Lynx @ Sparks

[nwhoopfan]

Surprised nobody has started a thread yet. 40-29 LA at halftime.

 

[nwhoopfan]

Game is actually on ESPN2, although almost the entire first quarter was pre-empted by a CFL game. Are there actually fans of the CFL in the U.S., or are people just starved for any kind of football? Noticed an NFL preseason game on tonight as well, but I refuse to watch preseason games.

Anyway, Minny missed the first quarter as well, only scored 8 points. Parker leading everybody w/ 16 points. Maya scored 6 early and has disappeared since.

Nneka is back, missed a handful of games before the All Star break. Looks to be in good form. Big Syl leading the Lynx w/ 10.

 

[nwhoopfan]

Getting feisty in Q3. Sims called for an offensive foul, then a T after a long review (for yapping or glaring I think). The foul was precipitated by a forearm shiver by Whalen. Also after the foul Gray came in to get Sims away from Whalen and Augustus kinda shoved Gray as she went by. Also Syl has hit Parker and Ogwumike w/ an elbow to the face within about a minute of each other w/ no call on either one. LA fans and bench are getting riled up but refs aren't seeing anything the Lynx are doing.

49-39 midway thru the quarter.

 

[stwainfan]

It's been even battle.

 

[nwhoopfan]

Syl clocked Nneka in the mouth with an elbow AGAIN. That's 3 in about 2 minutes. Any one of them could've been inadvertent but that's ridiculous.

 

[nwhoopfan]

Lynx got it down to 8 a couple times but LA up 59-46 after 3Q.

 

[nwhoopfan]

Reeve keeping her starters on the bench for Q4, looks like she's conceded the game and resting them for upcoming game at Seattle.

Parker was easily the best player on the floor tonight. Scoring, rebounding, passing, playing D. I know she has her detractors but when she plays like this I think she's probably as good as anybody else in the W.

 

[BigBird]

Parker looking very good tonight. Someone once said that she’s the best player in the game — when she wants to be.

 

[nwhoopfan]

79-57 final. Karlie and Sidney keep each other company at the end of the Sparks' bench but they got in the last 2-3 minutes. I'm kinda surprised at how little Vadeeva has been used since she arrived in the U.S.

 

[stwainfan]

Parker needs four points. To reach 5,000 career points.

 

[DallasBUFan]

Great game if you're a sparks fan. Parker played great, Syl did the best she could for Minn. They don't have the talent that they have had on the bench in previous seasons.

After being beat by LA do they have a chance tonight to beat the no.1 team? My gut says no, but this season has been full of surprises.

 

[willtalk]

Syl clocked Nneka in the mouth with an elbow AGAIN. That's 3 in about 2 minutes. Any one of them could've been inadvertent but that's ridiculous.

Watching Syl for some time now it seems to me that she has perfected a way to institute damage to her opposition and still get away with it. The key is watching her when she sets picks. She gets away with dishing out all too many forearms on those as well. Now those inadvertent fouls are just too many to chock up as accidental. She is a dirty player who gets away with it.

 

[Carnac]

Watching Syl for some time now it seems to me that she has perfected a way to institute damage to her opposition and still get away with it. The key is watching her when she sets picks. She gets away with dishing out all too many forearms on those as well. Now those inadvertent fouls are just too many to chock up as accidental. She is a dirty player who gets away with it.

I won't say that "Sweet Syl" (that's what she likes to be called now. She doesn't like BIG Syl anymore) is a dirty player, I'll stop right on the edge of that observation. I do think the league does need to take a serious look at all of her games this season, to see if she's doing that, and has developed a pattern or habit of using her elbow to clock her opponents.

The game moves very fast. The referees can't see everything. They are trained to never watch the ball or they'll miss something. You can't see all of the pushing, grabbing and elbowing if you're watching the ball. The league should also inform all of it's referees of this, and tell them to watch for that particular violation whenever they work a Lynx game.

If, she needs to be reprimanded by the league office. A 1 game suspension the next time it happens, and a 1 game suspension every time thereafter. She and her coach will get tired of her having to sit out a game, and it will stop. Especially if you increase the number of games suspended after a certain number of occurrences. The Lynx are a completely different team when she's not on the floor.

I think the finals will come down to the two teams with the best record, the Storm and the Sparks. The Storm will have home court advantage, and that may prove to be the edge the Storm needs to win the series. I don't think Minnesota will repeat as champions this year. Remember, they win the championship EVERY OTHER year.

Tip in - Technical fouls up in the WNBA this year. "I got a technical last week for a look at a referee. I don't understand why our emotion and our passion is being suppressed. We are women, we are passionate and we are playing hard. Let us play our game and don't try to soften it." - Liz Cambage, Dallas Wings

 

[MilfordHusky]

L.A. is the better team right now. Ugh!

Yes, Candace is really good--when she plays hard.

I wonder if the first game of the season--in which L.A. barely edged Minnesota--will determine the champion? It would help to give L.A. the tiebreaker over Minnesota and possible homecourt advantage.

On the other hand, this looks like Seattle's year. I strongly prefer them over L.A.

 

[bballnut90]

Good win for La--they have the talent to win it all but I could easily see them getting bounced in the 1st or 2nd round if they do not nab the #2 seed.

Every 2-8 playoff team is so dangerous this year:
-Dallas has Cambage who is playing as well as anyone. If Skylar shoots well they're very difficult.
-Washington has Toliver who can explode on any given night and EDD
-Connecticut is streaky but has a lot of athleticism at every position
-Lynx have Moore/Fowles and are 4x champs
-Atlanta has great athleticism and is also streaky
-Phoenix has DT/Griner, and DT doesn't lose in winner takes all games
-LA has been in 2 straight finals and has a great Big 3

Vegas is dangerous too if they can make a run for a playoff spot.

 

[nwhoopfan]

-Phoenix has DT/Griner, and DT doesn't lose in winner takes all games

Don't forget Bonner. They showed a graphic during the game, that's the highest scoring trio in the WNBA. DT and Griner both over 20 ppg and Bonner over 16.