Chicago Sky 69, New York Liberty 60
Someone did tell the Liberty that the Olympic break is over, right?
What. The. Fuck.
No. Better. What. The. Fucking. Fuck?
I'm tempted to stop there, but then you'd miss Tiffany's singing, Ashley's room-working, Sylvia Fowles just being kinda awesome, tragic cello abuse, and Juilliard jazz.
Got in early, settled in on the rail, and the first thing I noticed was Tiffany Jackson in street clothes. OMGWTFNO, I said to myself. The hell she do to herself? So I asked her. Stress fracture. Same shin. I thought we'd already established that calcium was supposed to be part of a balanced diet? She directed us to come see her in her stylish outfits. She also spent a hella lot of time bonding with one of the kidlets, to the point where when Ashley wanted to say hello to the kidlet, Tiffany was all "Nuh-uh, you had your chance." with the hand up and everything. Classic Ashley moment #1 of the night was her giving Carrie (who shows up in road colors but is a Liberty fan naetheless- she's an ink junkie) all kinds of good-natured grief after catching sight of Carrie's Dupree jersey. Classic Ashley moment #2 was her in the aisle, looking back and forth, making sure she'd gotten everyone before she headed in.
And then classic Ashley moment #3 overlapped with classic Janel moment #1 when the chest bump went awry. Watch out for flying Huskies!
I'd have loved to overhear K.B. and Erin's conversation during shootaround. Or, for that matter, AB and Brooke Wyckoff's extended conversation- I know they both play in Spain pretty regularly, but have they been teammates? And everyone loves Fowles, and she loves everyone- she glomped Tiffany when she was coming off the court.
So when the hell did Jia Perkins get so good at getting open? There was a point in the first half where she *was* the Chicago offense. She faded in the second half, but they didn't need her at that point. Liked the way Canty worked getting to the basket- I don't think she's 100%, but who is at this point in the season? Wyckoff was very much a non-factor in my eyes, unless she was playing defense. Of course, I may be thrown off by her being a brunette. How long has she been a brunette? Seriously? I was all, "who the heck is AB talking to, she looks like Kayte Christensen a little bit…" and then she turned around and O HAI BROOKE. Quiet night for Dupree, though she had one gorgeous finger roll that reminded me why I love to watch her work. Fowles was a game-changer in the second half- when she got her legs under her, we were so totally screwed, and yet we kept going inside. I don't get it either. If she'd gotten more touches on the inside, we'd have been demolished. Canty's foul trouble gave K.B. extended run, and I thought she ran her team well- not spectacularly, but she didn't fuck up, and that's what makes a good backup point guard (at least in my opinion- your mileage may vary). Price is still freaky fast and tends to be all over the place. Melvin was solid, if unspectacular. Then again, I suppose it's hard to stick out as a post player when the other two members of your rotation are Fowles and Dupree.
What's wrong with Loree? I'd like to believe that somehow the break wasn't enough for her to rest up, because otherwise I'd have to believe that her brilliance was the fluke and this is closer to the reality, and obviously I do not want to believe that. She just doesn't look right at all. On the plus side, at least Essence took the opportunity to scrape herself off the rookie wall- her shots were falling, and she even managed to figure out where the actual three-point line was (okay, her foot was on it, but don't tell anyone). Shameka was a non-factor, though I'd have to check the boxscore to see how many shots she took- it struck me that she didn't get that many at all. Cathrine set a Screen of Death and got hot early, and then promptly disappeared, except for rebounding slightly better than she has most of the season, but you can't have one short flurry of points in the first quarter and then assume your role in the offense is done. A lot of stuff went through Janel, especially late in the game, and I'm not sure that'a decision I would have made- yes, Janel can and will score when given shots, but trying to put it down the throat of someone four inches taller just seems like a bad plan. Off the bench, both of the other rookies played reasonably well. Leilani was solid, and that hiiiiiiiiiiiiigh layup was very impressive. I liked the way Erlana fought for rebounds, but she's got to finish and she's got to hold on to the ball. That goes for you too, Erin. That fumble in the corner really symbolized the entire game- we had it, and then we just dropped it and let it roll out of bounds. I thought it was interesting that in a couple of the huddles, she was leading the discussion, and there were a couple of instances where she was having quite an intense, gesture-filled conversation with Coyle (no, not those gestures, she's not that New York yet). I'm pretty sure Ashley didn't suck, but I'm too traumatized by her hair to remember if she had any good plays. Jessica. Ann. Davenport. Catch. The. FUCKING. Ball. I don't care if you roofed someone so hard that they're still looking for their dignity. CATCH the ball on rebounds. Hold it like it was made out of diamond. CATCH THE FUCKING BALL. And just for the record, not every shot has to come off the glass.
Something happen with Lisa? She hardly played. Not that she abruptly lit up the room when she did get into the game, but Erin got almost all of her run and didn't use it so effectively that everyone in the Garden would have knelt at her feet. (Now, if that three-pointer had counted, that's a whole other story.) I figured if she was hurt, Megan would have been activated, but you never know with That Moron.
Dear anthem singer: OW. I have no eardrums and I must scream. Both of my neighbors tonight wear glasses, and I'm very surprised they still have their vision. OW. The halftime entertainment, though, with two jazzy Juilliard students, gets this Liberty fan's stamp of approval. Less so the guy abusing the cello. If he manages to win the competition he's in, I hope he uses part of his prize to buy a bow for that thing.
There are things in this world I never want to see again. Leilani in green leopard print- even if she was Photoshopped into it- is one of them, because ew. About the only thing that would be worse is if someone wore the green leopard print with Schuey's infamous pink hot pants.
The musical numbers are good for a laugh, but for God's sake, people, don't let Tiffany take lead. Ashley can't find a key, it's true, but Tiffany can't find a note. I realize the bad is what makes it good, but there comes a point where it's just a matter of torturing people for humor's sake, and with that game the way it was going, we didn't need further torture. (Also, the wrong song kept popping into my head with Lisa, Loree, Shameka, Ashley, Tiffany… and Megan… as the singing and dancing group. One of these things is not like the others…)
You could tell that both that and the Golden Maddie were filmed a while back- Shameka still had the wild hair. "Hey. How *you* doin'?" was the line of the day, and I'm pretty sure that at least Leilani was buzzed during filming. I thought it was a little odd that the three were Leilani, Essence, and Shameka- that line seems born for big oafy girls.
Afterwards, since I was a free agent, I hung out by the Chicago bus. We're still trying to figure out where K.B. took Joens and Fluker- either someone got deputized to pick up the donuts or Fluker crashed a meeting of the "I was cut for Erin Thorn and all I got was this lousy t-shirt" club. Price, Fowles, and Chaney were kind enough to stop, sign, and pose for pictures. I gotta say, Fowles has *it*. That not-quite-charisma-but-it's-the-word-that-fits-most-closely that Catch and Taj have. And apparently they left someone on the court. No, I'm not quite sure how that happened. Judging from silhouettes, though, it would have had to be either Wyckoff, Dupree, or Perkins. We spotted the rest of them. Canty's afro definitely helps in identification in the near-dark.
All in all, I'd have to say I was unimpressed. Chicago missed half their free throws and got hardly anything on the scoreboard from their frontcourt- but they beat us by 9. Quick turnaround time for both teams, too. I hate back to back games so much.
Friday, August 29, 2008
August 28th, 2008: Chicago Sky at New York Liberty
Friday, July 25, 2008
July 25th, 2008: Los Angeles at New York
New York Liberty 69, Los Angeles Sparks 68
The New York Liberty, sponsored by Maalox. But we love them anyway.
BEAT LA! BEAT LA! BEAT LA! It still rings in my head with the rest of the noise from that crazy end of the game. If you gotta go out, like we do for the break, dear God, what a way to go out!
Lots of people in the house. Far too many of them wore purple, orange, or other pro-Sparks/Sparks players paraphernalia. The entire section next to us, and the row behind us, were cheering for Los Angeles- well, no, cheering for Parker, although at least the people behind us recognized DMJ and Temeka Johnson. And there was a guy in AAMCO's section who was being very obnoxious and really made me want to go Lauren Jackson on his dreadlocks.
Wonderful anthem. Absolutely nailed it. A little bit of Whitney and a little bit of Martina McBride. And that always puts me in the mood for a game.
I realize that the events of the brawl have me in a really anti-Sparks frame of mind, or at least in a frame of mind that feels like saying "fuck you" to the favorites, but really, I'm not liking Parker that much. She gets away with complaining too much- far more than I would expect from a Tennessee alumna, even if I'm given to understand that Summitt went easy on her. She had some beautiful moves, I'll say that, but she wasn't the freak of nature I've been led to expect. Leslie put up some gaudy numbers, but those were strongly helped by Cathrine's inability to box out properly. Also, those shenanigans with standing in the inbounder's spot when it was Liberty ball? Very immature. My high school team behaved better than that. Milton's a piece of work too, but we all knew that going in. Kiesha Brown really looks like she's come into her own in Los Angeles. While I wish it didn't have to be Los Angeles, I'm glad for her- she's been around so long that it's good to see her finally shine. I just wish she wasn't on the Dark Side of the Force, and that she hadn't almost kicked our asses. Not impressed with Ferdinand-Harris- the spirit is willing but the body doesn't go that fast anymore. Johnson's got a nice little jump shot, but I thought things went more smoothly with Brown in the game. Jessica Moore's reason for existence seems to be to be called for the fouls that she's in the vicinity of- not necessarily all of them committed by her, although she certainly does her part. Very little of Spencer- why not fight fire with fire, what's the worst that can happen?
Janelllllllllllllllllllll McCaaaaaaaaaaaaaaarville for the win! (Literally.) Has Nellie made it clear to everyone yet that she fears no one and nothing? What a move, what a game. And Miss Jackson- whew, she's tough. I'd like to see her go inside more instead of trying to take that jumper she's not so good with, but hey, it kinda worked tonight, so let's roll with that. Cathrine, while her defense was atrocious beyond belief, even more so than usual, displayed a knack for making some very big plays- in that regard, she reminds me very much of Elena. The late points, the late rebound, the late block. If they ever get bored with Captain Caveman, perhaps "Ride On Time" would work for her? Essence came in for defensive purposes and took some really, really bad shots. Like, seriously, E, you are not going to get a foul call one-on-four on a contested layup- pass the gods-bedamned ball and get the easy two for your teammate. Shameka hit one unbelievable three that had us all going "OH GOD TOO LONG" right until it swished through. She wasn't the Meeksiah, but we didn't need her to be. Ashley stepped up big tonight, when we needed her at both ends. About the only complaint I had about her was that she didn't use enough conditioner, and if I can see that from the upper deck… yeah. Leilani was solid, and ballsy- when you've got a fluffy little bunny throwing her body at a Sparks post, you might have a fluffy little bunny with nasty pointy teeth on your hands. Loree, watch your back. Lisa didn't have the world's greatest shooting night, but for that block, all can be forgiven.
