Magnificent Maya on fiya tonite..

[EricLA]

In Minny's win over Indiana. It was a close one till midway thru the 4th quarter. Indiana led most of the first half. But Maya had 29 points, 7 rebounds, 3 assists, 2 steals, and 2 blocks.

 

[caravaggio]

A new career high for Maya (previously 28). She was incredible in the third quarter when the Lynx were down by 14; during that quarter, she hit all 5 three-pointers, of six for the evening (and missed her one two point attempt), and scored 15 points along with key defensive plays

In Minny's win over Indiana. It was a close one till midway thru the 4th quarter. Indiana led most of the first half. But Maya had 29 points, 7 rebounds, 3 assists, 2 steals, and 2 blocks.

 

[VAMike23]

Maya was en fuego, writ largo ;-)

Plus she did most of it when they desperately needed points. Kind of reminds me if a certain Geno quote right after a certain NC game about a certain player.....

 

[Wbbfan1]

Indiana's loss means the Sun have clinched the Eastern Division. They will play NY or Chicago in the 1st round of the playoffs. They didn't want to have to play Atlanta in the 1st round.

 

[MilfordHusky]

Maya simply has been the best player in the league since the Olympic break. She came back full of confidence, assertiveness, energy, and determination. Despite injuries, including to Seimone, Minnesota has lost just once since July.

 

[MilfordHusky]

Maya tied the WNBA record for most treys--FIVE--in a quarter.

The other person to do that? The player with 3 NCAA championships, 3 Olympic golds, and uniform number 3. Deeeee for threee.

 

[Scotter]

It actually started before the Olympic break. Combination of Augustus being out for a couple of games letting her move up the pecking order and then being able to spend another few games in her power forward comfort zone where she was free to do some of the things she really excels at, but doesn't get to do in Minnesota's offense when she is at small forward.

She was gaining confidence before the Olympics and carried it right through the Olympics and into the 2nd half of the season.

Maya simply has been the best player in the league since the Olympic break. She came back full of confidence, assertiveness, energy, and determination. Despite injuries, including to Seimone, Minnesota has lost just once since July.

 

[UConn990411]

If Maya continues to play like this (and I see no reason she shouldn't), you can put a lock on the Lynx's back-to-back titles.

They're just a really, really good team. No holes whatsoever.

 

[VAMike23]

Maya simply has been the best player in the league since the Olympic break. She came back full of confidence, assertiveness, energy, and determination. Despite injuries, including to Seimone, Minnesota has lost just once since July.

Maya has indeed been great since the break - and who would have thought that Dev Peters would take such a big step forward in the 2nd half?

She showed flashes in the first half but was obviously still finding her way. She still fouls too much but at least now she's learned how to stay on the floor for significant minutes, typically 12-15 or more. Tonight she was on the floor for 29 mins with *no fouls* (miraculous!). Pick and rolls, short jumpers, rebounds, garbage putbacks - the stuff you have to have. Brunson has developed a very solid 15-17 ft jumper but Peters has much better/softer hands and has been more effective overall on the offensive end. Dev has been on the floor late in games lately while Brunson has been on the bench. Nothing against Brunson, just observing.

Based on last season, I was predicting great things from Adair, but her injury this year really set her back. Hopefully for the Lynx, she will gradually work her way back over the next couple of weeks. But Dev's contributions have really been a key difference in several games recently, and it looks like it could continue. Amber is still a question mark as she just does not seem like she is going to be developing into a strong post player. She is more comfortable facing up and even has a respectable 3-pt shot. If she ever figured out how to play nasty on the inside the Lynx would truly be unstoppable. She is getting better though, and the Lynx will need all the depth they can get inside when Taj leaves after this season.

