Check out this TN fan's blog on Geno . . .

[UcMiami]

I thought Candace played a great game yesterday. On the first end to end it just happened that no one picked her up until she was three feet from the basket so it made sense - on the second, I thought she was looking for a way to pass it to Maya who was the player ahead of her, but the defender was playing the passing lane very well - her final move was going to be a pass until she heard the whistle and changed it to a shot to gain the two free throws. Otherwise, she and Dee were hooking up on great pick and roles/slip screens, and she was a demon cleaning up on the offensive glass.
She had a terrible semi-final, and reportedly realized that and really came out fired up for the final and it showed. Meanwhile - I thought Tina was immense in the semis, but had a really poor final - could not find her rhythm all game.
All told probably the most consistent players were Sue and Whalen. Tamika, Dee, Seimone, Maya were all pretty consistent with some ups and downs. Tina and Candace played really well when they were on and played a few clunkers. Angel was brilliant for stretches in most games and then would make some really stupid plays and get a seat to chill out until next summoned. Sylvia clearly was not 100% and her minutes were limited and her effectiveness as well - she showed glimpses of what she can be, but ... Asjha proved her value in the semi (and why she was included on the team) and had a nice quiet game in the final, and effective minutes during the three games Fowles was out. Cash provided the least impact during the games.
I think the tri-captains were great in leading the team - and I really enjoyed getting to 'know' Catchings more during the interviews and comments made through the process.
My favorite picture from the celebration is seeing Angel riding on Geno's back with a huge grin. My sense from the players demeanor as well as the coaches is that everyone had a great time and huge respect for everyone else on the team/staff. Fans want tension and rivalries - didn't get any sense of that any time during the last two months.

 

[Justavisitor]

I didn't say it yesterday because the game was won and it served no purpose but given this thread I will say that I thought that CP3 played selfish yesterday. She is a great athlete with awesome skills but but does not play well within a team concept. I thought that when she was at TN and still saw that characteristic in her game in London. Her full court rushes full court demonstrate both her gifts and her liabilities. Sure she was impressive doing it but a passed ball is much quicker and usually more effective. Against Australia she left it to others to do the tough defensive work without even making an effort. It is one thing to get beat by a bigger and stronger player, but it is another thing to not make any effort.

Ann Meyers Drysdale commented on that play that the USA has an advantage of having players that can rebound the ball being able to lead the break. Her comments included the fact that this allows for the break to get down the court quicker. It's rare to have a player of her size that can push the break, but it's an advantage that every coach Candace has ever had has used, including professionally. On one play, she took the ball to the basket. One of the most basic rules of running a fast break is if the defense does not stop the ball handler and they drop back and cover everyone else, the ball handler should go straight to the basket and take the layup. This is what happened. Everyone that ran the court with Candace was covered by a defender. On the second time when she took the ball coast to coast, Candace was passing the ball to Maya when she was grabbed by the defender. At that point, she threw the ball at the rim so she could get to the line. Even Drysdale commented that Candace was passing, but it was a heads up play to go into the act of shooting once the defender decided to foul. Other than those plays and 2 missed jump shots, all of her points were layups out of the halfcourt set or put backs.

As for Australia, I've seen that game now a couple of times. Cambage had 19 points going into the half with 4 of those points coming against Candace. I also noticed that you reference Candace's effort quite often. The reality, which has been noted by several that know the game due to playing and coaching the game, that Candace is one of those players that plays effortlessly. These type of players quietly do alot and you typically don't notice until you check out a box score. In testing your percieved lack of effort theory, I took a glance at the overall stats. Candace was 7th in minutes played. However, she was 1st in rebounds, 1st in blocks, and tied for 3rd in scoring. Those numbers do not translate into lack of effort. By the way, the defense yesterday was better while Candace was on the court. That scoring drought by France happened with her in the line up.

 

[Jmpenn]

I thought Candace played a great game yesterday. On the first end to end it just happened that no one picked her up until she was three feet from the basket so it made sense - on the second, I thought she was looking for a way to pass it to Maya who was the player ahead of her, but the defender was playing the passing lane very well - her final move was going to be a pass until she heard the whistle and changed it to a shot to gain the two free throws. Otherwise, she and Dee were hooking up on great pick and roles/slip screens, and she was a demon cleaning up on the offensive glass.
She had a terrible semi-final, and reportedly realized that and really came out fired up for the final and it showed. Meanwhile - I thought Tina was immense in the semis, but had a really poor final - could not find her rhythm all game.
All told probably the most consistent players were Sue and Whalen. Tamika, Dee, Seimone, Maya were all pretty consistent with some ups and downs. Tina and Candace played really well when they were on and played a few clunkers. Angel was brilliant for stretches in most games and then would make some really stupid plays and get a seat to chill out until next summoned. Sylvia clearly was not 100% and her minutes were limited and her effectiveness as well - she showed glimpses of what she can be, but ... Asjha proved her value in the semi (and why she was included on the team) and had a nice quiet game in the final, and effective minutes during the three games Fowles was out. Cash provided the least impact during the games.
I think the tri-captains were great in leading the team - and I really enjoyed getting to 'know' Catchings more during the interviews and comments made through the process.
My favorite picture from the celebration is seeing Angel riding on Geno's back with a huge grin. My sense from the players demeanor as well as the coaches is that everyone had a great time and huge respect for everyone else on the team/staff. Fans want tension and rivalries - didn't get any sense of that any time during the last two months.