I booed the three fighters. I'm not ashamed to admit it. I also screamed myself raspy trying to outshout the obnoxious Sparks fans around us. My humble apologies to the Finnish (?) fans in front of us. (Either Finnish or Slovakian. I'm not so good with the recognition of Eastern European languages; while the writing on the bag looked Finnish, it amused me to think that the girl in the McCarville jersey was from Kosice.)
Refs suck, what else is new? I thought Erlana was robbed of the and-1 on that play. And Leslie came damn close to being T'd up more than once.
Did anyone else see the Lady Blazers? They must have been heartbroken that Bobbitt had to miss that game. They have damn nice uniforms for a high school team- yes, I know, they're not your typical high school team, but I get to thinking that Piph must have thought she was going down in uniform quality when she went to RU.
How much do I love these Libkids? Thiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiis much. And more.
Saturday, July 19, 2008
July 19th, 2008: Indiana at New York (at Arthur Ashe Stadium)
We will never speak of this day again.
After this weekend, we will never speak of this day again. It never happened. Someone realized that an outdoor game in the middle of July, played in a tennis stadium designed by aesthetes and not architects, with one team that features a coach who doesn't know how to sub and another team that's never been known for playing pretty, badly advertised and badly run, would be an exceptionally bad idea and would make the league look bad, so the Liberty graciously forfeited.
In all seriousness, despite the US Open drawing thousands of tennis fans, the folks running the fanfest and the stadium gates didn't seem to know how to deal with the Liberty crowd. Security was extremely tight, tighter than what I'm used to at the Garden, and ushers were few and far between, not to mention that the signage at the stadium is extremely unhelpful.
Um, stupid question: was any consideration given to what would happen if the heavens opened DURING the game?
Fanfest was okay, but I've never really been into those things, I don't give a crap about the Knicks, and I didn’t realize there were Liberty fans who didn't have Sue and Kym's autographs already. Found some nice shady spots, so that made time go by faster.
Dear Garden: please stop booking boy bands, especially boy bands that suck. V Factory was bad, but Menudo was worse.
WE DO NOT NEED AN MC. When that bimbo was talking over the Liberty's entrance onto the floor, I entertained fantasies of beating her to death with Scotty B and his spiritual successors in Connecticut.
Mary, don't drink before the game; Cathrine Kraayeveld's name is hard enough to say without you drinking and screwing it up in front of several thousand people, some of whom were in those #33 jerseys.
I don't know if it's blasphemous or awesome, but I saw a new-style, name-on-the-bottom, custom #23 Wicks jersey. What's the opposite of a throwback? But I also saw a lot of older gear- the #11s, the #50s (I saw more Rebecca Lobo jerseys today than I have in years, and that's not including the one pooled on my bed right now), the #24s, the #55s, the #34s- I even saw one woman in the ooooold player tees, a bright orange Sophia Witherspoon #13 shirt. YA RLY.
This is the second game in a row that a coach has made a last-second change to the starting lineup against us. This isn't kosher. I take solace in the fact that the last coach to pull a stunt like that against us is now an ex-coach. And Catchings took full advantage of the confusion, especially early in the game. She played a good solid game in preparation for Beijing, against competition that ought to be the equal of the bottom of the opening round pool. I worried a little bit about Tully when she got banged up- I don't think she'd want her last game stateside to be the one where she gets hurt- but she seemed all right. Flying's probably going to be hell, though. Douglas killed us in the second half, at both ends of the floor. That's the Douglas I remember from Connecticut. Hoffman wasn't what she was against us the last time, but she fought harder on the boards than any of the Libkids. And TSB showed up in the second half as well, and on the defensive end. I got my first look at Khadjiah Whittington, who I've heard so much about from Indy fans and from NC State fans, and I have to say that I like her. She reminds me a bit of D-Train, a fan favorite here in New York, because of her willingness to sacrifice her somewhat undersized body. Sherill Baker was deactivated in her place, depriving her of her revenge against her former team, but somehow I think she'll survive. I wasn't as impressed with LaToya Bond, although that might be because the Fever signed her distant cousin LaToya Boyd at some point, at least according to the Liberty PA announcer. You know you're having an off night when Mike W.- who I've heard rattle off Astou Ndiaye-Diatta and Naomi Mulitauaopele without a hitch- is screwing up names. Didn't see a lot of Ngoyisa or Mann- loving Mann's new hair color, though. Someone left Feaster open, and yep, you guessed it, she hit the open three. And she made a brilliant defensive play. You know you're having a bad night when Allison Feaster is kicking your ass on defense. Tan White decided to disprove my theory that her shot selection all season has been overcompensation for the wind and other factors she'd be facing in the outdoor game so that she'd be perfect in a game that her team might not be.
Who the fuck was that incompetent ditz in #20 tonight? Because she had the attention span of Iciss Tillis, the shooting skill of Bethany Donaphin, and the defensive skillset of Camille Cooper after her back started flaring up. Don't you try to tell me that was Shameka Christon in that uniform, because if it was, someone needs to smack that girl like her mama never did. That would have been Shameka's worst game ever, by a long shot, and I don't want to think that a game that bad could belong to the Shameka Christon who's been kicking ass most of this season. The defensive lapses… the balls through the fingertips… the missed shots… the bad shots… that's not the Shameka I knew. But #20 wasn't the only Liberty player out there who didn't seem to give a good goddamn. Janel wasn't with it, even if she scraped together 10 points. Cathrine wasn’t with it. Loree looked miserable. Essence looked like a splat on the rookie wall. I can haz Lisa Willis in mah startin lineup naow? The little bunny had a really awful pass (and another awful pass, but Janel was asleep on it as well, so I blame both the bunny and the Goth), but she was somewhat better than Loree. Jessica, for God's sake, REBOUND. I know #50 has a long tradition of big posts with no vertical, but REBOUND THE FUCKING BALL. It's not rocket science; you should be fine. Lisa at least seemed to care, and so did Tiffany, even if Tiff was taking shots she had no right to be taking. Ashley ran low on Red Bull- no, seriously, I'm not sure what happened, but right before the game she ran back inside.
There are things in this world I do not need to see. Lin Dunn in shorts is one of them. They enforced the dress code for the actual game, but the scars were already left. Even if the game hadn't sucked, I'd have needed eye bleach.
I'm used to crap fouls. I give up.
All of that being said, the actual watching experience wasn't as bad as I thought it was going to be. We got some nice breezes, the air cooled down, the noise level was acceptable, we could see the scoreboard, we got our stats, I even liked their organ better. I could see doing this again- IF it was better planned.
That's the problem with the Liberty front office. Give them lemonade, they'll somehow turn it into lemons. This would have been a better idea either as a preseason game or as an early-season game, in late May or early June, with a team that isn't as defensive-minded as Indiana, with enough lead time in the offseason to really build it up instead of having to split focus and try and sell both this game and the Garden games. Instead… we got this. And the quality of the game isn't really the FFO's fault (unless That Moron started coming up with excuses before tip), but the quality of the experience is. If I were a first-timer, like hell I'd be inclined to come back unless someone hooked me up for free, and did so for a Garden game.
Thursday, July 17, 2008
July 17th, 2008: Washington at New York
New York Liberty 77, Washington Mystics 56
Leilani Mitchell bares her nasty pointy teeth, Ashley Battle flexes her considerable muscles, and dysfunctional Mystics are dysfunctional.
Okay, okay, it's the Mystakes, I shouldn't be getting too many of my hopes up after this, even after a performance like this. But damn, do I love these kids or what?
Very few Mystics involved in the pregame shootaround- just Mosby, Langhorne, and Sanford. We began to wonder if Tree Rollins had a cunning plan up his sleeve, but that would require Tree Rollins having a cunning plan. Then there was that whole thing with the change in the starting lineup, which I wasn't even sure was legal- would love to know the explanation for that one. So yeah, that was weird.
Janel was awfully moody during shootaround. Guess she was focusing on the game. Either that, or the randomizer came up with "emo" today for her persona.
Nice harmony on the anthem, though they missed a few notes. Also, please not to be wearing mopheads. They are not particularly decorative.
The more I see of Rollins's Mystics, the less I like them. It almost seems that the mentality of "if you can't beat 'em, beat 'em up" is coming into play; their style hints of desperation, and Beard's of despair. Taj must be so frustrated, going from dysfunctional team to dysfunctional team. I was surprised they didn't go in to her more, because the shots she took were going in, and she had a wily way of getting around the defense. Beard also seemed to be playing back, although I'm not sure how much of that was her having to be playmaker and how much of that was defense and how much of that was her just not giving a good goddamn. She came on in the third quarter, and somewhat in the fourth, but she wasn't as involved in the game as I'm used to, and I think once Currie started to suck, she needed to get more involved at the offensive end. Sanford seems to be resting on her laurels, having procured way too much money from the Lynx deal that the Mystics matched. Also, not a big fan of flying elbows and draaaaaaaaaaaaama. Spare me until you can hit the free throws. That goes for Currie, too. I keep telling myself I've been judging Currie on her build and her swagger, and then she goes out onto the floor and does something that makes me go, "oh, *that's* why I didn't like her, I remember now!" Nikki Blue does not impress me, though that may be because the most lasting impression I have of her from that game comes from 1) tripping Leilani with what looked like a hand on her leg to pull her down on replay (I reserve the right to have seen things wrong), and 2) her hand on Cathrine's leg like she should have been offering to buy Cat a drink- while on the other side of the floor, Jess or someone gets called for less of a foul. Strong rebounding and boxing out, though. Then again, it's not hard to box out the Libkids. Saw more of Mosby than I expected- is the Krystal Vaughn experiment over, then? Langhorne played well enough, had a couple of moves, but you can't airball a free throw. You just can't. Especially not when the odds are good you know someone in the crowd. Saw surprising amounts of Laurie Koehn in situations that I would not have expected to see Laurie Koehn in, and not in situations I would have expected her in for. Crystal Smith seemed to be in solely to match up with Leilani, and our midget is better than their midget. Wecker sighting, and I forgot she had that range, but other than that… and I'm trying to find something to say about Coco Miller, I really am. But looking at the boxscore, I don't think the Mystics fans would want me to.
