101-95 - Another Entertaining Game

[VAUConnFan]

Tons of star power, numerous lead changes, tightly contested for 40 minutes.
Minnesota is now up 2-0 with an insignificant offensive contribution from Maya.

1. Seimone and Angel lit up the night. The stars showed up in a big way. Both had record setting offensive outputs.
Aside: After two games, do those Boneyarders who felt that Angel McCoughtry was the best player in this series still feel that way?
2. Minnesota's bench was the difference. Monica Wright, Jessica Adair, Amber Harris, and Candace Wiggins provided excellent minutes.
3. 106 points in the first half, 196 for the game. That's what I'm talkin' about. Offense, Offense, Offense!
4. There were far too many fouls called. Absent all the fouls, this would have been a great game. as it was, it was a very good game. Let em play! Rebecca Lobo made a nice comment regarding foul calls or the lack thereof in a pickup game.
5. How could anyone not fall in love with the WNBA after witnessing these first two games of the championship series?
6. The two blocking calls that went against Sancho Lyttle were called correctly. In the first half against Seimone, Lyttle was still moving her left foot when Seimone went up, and her feet were positioned too wide. As with the block call in the first half, the one against Maya in the second half, also found her feet positioned too wide. Lyttle had beaten Maya to the spot and had position. She just needed to bring her feet in line with her torso. (I wish I could find the rule to back this up. I am stating a long held belief/understanding about foot position taking a charge)
7. I did not think that the walk that was not called against Erika de Souza was a walk.
8. My biggest complaint about Maya manifested itself last night. As Maya has a reputation for not taking a play off, which is admirable, there are some plays she is better off not trying to make. Especially now that she is playing with and against players of equal athletic ability.
9. I do not believe Atlanta collapsed in the 4th quarter as much as Minnesota just kept scoring.
10. Atlanta is going to be difficult to beat Friday.
11. Atlanta seemed determined to take advantage of Lindsay Whalen's lack of foot speed. Whalen still found a way to be effective in key spots.
12. Minnesota is the paragon of balanced scoring. Maya Moore was not able to contribute much offensively, yet Minnesota still scored 101 points.
13. There are no Maya Moore intangibles of which to speak in this game.
14. I predicted a sweep, but would love to see three more games.

 

[dtbtbtb]

Agree with most of your points/ It was a fun game to watch hurt only by over officiating. Disagree about Maya especially in the 4th quarter as she did all the things that Maya does to make her team better (a key rebound, a key pass, a key block, a deflection and being in general a great teammate).

 

[NCorBust]

Minnesota is now up 2-0 with an insignificant offensive contribution from Maya.

Consdering the Lynx won by 6 and Maya scored 8, her 8 points were in fact significant.

 

[HuskyNan]

Disagree about Maya especially in the 4th quarter as she did all the things that Maya does to make her team better (a key rebound, a key pass, a key block, a deflection and being in general a great teammate).

She didn't get credit for that block. It was a momentum killer, too, because it looked like an easy basket for Atlanta.

 

[Wbbfan1]

I like what the Lynx and even the Dream do, they drive to the basket to score or draw fouls. They don't only rely on Jump shots to score, they have a diverse offense and take advantage of all skills. Now if Coach T can get the Sun players to do the same, maybe then they can get to the WNBA finals.

 

[HuskyNan]

I like what the Lynx and even the Dream do, they drive to the basket to score or draw fouls. They don't only rely on Jump shots to score, they have a diverse offense and take advantage of all skills. Now if Coach T can get the Sun players to do the same, maybe then they can get to the WNBA finals.

I agree that the teams don't rely solely on the jump shot but, boy, Seimone Augustus has made a killing with that 15' shot along the baseline.

 

[MilfordHusky]

I agree with Nan about Seimone's midrange game--she is deadly.

W.r.t point 1, Angel was the second-leading vote getter in the MVP balloting--behind Catch and ahead of Tina, Diana, and Linsday. I think she is a top 5 player in the world now. But she can get out of control and out of the team concept.

 

[VAUConnFan]

She didn't get credit for that block. It was a momentum killer, too, because it looked like an easy basket for Atlanta.

Nor should she have gotten credit for the block. Jessica Adair made the initial block, and Maya swatted it away. At full speed, it certainly looked like Maya's block. Not the case, though.