I completely agree with your analysis. To me everyone played a part. I expected to see some critiques of Candace especially after Austrailia. I was just shocked to see them after the game against France.

 

[VAMike23]

I thought Candace played a great game yesterday. On the first end to end it just happened that no one picked her up until she was three feet from the basket so it made sense - on the second, I thought she was looking for a way to pass it to Maya who was the player ahead of her, but the defender was playing the passing lane very well - her final move was going to be a pass until she heard the whistle and changed it to a shot to gain the two free throws. Otherwise, she and Dee were hooking up on great pick and roles/slip screens, and she was a demon cleaning up on the offensive glass.
She had a terrible semi-final, and reportedly realized that and really came out fired up for the final and it showed. Meanwhile - I thought Tina was immense in the semis, but had a really poor final - could not find her rhythm all game.
All told probably the most consistent players were Sue and Whalen. Tamika, Dee, Seimone, Maya were all pretty consistent with some ups and downs. Tina and Candace played really well when they were on and played a few clunkers. Angel was brilliant for stretches in most games and then would make some really stupid plays and get a seat to chill out until next summoned. Sylvia clearly was not 100% and her minutes were limited and her effectiveness as well - she showed glimpses of what she can be, but ... Asjha proved her value in the semi (and why she was included on the team) and had a nice quiet game in the final, and effective minutes during the three games Fowles was out. Cash provided the least impact during the games.
I think the tri-captains were great in leading the team - and I really enjoyed getting to 'know' Catchings more during the interviews and comments made through the process.
My favorite picture from the celebration is seeing Angel riding on Geno's back with a huge grin. My sense from the players demeanor as well as the coaches is that everyone had a great time and huge respect for everyone else on the team/staff. Fans want tension and rivalries - didn't get any sense of that any time during the last two months.

Great post, and even handed.

 

[Icebear]

Wow! So much for supporting the players that worked hard to bring gold to the US. So according to you Candace is selfish, has no heart, and doesn't work hard? When she has a bad game you criticize her and when she has a good game you do so again. She really can't win with you. Against Austrailia no one in the first half could guard Cambage. Candace was not the one that even guarded her the most. In the second half everyone did better defensively on her especially Charles. At least i can admit what an amazing job Charles did in the second half. Do you know Geno's instructions to Candace in the gold medal game? Did he tell her to never lead the fastbreak and get an easy basket if she was able? She had several baskets because of offensive rebounds and put backs. Was she supposed to pass the ball out and ignore the easy layup? She took maybe two long jump shots and missed but the rest of her points came from around the basket and my guess is that was Geno's plan. Candace has always put in the work on the court and if you don't think she has heart then you missed her playing with a dislocated shoulder to help her team. Huge props to those on this board that supported the entire team including Candace.

Her game is what it is and I have consistently said she has great talent. She is an excellent slashing rebounder which accounted for a number of her baskets. She is excellent in the post and would flourish even more than she does if she did that more consistenly. Geno even conveyed that to her. I do not think it is hard at all to see the issues I had with her game. They were quite visible.

By the way I fully supported her and the team plus I have nothing but praise for Catch. It isn't a LV thing it is about the one thing that limits Candace being the greatest player in the world that she is capable of being. She is her own #1 option persistently she needs to use the talent she was surrounded by a bit more.

 

[Justavisitor]

I completely agree with your analysis. To me everyone played a part. I expected to see some critiques of Candace especially after Austrailia. I was just shocked to see them after the game against France.

And interestingly enough, there has been plenty of bad defense to go around, but somehow Candace has been the only one mentioned (i.e. Sue, DT, Tina, Maya, Fowles, Seimone, and Whelan all come to mind). Sometimes, it's players getting lost on their defensive assignments and team confusion. Sometimes players are caught gambling and playing out of position. Sometimes, the offensive player simply made a great play. Heck, even Catch got caught on more than one occasion gambling.

