Mercury looked unstoppable last night

[msf22b]

Griner is finally beginning to dominate pro ball with soft jumpers, excellent bankers and an offensive game that extends more than two feet from the basket. Last night she was virtually unstoppable. And her teammates finally realize that's it's not a bad strategy to get her the ball low. Still doesn't rebound enough, but then she didn't have Geno for a coach. She's finally having fun and it shows.

DeWanna Bonner was on fire giving the Mercs so many options eve on a night when Diana and Candice Dupree didn't score a ton, they didn't have to.

I think I was the idiot who earlier in the season suggested that Di had lost a step.
Boy that was an idiotic remark. Mea culpa.

And Dupree should be a lock for the USA team as well; just quietly goes about her business with unbelievable consistency. Last night she swept the boards. One of my fav players. It's a pleasure to see her perform.

 

[RadyLady]

Griner is finally beginning to dominate pro ball with soft jumpers, excellent bankers and an offensive game that extends more than two feet from the basket. Last night she was virtually unstoppable. And her teammates finally realize that's it's not a bad strategy to get her the ball low. Still doesn't rebound enough, but then she didn't have Geno for a coach. She's finally having fun and it shows.

DeWanna Bonner was on fire giving the Mercs so many options eve on a night when Diana and Candice Dupree didn't score a ton, they didn't have to.

I think I was the idiot who earlier in the season suggested that Di had lost a step.
Boy that was an idiotic remark. Mea culpa.

And Dupree should be a lock for the USA team as well; just quietly goes about her business with unbelievable consistency. Last night she swept the boards. One of my fav players. It's a pleasure to see her perform.

They are indeed a very well oiled machine and Griner's improvement this year is just amazing! I think when she gets on the USA team and has Geno in her ear we might see little bit of a difference on the rebounding (remember Big Syl's comments?) but she still did a great job. You know they can have an off night Dee and Dupree, there's enough firepower on that team that someone always seems to step up have a great night! it is very definitely a cohesive unit and fun to watch.

 

[VAMike23]

Didn't see the game yet (will catch it on Live Access) but it seems like Phoenix would have to be the favorite with Griner playing well and DT et al running smoothly. A ton of experience on that squad.

IF, and only if, Seimone Augustus gets running on all cylinders so that Minny is at full strength -- and this includes a healthy R. Brunson -- Minny can still hang with Phoenix in a multi-game series. If Phoenix were to somehow stumble down the stretch and give Minny home court, that would be huge. Right now, I would give Phoenix the edge over Minny if they have home court in a playoff series.

Minny is going to have to buckle down and work very hard for that possibility (home court). They have two games remaining against Phoenix in the regular season and may well have to win both of those games to make up the gap. Phoenix does have a tough game on the 13th of August at Atlanta because this game is the second of a back-to-back for them and Atlanta will have 3 days rest. Minny does have a back-to-back at the end of the season but the second one is at home vs. Tulsa, which is winnable but not a gimme like in the old days.

 

[chrissaran]

If Minnesota gets healthy they have as good a chanced as Phoenix of winning the championship. The only team in the East who seems to have a chance is Atlanta. Somebody once asked Geno who he would choose in a one-on-one matchup between D and Maya, and Geno said that he would choose D because she would do anything to win. The other night she flopped, which I've seen her do before, and it has been mentioned by other BoneYarders. That's why I would pick Maya; she doesn't need to flop to win, nor have I ever seen her do it.

 

[Wbbfan1]

Phoenix vs Minn should be a great Western Conference final if both teams are completely healthy. Would probably favor Phoenix because of Griner, but wouldn't be surprised if Minn won the series.

It would be great if somehow Minnesota and Phoenix would meet for the WNBA championship as they are the two best teams.

 

[wallman]

I would take DT also. The do anything to win is huge and whether it's showing a foul or playing to bad refs, give me some. Sometimes the refs are bad and you have to exploit them. I also agree on Dupree, she has the best midrange shot of any player right now, something players like the O sisters lack. She is also great at reading the screen and roll and makes very few mistakes.

 

[VAUConnFan]

Griner is finally beginning to dominate pro ball with soft jumpers, excellent bankers and an offensive game that extends more than two feet from the basket. Last night she was virtually unstoppable. And her teammates finally realize that's it's not a bad strategy to get her the ball low. Still doesn't rebound enough, but then she didn't have Geno for a coach. She's finally having fun and it shows.

