USA vs Canada
- Thread starter j66kicker
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Halftime USA 44 - Canada 20
Della Donne 10 pts in 10 minutes
Taurasi 8 pts in 13 minutes
Kia 0 pts, 0 assists, 1 rebound in 14 minutes
Tough game for Canada. Great defense by USA
Box score: Box Score: Women's National Team Showcase Game - USA vs CAN
Della Donne 10 pts in 10 minutes
Taurasi 8 pts in 13 minutes
Kia 0 pts, 0 assists, 1 rebound in 14 minutes
Tough game for Canada. Great defense by USA
Box score: Box Score: Women's National Team Showcase Game - USA vs CAN
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Last year's UCONN team.
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I thought she really hustled tonight. Her problem was finishing. I don't understand how she gets so rattled when she's fouled that she can't make at least some of those buckets.
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7 Points, 3 rebounds and 2 steals in 15 minutes. She had some flashes, but still not playing with 'explosive energy'. If nothing else, they need Griner to match up with Cambage. I think Geno should start BG Monday and get her as many 'practice' minutes against Cambage as possible.
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She may still be nursing (
) that hernia.Cambage is going to have to find a way to stay in the game, with the size, and quickness of the USA centers, and forwards, she could foul out in 15 minutes or less. She picked up 4 fouls in 19 minutes against Canada, and their centers, and forwards are not anywhere near the USA.
BigBird
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That's one of the many attractive features of this team. Almost all the players are capable of playing, or seem to be playing more than one position, and do so with gusto. Stewie, Maya, or EDD bringing the ball on a fast break is just frightening...and amazing.
BigBird
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Spot on. They are both fast and quick. They can really move on defense too.
huskeynut
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First - great night for basketball. The wife and I saw both games.
France vs Australia was close for a while then the Aussies went on a tear. France played a littel better in the second half a cut the deficit to 11 I beleive, by the end of the game. Neither team posses any threat to Team USA.
USA vs Canada was a one team show. Canada had neihter the height or the speed to stay with USA. Poor Kia Nurse had to guard D at times and had D guarding her.
Geno has a team that he can "mix and match" as a game dictates. Most impressive tonight was Della Donne. She handles the ball like a guard, can shoot the 3, take her defender off the dribble into the paint and bang down low. And she can play some serious defense! Of course Geno has another player like that - Stewie, who did well tonight. Most impressive for Team USA was the defensive effort. Everybody, and I mean everybody, hustled on defense. They blanketed Canada all night. Canada was overwhelmed.
As for Cambage and the Aussies, not too much of a chance. Cambage will get eaten alive by Charles, Fowles, Griner, Della Donne and Stewie. Cambage showed no mid-range jumper tonight. Her only offense was driving into the lane and that won't work against USA. She is foul prone and does not hustle.
France vs Australia was close for a while then the Aussies went on a tear. France played a littel better in the second half a cut the deficit to 11 I beleive, by the end of the game. Neither team posses any threat to Team USA.
USA vs Canada was a one team show. Canada had neihter the height or the speed to stay with USA. Poor Kia Nurse had to guard D at times and had D guarding her.
Geno has a team that he can "mix and match" as a game dictates. Most impressive tonight was Della Donne. She handles the ball like a guard, can shoot the 3, take her defender off the dribble into the paint and bang down low. And she can play some serious defense! Of course Geno has another player like that - Stewie, who did well tonight. Most impressive for Team USA was the defensive effort. Everybody, and I mean everybody, hustled on defense. They blanketed Canada all night. Canada was overwhelmed.
As for Cambage and the Aussies, not too much of a chance. Cambage will get eaten alive by Charles, Fowles, Griner, Della Donne and Stewie. Cambage showed no mid-range jumper tonight. Her only offense was driving into the lane and that won't work against USA. She is foul prone and does not hustle.
