LA Sparks @ Washington Mystics 8/23

[Vowelguy]

I like Nneka but LA will always be CP's team in my mind, so I take great pleasure in a loss, esp a beatdown.

 

[MilfordHusky]

LA is putting a little window dressing on it, 77-55 now. Don't think the margin is going to get to 40.


Sparks have Parker, Ogwumike and Lavender all on the floor together. I don't think I've see that lineup before.

I think that was the starting front court in L.A. a few years ago. Or at least, I think they played together some.

 

[HuskyFan1125]

This score makes me sooooooo happy!!!!!!!

Go MYSTICS!!!!!

 

[nwhoopfan]

Waving the white flag. Vadeeva, Samuelson and Wiese all entered the game.

 

[nwhoopfan]

Nneka and Gray shot a combined 4-21. Candace had 13 in the first half, hit a 3 to start Q3, then didn't score the rest of the way.

 

[MilfordHusky]

SWK with a jumper, a steal, and a layup. Making good use of her PT.

 

[nwhoopfan]

6 in double figures for Washington, only 1 for LA.

 

[nwhoopfan]

The Washington deep bench is kicking butt.

96-64 final.

 

[Blueballer]

I can be happy with a 32 point hammer job. Good luck to the Mystics.

 

[MilfordHusky]

96-64 total beatdown.

Shooting percentages: 57% to 35%. That's usually a winning formula.

 

[EricLA]

What a terrific and entertaining game. Well rounded performance by Washington - a very dangerous team. Happy to see LA go down, but more than that, it was great seeing Washington with a game plan that was well played and well executed.

 

[Orangutan]

Washington's starting lineup has been really, really effective...

 

[RockyMTblue2]

Nneka and Gray shot a combined 4-21. Candace had 13 in the first half, hit a 3 to start Q3, then didn't score the rest of the way.

Wow.

 

[BigBird]

What a terrific and entertaining game. Well rounded performance by Washington - a very dangerous team. Happy to see LA go down, but more than that, it was great seeing Washington with a game plan that was well played and well executed.

Oh dear me! LA lost...this is terrible. I am just crushed. Waves of sadness, tears of agony.

Don’t believe everything you read on the Internet.

 

[triaddukefan]

Chelsea Gray

 

[Shorty Dee]

Congratulations Washington Mystics!! Washington gained the lead, and they didn't let up. Atkins is having an amazing year.

Whoever had the Sparks winning, I know they are feeling sick .

 

[Bigboote]

The victor was as I expected, but I wasn't expecting quite such a beatdown. The Mystics look really good; I wouldn't want to be Atlanta.

 

[UConnCat]

LA must have been exhausted and sounds like they played that way. Understandable given the ridiculous travel they had to endure. That said, LA is the most talented team in the league and had no business finishing 6th in the standings. I do wonder whether Agler is one of those coaches who has a limited shelf life with teams. Do players eventually tune him out? I guess we'll see next year.

 

[MilfordHusky]

LA must have been exhausted and sounds like they played that way. Understandable given the ridiculous travel they had to endure. That said, LA is the most talented team in the league and had no business finishing 6th in the standings. I do wonder whether Agler is one of those coaches who has a limited shelf life with teams. Do players eventually tune him out? I guess we'll see next year.

I can think of one L.A. player who knows better than her coaches. Or she thinks she does.

 

[Plebe]

I've been singing the praises of Ariel Atkins since she was a freshman at UT, but even I didn't expect her to have breakout rookie season and break a starting lineup on a deep-playoff-run team.

 

[bballnut90]

LA must have been exhausted and sounds like they played that way. Understandable given the ridiculous travel they had to endure. That said, LA is the most talented team in the league and had no business finishing 6th in the standings. I do wonder whether Agler is one of those coaches who has a limited shelf life with teams. Do players eventually tune him out? I guess we'll see next year.

This year they were far from being the most talented team in the league. Beard and especially Sims had down years compared to a season ago. Same with Nneka and she has been out or not playing well for the last month. Their bench is inconsistent and everyone else in the league got a lot better. I agree they should’ve finished better than 6th, but the difference between 2nd and 9th was miniscule for most of the year.

 

[UConnCat]

This year they were far from being the most talented team in the league. Beard and especially Sims had down years compared to a season ago. Same with Nneka and she has been out or not playing well for the last month. Their bench is inconsistent and everyone else in the league got a lot better. I agree they should’ve finished better than 6th, but the difference between 2nd and 9th was miniscule for most of the year.

Well of course they didn't play up to their talent. That's the point.

The 9th best team won 14 games and the 2nd best team won 23 games. That's not minuscule.

 

[bbsamjj]

Washington's starting lineup has been really, really effective...

What's impressive about that lineup is that obviously EDD is a one of a kind talent (that Griner/EDD/Diggins draft may never be duplicated), and Toliver was certainly heralded coming out of MD (though she's a 9 yr veteran), but the other 3 players did not come into the WNBA with a lot of hype. Thibault does a very good job of finding and elevating talent.

 

[Justavisitor]

LA must have been exhausted and sounds like they played that way. Understandable given the ridiculous travel they had to endure. That said, LA is the most talented team in the league and had no business finishing 6th in the standings. I do wonder whether Agler is one of those coaches who has a limited shelf life with teams. Do players eventually tune him out? I guess we'll see next year.

LA dealt with alot of injuries this season. Candace for a stretch and then Nneka for a stretch of game really put them in a bad position. More than anything, the scheduling to finish off the season was atrocious and considering they fly commercial in the WNBA, that makes atrocious even worse.

Regardless, next season they will be back to the typical type of scheduling in the regular season, but still, the WNBA needs to do better with this single elimination schedule. Give at least 3 days off after regular season and 2 - 3 days off between rounds. Cramming that schedule so tight when players are playing year round already, really isn't good.

And yes, about Agler. He has to do more to prepare his bench.

 

[Justavisitor]

This year they were far from being the most talented team in the league. Beard and especially Sims had down years compared to a season ago. Same with Nneka and she has been out or not playing well for the last month. Their bench is inconsistent and everyone else in the league got a lot better. I agree they should’ve finished better than 6th, but the difference between 2nd and 9th was miniscule for most of the year.

I have to wonder if Beard is done. Agler needs to get Wiese in the starting line up for more offense. Wiese came into the season this year with some type of injury that kept her off the court.