 

[JoePgh]

I'm not so sure that the Sun have clinched. The magic number is now 1, which means that a tie in the win-loss record could still happen if the Fever go 3-0 in their remaining games and the Sun go 0-2. In that case, both teams would finish with 23-11 overall records, and their head-to-head results would be 2-2 for each team. (One of the remaining games for both teams is against the other, on Wednesday night at Mohegan Sun.) I'm pretty sure that Indiana is exactly 2 games behind the Sun in its conference record, which mean that if the Sun lose both remaining games (which are in-conference) and Indiana beats the Sun and Washington in its 2 remaining conference games, they would be tied in conference record as well. I have no idea what the next tiebreaker is after head-to-head and conference record, but that would decide who wins first place in the Eastern Conference.

Nonetheless, Tina / Kalana / Renee certainly owe their former captain a big thank-you for the big assist that she gave to the Sun with her performance tonight. If Indiana had won tonight's game and went on to beat the Sun on Wednesday evening, then the Sun would have had to beat Atlanta in their final game on Sunday to stay out of second place. The way Atlanta has been playing lately (with Tiffany a big part of that), beating the Dream would be no easy task.

Has anyone noticed that Minnesota will finish the regular season with a 16-1 home record, with their only defeat coming at the hands of the Connecticut Sun?

 

[psconn]

Indiana's loss means the Sun have clinched the Eastern Division. They will play NY or Chicago in the 1st round of the playoffs. They didn't want to have to play Atlanta in the 1st round.

The Sun need every break they can get at this point. Realistically, as of today, they look like the 3rd best team in the east. They need an effective Ashja back. Maybe the Sun can work her in slowly over the next 2 games and the first round. If they survive that far it really gets serious and its gotta be all hands on deck.

 

[psconn]

I'm not so sure that the Sun have clinched. The magic number is now 1, which means that a tie in the win-loss record could still happen if the Fever go 3-0 in their remaining games and the Sun go 0-2. In that case, both teams would finish with 23-11 overall records, and their head-to-head results would be 2-2 for each team. (One of the remaining games for both teams is against the other, on Wednesday night at Mohegan Sun.) I'm pretty sure that Indiana is exactly 2 games behind the Sun in its conference record, which mean that if the Sun lose both remaining games (which are in-conference) and Indiana beats the Sun and Washington in its 2 remaining conference games, they would be tied in conference record as well. I have no idea what the next tiebreaker is after head-to-head and conference record, but that would decide who wins first place in the Eastern Conference.

Nonetheless, Tina / Kalana / Renee certainly owe their former captain a big thank-you for the big assist that she gave to the Sun with her performance tonight. If Indiana had won tonight's game and went on to beat the Sun on Wednesday evening, then the Sun would have had to beat Atlanta in their final game on Sunday to stay out of second place. The way Atlanta has been playing lately (with Tiffany a big part of that), beating the Dream would be no easy task.

Has anyone noticed that Minnesota will finish the regular season with a 16-1 home record, with their only defeat coming at the hands of the Connecticut Sun?

TIEBREAKER BASIS:
(1) Better record in head-to-head games.
(2) Better winning percentage within own conference.
(3) Better winning percentage against all teams with .500 or better record at the end of the season.
(4) Better point differential in games head-to-head.
(5) Coin toss.
(6) Not in playoffs

 

[psconn]

I'm not so sure that the Sun have clinched. The magic number is now 1, which means that a tie in the win-loss record could still happen if the Fever go 3-0 in their remaining games and the Sun go 0-2. In that case, both teams would finish with 23-11 overall records, and their head-to-head results would be 2-2 for each team. (One of the remaining games for both teams is against the other, on Wednesday night at Mohegan Sun.) I'm pretty sure that Indiana is exactly 2 games behind the Sun in its conference record, which mean that if the Sun lose both remaining games (which are in-conference) and Indiana beats the Sun and Washington in its 2 remaining conference games, they would be tied in conference record as well. I have no idea what the next tiebreaker is after head-to-head and conference record, but that would decide who wins first place in the Eastern Conference.

Nonetheless, Tina / Kalana / Renee certainly owe their former captain a big thank-you for the big assist that she gave to the Sun with her performance tonight. If Indiana had won tonight's game and went on to beat the Sun on Wednesday evening, then the Sun would have had to beat Atlanta in their final game on Sunday to stay out of second place. The way Atlanta has been playing lately (with Tiffany a big part of that), beating the Dream would be no easy task.