MilfordHusky
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I enjoyed watching the games in person. Thanks to TonyC for the tickets! Thanks to Stewie's Aunt Laura for a pleasant conversation. The Stewart family, as we pretty much knew, are very nice folks.
A few semi-random observations:
In the first game, the score was tight until the Aussies shut down France in the second quarter. Both teams are potential medalists. Liz Cambage is ridiculously physical. She may commit fouls, but if she doesn't get called, the opposition will have a long night. She is beyond huge. Think the Shaquille O'Neal of the women's game at 6'8". She's listed at 215 lbs, but has to be at least 30 lbs. over that, and she's not fat.
Before the second game, the players signed some autographs before warmups and came out one at a time. Diana came out first and got a huge ovation. Sue then topped that by a little. Maya matched that, and Tina was close to the same. Then the kid came out and got the loudest ovation. Stewie is uber popular.
Sue, Diana, and Tina look very lean. Maya looks good, as always. Sue and Dee move very well, especially for their age. Stewie is getting stronger all the time. If Kaleena can get lean like them, she'll be an All-Star.
The All-UConn starting five was cool. It was actually a very workable unit. I think that Maya and Stewie enjoy playing with each other. It's not fair to the opposition, however.
Everyone played between 11 and 22 minutes, and everyone scored. Catch was probably the last player off the bench, as one of the best players ever and still damn good--that's how talented this team is. Catch must have the quickest hands in the world. She was a steal waiting to happen. It's no wonder that she is the WNBA career leader in steals by a wide margin. She had 3 steals in 12 minutes.
In the second quarter, with the score about 28-8, we put on a full-court press. I noted that Mr. Auriemma must be a very mean man. Stewie was in the backcourt on the press creating havoc. Later in the game, Big Syl played in the backcourt on the press. My God, Syl is long and quick. I had never seen her do that. I think Geno gets an A for that experiment.
The USA ball movement was generally very good, though a few passes were forced into traffic and created turnovers. Our A:TO ratio was a fair 18:15. Canada's was a disastrous 7:25. The game was very physical. Inside play is not for the faint of heart. In the first game, I thought the "no autopsy, no foul" rule was in effect.
I thought everyone played well. I was particularly pleased with Angel, who had played out of control in Istanbul. She used her talents in a team framework tonight and was a big asset. She had 8 point on 7 shots, 7 rebounds, 2 assists, and 1 steal.
There were stretches where the pressure defense was excellent. Canada had multiple shot clock violations. Late in the game, when the intensity dropped off, Canada hit some outside shots following good ball reversal.
Sue led the team with 4 assists. It's almost as if she and Diana have played together before.
Elena is an offensive force. When she is on a team with balance, she may be unstoppable. In 16 minutes of play, she scored 12 points and was a whopping +38. If she had played with Tina and Maya in college, Stewie, Morgan, and Moriah might not have been the first players to win 4 championships.
Tina's jump hook is one of the best shots in the game.
Brit looked good, though a little slow and awkward. She doesn't look like quite the same player we saw in Istanbul.
Diana does whatever she wants against the opposition. She still has IT.
Geno subbed Lindsay out with about 4 minutes to go. Maya Moore, point guard. Very interesting.
There was only one thing missing from the U.S. lineup--a 5'7" dynamo to steal the ball and run past everyone else. I have a candidate for that in mind.
When Diana came out early, she chatted up Kia and joked with her. During the game, there was a lot of holding and shoving. After the game, they were back to hugging. Kia shot 0-3 in 25 minutes and did not score. She seemed to be the focus of the suffocating defense.
The U.S shot 54%. Canada shot 33%.
In short, it was like a UConn game. I think you can figure out which team played the role of UConn.
Fun, fun, fun! On to MSG for Sunday. But no trip to Rio. Let me know if you want tickets to the Gold Medal game.