 

[VAUConnFan]

I agree that the teams don't rely solely on the jump shot but, boy, Seimone Augustus has made a killing on that 15' shot along the baseline.

It's automatic.

Seimone Augustus, with that shot, has done what most great players do; Perfect a reliable go to move/shot.

 

[VAUConnFan]

I agree with Nan about Seimone's midrange game--she is deadly.

W.r.t point 1, Angel was the second-leading vote getter in the MVP balloting--behind Catch and ahead of Tina, Diana, and Linsday. I think she is a top 5 player in the world now. But she can get out of control and out of the team concept.

Angel deserved her MVP votes, every single one of them. And I have no problem with a ballplayer of her skillset getting away from the "team concept." I am merely partial to Seimone Augustus and feel that she has been underrated and underappreciated. It just blows me away that Maya Moore can play on a team on which she is not only not the best player, but does not have to perform up to Maya standards for her team to defeat excellent teams. Such is the talent level in the WNBA.

 

[RPM101370]

I agree with Nan about Seimone's midrange game--she is deadly.

W.r.t point 1, Angel was the second-leading vote getter in the MVP balloting--behind Catch and ahead of Tina, Diana, and Linsday. I think she is a top 5 player in the world now. But she can get out of control and out of the team concept.

-------
"Connecticut Sun center Tina Charles finished second with 209 points (six first-place votes) and Chicago Sky center Sylvia Fowles finished third with 148 points (six). Seattle Storm guard Sue Bird finished fourth with 106 points (two) and Minnesota Lynx guard Lindsay Whalen finished fifth with 104 points (four). "

http://www.wnba.com/playoffs/2011/catchings_mvp_110922.html

 

[EricLA]

can't argue with your points. i think people WANT to see Maya as a superstar or as the best player on her team, but she's simply not. doesn't mean she's not terrific in her own right tho. she's obviously a great addition to that team. people are again seeing how great a healthy Siemone is. to think that some had Ann Strother ahead of her in high school (i know it was a long time ago, but Siemone is a superstar and Ann's sadly not in the league any more).

i think Angel tends to try to force more shots than Siemone does. to me it appears Angel plays more with a style of desperation than Siemone. not that Angel always looks like that, but she tends to drive into heavy traffic way more more and jack up shots that are very low % shots. Siemone seems to take shots more based on what the defense gives her, and seems better at creating her own shot, especially with her step back jumper.

 

[Lynx23]

Maya is a rookie, making rookie mistakes and often deferring to her veteran teammates. True, her shot has not been consistent but I say we give her a few years and see how she develops. How long have the other ladies of which various posters speak been in the WNBA? I never bought into the hype that she was going to come into the WNBA and change the way the game is played, but I do believe she will be one of its superstars within a few years.

 

[DaddyChoc]

I hope Taj is ok...

Seimone did the "rock & roll" side to side dribble drive TWICE between 3 defenders... her handle is tight!

It was great to see Monica get minutes... few mistakes but also made some nice baskets.

surprised Hornbuckle didnt get a few minutes, wondering if coach thinks she doesnt bring what Wright or Wiggins does.

 

[boontonbomber]

i thought it was an awful game to watch. 78 foul shots attempted, as opposed to 34 in the first game. the refs were calling everything. they stunk. the game had no flow because of all the whistles. i clicked over to public tv for a program about dogs, and almost forgot to go back. not the kind of game to attract fans. re maya: rookie or not, at times she looks clueless out there. one dumb foul after another. seems to me that at times she's just overthinking the whole game.

 

[VAMike23]

i thought it was an awful game to watch. 78 foul shots attempted, as opposed to 34 in the first game. the refs were calling everything. they stunk. the game had no flow because of all the whistles. i clicked over to public tv for a program about dogs, and almost forgot to go back. not the kind of game to attract fans. re maya: rookie or not, at times she looks clueless out there. one dumb foul after another. seems to me that at times she's just overthinking the whole game.

I agree the game had no flow, largely due to the fouls, many of which seemed to be pretty lousy calls (a much higher % than usual, IMO). Game 1 was a lot better game to watch.

A couple of them were dumb, but IMO Maya got victimized on most of her foul calls, not that she was alone in this by any means.... In some games, the refs get hung up more on the contact itself rather than whether or not an advantage is actually created--and by whom. To me, last night's game was a good example.

