May 2024 WNBA Thread, part II

[azfan]

Put in a steady effort in Arlington tonight; jumping to an 8-pt. lead (and eventual margin of victory) en route to a 92-84 victory over the Wings. Their big three all played consistently:

• Skylar Diggins-Smith: 21 pts (8-15 shooting overall) and 6 assists
• Jewell Loyd: 19 points (8-16) shooting and 6 assists
• Nneka Ogwumike: 17 points (7-13 shooting) and 6 assists

Game was pretty even statistically, with the key stat line being Seattle scored 27 pts of turnovers as opposed to Dallas only getting 13.

Any road win is good, Not sure how much I'd make of a road win over the three and nine Wing who are negative 6.7 net points who've lost six in a row

 

[Dillon77]

Any road win is good, Not sure how much I'd make of a road win over the three and nine Wing who are negative 6.7 net points who've lost six in a row

Fair enough. But I thought the Wings played reasonably hard and equal, save for the excessive turnovers. They miss Sabally on offense and Howard on defense a lot. Diggins-Smith's drives to the hoop were virtually unimpeded.

 

[Dillon77]

Well, the first two quarters of the Aces-Mercury saw the two teams exchange themselves: The Mercury pounded the Aces 28-12 and I was thinking "4-straight losses, but I'll give it five minutes." Glad I did: The Aces flipped the script and them some, taking the quarter 42-23.
Jackie Young was doing a demo on how to destroy the opposition, finishing with 21 points in the half, blasting three's, leading fast brakes and leaving defenders in the wake of her ponytail after yet another crossover move. Geesh.

Both teams equal-schmequalled the 2nd half with the Aces having a W. A'ja Wilson scored 32 and grabbed 15 rebounds, while going 11 for 11 at the FT line. Young finished with 34. Plum scored 16, but was under 33% shooting. The lack of depth on this team is unsustainable, but it sure as heck was on fully cylinders for three quarters last night.

 

[Bigboote]

Put in a steady effort in Arlington tonight; jumping to an 8-pt. lead (and eventual margin of victory) en route to a 92-84 victory over the Wings. Their big three all played consistently:

• Skylar Diggins-Smith: 21 pts (8-15 shooting overall) and 6 assists
• Jewell Loyd: 19 points (8-16) shooting and 6 assists
• Nneka Ogwumike: 17 points (7-13 shooting) and 6 assists

Game was pretty even statistically, with the key stat line being Seattle scored 27 pts of turnovers as opposed to Dallas only getting 13.

I‘m still not fond of Skylar, but not having seen her for the better part of two years, I’d forgotten just how good she is. She’s so creative and such a good decision maker.

 

[azfan]

Fair enough. But I thought the Wings played reasonably hard and equal, save for the excessive turnovers. They miss Sabally on offense and Howard on defense a lot. Diggins-Smith's drives to the hoop were virtually unimpeded.

Ikr... As I said a w is hard and it was a win.

The Storm did exactly what they were supposed to do against the second worst team in the league. They pounded them. Dallas is a poundable team. They have the second worst point differential in the league and the Arike problem. The Storm took care of business they pounded a really lousy team. That's great but I wouldn't make too much of it.

Storm have a solid rotation and clearly are a top five team in the league. There's a reason Dallas has lost six in a row, is near the bottom of the league and vying with the Fever for least defensive team in the league.

The next three games will tell us a lot about the Storm.

Can Jewel and company go into Footprint and duplicate the Ace's performance? Of the three games this is the one the Storm should win. In fact I would say it's close to a must win. The GOAT is certainly going to be tired from administering 6 hard fouls against the Aces as she was channeling the bad boys. I'd be really surprised if Sug or Sophie can duplicate their off the bench performances. Anyway we'll see if Quinn can I out coach the million dollar man in Phoenix. If so should Sue Bird and the ownership group give Quinn a raise to seven figures?

Since they pounded a poundable team on the road can they beat a beatable team on the road?

Performing against the Aces who really got a chance to ReDiscover their mojo against the million dollar coach and the valley of the Sun "team" and a really key early season home game against the Sun follow the trip and to the valley of the Sun.

Going into Vegas should be very interesting. One thing's for sure I don't guess the Storm will have two starters foul out.

We'll see how Quinn has matured. While the players ultimately decide the fate of the game Quinn is going to get to test her chops against Hammond and White. And it'll be really fun to see the coaching acumen of Quinn and the million dollar coach.

I'm looking forward to:

Jewell v KFC

Jewel v Young

Nekka v AT

Predictions

DT gets a T

Plum hits 4 threes (does Gray play?)

Combined score against Sun under 131

 

[azfan]

Plum scored 16, but was under 33% shooting. The lack of depth on this team is unsustainable, but it sure as heck was on fully cylinders for three quarters last night.