A few semi-random observations:
In the first game, the score was tight until the Aussies shut down France in the second quarter. Both teams are potential medalists. Liz Cambage is ridiculously physical. She may commit fouls, but if she doesn't get called, the opposition will have a long night. She is beyond huge. Think the Shaquille O'Neal of the women's game at 6'8". She's listed at 215 lbs, but has to be at least 30 lbs. over that, and she's not fat.
Before the second game, the players signed some autographs before warmups and came out one at a time. Diana came out first and got a huge ovation. Sue then topped that by a little. Maya matched that, and Tina was close to the same. Then the kid came out and got the loudest ovation. Stewie is uber popular.
Sue, Diana, and Tina look very lean. Maya looks good, as always. Sue and Dee move very well, especially for their age. Stewie is getting stronger all the time. If Kaleena can get lean like them, she'll be an All-Star.
The All-UConn starting five was cool. It was actually a very workable unit. I think that Maya and Stewie enjoy playing with each other. It's not fair to the opposition, however.
Everyone played between 11 and 22 minutes, and everyone scored. Catch was probably the last player off the bench, as one of the best players ever and still damn good--that's how talented this team is. Catch must have the quickest hands in the world. She was a steal waiting to happen. It's no wonder that she is the WNBA career leader in steals by a wide margin. She had 3 steals in 12 minutes.
In the second quarter, with the score about 28-8, we put on a full-court press. I noted that Mr. Auriemma must be a very mean man. Stewie was in the backcourt on the press creating havoc. Later in the game, Big Syl played in the backcourt on the press. My God, Syl is long and quick. I had never seen her do that. I think Geno gets an A for that experiment.
The USA ball movement was generally very good, though a few passes were forced into traffic and created turnovers. Our A:TO ratio was a fair 18:15. Canada's was a disastrous 7:25. The game was very physical. Inside play is not for the faint of heart. In the first game, I thought the "no autopsy, no foul" rule was in effect.
I thought everyone played well. I was particularly pleased with Angel, who had played out of control in Istanbul. She used her talents in a team framework tonight and was a big asset. She had 8 point on 7 shots, 7 rebounds, 2 assists, and 1 steal.
There were stretches where the pressure defense was excellent. Canada had multiple shot clock violations. Late in the game, when the intensity dropped off, Canada hit some outside shots following good ball reversal.
Sue led the team with 4 assists. It's almost as if she and Diana have played together before.
Elena is an offensive force. When she is on a team with balance, she may be unstoppable. In 16 minutes of play, she scored 12 points and was a whopping +38. If she had played with Tina and Maya in college, Stewie, Morgan, and Moriah might not have been the first players to win 4 championships.
Tina's jump hook is one of the best shots in the game.
Brit looked good, though a little slow and awkward. She doesn't look like quite the same player we saw in Istanbul.
Diana does whatever she wants against the opposition. She still has IT.
Geno subbed Lindsay out with about 4 minutes to go. Maya Moore, point guard. Very interesting.
There was only one thing missing from the U.S. lineup--a 5'7" dynamo to steal the ball and run past everyone else. I have a candidate for that in mind.
When Diana came out early, she chatted up Kia and joked with her. During the game, there was a lot of holding and shoving. After the game, they were back to hugging. Kia shot 0-3 in 25 minutes and did not score. She seemed to be the focus of the suffocating defense.
The U.S shot 54%. Canada shot 33%.
In short, it was like a UConn game. I think you can figure out which team played the role of UConn.
Fun, fun, fun! On to MSG for Sunday. But no trip to Rio. Let me know if you want tickets to the Gold Medal game.
UcMiami
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What I realized watching both of these games live (France/Australia and USA/Canada) is how this team is built - Griner is specifically on this team rather than Nneka because of Cambage, and that might be the only game if it happens where she gets lots of minutes. Sylvia Fowles is there for the same reason. Neither are really good in space on defense, but both demand a lot of attention on offense which opens up the mid-range and the arc for everyone else. They are the two best post players for international rules basketball with international rules refs. And everyone else on the team is skilled in the mid-range and out past the arc.
