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Message: [QUOTE="Bone Dog, post: 4320008, member: 12088"] I'm always looking for the bigger picture. It wasn't just about rebounding as though that happens in a vacuum. But once we were weakened in that area, everything else suffered. Henderson could play deny defense on Paige only because there weren't enough other options and they were not worried about us getting an offensive rebound. If we'd been healthier -- and especially with Dorka healthy -- the rebounding imbalance would likely have been smaller. And if that had been the case, Paige would have blown right past Henderson's deny defense and either scored or forced Saxton and Beal to foul her. That's what happened in the game two years ago even though we had a weaker starting 5 and they had essentially the same one as this year. But sadly, none of this was the case, we had the healthy personnel we had, and that meant we'd lose the rebounding battle by a large enough margin to allow Henderson to play deny defense on Paige, and all the rest followed with grim inexorability. Now if I slip into speculation mode and try to imagine what the next year's meetings will look like, I conclude from this not that we need to recruit/transfer even more burly post players, but that we may have enough muscle already, and that with a healthy Paige and Azzi (i.e.other-Paige) and SC minus Henderson, SC will struggle to guard the perimeter giving Aaliyah and Dorka and at least one of Aubrey/Amari/Ayanna/Ice a free hand in the paint. Two years ago, they could barely keep up with only one Paige. How will they manage, with the same personnel on their side, to guard Caroline and Lou as well? Two seasons ago, in the game we barely won -- a tight matchup to be sure -- Beal was assigned to guard Paige and she scored 30. I wonder how they'll account for Azzi, Caroline and Lou. Will Zia be assigned to Paige? Can Beal keep up with Azzi? If so, is Saxton supposed to come out against Caroline and Lou? Boston will probably out play Dorka, but will she and Cardozo collectively outplay Dorka, Amari, and Ice while Saxton and Amihere struggle to box out Aaliyah, Aubrey, and Ayanna? It really seems to me that they will have more problems to solve than we will. [/QUOTE]

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