Leilani!! Fluffy little bunny has her some nasty pointy teeth! How about that drive with the reverse layup? It's really fucking obvious to anyone with eyes that Loree's playing hurt, and that the pigeon-toed stride is not just her channeling Spoon. But for the first time since Coquese Washington, this team has a backup point guard who is competent, who is actually a point guard, and who the coach trusts. This makes me a lot more confident. And I'm loving Lisa's development. In a way, I think our guard reserves are learning from each other- Ashley knows that she has to score if she wants minutes, and in return Erin and Lisa are learning that they have to play defense if they want minutes. Erin had a great defensive play on Beard late in the game, which was a big help since Ashley was on Koehn. Lisa's getting very good at getting her hands on the ball. And our Miss Jackson on the boards, of course. So good to see Jess back on the court- yes, she's slow, but I believe that's called being a center in the Big Numerically Challenged; give her a little time and she'll round into proper WNBA shape. I have faith in her- but I'd have a helluva lot more if she'd grab onto a rebound and hold onto it instead of tapping it out and/or not getting a grip on it. Also, can I mention in passing that I get a warm, fuzzy feeling of rightness with #23 and #50 on the court at the same time? Yes, I'm weird. I thought Ashley was forcing her offense at times, but it could have been worse. As for the starters- well. It seems that Essence Carson is the kind of person who does nothing by halves. If she's going to hit the rookie wall, then by God, she's going to hit it so hard that she leaves a multi-colored splat on the wall. It's brutal for a Rutgers fan to watch. Cathrine- where has this Cathrine been for the last year or so, and can we keep her, please oh please can we keep her? Shot blocking monster in the paint, rebounding, setting screens- YES OH GOD YES. Janel and the Pick of Death- and her "did iiiiiiiii do thaaaaaaaat" reaction- are love. Big, painful love. Brutally efficient. Shameka didn't hit her shots, but the hair is awesome and she got herself to the line enough. And Loree? Loree is hurt. She has to be. Either that or this is a Pod Person and the real Loree is in space while aliens figure out how she got those shoulders.
Everyone forgot how to tell time today. The gates opened early- except upstairs, where they opened late. The Mystics committed more eight-second violations than I've ever seen in a pro game. The Liberty committed more shot clock violations than I've seen in a game. LOOK AT THE CLOCK. IS NO COMPLICATED.
Small crowd. Quiet crowd; by the time we had reason to get into it, it wasn't worth getting into because the butt-whooping was on and there was no need for that extra oomph.
We had Ad-Libs- everyone act surprised that Shameka takes the longest to get ready. Erin was very animated about it, though. Usually they deliver the answer as woodenly as a carpentry shop, but Erin elaborated on it- "the hair's gotta be right, she's gotta do the makeup, she has to have the right outfit". Oh, Erin. We also had the Maddie Awards- Lisa was the only one to get the line right, damnit!
Madame President was in the house, and I thought I saw Lib Fan giving her a piece of his mind about roster cards. I wouldn't be surprised.
Little Jackets versus Oh God Who Thought That Suit Was A Good Idea. Dear Coach Rollins: should you feel the burning urge to dress in team colors, may we suggest a tasteful blue suit? Blue works for everyone. Crystal Robinson looked good, though. She seems to have found a figure in recent years.
Lots of make-up calls and no-calls in this game. But it never got out of hand.
Saturday, July 12, 2008
July 12th, 2008: Detroit at New York
New York Liberty 74, Detroit Shock 64
Sista Christon, oh, your time has come. Shameka Christon is on a roll, Lisa Willis helps out, and much noise is made in this joint.
Oh, what a night. Somehow we always seem to have these nights at the Garden against Detroit. And somehow I always seem to end up in Kate or Ali's seats by the Liberty bench for them. (At least this time it wasn't an ESPN game, and therefore I didn't have to worry about a pregnant Rebecca Lobo trying to get through, a situation I've been in two separate times.)
Kids' Day at the Garden, but they didn't do much with it- the big thing was having a kid do the starting lineups. She wasn't bad, except when she stumbled over "athletic trainer" the second time. Also, crowning moment of heartwarming: during shootaround, Megan Duffy and a young… maybe she was a camper at some point? For a while, I thought maybe a cousin, but then Duffy asked the kid if that was her family over there, so I'm guessing not related, because one should know what one's relatives look like. But it was a sweet little conversation.
Crowning moment of "oh God please tell me I stashed my handbag": Jess going through our very narrow aisle to greet someone. Images of newspaper articles flashed before my eyes: "Liberty center Jessica Davenport injured by tripping over fan's purse" Fortunately, all straps were under the chair and no harm was done, but damn, Jess, warn a fan!
Some genius, I don't know who or how or why, managed to put two Shock fans in our section. Behind the Liberty bench. And with both Kate and Alison not in attendance, we had to do a helluva lot of screaming for them. Casey, Catherine, apologies, but y'all do understand, right? Screaming for four, plus drowning out opposing fans. That's a lot of screaming.
There's nothing quite like a prolonged, close-up view of Deanna Nolan from behind to make one appreciate biceps, shoulders, a complete lack of body fat, and tattoos. That being said, this may have been the single worst game I've ever seen Deanna Nolan play in my life, and I've had season tickets for as long as she's been in the league. She looked so out of rhythm, and so lost while her teammates were taking some gods-awful shots. I'm going to hope that we can also credit Essence's defense, because Essence at the other end of the floor… well, some of us would like to sleep tonight, so let's not bring that up. And Smith wasn't hitting all the shots she usually hits, either, and she got some open looks that made me cringe. Very solid play by Humphrey- what is it with Bill and getting the best out of these Bulldogs? Does he have some kind of weird link with Andy Landers? I like her stroke, especially for a big. I think she could have gotten a little more time. Especially with some of the shots Braxton put up. Lord have mercy. Sometimes I genuinely wonder if she knows what the point of the game is. But I should leave her alone- she was very nice to fans after the game. Remind me again why Cheryl Ford isn't on the national team? I mean, okay, the Liberty are not the best rebounding team in the world, but still. If she's not an alternate, I'm going to have to help Bill light the torches and hand out the pitchforks. She played very, very well. Sheri Sam just kind of seemed to be there. Big, solid guard, but not the world's greatest ballhandler- we had the pleasure of seeing Shameka and one of the other Libkids trap her right near our sideline until they finally got the steal. For a defensive fan, that's hot. Lovelace played in very brief stretches and did little with them. Plenette Pierson did everything I've ever expected from her: she scored, she rebounded, she fouled, she flopped, she defended. Hornbuckle- you can see the potential, but she looked more like a rookie than Humphrey did. DNPs for Sanni and Murphy, which led to a bit of confusion later when Murphy came out with Sanni's luggage. Bill's a drama queen, but we all know this, and it's fun to watch. I was almost hoping he'd get T-ed up- I've never seen an ejection from court level before, and I would have liked to see a walk of shame from there. But it is what it is, and I think the refs were smart enough not to T him up, given some of the calls. I was really surprised they shot so much from the perimeter- they have more than enough muscle, and guileful muscle at that, to take any team short of LA in the post, and especially a team like the Liberty with an undersized center and a power forward who thinks she's a shooting guard. I'm glad Detroit didn't play to their strengths, but I expect better than that from Bill.
Shameka Christon! Damn, girl. Just, damn. She got it done down the stretch at both ends of the floor. She came up big right when we needed her to. If she's truly coming into her own, then glory be, and I'll be glad to be along for the ride. And Lisa with the big bucket- oh, that was key, and she's learning how to play both ends of the floor. See? SEE? Sometimes players take TIME to develop! On the other hand, if they're Tiffany Jackson, maybe sometimes they don't need as much time and they can go in and begin kicking ass with exceptional speed. I love her more the more I see her go in and work on the inside. So if she doesn't have a jump shot, I can deal- my favorite post at St. John's has a jumper that makes T-Spoon look like an expert gunner- as long as she's going inside and she's rebounding and she's bringing hustle and energy. She did lose her defensive assignment a couple of times, though, and that's gotta stop. Essence took some dumb shots tonight- just didn't seem to be all with it, although I do note she had the assignment on Nolan, and Nolan went 2-13, so some of that ought to be credited to E. Cathrine got really exposed against the Shock posts- damnit, I know from personal experience that white girls can't jump, but this takes the phrase to new levels. Good grief. Janel, also with the lack of boxing out, but she at least went in, whereas all Cathrine's makes were from the outside. Loree was pretty good, with occasional moments of "oh crap, there's the pod person again". Leilani was not as impressive, but I think there was only one WTF moment when she was on the floor. Don't remember what it was, but one is still better than many. Also, Leilani has brass ones, because she got stuck guarding Detroit posts on more than one possession, and did the best she could with a hard-charging Pierson and the 6'6" Braxton. Ashley played two awful minutes and sat the rest of the game. Right move, much as I hate to say it, because while Lisa didn't turn on until late in the game, she wasn't screwing up quite as spectacularly as AB, who managed to miss rim on both of her lay-ups. Erlana went in, worked hard, and *le gasp* boxed out.
Inconsistency, it is a referee thing. We saw a couple of the questionable calls, and I think Detroit did get the worst of it, but there was always a strong sense of WTF about the refereeing.
Madam President in the house!
I wasn't listening to the halftime concert- as mentioned in another thread, I was copyediting the game notes they gave us. "A piece" is supposed to be one word, and I'm fairly certain the shot from beyond the arc is hyphenated- three-pointer, not three pointer. I'll shut up about the grammar now.
So good to have Vera back. Apparently Mary Murphy's on vacation. Mary, we love ya, but feel free to take as much summer vacation as you want, because Vera's such a joy to have around. We saw her after the game and many of us let her know how much we missed her.
Also coming out the side door after the game were several Shock players: Braxton, Murphy, and Lovelace. To my embarrassment, I didn't recognize Murphy the first time I saw her (in my defense, she was a DNP and I'd forgotten what she looked like from last year, and she was carrying Sanni's luggage) and I think she initially thought I was either asking for Lovelace's auto or Madam President's auto. So yeah. If any Shock PR types have managed to read down this far, please convey my apologies- yes, I really do know who Eshaya "Shay" Murphy is.
These kids are going to kill me one day. The only question is whether I die happy or not.