 

[VAMike23]

I hope Taj is ok...

Seimone did the "rock & roll" side to side dribble drive TWICE between 3 defenders... her handle is tight!

It was great to see Monica get minutes... few mistakes but also made some nice baskets.

surprised Hornbuckle didnt get a few minutes, wondering if coach thinks she doesnt bring what Wright or Wiggins does.

I love how MWright always looks to take it to the rim when the defense relaxes! Most players aren't nearly as aware as she is in that respect.

 

[MilfordHusky]

-------
"Connecticut Sun center Tina Charles finished second with 209 points (six first-place votes) and Chicago Sky center Sylvia Fowles finished third with 148 points (six). Seattle Storm guard Sue Bird finished fourth with 106 points (two) and Minnesota Lynx guard Lindsay Whalen finished fifth with 104 points (four). "

http://www.wnba.com/playoffs/2011/catchings_mvp_110922.html

Oops. I meant All-WNBA balloting, not MVP voting. Thanks for noting that.

 

[MilfordHusky]

Maya is a rookie, making rookie mistakes and often deferring to her veteran teammates. True, her shot has not been consistent but I say we give her a few years and see how she develops. How long have the other ladies of which various posters speak been in the WNBA? I never bought into the hype that she was going to come into the WNBA and change the way the game is played, but I do believe she will be one of its superstars within a few years.

I expect that Maya will outwork pretty much everyone else.

Seimone is a 2-time Wade award winner, so she is really, really good. She has an experience edge on Maya at this time. Let's see where they are in 2-3 years. It could be like West and Baylor.

 

[Icebear]

I agree the game had no flow, largely due to the fouls, many of which seemed to be pretty lousy calls (a much higher % than usual, IMO). Game 1 was a lot better game to watch.

A couple of them were dumb, but IMO Maya got victimized on most of her foul calls, not that she was alone in this by any means.... In some games, the refs get hung up more on the contact itself rather than whether or not an advantage is actually created--and by whom. To me, last night's game was a good example.

Glad you noted these things. I did not enjoy last night game as much as game one. It reminded me of many of the things I haven't enjoyed in the past.

 

[VAUConnFan]

Tough crowd!

 

[Scotter]

It was overall a good game. Less fouls would have been better, but there were almost 200 points scored in a 40 minute game. And that was in spite of hardly any fastbreak points because both teams were very attentive to transition defense. Any time the WNBA gets that it is a good game let alone in the WNBA Finals.

 

[VAMike23]

Glad you noted these things. I did not enjoy last night game as much as game one. It reminded me of many of the things I haven't enjoyed in the past.

Atlanta may well put the throttle on them in Game 3, but maybe Maya will break out and make it worth your while

One interesting commonality between her and her Nike stablemate (hint: another #23) is that she, IIRC, took more pride in beating opponents on the road at UCONN than she did winning at home. Of course she will say you have to defend your home floor, and indeed she mentioned that just this week when interviewed. Reeve stressed this. But the road presents the greatest challenge, and Maya relishes this. Also, on the road, I can detect a little more of Maya's competitive 'mean streak' in her play, if you know what I mean. Maya doesn't play nasty, but she can definitely have an edge sometimes...and I expect to see more of it on Friday, win or lose.

 

[Icebear]

Atlanta may well put the throttle on them in Game 3, but maybe Maya will break out and make it worth your while

One interesting commonality between her and her Nike stablemate (hint: another #23) is that she, IIRC, took more pride in beating opponents on the road at UCONN than she did winning at home. Of course she will say you have to defend your home floor, and indeed she mentioned that just this week when interviewed. Reeve stressed this. But the road presents the greatest challenge, and Maya relishes this. Also, on the road, I can detect a little more of Maya's competitive 'mean streak' in her play, if you know what I mean. Maya doesn't play nasty, but she can definitely have an edge sometimes...and I expect to see more of it on Friday, win or lose.

Yes, she plays with great focus on the road. Truly intense.

 

[DaddyChoc]

Glad you noted these things. I did not enjoy last night game as much as game one. It reminded me of many of the things I haven't enjoyed in the past.

back to where we started

as I mentioned just recently... a game or 2 isnt going to change the opinion of anyone. The whole body of work needs to be seen to appreciate and understand the guts of the operation.