Well, it's official, Pat Coyle is no longer the coach of the New York Liberty. This was long overdue, in my humble opinion. Anne Donovan takes over as interim coach. I am extremely excited about this, look at what Anne did to the Charlotte Sting in 2002! She took them from a n "okay" of a team to the WNBA finals, in 1 season! Then she goes to Seattle and does well there, until her team kind of fell apart. She coached the 2008 US Women's National Team to Olympic Gold, this is just going to be a good move for the Liberty. It just seemed that as the game changed the coaching strategy did not under Coach Coyle.
Here is the article for those that are interested: http://www.wnba.com/liberty/news/coyle_090731.html
Friday, July 31, 2009
Where oh Where Have the Mercury Gone?
I have to start this blog out this way rather then talk about my predicted game of the night being that and more! Complete shocker in Hot-lanta last night as the Mercury were HANDILY defeated by the Dream, 106-76. This is the biggest win in the Dream's young franchise history and will go down as their biggest win of the year, regardless of if they beat the rest of the teams on their schedule. Why? Because the Mercury have two in the top 3 in scoring and have the highest field goal & free throw percentages as well as points per game averages, assists and blocks! Okay, so where do the Dream stand in comparison? As a team, not that far behind them....2nd to the Mercury in PPG. But a big category that the Dream lead the league in is rebounding and as many great coaches have stated, "Rebounding wins Championships".
Angel McCoughtry stepped it up and dropped 17 on the Mercury, Iziane Castro Marques had 16 and Ivory Latta also chipped in with 16. Latta has really stepped up her game over the last 3 contests which means to me that maybe she has gotten her stroke back and is playing smarter basketball. I admit, I wrote her off but I have no problem saying that I could be wrong on her. Way to help your team, Ivory! A great game for Atlanta and hopefully a learning experience for the Mercury, who don't return home until August 8 against the Fever.
Which brings me to....the game of the night. The Fever beat the Sun in OT, 94-85. Katie Douglas was sure not to have a repeat performance like the last time these two teams met. Douglas put in 32 points, shooting nearly 50% from the floor for the game. Tamika Catchings came up big, like she always does, and tied the game up for the Fever with with 11.6 left in regulation. She got fouled but missed the free throw, Lindsay Whalen missed a shot at the other end to send the game into OT. The Fever just took over in the OT session, outscoring the Sun 10-1. The game of the night was just great, too bad it was not on national television. The media needs to be more involved in broadcasting games, when will the stigma end that women's games are boring? I am sorry, I have digressed...that rant is for another day.
In other games, the Liberty were a total disappointment and fell to the Mystics, 78-75. But so close you say? No, the game was a blowout and Washington got a little lazy and stopped playing their game, I also think Alana Beard was on the bench too long but who am I? Anyway, the Liberty looked awful until about mid-way through the third quarter when they finally woke up and realized they were playing in a basketball game. It's about time for some changes in that organization.
Sacramento beat the Silver Stars, I predicted the Silver Stars to win but I had a weird gut feeling that the Monarchs were going to beat them (don't ask my why). It was another OT thriller with Becky Hamon hitting a one-handed shot (so awesome) with 17 ticks to play in regulation. In OT the Monarchs went on and outscored the Silver Stars 14-6 to take the victory. DeMya Walker played a great game (nice to see her doing well after her numerous knee injuries...and she's a Jersey girl) and scored 14 points for the Monarchs.
The only game that jumbled the standings up a bit was the Atlanta game. With the win the Dream are tied in 4th with Chicago Sky (they meet up on August 8th in Atlanta). Seattle is only 2 games back on Phoenix now so look for them to make a run, you can never rule out our Pacific Northwest team.
Only one game tonight: Minnesota Lynx @ Detroit Shock. Look for Minnesota to beat Detroit for the first time in 5 years in Detroit. Detroit has lost their last 4 at home which could be motivation but even without Seimone Augustus, look for the Lynx to win at Detroit.
Angel McCoughtry stepped it up and dropped 17 on the Mercury, Iziane Castro Marques had 16 and Ivory Latta also chipped in with 16. Latta has really stepped up her game over the last 3 contests which means to me that maybe she has gotten her stroke back and is playing smarter basketball. I admit, I wrote her off but I have no problem saying that I could be wrong on her. Way to help your team, Ivory! A great game for Atlanta and hopefully a learning experience for the Mercury, who don't return home until August 8 against the Fever.