Sunday, July 6, 2008
July 5th, 2008: Minnesota at Seattle
NB: To the anonymous who keeps trying to shill that gods-awful idea of the "Outdoor Classic" on my blog- STOP IT. I will keep rejecting your comments, and if you're with the Liberty, Amy is going to hear it.
Seattle Storm 96, Minnesota Lynx 71
Lauren Jackson is a golden goddess, Katie Gearlds has cojones, and awesome Stormfans are awesome.
Sorry for the delay on these- I have been out of town, you know.
I still love Key Arena, although it occurs to me that the other thing it needs is some way of keeping one posted on the out-of-town scores; I had to rely on text messages and a friendly Storm fan to keep me posted on the Liberty (thanks, Awase!)
Anthem was less impressive tonight- the other night, on the clarinet, was quite lovely, but this gentleman seemed to have issues with finding his key. Ironic, in *the* Key, no?
Did Nicole Ohlde actually… you know… play? Because I think I remember seeing her for something like ten seconds, and that was the end of it, so either she didn't play all that much, or she was completely unforgettable when she was in. Seimone is Seimone. There really isn't much more to it than that. She'll get her shots, and most of the time she'll get her makes. She's so smooth and so good at finding her shot. DeForge was another one, I got the sense she was there but I don't remember her doing much- this might have had to do with the bench playing most of the game for Minnesota as the lead got so rapidly out of hand. Quinn seems to be slipping this season, but she's still a better option than Harding, who seems to have lost any speed she once had- there was one play where she was so frozen she looked like a statue, and I always had the impression that she had decent speed before the knee injury. Anosike played tough, and I thought she played well. (The woman behind me, who was giving Anosike and Hayden hell all night, might disagree with me, but that's fine with me. Hard for Queens to agree with the Bronx.) Wiggins did not have a very good game at all, and once that happened, she started whining. I try to like her, I really do, but on the court she comes off like she has a chip on her shoulder the size of a redwood, and she plays like she's entitled to any call she wants. Hayden got a little rough, and she too has lost her edge- before the game, though, we had a great conversation about "Shot Clocks", so if accommodatingly notes an order from the Twin Cities in the near future, he's quite welcome. Confused as to why she's hyphenated on the jersey but not in the PA announcements.
LaurenfreakingJackson. LaurenfreakingJackson from eight rows back of the Storm bench. I traveled with two Storm fans, and I think they thought they died and went to heaven. She's in fine form. But you don't need me to tell you that. Or that Bird ran one of the smoothest games I've ever seen from a PG- I think the worst tangle she ever got herself into was when she wasn't happy with her ponytail and Swoopes reassured her that it was just fine. Yo… she's a nice solid presence, but she can't do all that much anymore other than hit people. The fast break she attempted to run was not something I really wanted to see. Swin was really getting lost on defense, and I think that's why Agler kept pulling her. He had a good grip on the rhythm and flow of the game, I felt- something I've felt sorely lacking in New York's coaching, and something I am therefore more attentive to when watching other teams. I don't remember much of what Swoopes did, although I know she was in on a couple of pretty plays, because I remember hearing "from Sheryl Swoopes" over the PA. Katie Gearlds was on fire, and I was so glad to see that- she seems like such a sweet kid, and she had a career night. Beautiful. She's got cojones, too! How many times was she guarding 4s and 5s? Tanisha Wright had some unbelievable plays- for good or for ill in some cases. Little and Ely both struck me as there and getting things done. Kelly Santos seems to like to hit people. Kristin O'Neill got in the game for extended minutes, and everyone was screaming for her teammates to get her the ball so she could score, and I do believe the roof would have come flying off the building if she'd done that. But T wanted to get to double figures and I think they knew KG was going for a career-high, so. It is what it is, and I think O'Neill's proven herself worthy of a second seven-day deal.
Ashley Robinson sprained her ankle in the game against New York, and thus was in street clothes. Hot DAMN. I'm surprised people don't try to cause her mild strains just to make sure she dresses in street clothes for every game- yes, I know, I know, she's also an excellent shot blocker and a key piece of the Storm's bench, especially given Yo's age.
I was surprised the mayor showed up, too, but I admit being rather neutral about that. Y'all still have the Storm, so I'm happy about that.
Favorite curse word of the game- Yo after either her first or second foul, in which she ended up on the floor and with the foul. A very loud F-bomb escaped her as she stalked back towards her bench. I wouldn't want to get Yo Griffith mad enough to start cussing at me, would you?
The crew wasn't too horrible, although there were a couple of sketchy calls- but a couple, not an entire game's worth. I was worried, since Scott Twhat-the-hell's-his-name was part of that crew, but the female ref and the other dude seemed to have control of it.
I'm still on cloud nine. Everything was just so cool!
July 3rd, 2008: New York at Seattle
Seattle Storm 84, New York Liberty 71
Paging Loree Moore to the New York Liberty. Will Loree Moore please get her ass back to the New York Liberty?
My first visit to the Key was everything I could possibly have hoped for, and I get now why people speak so highly of it- the only thing that went wrong was that, oh, yeah, the Liberty lost, and for me, that is a sad-making thing.
I really like Seattle Center. Very pretty- reminded me a little of the Mall in DC. Bought my tickets yesterday, exchanged teasing words with the folks there, and came back today to drop off some tickets at will call. On my way there, as I tromped along the street, limping because my right pinky toe is in fact one giant blister, I heard someone yell, "Hey, Queenie!" Besides the fact that that fulfilled one of the fantasies I'd had about this trip, it was all kinds of cool- the driver was Brrringy, of Stormfan fame, and she brought me over to jilly's house, where I met her and her infamously photogenic kidlets, then gave me a lift back to the Key. I think that's one of my favorite things about Stormfans- it's like one big Internet-connected family.
I love the Key. I mean it. I don't understand what the hell the NBA's issue is with it. I felt more comfortable there than I ever thought I would in a strange arena- I think it's because here it's clear the WNBA team is the tenant, at least during the season, (yeah, yeah, ignoring the Sonics news)- the people who run the Key are focused on the team that's there at the time. At the Garden, I always get the sense that the Liberty are the red-headed stepchild. The curtains helped- for a while, I even forgot that there were seats up there. About the only thing I don't like about the Key are the cupholders- they make the seats too narrow and the aisles too narrow. But if that's the only complaint I can come up with...
Would someone clue me in on what happened to Janel? Why she didn't play part of the second quarter and the entire second half? Because she better have been hurt or sick or something along those lines, because I can't seriously believe that That Moron would have passed the event horizon of stupidity for some petty reason. I don't think that helped our attempts to defend Lauren Jackson- note that I said attempts, this is LJ we're talking about here- because Cathrine was gods-awful on defense, and while Erlana tried, she's a rookie and easily tricked. (Also, Erlana? You ARE NOT IVORY LATTA. please stop with the fancy dribbling. What is with centers who think they're point guards on this team?) Cathrine at least got some of her shots, but I cannot express enough my extreme frustration with her "rebounding" and "defense". Loree did not put any mark on this game. At all. Essence brought more offense in one game than I've seen from her in two weeks straight- I just wish she'd figure out that the WNBA three-point line is further back than the collegiate line, because we might only have lost by ten if those long twos had been threes. It's uncharcteristically stupid of E to make the same mistake over and over and over again. Shameka got hot late, though the Storm fans I was with were very impressed with her range. For some reason, when Cathrine was playing like the worst kind of crap, that was when That Moron decided to deviate from her pattern and go with Leilani before Tiffany... and then put Tiffany in for Janel. The logic or lack thereof broke my brain a little. Leilani played well- fluffy little bunny has nerve. Lisa... did not play well. Let's leave it at that. Not a lot of Ashley, and a very momentary Erin Thorn sighting. I just don't understand my team sometimes, I really don't.
Lauren Jackson is unfrickinbelievable, and I realize this is belaboring the obvious liek woah, but she really is amazing. Bird played a great floor game, not to mention the scoring she put up because she ran circles around our guards. Swoopes, yeah, what tweaked knee? She helped turn the momentum back around right when the Libkids had cut it to 9. Cash was solid, and I thought played above average defense. Griffith was there, and part of the fierce rebounding (yeah, seriously, I knew it was a bad sign for the 'kids when Seattle's first possession started with four offensive rebounds before LJ could score). Don't remember much about the Seattle bench, to be honest with you, but, yeah, Tanisha Wright is not a point guard. Seattle loves their Huskies, though- O'Neill got one helluva hand when she came into the game, though she didn't play all that much. I guess solid but unimpressive might be the word.
Wish these notes were doomier. But I'm wiped.
Sunday, June 29, 2008
June 29th, 2008: Phoenix at Connecticut
The Game Notes have this disconcerting feeling of being in a parallel universe when Connecticut fans boo Taurasi and a Rutgers fan cheers against Pondexter.
Madam President was at this game, and for the sake of Mike Thibault's blood pressure, I hope she takes some action against the officiating team, Diana Taurasi, and Corey Gaines. But we'll get to that in good time. I'm still a bit in shock at the sound of several thousand fans booing the living hell out of Diana Taurasi in the state of Connecticut. Somehow it seems bizarre, yet soothing.
I think that's what I enjoyed most about the game- the building was full to the brim with Connecticut fans- not UConn fans, not Sun fans, but Connecticut fans. I think that was what I've been waiting for from the Sun, a way to bring together both fans of "their girls" and fans of other players. See, college and pro fans can coexist. Good, loud crowd- probably a sellout, though there were some empty seats. What I found fascinating was the way the fans around me shifted from being all about Taurasi to being all about the Sun as the game went on.
I would have liked the anthem a lot more if they'd done it as a group the entire time, instead of breaking each guy out into a solo and then bringing them all together at the end. Kind of like my Liberty, no one piece works alone, but the group effort is magnificent.
Diana Taurasi is an unbelievable basketball player, a world-class talent who moves with the ball like it's part of her body. But she'd be a lot easier to put up with if she could play with a gag in her mouth. The constant complaining got on my nerves in a hurry, and it didn't help that she was getting the calls *anyway*. I recall one play where she shoved Carey and then looked at the ref like she was wondering why Carey hadn't been called for the foul. That spurred a lot of the booing- the superstar calls, I mean. While Thibault tried to play the matchups by starting Swanier and putting her on Pondexter, it didn't work all that well, and clearly Cappie heard the people calling for her to pass. I thought she was distributing well, but I dind't realize how well until I looked at the box. Miller had a quiet game, but she's an unbelievable rebounder for a guard- strong, tenacious- the Bangs of Steel probably helped Phoenix take the edge on the boards. I thought Willingham had herself a nice little game- it was fun watching her and Whitmore get into it, though I'd put money down on Whitmore coming out the victor in that contest. Tangela Smith has a funky release- I know this is not news, but that's the kind of thing I've been noticing more lately- but it works for her, and she was really tough on the offensive boards. So was LaToya Pringle- I like the way she works on the boards, very athletic and sneaky. Mazzante also seems to have been reading the boards. Really not impressed with Gaines's demeanor, though. He never seems to be into the game until he's about to flip his shit.
