August 22nd, 2003: Indiana at New York

Indiana Fever 64, New York Liberty 51

Much to everyone's dismay, mixed with relief, the season ends.


I saw a kid on the M23 bus this afternoon who looked exactly like Bethany, right down to the white headband and the big poufy hair. She was so adrorable. I wish I had taken a picture. I don’t know if it’s a good sign, or a bad sign, or just a random observation- all things are possible, you know. (I was also served at McDonalds by a lady named Candida- this has no bearing on the game. It just amuses me.)

The Williams kids are fine- I asked Natalie. She’s a sweetheart, though by her own admission she was there longer than she usually is. The gals look good- I was surprised to see VJ dressed. I was also surprised to see Becky dressed so well. At last she’s figured out that if you’re gonna be blonde, you might as well wear black. I don’t know if I agree with the shoes, but I can’t really criticize. At least she showed up looking presentable.
Dude, did you see that behind-the-back dribble by Tari? I didn’t know she had those tricks in her. Though they need to do a better job boxing out Natalie Williams. The problem with this game is that they have double the number of rebounds that we do, ten to five. That, and the Fever is one of the best three-point shooting teams in the league, but the Liberty keeps giving them open threes. Fortunately, the Fever haven’t always capitalized, but it’s only a matter of time.

Per usual, Richie’s substitutions make as much sense to me as ancient Chinese pictograms. Why leave VJ in so long on a bum ankle? Why take Linda and K.B. out so quickly? Why take Tari out when she’s the hot hand? I honestly do not understand this man, and I think that if I ever do I’ll have lost my mind.

Okay, I’m sorry, UConn fans, but Schuey’s on the shit list until she redeems herself in some way. You don’t hit my team. Any of my team. And you don’t go for the face. Well, karma paid Miss Schumacher back; she missed a very easy layup and the Liberty got the board.

Halftime now. The Liberty are down by seven. I see several problems that could develop into disastrous situations for the Liberty. For one, they’re outrebounding us by three, 19-16. For two, their three-pointers have mostly been uncontested, and Indiana is a hell of a three-point shooting team. Three, no one’s really been doing that good a job on Catchings. Four, their bench is producing very effectively- Kelly Schumacher and Nikki McCray have stepped up well. Our bench might produce IF RICHIE PLAYED THEM!!!!

It’s the defense. It’s always the defense. Suddenly we’re back within three, though Tamika Catchings has been incredible. The young lady gave me an unusual description of Catchings- “She’s wide awake.” She makes a good point- Catch is always awake to new opportunities and things that are of the good. She’s a good player. That’s very nice- but right now I really don’t appreciate it.

Grr. Down five. Rebounding continues to kick our asses. But Stephanie White demonstrated good sportswomanship by picking Crystal up off the floor. Granted, she was the one who knocked her down, but that still shows things that are good.

The next time I don’t pick Tamika Catchings for my VGM, hit me. Hard. Repeatedly. Preferably with a blunt object. 32 fucking points. The woman is incredible. She really is. Uh, I know I said that earlier, but the English language doesn’t have enough words to describe all that Tamika Catchings is. If this board came with a worship smilie, I’d be using it right now.

Uh-oh! Woman down for the Fever! It’s Stephanie White. She’s crumpled on the floor and the trainer’s trying to tend to her. Nell Fortner’s down there too. This is not good for the Fever, and this isn’t good for a true basketball fan. She’s still down. Oh, and Connecticut won. Okay, she’s up, but they’re carrying her and she’s not putting weight on her left leg. They’re taking her off the court. Holy shit. 4:02 of the second half. Pettis is in now for the Fever.

Indiana is picking the Liberty apart with their passing. The Fever can’t necessarily get the shot they want, but they can get the pass they want, which either leads to the shot they want or time going off the clock. And the Liberty is now committing stupid fouls. And K.B. now thinks that she has to win the game all by herself.

Game over. Fever by 12. Tamika Catchings was… The Liberty weren’t. The Liberty couldn’t shut anything down, as much as they dearly wanted to. I don’t know what else to say. We couldn’t hit our shots, and Catchings hit almost everything she looked at. Natalie Williams was strong on the boards, as always, and Stephanie White chipped in with some key threes before she had to leave the game. The Liberty are, at least for tonight, out of the playoff picture, a half game in fifth. The Fever keep their playoff hopes alive… until tomorrow, at least, when Cleveland, Connecticut, and Indiana play again. Welcome to the headache that is the Eastern Conference.

Just to make things worse, I felt completely unappreciated tonight. There was no fan love from the players like there usually is, nothing on the jumbotron, nada, zip, zilch. Guys, if you want people to come back for the season from hell next year, make them give a shit about you now. It’s not the people in the courtside seats you have to woo- either they’re totally loyal a la our colleagues, or they’re corporate and they don’t give a shit, or they’re transient. It’s the people in the higher sections you have to woo back. They’re the ones who come in groups. It’s people like Danni and Joe and Tarnado and me. So don’t fuck this up, MSG. I know you know about this board, people at MSG, so here’s some words from a Liberty fan:

DON’T FUCK US.