 

[Justavisitor]

Her game is what it is and I have consistently said she has great talent. She is an excellent slashing rebounder which accounted for a number of her baskets. She is excellent in the post and would flourish even more than she does if she did that more consistenly. Geno even conveyed that to her. I do not think it is hard at all to see the issues I had with her game. They were quite visible.

By the way I fully supported her and the team plus I have nothing but praise for Catch. It isn't a LV thing it is about the one thing that limits Candace being the greatest player in the world that she is capable of being. She is her own #1 option persistently she needs to use the talent she was surrounded by a bit more.

Nneka is having a ROY outing. Toliver is having the best year of her career. Candace is #5 in scoring and not #1. Obviously, she's using the talent around her.

 

[speedoo]

I completely agree with your analysis. To me everyone played a part. I expected to see some critiques of Candace especially after Austrailia. I was just shocked to see them after the game against France.

I agree with you 100%.. UcMiami nailed it, Candace was fabulous in the Final and deserves nothing but praise for her performance in that game.. The Boneyard is a great discussion board, but but we are not perfect, as evidenced by posters who criticized the play of Candace in the Final.

 

[cferraro04]

So let's take a look at what all the fuss is about. Candace didn't start for 3 games...but came off the bench and got significant minutes.

Minutes per player

Sue Bird - 24.9 minutes per game / 12.44% total minutes played................
Diana Taurasi - 24.1 minutes per game / 12.08% total minutes played
Tina Charles - 21.3 minutes per game / 10.62% total minutes played
Maya Moore - 19.88 minutes per game / 9.88% total minutes played
Tamika Catchings - 19.3 minutes per game / 9.63% total minutes played
Candace Parker - 18.1 minutes per game / 9.06% total minutes played
Seimone Augustus - 18.1 minutes per game / 9.06% total minutes played
Lindsay Whalen - 17.4 mintues per game / 8.69% total minutes played
Aisja Jones - 10.3 minutes per game / 4.5% total minutes played
*Sylvia Fowles - 9.6 minutes per game / 3% total minutes played
Swin Cash - 8.3 minutes per game / 3.63% total minutes played

*Only played in five games due to injury.

 

[speedoo]

Every player had their ups and downs this tournament. IMO singling one player out as having no heart, putting in no effort, and playing selfish is going too far. Each player on the team worked very hard to get the gold and I don't see a reason to trash any player. It's fine if you don't agree with me. DT and Candace play very well together and have good chemistry. It will be interesting to watch them play together overseas with Sue. I saw a cute picture of DT, Candace, and Lailaa after the game. I'm glad the players respect each other and get along even if the fans don't.

Can you post that pic or a link? Would really like to see it. One of the things I enjoyed most in this Olympics was watching Candace mesh with her team mates (and maybe even the coach), elevate her play, and just enjoy herself representing Team USA.

 

[Icebear]

Nneka is having a ROY outing. Toliver is having the best year of her career. Candace is #5 in scoring and not #1. Obviously, she's using the talent around her.

Not talking WNBA talking the talent on the floor during the tournament.

 

[Jmpenn]

Can you post that pic or a link? Would really like to see it. One of the things I enjoyed most in this Olympics was watching Candace mesh with her team mates (and maybe even the coach), elevate her play, and just enjoy herself representing Team USA.

Hope this link works. It is of Candace's facebook.
https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?...a.10150995575613045.420367.59651918044&type=3

It seems like everyone treats Lailaa so well. While Sue was playing with Candace in Russia Candace would tweet pictures of Sue playing tea party with Lailaa. Very cute. Svet also seems close to Candace and Lailaa. I actually think Candace is one of the most popular players with her peers but that might be because of Lailaa.

 

[Kibitzer]

This debate is an interesting variation of the old line that "The operation was a success, but the patient died." In this instance, some are making the case that the surgeon screwed up terribly but the patient survived remarkably.

Many posters admit to special pride in players they know best, thus the bias by Boneyarders and Summitteers alike toward either Huskies or LadyVols. Nothing wrong with that.

Then there are those who blatantly admitted that they hate Geno so much that they either couldn't bear watching the games or even root for Team USA.
There is no place for that. Simply disgusting.

As for me, my fondest memory will be that amazing pass, catch, and basket that Diana and Candace pulled off in the final. I honestly don't believe that any other pair of players could duplicate it. Two iconic players teaming up to win the gold medal for Team USA.

YAY!

 

[Jmpenn]

This debate is an interesting variation of the old line that "The operation was a success, but the patient died." In this instance, some are making the case that the surgeon screwed up terribly but the patient survived remarkably.

Many posters admit to special pride in players they know best, thus the bias by Boneyarders and Summitteers alike toward either Huskies or LadyVols. Nothing wrong with that.