IMO, Whalen did not put her stamp on the game, and whether that's a matter of trying to get everyone else involved or a defensive effort on Phoenix's part, I can't be certain. But I felt she didn't take enough shots that she should have taken, because it seemed like when she shot, good things happened. Holt was a non-factor, or a negative factor. One of those. Swanier was a firestarter, and while I wouldn't keep her in the starting lineup, I'd definitely give her a healthy whack of minutes- she works better as a change of pace player, as someone who can kick things up a notch instead of starting off at high speed. Whitmore had fun whacking around Willingham and Smith, but that was about it. Jones had a lot of great shots, but a lot more stupid shots. Carey had a lot of nice shots, which made up for Anderson not being in the groove. Turner drew the short straw and had to defend Taurasi when she was in, and that had a lot to do with Turner's foul count. I finally got my first look at Gruda- in build, she reminds me very much of Sancho Lyttle, all long limbs without the feeling that someone stretched her on a rack. And yeah, she's raw, but she'll be a very good post in this league as long as she works with a coach who knows how to use her. Raymond made a brief cameo, declined to go up with an offensive rebound, and ran to the bathroom during the game.
The refs completely lost control of this game, IMO. The shoving match between Willingham and Whitmore really pointed that up, but they let Phoenix get away with a LOT of talking. The boos were magnificent. Very uneven calls.
It looks like I wasn't the only Board Junkie at Geno's who noticed Kelly Miller. The Bangs of Steel are unmistakeable, except for The Other Bangs of Steel.
For some reason, neither the arena hosts nor the Solar Power dancers understood why I was telling them that they might not want me on camera when we had a chance to be part of the "Let's Make A Deal" game. I don't know about you, but I thought it might be tacky for someone in a Rebecca Lobo Liberty jersey to be part of the Sun promotion. Seriously, I can understand not knowing the other teams in the conference, or about the rivalries, but is basic literacy a lost notion?
I think this was the first time I was actively rooting for the Sun, instead of for selected Sun players. I found myself cheering when Swanier knocked it away from Pondexter. I found myself screaming at Whalen to shoot. It was very disconcerting. Fun, though. :D And then I won a nice little chunk of change, so woo. I may actually turn a profit on my partial plan when all is said and done.
Friday, June 27, 2008
June 26th, 2008: Indiana at New York
New York Liberty 102, Indiana Fever 96
This is the game that never ends- yes, it goes on and on, my friends. Both teams made sure of that, for good and for ill.
Oh my God, that was epic. That was dramatic. That was- I hope a lot of people caught this while channel-surfing during the draft, because, damn, that there was a lot of basketball. I'm exhausted, and I don't even want to think about what kind of state the starters are in for both teams.
I thought it was a bad sign when my train ride started out full of crazy- we had one guy loudly inveighing on the way people talk really loudly on trains, and after he called me a blimp, one woman started screaming at him to get off the train… and then went on her own little rant about how he thought he was entitled because he was a white American man. So that was fun like a thing that's not fun.
But then the Fever were very nice- that's one thing I'll say for them, that franchise does treat folks with class- and I got to hear Katie Douglas let out a completely frickin' random primal scream/war whoop during shootaround, so that was awesome. I gambled that security wouldn't give me agita because ESPN would want seats down near the court full, so I sat behind Ali (who, in case you don't know her, sits right over by the Liberty bench- right behind Hirsh.com's usual spot, in fact) until the actual ticketholder showed up in the second quarter, at which point I headed up to hang with kw, Mrs. kw, and auntie. That was fun. I miss my old neighbors.
Ebony Hoffman is impressing me more and more every time I see her. She's always been surprisingly fast for her size, and very agile as well. Now she's extending her range and making defenses respect her clear out beyond the arc. One of 2004's hidden gems, to be sure, and as much because of hard work as because of talent. Douglas was killer at both ends, hitting big shots that would have broken any other team and making sharp defensive plays. The Tamikaze (great nickname, BCBG) was at it again, but she didn't dominate the way I'm used to her dominating. This wasn't her game the way so many games against the Liberty have been. TSB seems to have lost the hooker twitch in her walk, and was actually working for rebounds today (although that's not exactly challenging against Cathrine). Tully hit the floor, so it was an official game, and she made some critical defensive plays, but I still don't understand that last shot of hers. As for the Fever bench, I know Tan White was there, but I genuinely don't remember her doing anything worth mentioning. Ditto LaToya Bond. Bales got a few minutes, including some in a weird lineup with TSB. Sherill Baker served as the defensive switch for TSB, and I think that was about all she did. Feaster got her shtos, and hit one of them, because seriously, people we do not leave Allison Feaster open, not until at least one leg has fallen off. Bernadette Ngoyisa looks like she's put on a lot of weight since leaving the Liberty, and isn't using it at all well. She looked really lost in the offense- yes, I know, she's relatively new to the team, but catching the ball should not be that complicated an operation.
Then again, a fan of the team that has Cathrine Kraayeveld shouldn't talk about fumbling passes. Jeebus. But Cat turned it up in the fourth quarter with the tie, and in the OT. In the first half, though, she and Essence were both awful. And I got to see Cathrine look awful and awfully confused up close. When Essence started to come alive in the second half, we were joking around about what Patty said to light a fire under her, and I suggested that the best way to put the fear of God into her would be to just quietly say, "Coach Stringer would not be pleased." But in the OT she started acting like she had to put everything on her shoulders, and took some absolutely crazy shots that she had no business taking. Loved when she climbed the stanchion to avoid going into the crowd. Sista Christon- she was a fighter out there, getting her shots and forcing fouls. I was surprised that most of the boneheaded "hey, let's go out there and not win this game!" moves weren't from her- I love Shameka to pieces as a person, but she does tend to make some dumb decisions on the court. Janel- wow. Just. Wow. I'm pretty sure that's a Garden record for a Liberty player- Becky's 33 came at Minnesota, and the only other game I could think of was when Tari went for 30… against the Fever, in a game where we needed every poin to win. What do you mean, that sounds familiar? Loree is solid, and played solid, except for a couple of inexplicable passes. Miss Jackson got called on to swing between Janel and Cathrine's positions, and she brought a lot of energy. The rest of the bench didn't play all that much, which had to hurt later. Erin was basically a decoy during crunch time in the fourth and the overtimes, and I was about ready to kill her for passing up her three until Cathrine, you know, tied the game, then it was all okay. Leilani wasn't bad, and I think a couple of more minutes for her during regulation could have helped alleviated some of the fatigue problems that set in in the overtimes. Yes, I'm thinking of the free throw that Loree left short. Lisa was active on defense, but it seemed that as soon as she found her groove, she was pulled, never more to see the light of day. Erlana had a Screen of Death and one helluva tackle.
Actually, there were a lot of tackles in the game. The crew let the players play, for the most part, and it went both ways. Difference in fouls and free throws came both in the timing of Indiana's fouls and in forcing fouls. That, and missing shots that should have been and-ones. I never thought I'd see the day when I screamed, "JUNE, I LOVE YOU!" but that jump ball, overruling the male ref all ready to call a foul on Loree, saved the game for us. Things got quite wild out there.
Rebecca Lobo's pregnant again. Either she wants an entire front line or she wants a boy. Other than that, she looks good. It's disconcerting to see her in flip-flops, though. (Weird fact of the day: all three players who have ever worn #50 for the New York Liberty were in the house, with Rebecca working as a commentator, Bernie on the Fever, and Jess on the Liberty.) She was chatting with Kym Hampton before the game- soliciting tips, maybe? Because, you know, she totally hasn't done this before…
Gorgeous anthem. Fucking amazing. Boring contests, though. And for the love of God, I don't care if he's the sweetest guy on the planet, that guy in the Christon jersey is enough to make a woman wish she could turn gay.
Whole lot of Charlotte going on tonight, and at one of the quarter breaks, Janel and TSB were chatting it up about something.
Late-arriving crowd. These 7PM tips dick with everyone's schedule.
Favorite moment of the game, of sorts- Katie Douglas gets off a three as Erin Thorn closes on defense… and out of Erin Thorn's Utahn, possibly-Mormon, mouth comes a short, hard word starting with F. Our little Cougar is growing up and learning how to sling the local lingo. *sniffle*
Not amused by Coyle's bench management. She does know you're allowed to use reserves in the second half, right? On the other hand, she managed her timeouts much more effectively than Dunn did, and Dunn *was* forced into using her bench by the foulouts of Hoffman and Catchings.
I think that's about all I'm coherent enough to write. That was just epic. That's the only word left for it.
Sunday, June 22, 2008
June 22nd, 2008: Phoenix at New York
New York Liberty 105, Phoenix Mercury 72
A historic day at the Garden as Tiffany Jackson and Ashley Battle are only the vanguard of a whole lot of butt-whoopin'.
This is what we've been waiting for. As I left the Garden today, in my Lobo jersey, passing people in Spoon jerseys and Wicks jerseys and the old green warm-up shirts and the old orange shirts- through all these colors, all these schemes, all these mottos, all these players, we've been waiting for something the frakkin' Utah Starzz did in their first season.
I had a good feeling about the day on the way in- the E train I was on included a baller strapping on some serious sneakers and already in uniform, with a loving partner in the next seat sharing earbuds, heading down to West 4th- but the supportive partner was a guy, and the baller was female. Of course, this meant that oh, brilliant, the Liberty managed to schedule opposite a tournament at West 4th, sheer brilliance.
And then I had less of a good feeling, because it was clear the Cagers Club was there for Cappie and not for Essence, and there were way too many #3s that weren't Tiffany Jackson, and the anthem sucked and the Mercury started off on a 7-0 run. I was so afraid Phoenix had finally found their groove and we were going to be the latest victim, because we were a team that couldn't shoot with them like Chicago or Connecticut.
Well. Um. Then Janel happened. And then Cathrine happened. And then the floodgates opened.