The other thing that really stood out is what a huge difference international play is from the WNBA - if this game was played with WNBA refs under WNBA rules, there would have been 50 fouls called on each team. The amount of physical contact allowed was stunning, but the reaching fouls were the pretty similar. That these players can transition between the two systems so easily is a testament to how skilled they are (and how important playing internationally in the winter is to USA basketball evaluation - Diggins should take note!)
USA is still a little ragged and there are a lot of combinations playing together at different times - coaches are still figuring it out. I was impressed that Sylvia Fowles was playing the center of the trapping full court pressure at times - the role Stewart also plays - and Sylvia got a turnover out of that pressure (not sure she got credit, but it was her deflection.)
Thanks TonyC - great seats and a lot of fun.
And a shout out to our Dave from Naples - impressed you made it - thanks for your hosting two Thanksgivings ago.
The other thing that really stood out is what a huge difference international play is from the WNBA - if this game was played with WNBA refs under WNBA rules, there would have been 50 fouls called on each team. The amount of physical contact allowed was stunning, but the reaching fouls were the pretty similar. That these players can transition between the two systems so easily is a testament to how skilled they are (and how important playing internationally in the winter is to USA basketball evaluation - Diggins should take note!)
I saw them laughing together during the game as well at one point as they came up the court - they both seemed to be having fun.
USA is still a little ragged and there are a lot of combinations playing together at different times - coaches are still figuring it out. I was impressed that Sylvia Fowles was playing the center of the trapping full court pressure at times - the role Stewart also plays - and Sylvia got a turnover out of that pressure (not sure she got credit, but it was her deflection.)
Thanks TonyC - great seats and a lot of fun.
And a shout out to our Dave from Naples - impressed you made it - thanks for your hosting two Thanksgivings ago.
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Bird, Taurasi, Moore, Charles and Catchings.
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What I especially liked was how different the play was than in the WNBA. Far closer to a UConn team, with far more offensive coordination--though still a work very much in progress with only a week's practice. But it's amazing how quickly Geno can get his troops under control and think team offense. Having a bunch of his own alumns as team leaders really sets that tone. Part of his strategic concession to their professional status is to keep them interested and edgy by creating weird substitution patterns and asking them to play different positions, making them stretch athletically and mentally. I'm sure they appreciate those challenges and the trust he has in them to succeed at it. At the same time, it allows him to test those combinations, since one never knows when they'll actually need them.
I continue to think that EDD presents a unique player profile. Maybe not better than other all-time greats, but creating startling match-up problems that the women's game hasn't seen much of previously. Having her on the court creates fantastic opportunities for everyone.
I continue to think that EDD presents a unique player profile. Maybe not better than other all-time greats, but creating startling match-up problems that the women's game hasn't seen much of previously. Having her on the court creates fantastic opportunities for everyone.
UcMiami
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Liked your whole post, but wanted to highlight this - because you see it with the way he uses all his players. There was a 5 minute stretch where Maya Moore was playing point with Sue, Lindsey, and DT on the bench at the same time. He played Breanna at point in a number of sets, not bringing the ball up, but having her be the initiator of offense at the high post. Having Breanna (we have seen it through college) play the center of trapping defense, but then putting Sylvia a vastly different player performing the exact same role for a stretch of the game.
I agree about the offense being different from the typical WNBA, just like San Antonio has for the last 15 years stood out in the NBA. And I would say that the defense is also much more committed and coordinated (still a work in progress!) And I think that is part of what makes Uconn players so treasured in the WNBA and on the Olympic team. You can point to any of a number of Canadian scores and say someone got beat, and DT and Maya, and Breanna, and Tina were all responsible for some of those plays (left Sue out because I actually cannot remember her getting beat, but I might have missed it) but every player does get beat at this level of play one on one. But the commitment to help defense, and the intensity of focus was constant.
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