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Message: [QUOTE="WBBTakeover, post: 5082407, member: 13257"] I had them switched--Caitlin #3 and Stewie #4. At the beginning of the season, Sabrina looked like NY's MVP candidate, but Stewie's play from the Olympics carried over to the second half of the season and reestablished her as the Liberty's MVP. What we've seen the last two seasons in MVP voting is that narrative matters more than people want to admit. People have to be compelled to vote for you for that award. Last year, A'ja had the numbers (both in terms of efficiency and counting stats) to win MVP back-to-back, but she was losing the narrative game to Stewie ("Stew York City"/NYL double their win total from previous season) and AT (triple doubles/stepped up with an All-Star center out for the season). Almost nobody who had an MVP vote cared that A'ja was leading the team with the best record in the league and that she played half the season without a former MVP (who was the best defensive player in the league until she went down). Las Vegas topping the league was [I]expected [/I]despite the challenges they faced. Riquna's legal issues also put the Aces in a bad spot, but I don't like her and won't speak much about that. And that (the narrative talk) brings me to Caitlin and this year's Indiana Fever. Yes, they were expected to be a playoff team with her addition. Yes, she has help. However, the 1-8 start had me thinking that the season was going to be a disaster. And yet--it was just the opposite. There was noticeable growth in Caitlin's confidence that had her going from uber-talented rookie who looked unsure of herself to big-time talent who clearly looks like she belongs amongst the current league greats. And when that switch took place, the Fever took off. To lead the WNBA in a major statistical category is an enormous accomplishment. To do so as a rookie is almost unheard of. And to lead the league in a stat like assists as a rookie PG is absurd. That speaks on her value as a player in this league. I don't see Indiana being able to recover from 1-8 unless there's a significant shift in Caitlin's mentality. That's why I had her #3 in MVP this season (had her as high as #2 at one point, but she cooled off just a bit towards the end of the season). She's going to win MVP--it's just a matter of "when". [/QUOTE]

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