Where do you begin with a game like this? Cathrine of the three threes to break it open and get it rolling, who got on the boards and only missed a double-double because she was pulled? Janel, who laid a hurtin' on inside? Loree- oh, God, have we ever missed Loree, who just opened it up? Or how about the bench? How about Miss Jackson tearing it up inside? How about Ashley Battle and that unbelievable shot she made that ended with her on her ass? How about Lisa Willis's shooting and hands? How about Erlana Larkins, who hit the historic bucket? HOW ABOUT THESE LIBKIDS? Tiffany was unbelievable. Ashley played like she was saying "Fuck you, Patty!" with every basket and every stutter-step. Leilani was solid. Lisa looks like she's been learning from Loree and Ashley. Essence worked hard enough on defense that we didn’t need her offense. Shameka was the only one who didn't really produce- but can you imagine what the score would look like if she was in the groove? And I love how into the game they get for each other. Loree and Lisa were all but dancing when Ashley scored.
Taurasi was determined not to lose. Perhaps a little too determined. Maybe she got a little too into it, hence the ball spike that drew the T. I think Cappie was trying too hard to get the foul on some of those shots, because that crew wasn't calling much at all. Le'Coe Willingham was the only other Mercury player who really, really impressed me- it looks like she's put back on some of the weight she lost in Connecticut- I'm not saying this as a bad thing, because she was starting to be a true tweener, too thin to be effective in the post but nowhere near a small forward, and at least now she's got the girth to throw around. Miller was just completely stumped- stop the engine and the car doesn't go, I guess. Smith seemed to be settling for too many outside shots. Off the bench, I like Pringle's athleticism, but she still has a lot to learn- I'm wondering now if that's Farris's role more than actually playing is. Yuko Oga reminds me of a very young, very raw Michele Timms. But yeah. Defense? What defense?
"Rapper's Delight". No, seriously. White girl rapping! White girl rapping! Ashley and Lisa were into it, though. The question becomes "how much booze was involved and who drank how much?" No "Bohemian Rhapsody", but definitely a hoot.
Megan, Irish do not tan. Trust me on this one. Unless you're talking fake tan, what you're going to be working on is your sunburn.
Megan and Jess were coordinated today. I found that somewhat disturbing.
I've never been thanked for asking someone for their autograph before, but Oga did so. Phoenix seems like a nice bunch.
I'm still not sure what my favorite play of the game was. I mean, yeah, AB's circus shot, but also, Cathrine's three threes and Tiffany's two and-ones. Or the one play where Cathrine got it downcourt to Janel under the basket.
We spotted Epiphanny Prince after the game. A couple of folks hollered that they'd like to see her on the Liberty.
History, baby! History! No matter what else happens, we'll always have this.
Sunday, June 15, 2008
June 14th, 2008: Minnesota at New York
New York Liberty 77, Minnesota Lynx 76
Dueling morons at the Garden, and the Game Notes are not as amused as they should be.
We cannot afford to keep blowing leads. Do you really think we're going to have just enough in the tank next time? Does anyone here really think that Cappie and Diana are only going to combine for 20-something points ever again? Right, I didn't think so.
I'm starting to understand why there are people who don't like Candice Wiggins. Maybe it's just the vantage point I have, but I don't like her attitude on the floor. She comes off as a newly crowned Pretty Pretty Princess, sure that every defender who breathes on her has committed a foul and just as sure that she's never committed a foul in her life. That being said, she's money in the clutch and Zierden uses her the way I always advocated using Hammon- more than a catalyst, more than a sixth woman, but as a way to completely demoralize the opposition beyond all hope. "Okay, we've held them, we've forced them to bring in their bench… aw shit, we're fucked." Seimone started off fast, got slowed up, and then got started again in the second half. She absolutely humiliated Essence on one play. Has Anna DeForge always been this good a rebounder? She was outrebounding our frontcourt players for most of the game, and while that's not necessarily hard, that's reasonably impressive for a guard of average build. I can see why they keep her in the starting lineup. Quinn was very quiet, and we saw an awful lot of Wiggins at the point. Seriously, what is it with WNBA coaches trying to turn shooting guards into point guards? DO NOT WANT. Ohlde was- well, for one thing, I was very confused when she was introduced as Nikki, although that was corrected when she scored her first bucket deep into the second half. Says something that her name wasn't spoken until the fourth quarter. Anosike had one of those rookie nights. We all have them. Oh, God, do we all have them. I think Janel managed to get into her head a little bit- she looked very disconcerted by Janel. I don't understand why Zierden doesn't play more of his posts, such as they are. The only constant I have found about Kristen Rasmussen is one I learned from sportsfanswhine back in the Sun days- if Rasmussen comes in the game, boneheaded mistakes are bound to occur. Not that she doesn't hustle, and not that she can't hit a shot or two, but it always seems that things go wrong when she's on the court. We had a brief and unmemorable Navonda Moore sighting. Houston was aggressive, perhaps a little too much so, and it's very disconcerting to see Lynx players wearing #20 and #30 who aren't Williams and Smith. Also, any lineup that has Charde Houston playing the 4 in a WNBA game is made of 100% organic fail.
Balance was the word. Balance and That Moron not knowing what to do with the pieces she has on her bench. We need defense because Minnesota's top two shooters are their starting three and their sixth woman? Sure, only give Ashley Battle two minutes and bring in Lisa and Megan. Granted, Lisa seems to have taken a page from Sherill Baker's book- her hands have been very active these last couple of games. Need offense in the fourth quarter? Well, of course you ignore the shooting guard who's been shooting and go with the shooting guard who's got the back and neck injury that's causing her to use a thermal thingy on her neck. That's what frustrates me most about That Moron- the pieces are there, whether they're offense-shaped, defense-shaped, energy-shaped, or go-out-there-and-make-people-cry-uncle-shaped, but she doesn't use them properly.
It's nice to see Cathrine rebounding, but defensively that was a mess. Solid, quiet game from Janel. Solid all-around game from Sista Christon. Essence had her hands full on the defensive end, but she still put in her points. Leilani also had the difficult task of checking the veteran DeForge. Not fun for a lil bit like her. Much love for Miss Jackson, who's either taking over Ashley's firestarter role or angling for Cathrine or Janel's starting spot. Also much love for Lisa and the four-point play- all the more reason to either use Erin as the third point instead of Megan or to just sit her until and unless she becomes necessary again. And… again, please do not kick, kill, drown, or eat That Moron's puppy. That's the only reason I can think of for AB, and now Erlana, to be on disturbingly short leashes. Also, clock management tonight sucked. Two shot clock violations, that unspeakably fucked up eight-second call, the general inability to get off a shot faster than the average Scarlet Knight- seriously, I saw enough of this offense at Rutgers, dear God, why must I suffer through it again?
Excellent anthem tonight. Well done, you with the strange combination onf names.
So much love for the Golden Maddie. I love when the ladies get into their roles. But is it just me or are they doing fewer of the silly things than they used to? Used to be they'd have the Golden Maddie *and* the Ad-Libs; now it looks like a choice.
Thank you, MSG, for not shoving the fucking Arthur Ashe game in our faces until the fourth quarter. Please to be advertising the rest of the season so the crowds don't look so sad.
To the two dimwitted demonspawn sitting behind us- no, it is not cute that you chant the advertisers' names during play. Actually, it's kinda creepy, and your dad encouraging you sucks even more.
So exactly what was going on with Cathrine and Rasmussen? They were going it at it something fierce for a couple of plays. I realize Rasmussen has backstory with every team in the league, but this seemed personal, and unless Rasmussen is defending Jamie Carey's honor after the Screen Of Death two seasons ago, it was out of place.
The refs sucked. At one point I was fairly convinced that one or more of them had Wiggins in Pick One. But the refs always suck. Can't keep complaining about that unless I get the ear of someone who can fix them.
The longer we win, the longer That Moron stays employed. But I don't want to see them lose. Oh, the dilemma.
Sunday, June 8, 2008
June 8th, 2008: Sacramento at New York
Sacramento Monarchs 80, New York Liberty 73
The Game Notes are not pleased with the New York Liberty, but think Monique Ambers is awesome.
Look, guys. If you're going to phone it in, please let us know in advance so we can know not to expect anything from you. On the other hand, if you're going to rock, knowing that in advance might be cool too.
Let me say this publicly and for the record so that all and sundry can see: Monique Ambers is completely and totally awesome. I was down by the rail, the autograph hangout at the Garden, and the spot I took happened to be right next to where she was hanging out, watching a few of the Monarchs do stretches. I had a Scholanda Robinson card on my little clipboard, because she was the only Monarch I wanted a signed card from- I already had the others. Coach Ambers caught a glimpse of me and remarked something along the lines of "Look at you in the Rebecca jersey." I told her I'd been a fan since the beginning, and that I remembered Phoenix- and Cleveland, as Coach Boucek had come up behind her by that point. She reached across, took my card and marker, went out onto the court, presented both to Scholanda Robinson, and brought me back my marker and the signed card. "So you don't have to wait," she said, or something along those lines. (She didn't know I was also waiting on the rookies; I didn't know the rookies were in protective packaging until gametime.) So if anyone out there is from the Monarchs front office- you guys are doing something right, and I just thought I'd let y'all know that, from someone who wishes her franchise would do something right.
Missed the anthem, which I hear might have been a good thing. Didn't miss our own kwnyc as season subscriber of the game, though, no sirree.
Where the hell did Ticha Penicheiro find a jump shot? She's been in this league for how long now with the reputation as a pass-first, pass-second, pass-third, what-do-you-mean-I-should-shoot player, and suddenly she's got a jump shot? Now, okay, part of that might have had to do with having a little teeny defender on her, but seriously. I'm still in shock. 17 points and 2 assists is a line I expect to see from Kara Lawson, not Ticha Penicheiro. Speaking of Lawson, she definitely got her shots, and if she'd hit more of them this would have been a blowout. Powell somehow got to her average after a quiet start. Adrian Williams still has it. She might not score a lot, but she'll score enough, and she'll get her rebounds. She's a nice piece to have. I'm really surprised more didn't go through Brunson, considering that the natural matchup would be with Cathrine, who doesn't like that whole defending inside thing. Harper seems good at doing the little things- I think the question is whether she can learn enough from Williams and Brunson to start doing the big things on the professional level. Didn't see too much of Kelly, saw a whole lot of fouls on Smith, didn't see all that much of Aqua Franklin despite Ticha's foul trouble and sudden hamstring issues in the fourth quarter. Chelsea Newton, of course, brought the defense- there were a couple of plays where Megan Duffy was damn near wearing purple, Chelsea was so up on her. At the same time, I see why Sacramento fans are frustrated- they spent a lot of time in the backcourt, including the eight seconds, and the rotation is a bit inexplicable. But only a bit, compared to the mess That Moron has left.