Talking about the Merc? Mack, Dixon, Sutton? Lol

Watching the Mercury is like watching Blazing Saddles or Spaceballs. With the million dollar coach acting as director the Merc's perimeter defense is always a hoot and a holler and certainly made Jackie Young and the team from Vegas happy. 10 for 10 in the second quarter. Much is made of the intense effort by Cloud and KFC and it is kind of funny watching them run around with so much intensity and so little impact. Of course the GOAT is three steps slow but you better look over your shoulder cuz she's going to lay the wood to you.

Not sure about the million dollar coach's installation of perimeter defense but he sure does like that Detroit bad boys approach on the defensive end. As DT got her money's worth on 6 fouls and KFC followed her mentor in the Mercury's effort to compensate for being two steps slow by punching their opponent didn't really work.

In fact after the first quarter nothing much worked for the Merc although they did make a little run in the third quarter.

Of all the entertainment in that really fun game last night Sug Sutton's butt layup was perhaps the best and emblematic of the keystone approach in the valley of the sun.

I think I finally figured out the management approach in The valley of The Sun it's All about entertainment not about basketball.

It occurs to me that if three of your starters are Olympians and your team is under .500 should your coach be earning a million dollars a year?

Wonder what Kristy Tolliver thinks of all this?

Dare I say it?

Dare, dare

Perhaps aTolliver should be the coach

 

[JellyBean]

Granted, it's only Phoenix, but this is the best that the Aces have looked in a while. Hopefully they can sustain this effort.

Having a ball mover out there for long stretches makes a difference. Syd looked FANTASTIC in that first half!

Jack's back--and not a moment too soon!

Tip--need you to wake up in the 2nd half. It's Phoenix--you should be able to score against them as a downhill driver. Also, STOP FOULING!

Can't watch the 2nd half--doesn't matter since they'll likely blow it. But at least we know that there are actual signs of life. That first half 3-point shooting >>>>

Yeah. Watching the game last night, I was waiting for the Aces to fall apart. Glad that Jackie Young found her shot! The Aces struggle with their defense and shooting. If they are making shots, they make the game tough. If they are making shots and locking down on defense, it is a wrap! But they looked decent against Phoenix.

 

[azfan]

Yeah. Watching the game last night, I was waiting for the Aces to fall apart. Glad that Jackie Young found her shot! The Aces struggle with their defense and shooting. If they are making shots, they make the game tough. If they are making shots and locking down on defense, it is a wrap! But they looked decent against Phoenix.

Easy to look decent against the merc. Actually easy to look pretty good against the million dollar coach and his squad of three Olympians.

Recall last month the hapless Wing, winners of only three games, barely above the Mystics lite up the Merc for 107 in their destruction of DT and the gang at Footprint area.

The Wing had their way with the Merc..... phoenix made Dallas look like a juggernaut

 

[visitingcock]

Watched a couple of highlight videos of The Fever vs. Dream and read the comments.

I was amazed how many newbie Clark fans were calling for Sides to be fired after the win because Clark didn't get enough shots from beyond the arc. Does 17% justify more shots? With 11 shots, 6 assists ( including some very nice ones) and 7 turnovers, its not like she wasn't touching the ball.

I think Clark is going to grow into a good and maybe great player but her newbie fans are insane. Many were calling for her to quit the Fever and play overseas. Many were also calling Boston the worst number 1 draft pick ever and saying she is freezing Clark out. Most were calling for an offense that has three players setting screens for Clark on every play. All said that an offense (that scored 91 points) built around a post center is ugly, inefficient and outdated.

I wish Caitlin well, but sheesh, these new fans!

 

[baggerbob]

I‘m still not fond of Skylar, but not having seen her for the better part of two years, I’d forgotten just how good she is. She’s so creative and such a good decision maker.

If Gray isn't healthy enough for the Olympics, Skylar should be the replacement.

 

[baggerbob]

Watched a couple of highlight videos of The Fever vs. Dream and read the comments.

I was amazed how many newbie Clark fans were calling for Sides to be fired after the win because Clark didn't get enough shots from beyond the arc. Does 17% justify more shots? With 11 shots, 6 assists ( including some very nice ones) and 7 turnovers, its not like she wasn't touching the ball.

I think Clark is going to grow into a good and maybe great player but her newbie fans are insane. Many were calling for her to quit the Fever and play overseas. Many were also calling Boston the worst number 1 draft pick ever and saying she is freezing Clark out. Most were calling for an offense that has three players setting screens for Clark on every play. All said that an offense (that scored 91 points) built around a post center is ugly, inefficient and outdated.

I wish Caitlin well, but sheesh, these new fans!

That's the problem, they aren't basketball fans, just Clark fans.
Actually the Iowa coach didn't do Caitlin any favors by the offense, and defense she ran.
A good coach would have set her up for going to the WNBA.
That's what Geno, and Dawn do.