Then there are those who blatantly admitted that they hate Geno so much that they either couldn't bear watching the games or even root for Team USA.
There is no place for that. Simply disgusting.

As for me, my fondest memory will be that amazing pass, catch, and basket that Diana and Candace pulled off in the final. I honestly don't believe that any other pair of players could duplicate it. Two iconic players teaming up to win the gold medal for Team USA.

YAY!

There is no doubt that on that play CP and DT was completely in sync. Beautiful play!

 

[speedoo]

Hope this link works. It is of Candace's facebook.
https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?...a.10150995575613045.420367.59651918044&type=3

It seems like everyone treats Lailaa so well. While Sue was playing with Candace in Russia Candace would tweet pictures of Sue playing tea party with Lailaa. Very cute. Svet also seems close to Candace and Lailaa. I actually think Candace is one of the most popular players with her peers but that might be because of Lailaa.

Thanks, nice pic. Lailaa really looks like her dad.

 

[Icebear]

Hope this link works. It is of Candace's facebook.
https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?...a.10150995575613045.420367.59651918044&type=3

It seems like everyone treats Lailaa so well. While Sue was playing with Candace in Russia Candace would tweet pictures of Sue playing tea party with Lailaa. Very cute. Svet also seems close to Candace and Lailaa. I actually think Candace is one of the most popular players with her peers but that might be because of Lailaa.

Lailaa is adorable and Candace glowed the whole time she was holding her.

 

[alexrgct]

Sheldon Williams looked like I did for a few years- basically from the point my daughter was born until her brother (19 months her junior) was about a year and half. The look was instantly recognizable.

 

[VAMike23]

Hope this link works. It is of Candace's facebook.
https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?...a.10150995575613045.420367.59651918044&type=3

It seems like everyone treats Lailaa so well. While Sue was playing with Candace in Russia Candace would tweet pictures of Sue playing tea party with Lailaa. Very cute. Svet also seems close to Candace and Lailaa. I actually think Candace is one of the most popular players with her peers but that might be because of Lailaa.

I was watching closely (like many were) after the game for the interactions between the various players - I noticed that Tina and CP together a bit, and Swin and Catch clearly had a close bond probably due in part to their relative longevity. CP and Maya also had some nice moments as well. Just so much fun to watch

 

[Jmpenn]

Thanks, nice pic. Lailaa really looks like her dad.

I don't know if that is meant to be an insult or not. Lol. I personally think Shelden is a nice enough looking man and more importantly he seems like a great husband and father. But during the game Candace was trending on twitter. I took a look and many of the tweets were about his looks and him getting a wife as attractive as Candace.

 

[Biff]

As for me, my fondest memory will be that amazing pass, catch, and basket that Diana and Candace pulled off in the final. I honestly don't believe that any other pair of players could duplicate it. Two iconic players teaming up to win the gold medal for Team USA.

YAY!

There is no doubt that on that play CP and DT was completely in sync. Beautiful play!

DT to CP

 

[speedoo]

I don't know if that is meant to be an insult or not. Lol. I personally think Shelden is a nice enough looking man and more importantly he seems like a great husband and father. But during the game Candace was trending on twitter. I took a look and many of the tweets were about his looks and him getting a wife as attractive as Candace.

Hey, it's not like I think Shelden is a bad looking dude, so definitely not meant as an insult. But yeah, Lailaa might be even cuter if she looked more like her mom.

 

[Jmpenn]

Hey, it's not like I think Shelden is a bad looking dude, so definitely not meant as an insult. But yeah, Lailaa might be even cuter if she looked more like her mom.

Lol. I saw Lailaa at the LA-Atlanta game this year (by the way the worst game I have ever seen Candace play). She was too busy playing with makeup to even watch the game. So I don't know if she will be playing a sport. She did say that Candace's gold medal was too big and she wanted a smaller one. So who knows maybe she will get interested in sports and get her own gold medal some day.

 

[Kibitzer]

DT to CP

The link is of a different, merely mortal, DT to DP play.

The play I had in mind was THE Play!

 

[Jmpenn]

The link is of a different, merely mortal, DT to DP play.

The play I had in mind was THE Play!

The one you are talking about is where some how DT timed the pass perfectly to get it to a spinning CP and then she scored, right? I don't know how DT timed that pass and how CP was able to spin like that and get the basket. Crazy play.

 

[speedoo]

The one you are talking about is where some how DT timed the pass perfectly to get it to a spinning CP and then she scored, right? I don't know how DT timed that pass and how CP was able to spin like that and get the basket. Crazy play.

I think that play was a combination of instinct and the two players knowing one another well.. DT made the pass, before CP was looking, knowing that CP would expect it. And CP knew she was open, expected the pass, so she turned her head in time to see the ball, catch it and lay it in.