. Lots of groping. Lots of hacking and wrestling. There was a stretch in the second half where I was squirming in my seat because I felt awkward being a Liberty fan.
To the school behind me that decided to cheer for Indiana after that abysmal first quarter: GTFO, get directly out, do not pass go, do not collect two hundred thundersticks.
I'm glad we escaped with this one, I really am, but we shouldn't have to storm back from a fifeen-point deficit and claim an overtime win over a Fever team missing four of its regular rotation players. We should be better than this. You live, you learn, and you better practice your free throws if you're going to take contact in the paint.