 

[Reypl21]

Watched a couple of highlight videos of The Fever vs. Dream and read the comments.

I was amazed how many newbie Clark fans were calling for Sides to be fired after the win because Clark didn't get enough shots from beyond the arc. Does 17% justify more shots? With 11 shots, 6 assists ( including some very nice ones) and 7 turnovers, its not like she wasn't touching the ball.

I think Clark is going to grow into a good and maybe great player but her newbie fans are insane. Many were calling for her to quit the Fever and play overseas. Many were also calling Boston the worst number 1 draft pick ever and saying she is freezing Clark out. Most were calling for an offense that has three players setting screens for Clark on every play. All said that an offense (that scored 91 points) built around a post center is ugly, inefficient and outdated.

I wish Caitlin well, but sheesh, these new fans!

Where are these fans? On X?

 

[Reypl21]

If Gray isn't healthy enough for the Olympics, Skylar should be the replacement.

I think Skylar is better than Sabrina IMO. But her issues with DT and not having the most successful Olympics run last time are not helping her either. Plus she just had her second child and was getting back into basketball shape. So she wasn't available for the training camps.
But I agree, SDS should be a replacement for Gray.

 

[rubymae4]

[Also posted this on the main board in the WNBA thread]

For those without the WNBA League Pass or other ways to watch WNBA games—get the WNBA app. Under the Watch section, “Quick Games” are posted where the game is distilled down to 10ish minutes. You can watch for free. Gives you highlights, lots of scoring, a few defensive standout plays, and a general feel for the game.

In the Games section, you can also easily find the games being played each day and who has broadcasting rights. During and after the game, there is an updated box score, play-by-play, and short video clips of good plays (without all of the obnoxious ESPN ads).

It’s an easy one-stop viewing app with nice resources for those who don’t want to pay for the League Pass. I figure even non-paid engagement with the app shows interest in the league.

 

[GCKSFN4L]

Watched a couple of highlight videos of The Fever vs. Dream and read the comments.

I was amazed how many newbie Clark fans were calling for Sides to be fired after the win because Clark didn't get enough shots from beyond the arc. Does 17% justify more shots? With 11 shots, 6 assists ( including some very nice ones) and 7 turnovers, its not like she wasn't touching the ball.

I think Clark is going to grow into a good and maybe great player but her newbie fans are insane. Many were calling for her to quit the Fever and play overseas. Many were also calling Boston the worst number 1 draft pick ever and saying she is freezing Clark out. Most were calling for an offense that has three players setting screens for Clark on every play. All said that an offense (that scored 91 points) built around a post center is ugly, inefficient and outdated.

I wish Caitlin well, but sheesh, these new fans!

Yeah I was watching the post game presser on YouTube and based on the comments you would never know they won. These "fans" were upset that she didn't go for 20+ points and were requesting a trade. They would rather the Fever lose and she puts up 30 than she wins with single digits. This bizarre reaction to a win, only proves to me that her not being on Team USA was the right idea. I'm sure the "fans" would have been equally upset when the Olympic team is ran through A'ja and Stewie.

 

[visitingcock]

Where are these fans? On X?

Look for a youtube highlight video of last night's game. Read the comments.

 

[GamecockFam]

Where are these fans? On X?

YouTube comments. I saw the same comments as @visitingcock while I was looking up highlights on that platform.

 

[The deacon]

That's the problem, they aren't basketball fans, just Clark fans.
Actually the Iowa coach didn't do Caitlin any favors by the offense, and defense she ran.
A good coach would have set her up for going to the WNBA.
That's what Geno, and Dawn do.

Look for a youtube highlight video of last night's game. Read the comments.

Yeah I was watching the post game presser on YouTube and based on the comments you would never know they won. These "fans" were upset that she didn't go for 20+ points and were requesting a trade. They would rather the Fever lose and she puts up 30 than she wins with single digits. This bizarre reaction to a win, only proves to me that her not being on Team USA was the right idea. I'm sure the "fans" would have been equally upset when the Olympic team is ran through A'ja and Stewie.

I'm amused and perhaps bemused that you folks and others are spending your time reading comments from those some call 'newbie' fans of Caitlin Clark. Who cares what they think or say?

We're smart enough to make out own judgments about how Caitlin is playing, or any other WNBA player.

As for the statement that Geno and Dawn ostensibly focus their programs to prepare their plays for the WNBA, you know very well that numerous former Huskies and Gamecocks have not made it in the pros, and there are plenty of others who barely hang on. Of course, both Geno and Dawn have cultivated the skills of some to be mega-stars, but they haven't been full proof.

As for your implied suggestion, baggerbob, that Lisa Bluder should have had her team play a different kind of game to better prep Caitlin for the pros, does it mean nothing to you that the Hawkeyes built a remarkable four-season run of successes during CC's time there, and she made meanwhile individual history in countless ways, all as by-products of Bluder's coaching.