Has anyone noticed that Minnesota will finish the regular season with a 16-1 home record, with their only defeat coming at the hands of the Connecticut Sun?

It looks to me like the Sun have clinched based on tiebreaker #3. If the Sun go 0-2 and the Fever go 3-0 the Sun still have the best percentage against .500+ teams. .400 for IND and .500 for CT. Hope I'm right.

So will the strategy be to rest Tina these last two games and work Ashja slowly back into the line up?

 

[psconn]

Article published Sep 17, 2012CT Sun clinch regular season title
By Mike DiMauro
The Connecticut Sun clinched the Eastern Conference regular season championship of the WNBA without even playing Monday night.Second-place Indiana’s loss at Minnesota gave the Sun their fourth regular season title in the franchise’s 10 years. They clinched the top seed in the conference playoffs, giving them homecourt until the WNBA Finals.The Sun (23-9) own a 2.5-game lead over Indiana as well as all the tiebreakers, meaning the Fever (20-11) cannot catch them.Connecticut will play either New York or Chicago in the first round of the playoffs next week at a date and time to be determined at the conclusion of the regular season.The Sun finish the regular season with home games Wednesday (vs. Indiana) and Sunday (vs. Atlanta).

 

[VAMike23]

What's the latest on Asjha? Is she playing significant minutes yet or are they limiting her?

I certainly would agree that the Sun needs her to be 100% in order to make it to the Finals.

 

[MilfordHusky]

Maya has indeed been great since the break - and who would have thought that Dev Peters would take such a big step forward in the 2nd half?

She showed flashes in the first half but was obviously still finding her way. She still fouls too much but at least now she's learned how to stay on the floor for significant minutes, typically 12-15 or more. Tonight she was on the floor for 29 mins with *no fouls* (miraculous!). Pick and rolls, short jumpers, rebounds, garbage putbacks - the stuff you have to have. Brunson has developed a very solid 15-17 ft jumper but Peters has much better/softer hands and has been more effective overall on the offensive end. Dev has been on the floor late in games lately while Brunson has been on the bench. Nothing against Brunson, just observing.

Based on last season, I was predicting great things from Adair, but her injury this year really set her back. Hopefully for the Lynx, she will gradually work her way back over the next couple of weeks. But Dev's contributions have really been a key difference in several games recently, and it looks like it could continue. Amber is still a question mark as she just does not seem like she is going to be developing into a strong post player. She is more comfortable facing up and even has a respectable 3-pt shot. If she ever figured out how to play nasty on the inside the Lynx would truly be unstoppable. She is getting better though, and the Lynx will need all the depth they can get inside when Taj leaves after this season.

Dev is a player. She was dangerous at ND, but too often got in foul trouble.

Is Dev getting more PT because she's better than Adair, or is Jess still less than 100%?

Monica Wright has improved this year. A nice back-up.

Amber Harris still has potential, but needs to reach it.

Wiggins can hit the threes.

They have a solid starting unit--3 Olympians!--and a nice bench. The smart money is always on Maya's team.

 

[MilfordHusky]

An all-around player! Here are Maya's league rankings in several stat categories. Note that inclusion of some players with much less PT lowers her rankings, especially in 3-point and FT shooting:

Scoring 11th

Rebounds 17th

Assists 14th

Steals 13th

Blocks 25th

Shooting % 37th

3-point shooting % 25th

FT shooting % 19th. Maya has upped her FT shooting to over 87%. Always improving!

 

[CamrnCrz1974]

Maya has indeed been great since the break - and who would have thought that Dev Peters would take such a big step forward in the 2nd half?

WNBA players are especially susceptible to hitting the proverbial "professional rookie wall," as they go directly from playing in college to WNBA training camp, with very little time off. Having the Olympic break not only gave Peters time off from games (though they still practiced), it also allowed her to better understand the offensive and defensive schemes, to be mentored by veteran post players Brunson and McWilliams-Franklin, and to develop chemistry with the other bench players who receive major minutes (Wright, Wiggins) and with whom she would be playing a good portion of time on the court.