Okay, so maybe Leilani used up most of her store of awesome against Houston. Not that she wasn't passing well, but she wasn't getting or hitting the shots she had against Houston. And no one really picked up the slack. Janel, I'm looking at you. Stop fouling and start shooting. I'm kinda hoping that her dad gave her hell for how little she was into the game. You too, Cathrine. Seemed that every good play she made was sandwiched around a play that was pure bonehead. I'll give her credit for being on the boards, though. Sista Christon- okay, she was rebounding, too, but they're all too tentative on the shot. Guys, it's okay. Really. This isn't Rutgers. Speaking of, I thought Essence was solid, and it would have been awful nice to have her in at crunch time. Or if she couldn't go for whatever reason, Ashley Battle. Seriously, what in the nine circles of Dante's Inferno did AB do to Coyle that's got her superglued to the bench? Whatever it is, AB, either don't do it so you'll play or do more of it so we don't have That Moron to kick around anymore. Lisa was hot in the first half, but by the time That Moron remembered she existed, she'd gone cold. Mom, who's got a different vantage point from the other side of the arena, says she saw Lisa open two or three times that Leilani missed. I'll credit the Sacramento defense for that, though. Tiffany was on the boards like whoa. Think there's any chance of Miss Jackson starting sometime soon? Because we need to whack someone in our frontcourt upside the head with a cluestick, and Tiffany might be a reasonable facsimile of a cluestick. Erin… I have learned not to expect defense from her, and at least she scored some. Megan is stil painfully slow to watch, and it did not help that she had an old Big East foe on her like white on rice. Erlana… er, she seems to have found the wall as rapidly as she hit her stride originally.
Dear refs: calling a game evenly does NOT mean that you call every foul on Sacramento in the first half and call every foul on New York in the second half. We were seriously wondering if Ticha offered you favors at halftime, the superstar calls you were giving her. Also, whichever one of you nitwits tried to gyp Erin out of her free throws on the fifth foul of the second quarter, please learn to count before I use That Moron as a blunt instrument on your fool head.
While I'm thinking of it- Coyle, you do realize that if a player is doing well, you leave her in the game, right? You don't wait for her to do well and then yank her. The glasses, they do nothing. Not to mention, Erin Thorn is not a small forward, nor is Lisa Willis, and WTF are you doing running three-guard sets when we have been sucking rocks on the glass?
It was very nice to see Sue there with probably her mom, although either that was a horrible camera or she's using Wyckoff and Douglas's old yellow dye from the rookie cards. And you know a game has gone down the shitter when the alumnae head for the door before the buzzer.
It's probably for the best hardly anyone showed up, but, um, WHERE THE HELL WAS EVERYONE? The Yankee game was over before tip. The Mets are in San Diego. The Cyclones and the Staten Island Yankees aren't in season yet. The weather was too disgusting for even the beach. And yet the place was emptier than even the weekday games. It's like the team forgot to market the rest of the season. And I'm going to have to smack a bitch if I get this stupid Outdoor Classic thing shoved down my throat much longer.
No, seriously. I'm this close to using my mom's cane as a cluestick. And if they lose to Atlanta, That Moron should decline to board the flight back to New York out of shame.
Friday, June 6, 2008
June 6th, 2008: Houston at New York
New York Liberty 81, Houston Comets 73
A Liberty point guard with the initials LM kicks four kinds of ass- but not the one you might expect.
I feel like some sort of riddle has been posed here, such as "how many pounds of badassery can one stuff in a point guard?" Seemed to be a couple of answers on the floor tonight.
Got to the Garden pleasantly early for a change- I love a job that lets me out at 4 on Fridays for the summer- and got to see 'bout half the team coming in. Yellow is a good color for Jess, and Leilani was as cute as a button in a little blue frock.
Cut to 6:30 or thereabouts; imagine our surprise when we saw Megan Duffy dressed out… along with Leilani and Erin. Uh-oh, someone was hurt. Sure enough, Loree sat out the game with back spasms. If I'd known that, I would have nicked one of my dad's Lidocaine patches for her.
The anthem would have been much nicer if the singer could hold a note, because she had a very pretty voice. Also, seriously, people, get up on your feet and STFU. Even if you don't consider the anthem to be worthy of respect, respect the singer.
Tina's still got it. She beat the hell out of Cathrine on defense, a trend that's starting to appear distressingly often in the Game Notes Of Doom. Perhaps she's heard the criticism leveled towards her, because she seemed to be playing much more inside than I'd been led to believe. Michelle Snow seemed to be just kinda there, but she finished with 15, and I have to assume that they were on putbacks, because Houston was all over the offensive glass. Tante was strong defensively, and I think one of Coach Thompson's big mistakes was not having Tante on Shameka nearly enough. Pee-Wee started, and I thought Leilani played well against her- perhaps that step was lost somewhere? Off the bench, I was very impressed with Erica White- my, she's fast, isn't she? I got to see Houston doing a footwork drill, and she was just lightning quick. I mean, damn. I love good footwork, and she was flashing between the rungs of that ladder thing like she was going to try out for a tap troupe one of these days. Mabika is still Mabika. Not as fast as she used to be, but still decently fast, and you can take the woman off the Sparks, but you can't take the Spark out of the woman. Was surprised that we didn't see much of either Williams or Lyttle- or if we did, they didn't do much. No wonder I don't remember Lyttle- funny thing is that it looked like she was set to go in at one point, unless she's no longer #21? I dunno.
Leilani Mitchell, good gracious. Keep this up and I'll take back everything I ever said about you and do it to your face. Houston's penchant for giving up threes was fully in force tonight, because Leilani was hitting from outside- y'know, I kept wondering if Leilani could miss, and it turns out she couldn't. *beams* And Cathrine was lighting it up from beyond the arc, too, although having *all* her shots be threes discomfits me a bit. Might have had to do with the foul situation, but one can never be sure with Cathrine. She also had a monster block on either Thompson or Snow that was just totally awesome, and set some very solid screens. Ahem. Solid, refs. That means they don't move. Essence on Ajavon was an interesting matchup- Ajavon faked her out a couple of times, but then Essence made a couple of great defensive plays on her and the balance was evened out again. Shameka got clocked pretty bad on a jump ball- looked like she got an elbow in the eye or to the temple; we weren't sure if she was seeing straight, because she wasn't walking straight and she came out for a few minutes, but then she came back in and hit a three, so Coyle's gamble worked. Janel was solid- it's the hair, I tell you, because glory be, the blonde streak is gone and she no longer appears to have a racing stripe down the middle of her head. Good thing we got good play out of the starters, because we didn't get a whole lot out of the bench. Tiffany brought energy, but not particularly well directed energy. Erlana, except for one key stretch where she turned around the momentum that had swung Houston's way, looked like she was in over her head a bit. But she's a rookie. These things can be forgiven. Megan backed Leilani up, and she looked rather slow, especially against White. Lisa… maybe she was nervous because her dad was in town? I don't know. And Erin mostly got called for fouls and complained about them. Erin expresses her frustrations very openly. They can be seen from the upper deck. If you blinked, you missed Ashley; she barely played at all, and not at all in the second half. Probably for the best my mom missed the game, because otherwise there would have been a beating with a cane.
As mentioned, Lisa's dad was in town- guess this was a holdover from Seattle- and so were Tiffany's parents. Also, duh, Coach Stringer was in attendance with the staff. I think one of them was wearing the Rutgers scarf Coach Stringer had last year in the tournament, and if so, I need to find out where she got it so that I can put it on the Christmas list with the Cappie Patch Doll.
To the 53% of you who screwed up the trivia question- okay, thinking VJ inbounded to Spoon for The Shot, that's understandable; at least VJ would have been in the game because she was a starter and the starters would have been in for crunch time. To those of you who said Becky Hammon… no. Just no. You fail. I should mention in passing I do a surprisingly good Matt Devlin impression and have the entire call memorized.
To the folks in my section who got up the DEFENSE chants when the sound system didn't provide cues- y'all rock so hard. To the wet blankets in front of us- seriously, don't give us dirty looks for making crowd noise. We hadn't even started cursing at the refs at that point.
Because we needed to curse at the refs. Some of those calls were inexplicable. And then there was the one with the ponytail who felt the need to make late whistles. Considering one of them was Cathrine's… fifth, I think?… that was quite annoying.
Dear Coach Coyle: if a player is doing well, you leave her in. If a player is playing badly, you take her out and try to figure out what's wrong with her. You do not yank a player when she is kicking ass. This is what got Nancy Darsch fired. Not that I would mind seeing you get fired for the same mistakes, but that means screwing up my team, and this is a thing I do not approve of.
The Liberty have a couple of awesome t-shirts out. Can't wait to see those T-Fense tees all over MSG. The J-Mac and Cheese one… I can live without the pun. In general, though, I'd like to see more people in gear- there really don't seem to be a lot of committed fans among the folks in attendance, and that makes it hard to get crowd noise going. These kids deserve the kind of ruckus the Garden crowd used to bring. These kids deserve to have us blow the roof off. MAKE SOME NOISE!
There's always another game to look ahead to, at least when it's June, and Sacramento might be a bunch of question marks, but they're still the Monarchs. In the meantime, I'll rejoice in the victory and marvel at Leilani.
Tuesday, June 3, 2008
June 3rd, 2008: Seattle at New York
New York Liberty 77, Seattle Storm 63
Shameka Christon brings the offense, Loree Moore brings the defense, Tanisha Wright brings the spark, and the refs bring the batshit crazy.
Now I know what happens to the worst referees: they become official scorers. By all the forgotten gods, that was a debacle and a mess, what was done with that scoreboard. Almost overshadowed the game, it did.
Seriously, MSG. Don't you guys check your own schedules? Maybe, just maybe, approving a Liberty game the same night that Cyndi Lauper and the Indigo Girls are at Radio City is a sure bet that you're going to get less of a walk-up crowd than you'd like, especially in June. And that the crowd that does show up is going to be a lot more tilted towards the Long Island girl and her team than you'd like? In all seriousness, there seemed to be as much crowd noise for the Storm as there was for the Liberty, and that is not on. WTF, New York City. WTF.