Which brings me to....the game of the night. The Fever beat the Sun in OT, 94-85. Katie Douglas was sure not to have a repeat performance like the last time these two teams met. Douglas put in 32 points, shooting nearly 50% from the floor for the game. Tamika Catchings came up big, like she always does, and tied the game up for the Fever with with 11.6 left in regulation. She got fouled but missed the free throw, Lindsay Whalen missed a shot at the other end to send the game into OT. The Fever just took over in the OT session, outscoring the Sun 10-1. The game of the night was just great, too bad it was not on national television. The media needs to be more involved in broadcasting games, when will the stigma end that women's games are boring? I am sorry, I have digressed...that rant is for another day.
In other games, the Liberty were a total disappointment and fell to the Mystics, 78-75. But so close you say? No, the game was a blowout and Washington got a little lazy and stopped playing their game, I also think Alana Beard was on the bench too long but who am I? Anyway, the Liberty looked awful until about mid-way through the third quarter when they finally woke up and realized they were playing in a basketball game. It's about time for some changes in that organization.
Sacramento beat the Silver Stars, I predicted the Silver Stars to win but I had a weird gut feeling that the Monarchs were going to beat them (don't ask my why). It was another OT thriller with Becky Hamon hitting a one-handed shot (so awesome) with 17 ticks to play in regulation. In OT the Monarchs went on and outscored the Silver Stars 14-6 to take the victory. DeMya Walker played a great game (nice to see her doing well after her numerous knee injuries...and she's a Jersey girl) and scored 14 points for the Monarchs.
The only game that jumbled the standings up a bit was the Atlanta game. With the win the Dream are tied in 4th with Chicago Sky (they meet up on August 8th in Atlanta). Seattle is only 2 games back on Phoenix now so look for them to make a run, you can never rule out our Pacific Northwest team.
Only one game tonight: Minnesota Lynx @ Detroit Shock. Look for Minnesota to beat Detroit for the first time in 5 years in Detroit. Detroit has lost their last 4 at home which could be motivation but even without Seimone Augustus, look for the Lynx to win at Detroit.
Thursday, July 30, 2009
Sun-Fever Tonight
Hey y'all!
I failed to mention the game of the night: Sun vs Fever in Indiana, 7:00. You can keep up with the action on wnba.com (http://www.wnba.com/games/20090730/CONIND/playbyplay.html) Certainly the East final, no doubt in my mind. It will be quite a showdown.
A few things to keep in mind about the game:
I failed to mention the game of the night: Sun vs Fever in Indiana, 7:00. You can keep up with the action on wnba.com (http://www.wnba.com/games/20090730/CONIND/playbyplay.html) Certainly the East final, no doubt in my mind. It will be quite a showdown.
A few things to keep in mind about the game:
- The Sun broke the Fever's win streak earlier in the year
- Fever have not lost at home since their opening game
- The Fever only shot 29% from the floor in their last meeting (where the Sun prevailed)
- The Sun were embarassed the other night against the Mercury
- Katie Douglas only had 5 points the last game against the Sun
So just remember that while checking out the action. My prediction: Indiana 87-83.
Other games tonight:
Washington @ NY
San Antonio @ Sacramento
Phoenix @ Atlanta
Predictions:
Washington, San Antonio and Phoenix will all prevail on the road but look for Sacramento to give San Antonio a run.
WNBA first half evaluations....
So in figuring out what to write today I came across an article about how some WNBA players evaluated their teams over the first half of the season. I figured I would do my own analysis.
Let's start with the East, my personal favorite since I'm a Jersey girl.
Indiana Fever:
13-4, 1st: Best team in the WNBA, period. I love this team, they are so balanced on both ends of the floor. What makes them so good is that they want to get better. It's not enough to have a great record or be top in a lot of categories...these ladies want that championship. They have the talent, the chemistry and the heart to do it. And they will get it.
Detroit Shock:
5-9, 6th: Wow! So the departure of Bill had a huge impact on this team. It's obvious why, he was the one who could get their emotions flowing. This team has a lot of talent but what they are missing is heart. It's sad to see them struggle like this after being so dominant in the East over the past few years. I see them finishing in the 6th spot at the end of the season as well, just no consistence and I just do not see them going on a run. I think there might be a coaching change soon, unless they make the playoffs!
Let's start with the East, my personal favorite since I'm a Jersey girl.
