What I sometimes look for is the amount of men in the stands, and the amount of men that comment on social media after the game; esp. NBA players. It's been a lot. That's also a good sign for growth. And games like last night certainly don't hurt.
While watching the game with me, my wife commented several times, “This is great for women’s sports.” Clearly the W is on the precipice of becoming part of the American sports psyche for both women and men, with young girls leading the way. CC has added a new dimension, the Olympics were fabulous, expansion is coming and Paige Bueckers is one season away from taking the W to yet another level of fan enthusiasm.
I'm hoping Stewie and Phee's "Unrivaled" will take off now that TNT and it's affiliates will be showing the games.
It should not be remembered for Sabrina's shot it should be remembered for Stewie and Stewie alone. She had 30 points. No one else had more than 13. She had 11 rebounds No one else had more than 5. She had 4 blocks including a crucial one in the closing minutes. Until the last minute or two Sabrina had only 6 points. Stewie's 14 in the 3rd quarter got them back in the game.
That has been the biggest mystery this whole season! On one hand, I can see why Coach Reeve sticks with Hines-Allen. MHA has a toughness and experience that Dorka lacks. But on the other hand, I could see where Dorka could help; size, rebounding, passing, and inside/outside game, where we (Minnesota fans) are screaming "Put Dorka in!". I sit five rows behind the Lynx bench and trust me, that is me every game "Get Dorka in the game!" or "Get Alissa in the game!". I still believe that those two players could give us a little spark. Dorka with her size and other skills. Pili with her size and ability to use her body to draw fouls and make shots. Win/Win in my book. But we shall see, especially with Smith and her situation. I hope that it is not something too serious.
The coach appears to have decided that going small is the answer, a big mistake in my opinion. I believe but did not check that Dorka was the main reserve when the Lyns beat NY 3 out of 4 including the Commissioners cup. Since then, the Lynx have been very, very fortunate to win 1 game against the Liberty's big team. Also, I believe Diamond Miller is healthy but never plays. Both Dorka and Diamond made the all-rookie team last season.
Disagree because this game was more than just Stewart. She was the primary reason yes, but we also need to remember this:
Phee is the main reason the Lynx win every game, but
Phee is the star in every game. Dorka is a better match up against the Liberty. We'll see if Smith is unavailable next game.
Re Dorka’s playing time, she averaged about 20 minutes a game till Hines-Allen joined the team. Her minutes went down somewhat, and she’s played very little since she missed a few games with an injury.
And the injury may limit her mobility, and against Stewie and JJ, that would be a major liability.
Diamond Miller has a lot of potential, but she needs to refine her shot. She has to become a consistent threat from 3, as she’s a wing in the W. The bread and butter of the Lynx this season has been floor spacing. They’ve surrounded Collier with sharp shooters to have an inside out attack, which gives Collier the room to operate inside 1v1. This allows collier to maximize her shiftiness to overcome her undersize quality against bigger defenders.
Diamond showed a lot of potential last season. Hopefully whatever happened this off season and during the season, Diamond flips the switch and becomes what we all know she can become.
Diamond would be a great candidate to go to the Valkyrie. She has a very high ceiling and I think once the lightbulb comes on, she could make a great second or third scoring option. Going to the Valkyrie may allow her to play more minutes and grow at a faster pace by "trial through fire". I wonder if she will be one of the six reserves for the Lynx. If she isn't, I would have her name circled and underlined if I were in the Valkyrie management.
I can see Diamond playing out West for the Valkyrie squad. I can also see Diamond staying here in Minnesota and developing that potential with the Lynx. I agree. She does have a very high ceiling and I hope that she finds that fuel for her competitive fire. Like I have said before that Golden State squad should field a pretty competitive team and they could make some noise this season and be a huge problem next year.