You can take the girl out of Detroit, but you can't take the Detroit out of the girl. I don't know what Cash did to Janel, but I did not approve of it. And the kvetching. Oy, the kvetching. Swintayla, STFU and play. As a Liberty fan, I was worried about LJ, because I know there's no way in hell she'd shoot 1-9 again, and she did make Cathrine look awful on defense, but she seemed to be settling for a lot from the outside. Especially when Cathrine was in foul trouble, I was surprised not to see LJ go inside more. Swoopes was very quietly badass. I knew she was doing well with the steals, and that she was scoring late, but I didn't realize until I got home that she was one board away from a double-double. Yo… every time she seemed to be edging towards getting into a rhythm, she committed a foul and that was that; threw her right off her game. Bird was statistically unimpressive, but I think she's made a commitment to keeping herself in shape- physically, I thought she looked faster and better than she has in the last couple of years. As for the Storm bench, I don't know if it was because he has no faith in Ashley Robinson or because Tanisha Wright was the hot hand off the bench, but Agler went small an awful lot- there were a lot of center minutes available with Yo's foul trouble, and yet Robinson barely played. Wright is an excellent reserve shooting guard; use her as anything else at your peril. I was honestly surprised at how little we saw of Gearlds and Beck- then again, I guess if Wright is on, Gearlds is a luxury, not a necessity, but that still doesn't explain why Beck only came in under three minutes.
Sista Christon, my oh my. The long ball was going in, which meant that her game was on. And Loree brought her all-around game, too. (However, somewhere in Knoxville, Pat Summitt had conniptions when Loree passed the ball straight to Swin Cash.) Janel was solid if unimpressive, although the poor woman ended up on the floor far too many times without a call in her favor. Also, the hair. No. On so many levels. One long stripe of stringy, longer-than-the-rest, bleach-blonde hair gives me bad mental images, especially when coupled with "Whoa, Nellie!" and the piggyback ride thing from last year. MOVING ON… Essence started off well, and she was a big help on defense later in the game, but there were a couple of stretches where she still looked like a rookie. Don't get me wrong, I'd still prefer her as the starter. Lisa was red-hot when she first came in, but she exhausted it all in that one burst and wasn't very much use afterwards. Cathrine, as mentioned, got beat pretty badly on defense, but held her own on offense, and set a couple of excellent screens. Erlana is a badass, but I doubt this needs further mentioning. Oh. More badassery- the ballsiest play of the night was, no doubt, Lisa Willis attempting to guard Yo Griffith… and adroitly forcing the travel. I don't care who you are, if you're a guard, you gotta have moxie to go up against Yo, no matter how far advanced in years she is. Not the night I would have expected from Tiffany, though it wasn't like she was bad or anything. Erin barely played. While it was for the best, I was surprised at how quickly she went from starter to last player off the bench. From the looks of her face at the end of the game, I'd say I wasn't the only one. Leilani, aside from the occasional identity confusion where she gets this crazy idea that she's Becky Hammon and starts driving the lane with no rebounders in sight, is rapidly becoming… well, okay, I'm still not very sanguine about Loree going to the bench, but I don't freak out quite as much as I used to.
Patty. Sweetie. You didn't suck tonight, for the most part. I was very impressed. But seriously, if Agler's sending in Kimberly Beck, who hasn't played all fracking game, you *can* take the starters off, no, really, you can, there's nothing more to prove, unless you want to prove that you're utterly classless. Just my two cents.
The refs sucked. The sucking was more or less equal opportunity. I'll just point at the free throws for the only important differential when officiating is concerned, and shut up from there. I will say that I'm surprised Cash got as many favorable calls as she did, and that Bird didn't get as many favorable calls as players of her caliber normally get.
The official scorers sucked even more. There was one point where the Liberty were up by… well, one point. Shameka hit a three. They gave it to Seattle. And then they gave it to Seattle again. And then it took them several minutes to finally take the six points back from Seattle, give the Liberty their hard-earned trey, and then put the fouls back because the fouls had gotten all fucked up. And then the fouls got fucked up again and they didn't correct them, and the rage, it rose mightily.
Nice of Lisa's folks to make it out cross-country.
Whoever sat Kym Hampton next to a Storm fan needs to be keelhauled.
Whoever was in the Maddie suit tonight needs to never be in the suit again. There's being a jerk by taking a kid's sign, and then there's grinding on a grossly fat guy in an overstressed Christon jersey. I can haz brain bleach?
Ad-Libs, no Golden Maddie. Cathrine likes the sun (as compared to the Sun, where the only enjoyment she seems to get comes from Screens of Death). Erlana thinks of New York as a party. Erlana's a bit of a dork. I like her. Ashley seems to have spent most of the game hooked to an IV of caffeine, ginseng, sugar, and Mountain Dew, possibly cut with a hallucinogen. I don't know if hyper describes it enough.
Winning is good. Can we play better next time, though?
Sunday, May 25, 2008
May 24th, 2008: Sacramento at Connecticut
The Game Notes Of Doom have a bit of a crush on Mike Thibault but are not fond of Husky fans, and Lindsay Whalen continues to be awe-inspiring.
Okay, so maybe Atlanta and Sacramento aren't the greatest tests in the world- not this season, at least- but so far, Thibault looks like a full-fledged genius. And Jenny Boucek looks like she still doesn't know what she has.
I won't bore you with tales of the crazy drunk Russian man who almost made us call the cops to protect the bus driver, so let's start our tale at the arena, with the sheer number of fuzzy, furry, and feathered things wandering around the arena- see, the Sun had declared it Blaze's birthday, so they got mascots from all over New England to help with the celebration. Even if you factor out the sponsor mascots, they got a very impressive group of costumes together. The birthday was celebrated with kazoos (I can't get mine to work, which I'm sure is more my problem than theirs) and a magnificent Blaze-shaped cake that was shown off at halftime. Alas, they did not take the boy's suggestion that the cake be cut up and sold at exorbitant prices at Geno's.
So, Sacramento. Do you guys have to show how much you miss Yo? Because the organization… not so organized. And when is Nicole Powell going to show up and replace the placeholder in her uniform? That was a pretty horrendous shooting display she put on right there. Ticha's lost a step or two, but she's still a far better option at the point than young Miss Franklin, whose name I am afraid I will butcher beyond recognition if I try to spell it. Things seemed better, at least defensively, with Ticha in. I had no idea how small Franklin was, and while she's fast, I don't know if I would have taken the chance on her that Sacramento has. Brunson was exactly what we expected from her, and she added a couple of nice defensive plays with her hands. Adrian Williams-Strong (I'm still not used to her hyphenation) played pretty well, I thought, but that might just be in comparison to the bench, which was. Well. We'll get to that. I've always liked Kara Lawson, so I was glad to see her get her shots and hear her organizing her team. But other than Crystal Kelly, Sacramento's bench was beyond awful. Laura Harper and Kim Smith still have a lot to learn, although Harper has more of an excuse than Smith does. At least Kelly was aggressive inside and drew fouls. Boucek really worked her bench in the first half, but in the second she seemed to have decided to go with an actual rotation. Maybe she'll try that in the first half next time. Fortunately, she wasn't a fashion disaster this time- nothing too tight, nothing too short.
Lindsay. FUCKING. Whalen. I may not like her, but goddamn is she bringing it this year so far. Today she was needed to score, so she put up 21… and five rebounds against Sacto's big front line.. and five assists. She absolutely abused Franklin. Please, please tell me she's in contention for Beijing? And the ball movement was fabulous overall. Any time you get ten assists from your starting frontcourt, you've got your passing game working. Surprised the hell out of me when I looked at the boxscore, because I remembered Whitmore making a couple of passes that were reminiscent of her not-so-good Liberty years- but mistakes are always more noticeable, and she started hitting her shots in the second half- playing her outside took Brunson out of her comfort zone and opened things up inside, especially when Franklin was on Whalen and Whalen could make like she was a forward on the lil bit. So did Barbara Turner, who was canning threes every which way but loose. All of them were, really; there was one point in the second half where Connecticut had hit four threes from straight on at the top of the key. Amber Holt is looking more and more like a brilliant pick by Thibault- as is her second-shift counterpart, Jolene Anderson. (No, seriously, she and Anderson are straight switches, Holt for the first half, Anderson for the second half; he does the same thing with Gardin and Turner.) It's almost a shame that they're all coming in the same year as Parker- the lower-level rookies this year are going to be so overlooked because of the megastars. It was nice to see Page and Swanier come in, and how the Sun immediately ran the first play for Page- I'm just disappointed that Boucek didn't come with Allen in the last two minutes, when the game was out of reach.
I think I would like the Sun a lot better- or at least enjoy the experience of a Sun game more- if it weren't for Husky fans blowing the roof off so disproportionately for Turner and Swanier during introductions. Jones and Raymond, I get, because they both have WNBA track records and Jones is a starter. But when even the PA announcer is showing favoritism towards the UConn alumnae, it's hard to enjoy the game. Where's the love for the actual starters- for Holt, who's giving Blaze a reason to go get his hair done again, or for the hard-working Gardin? Why does a reserve guard who basically serves as the victory cigar get more fan appreciation than the one who flies into the stands for the ball? It's to the point where I don't feel comfortable clapping for Jones or Raymond, even though I've always liked Tamika Raymond and have nothing but respect for Asjha Jones, because I don't want to identify with that element of the fan base.
Matt and Jackie need to tone it down a little, although they're not as annoying as they used to be. Still, don't try to force traditions down fans' throats. As we've already seen in New York, it doesn't work. Connecticut fans are smart enough- or at least I'd like to think so- not to fall for pointless bullshit. If fans can't bring the noise themselves…
I love watching Thibault work- not that we had much of a chance to do so, since our seats were on the Sacramento side. Forget mere killing- I'd commit wholesale massacre to get Mike Thibault as coach/GM of the Liberty.
Ugh, refs. An all-male crew usually guarantees someone who thinks there's a charge circle in the WNBA, much to Kim Smith's dismay. And then there was the offensive foul that was whistled late on Brunson… a) after a Sun player had initiated contact, b) [I]after Connecticut had already gotten the ball back[/I] after the collision. Of course, when they have to redo the [I]opening[/I] jump, you might have a crappy crew on hand. The Connecticut fans were more pissed than I was.
So yeah. I'm going to look pretty damn stupid for having Connecticut fifth in my predictions. Not that I mind, though. :D