Indiana Fever:
13-4, 1st: Best team in the WNBA, period. I love this team, they are so balanced on both ends of the floor. What makes them so good is that they want to get better. It's not enough to have a great record or be top in a lot of categories...these ladies want that championship. They have the talent, the chemistry and the heart to do it. And they will get it.
Connecticut Sun:
9-7, 2nd: No big surprise to me that the Sun sit nicely in 2nd place. They are a great team, a little inconsistent in the beginning of the season but overall a nice team to watch. They have a great inside-out game as long as their perimieter people can stay consistent. If their guards can drive to the hoop more it will help to open up the post players for easy scores. They play nice defense and if Indiana wasn't so damn good this season, I'd put them in the finals.
Atlanta Dream:
8-10, T-4th:. I like this team, I think they are going to make some noise next season. They are still super young but that can play well for a team. Look at Seattle! Overall it seems that the players feel good about the direction of the team and that is a POSITIVE sign. The only thing that hurts them is if they fall behind, the keep falling behind! But, with experience and winning a few "come from behind games" Atlanta will be in the mix.
Chicago Sky:
8-10, T-4th: Okay, this team is totally disappointing me. I really thought they had all the tools to make a run this season and man, I was off. Of course it's not over yet and they played a nice second half last season. Again, it just seems that the Sky are inconsistent when they need to be solid. They have some experience under their belt but what I like is that when their big player isn't scoring, other people at least try to step it up. My other thought: Jia Perkins is very under rated, she could take over for Tech and watch her do that with the Sky.
8-10, T-4th: Okay, this team is totally disappointing me. I really thought they had all the tools to make a run this season and man, I was off. Of course it's not over yet and they played a nice second half last season. Again, it just seems that the Sky are inconsistent when they need to be solid. They have some experience under their belt but what I like is that when their big player isn't scoring, other people at least try to step it up. My other thought: Jia Perkins is very under rated, she could take over for Tech and watch her do that with the Sky.
New York Liberty:
6-10, 5th: The Liberty have been a big disappointment this season. They have a lot of talent but not a strong inside presence, which does hurt them in the long run. They have lost a lot of games that they should have won (recently taking a 20 point lead on Phoenix only to lose). Personally I think a lot of the problem is the head coach, it's time for Anne to take over and rebuild this team.
Detroit Shock:
5-9, 6th: Wow! So the departure of Bill had a huge impact on this team. It's obvious why, he was the one who could get their emotions flowing. This team has a lot of talent but what they are missing is heart. It's sad to see them struggle like this after being so dominant in the East over the past few years. I see them finishing in the 6th spot at the end of the season as well, just no consistence and I just do not see them going on a run. I think there might be a coaching change soon, unless they make the playoffs!
Wednesday, July 29, 2009
Mercury snuff out the Sun, other games proved more interesting! And other topics of interest....
So I understand that the ESPN schedule is set up long before actual games start (or is it?) or perhaps the selection of Mercury/Sun was so we could see a Taurasi homecoming (which it was cool that she got a standing ovation) but the game was a total disappointment. There were three other games that had a lot more going on then last nights blow out (man, I was totally wrong) of the Sun. So let's talk about the Sun game: is a 2-3 zone not allowed or thought of as defense? When people keep driving to the basket, dropping three's off of 2 passes, it's time to move away from man-to-man defense. Am I the only one that thinks this? It makes no sense to me...obviously the Mercury were faster, smarter and shooting better. The Sun couldn't buy a basket for a while, well most of the game really. Cappie played a kick ass game.....she rocks.
My question is this: why didn't ESPN pick up another game? Indiana 85, Washington 81; Sparks 76, Lynx 70; Silver Stars 74, Storm 71. All of them were significant games! Washington would have taken over 2nd place in the East with a win; the Sparks made the Western race interesting with a win and the Storm needed the win (thanks to the Sparks though it balanced out). I get that the Sun are second in the East and Mercury 1st, but move to another game. Don't tell me those games were not televised....with technology today it's not hard to pick up a game from a local broadcast!
The Fever had to dig for a win, a testament to two things: how Washington can't stick the dagger in a team and how strong the Fever are this season. The Lynx fought back to take the lead over the Sparks only to falter in the end, could it be the usual post All-Star break problem Minnesota has each year? And the best game of the night: Sophia Young hit a buzzer beater three-pointer to break the 74-74 tie to win it for San Antonio. Big game, big time player.