Clark has challenges before her, and none of us knows how she's do as time goes on, but that's up to her (and her current coaches). Caitlin came out of Iowa's program as a classy, remarkably mature and incredibly accomplished college grad. That tells me Lisa Bluder was providing Caitlin with a darned good foundation for the inevitable hurdles to come.

GCKSFn4L, as one of those Huskies fans who also cheered for Iowa the past few years and now roots for Caitlin, Aliyah and their teammates to have some WNBA success, I'd much rather Caitlin score just 7 or 11 points and the Fever win than for her to have 30 in a defeat! If she were to score 30 and the Fever were to win, all the better.

 

[GCKSFN4L]

I'm amused and perhaps bemused that you folks and others are spending your time reading comments from those some call 'newbie' fans of Caitlin Clark. Who cares what they think or say?

We're smart enough to make out own judgments about how Caitlin is playing, or any other WNBA player.

As for the statement that Geno and Dawn ostensibly focus their programs to prepare their plays for the WNBA, you know very well that numerous former Huskies and Gamecocks have not made it in the pros, and there are plenty of others who barely hang on. Of course, both Geno and Dawn have cultivated the skills of some to be mega-stars, but they haven't been full proof.

As for your implied suggestion, baggerbob, that Lisa Bluder should have had her team play a different kind of game to better prep Caitlin for the pros, does it mean nothing to you that the Hawkeyes built a remarkable four-season run of successes during CC's time there, and she made meanwhile individual history in countless ways, all as by-products of Bluder's coaching.

Clark has challenges before her, and none of us knows how she's do as time goes on, but that's up to her (and her current coaches). Caitlin came out of Iowa's program as a classy, remarkably mature and incredibly accomplished college grad. That tells me Lisa Bluder was providing Caitlin with a darned good foundation for the inevitable hurdles to come.

GCKSFn4L, as one of those Huskies fans who also cheered for Iowa the past few years and now roots for Caitlin, Aliyah and their teammates to have some WNBA success, I'd much rather Caitlin score just 7 or 11 points and the Fever win than for her to have 30 in a defeat! If she were to score 30 and the Fever were to win, all the better.

Yep I view the comments of almost every video I watch on YouTube especially as it relates to content such as Interviews and podcasts. This was nothing out of the ordinary for me, I wasn't going out my way to view comments of those specific fans but it's what I observed when I was watching the video and it caught me off guard.

Unfortunately to some extent we have to care what the CC fans think. I don't seek it out but at this time they dominate most mainstream WNBA conversations on all forms of social media and their viewership is what's currently moving the needle to next level. Also despite my issues with how the WNBA has been covered as of late, I genuinely still want Clark to do well just like anybody else.

 

[JDuro]

Where are these fans? On X?

Pick pretty much any medium they’re there, but certainly prevalent on Twitter, YouTube, Tik Tok, Instagram and FB.

 

[visitingcock]

Yep I view the comments of almost every video I watch on YouTube especially as it relates to content such as Interviews and podcasts. This was nothing out of the ordinary for me, I wasn't going out my way to view comments of those specific fans but it's what I observed when I was watching the video and it caught me off guard.

Unfortunately to some extent we have to care what the CC fans think. I don't seek it out but at this time they dominate most mainstream WNBA conversations on all forms of social media and their viewership is what's currently moving the needle to next level. Also despite my issues with how the WNBA has been covered as of late, I genuinely still want Clark to do well just like anybody else.

You are amused/bemused by my amusement/bemusement.

Personally, I thought Clark played well within the game plan. She had about 4 beautiful entry passes to Boston. If she keeps that up she will find more open shots for herself as defenders collapse to defend the paint. She can raise her substandard shooting percentage that way.

But, I’m speaking heresy to her legions who want her jacking up low percentage logo threes.

 

[cancontent]

Drat

 

[Geew1992]

Drat

She can’t catch a break

 

[DRR25]

Watched a couple of highlight videos of The Fever vs. Dream and read the comments.

I was amazed how many newbie Clark fans were calling for Sides to be fired after the win because Clark didn't get enough shots from beyond the arc. Does 17% justify more shots? With 11 shots, 6 assists ( including some very nice ones) and 7 turnovers, its not like she wasn't touching the ball.

I think Clark is going to grow into a good and maybe great player but her newbie fans are insane. Many were calling for her to quit the Fever and play overseas. Many were also calling Boston the worst number 1 draft pick ever and saying she is freezing Clark out. Most were calling for an offense that has three players setting screens for Clark on every play. All said that an offense (that scored 91 points) built around a post center is ugly, inefficient and outdated.

I wish Caitlin well, but sheesh, these new fans!

I'm amazed that you were amazed.