 

[VAMike23]

WNBA players are especially susceptible to hitting the proverbial "professional rookie wall," as they go directly from playing in college to WNBA training camp, with very little time off. Having the Olympic break not only gave Peters time off from games (though they still practiced), it also allowed her to better understand the offensive and defensive schemes, to be mentored by veteran post players Brunson and McWilliams-Franklin, and to develop chemistry with the other bench players who receive major minutes (Wright, Wiggins) and with whom she would be playing a good portion of time on the court.

All excellent points.

The Lynx will need one of either Dev, Amber or Jess Adair to make a significant impact in each playoff game. I'm thinking in particular of a likely matchup with the Sparks, who have a lot of long and athletic players. It's looking like Dev may be the one doing so more often than not for the rest of the year. Amber has done some good things here and there, so I shouldn't count her out. JA looks OK but seems to be the last in the rotation as she is still working her way back.

 

[VAMike23]

It actually started before the Olympic break. Combination of Augustus being out for a couple of games letting her move up the pecking order and then being able to spend another few games in her power forward comfort zone where she was free to do some of the things she really excels at, but doesn't get to do in Minnesota's offense when she is at small forward.

She was gaining confidence before the Olympics and carried it right through the Olympics and into the 2nd half of the season.

SA's shot was a little off last night--not too surprising--so the Lynx will only be that much tougher when she regains form. I agree that Maya has benefitted by having more scoring responsibility in her absence. She has been more aggressive - you can see it even in the little things like not picking her dribble as quickly, looking to be a threat every time she touches it. And getting her involved in the lane is great for her overall play. She needs to be active on the inside and outside, or her outside game tends to get a little anxious/jumpy sometimes. The most effective thing lately has been the Lynx's increased recognition when Maya gets a smaller guard on her hip after a switch. She is sealing them off and calling hard for the ball--to me it appears the Lynx are feeding her much more often in these situations than they were earlier in the season.

 

[psconn]

AJ has not played at all since before the break. She's been in street clothes as far as i have noticed.

 

[dtbtbtb]

While she is a great player, IMO the Linx will be an even better team if SA will not force so manny shots with one on one moves

 

[MilfordHusky]

SA's shot was a little off last night--not too surprising--so the Lynx will only be that much tougher when she regains form. I agree that Maya has benefitted by having more scoring responsibility in her absence. She has been more aggressive - you can see it even in the little things like not picking her dribble as quickly, looking to be a threat every time she touches it. And getting her involved in the lane is great for her overall play. She needs to be active on the inside and outside, or her outside game tends to get a little anxious/jumpy sometimes. The most effective thing lately has been the Lynx's increased recognition when Maya gets a smaller guard on her hip after a switch. She is sealing them off and calling hard for the ball--to me it appears the Lynx are feeding her much more often in these situations than they were earlier in the season.

One of Maya's best traits--often overlooked--is that she keeps learning and working. She will be an even better player in future years.

 

[MilfordHusky]

While she is a great player, IMO the Linx will be an even better team if SA will not force so manny shots with one on one moves

I agree. Hopefully, Seimone will learn from her Olympic experience. She is on a team that she does not have to carry. Same for Angel.

One of the key trademarks of UConn alums in the WNBA is better shot selection than almost everyone else.

 

[rjp172]

WNBA players are especially susceptible to hitting the proverbial "professional rookie wall," as they go directly from playing in college to WNBA training camp, with very little time off. Having the Olympic break not only gave Peters time off from games (though they still practiced), it also allowed her to better understand the offensive and defensive schemes, to be mentored by veteran post players Brunson and McWilliams-Franklin, and to develop chemistry with the other bench players who receive major minutes (Wright, Wiggins) and with whom she would be playing a good portion of time on the court.

Actually, Peters broke her during a game a week or so prior to the Olympic break. I'm not sure how much she got to play during the break. I think some of her 2nd half improvement is because of the other injuries and production issues with Adair and Harris. She's now getting more significant time with the key players and becoming more comfortable playing with them as opposed to disjointed time on the floor with the 2nd team.