Onto other news:
In the college ranks, Texas Tech has selected former Southern Miss assistant, Brooke Stoehr. Stoehr is a former La Tech player, 1998-2002, where the PG was a team captain the final two season. I think this is a nice addition to the Lady Raiders staff, hopefully she can work on the guard play at Tech.
Illinois freshman, Destiny Williams, will play for the U-19 USA women's team in the World Championships. Jolette Law did a nice job recruiting her and let's see how she takes over the Big 10. Look for her to kick it up and make the Big 10 a respectable league again (after Purdue, who is there these days?).
I am really happy to see Devanei Hampton getting ready to play pro ball. I was disappointed to not see her drafted, although I understand the risks with taking her. She will be playing in Poland this season in the European League. All I can say is this: when Hampton gets back to her ideal playing weight and she can focus on rebuilding that knee, she will be in the WNBA. Let her get her legs back and she will come back stateside and SHINE.
My question is this: why didn't ESPN pick up another game? Indiana 85, Washington 81; Sparks 76, Lynx 70; Silver Stars 74, Storm 71. All of them were significant games! Washington would have taken over 2nd place in the East with a win; the Sparks made the Western race interesting with a win and the Storm needed the win (thanks to the Sparks though it balanced out). I get that the Sun are second in the East and Mercury 1st, but move to another game. Don't tell me those games were not televised....with technology today it's not hard to pick up a game from a local broadcast!
The Fever had to dig for a win, a testament to two things: how Washington can't stick the dagger in a team and how strong the Fever are this season. The Lynx fought back to take the lead over the Sparks only to falter in the end, could it be the usual post All-Star break problem Minnesota has each year? And the best game of the night: Sophia Young hit a buzzer beater three-pointer to break the 74-74 tie to win it for San Antonio. Big game, big time player.
Onto other news:
In the college ranks, Texas Tech has selected former Southern Miss assistant, Brooke Stoehr. Stoehr is a former La Tech player, 1998-2002, where the PG was a team captain the final two season. I think this is a nice addition to the Lady Raiders staff, hopefully she can work on the guard play at Tech.
Illinois freshman, Destiny Williams, will play for the U-19 USA women's team in the World Championships. Jolette Law did a nice job recruiting her and let's see how she takes over the Big 10. Look for her to kick it up and make the Big 10 a respectable league again (after Purdue, who is there these days?).
I am really happy to see Devanei Hampton getting ready to play pro ball. I was disappointed to not see her drafted, although I understand the risks with taking her. She will be playing in Poland this season in the European League. All I can say is this: when Hampton gets back to her ideal playing weight and she can focus on rebuilding that knee, she will be in the WNBA. Let her get her legs back and she will come back stateside and SHINE.
Tuesday, July 28, 2009
Read this article and comment. While I'm not an advocate for "kiss cams" to begin with, this is discrimination. Look, either do it for everyone or don't do it at all...period.
www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/07/26/AR2009072602357.html
www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/07/26/AR2009072602357.html
Sun vs Mercury
So today is a good game between the Sun and Mercury. I personally want to see a few drives by DT against Jones so we'll see what we get tonight. After seeing the Mercury play on Sunday against a much worse NY team, it will be interesting to see how they hold up against the Sun. I wasn't really impressed with the Mercury. I wonder if they had tired legs from the All-Star game. Anyway, they didn't play well until Diana showed up and dropped 33 and grabbed 11 boards.
So against the Sun, what should we look for? Mercury are 5-0 against the East so far this season but will it continue? Cappie has to step up for them, bigtime. She missed a lot of easy shots on Sunday and that made the score a lot closer then it should've been. However, she's still Cappie and can draw the defense to open up the inside and allow Bonner, (the Rookie I feel is overlooked a bit this season!), Willingham or Smith to score. Jones will get banged around tonight but I look for her to drop about 12 on the Mercury and Lindsay Whalen will drive to the hoop to get 15.
Prediction: Sun 85-74
Peace!
So against the Sun, what should we look for? Mercury are 5-0 against the East so far this season but will it continue? Cappie has to step up for them, bigtime. She missed a lot of easy shots on Sunday and that made the score a lot closer then it should've been. However, she's still Cappie and can draw the defense to open up the inside and allow Bonner, (the Rookie I feel is overlooked a bit this season!), Willingham or Smith to score. Jones will get banged around tonight but I look for her to drop about 12 on the Mercury and Lindsay Whalen will drive to the hoop to get 15.
Prediction: Sun 85-74
Peace!
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