DeWanna Bonner was on fire giving the Mercs so many options eve on a night when Diana and Candice Dupree didn't score a ton, they didn't have to.

I think I was the idiot who earlier in the season suggested that Di had lost a step.
Boy that was an idiotic remark. Mea culpa.

And Dupree should be a lock for the USA team as well; just quietly goes about her business with unbelievable consistency. Last night she swept the boards. One of my fav players. It's a pleasure to see her perform.

1. Finally? It 's just her second WNBA season.
2. Doesn't rebound enough? Ms Griner is the league's 10th leading rebounder; Grabbing 2.3 rebounds per game fewer than the league leader while leading the league in blocks, is third in field goal percentage on a 20-3 team that has won 14 straight.
3. Didn't have Geno for a coach? In it's 17 year history, The WNBA MVP has twice been awarded to former UConn Huskies; Impressive without doubt, but the award has gone to former Tennessee Lady Volunteers and to former USC Lady Trojans more often. Coach Auriemma is an outstanding coach, but there are a ton of outstanding coaches throughout WCBB. To make the remark about not having Geno for a coach is a slap in the face to Coach Mulkey who has won national championships as a player, an assistant coach, and as a head coach.
4. Suggesting that Diana Taurasi has lost a step does not make you an idiot, it makes you observant. She is surrounded now, by an ever improving team and has adjusted to the ravages of age.
5. DeWanna Bonner. Now that she is playing a significant role on a winning Phoenix team there has been little to no criticism of her play or of her shot selection.

 

[EricLA]

Didn't see the game yet (will catch it on Live Access) but it seems like Phoenix would have to be the favorite with Griner playing well and DT et al running smoothly. A ton of experience on that squad.

IF, and only if, Seimone Augustus gets running on all cylinders so that Minny is at full strength -- and this includes a healthy R. Brunson -- Minny can still hang with Phoenix in a multi-game series. If Phoenix were to somehow stumble down the stretch and give Minny home court, that would be huge. Right now, I would give Phoenix the edge over Minny if they have home court in a playoff series.

Minny is going to have to buckle down and work very hard for that possibility (home court). They have two games remaining against Phoenix in the regular season and may well have to win both of those games to make up the gap. Phoenix does have a tough game on the 13th of August at Atlanta because this game is the second of a back-to-back for them and Atlanta will have 3 days rest. Minny does have a back-to-back at the end of the season but the second one is at home vs. Tulsa, which is winnable but not a gimme like in the old days.

Minny's problem, IMHO, is that their starting center is 6'1" or so - It's hard for them to shut down big, tall centers on a consistent basis... They've done a great job the past several years, though, even with Taj as their starting 5...

 

[KnightBridgeAZ]

Lets just say I hope for Phoenix.

Taurasi has a fierce will and lots of tangibles and intangibles, Maya (I think) a better skill set, probably the best in the pro game right now, although those who see more games could correct me.

I have always thought that Bonner plays how she is expected to, it just works better when the team is winning and / or she is hitting shots. When things were not going so well at times in the past I felt she could be part of the problem, but I never thought it was her, as much as what the coaches were asking her to do. JMHO.

 

[JellyBean]

Yeah Phoenix is looking real good. And I figured that once Brittney got comfortable in the paint, it would be tough trying to beat the Mercury. I mean right now the top teams in the West are my Lynx and the Mercury. Looking forward to a fantastic finish and playoff run for the ages.

 

[wallman]

Not a Bonner fan. Comes down to decision making and she is lacking in that area IMO.

 

[calpedaler]

Having a healthy Penny Taylor this year has been huge for Phoenix.

 

[Striper69]

The key has been Coach Bondello.

 

[RadyLady]

There has been a lot of puzzle pieces falling into place this year for Phoenix and the result is a great basketball machine. Seriously VA - "ravages of age"? D is 30 and playing very, very well. I disagree on that.

Bonner got a bad rap last year from some. She was playing on a depleted team in a not so great system and ended up being the go to player for the team. I agree she did play some crazy last year, but IMO she made the best of a not so great situation and I note for the record that she took a lot of crap from people who otherwise were disappointed by the play of others. She couldn't win no matter what she did, and that's a tough situation in which anyone could find themselves.

Now everyone is back, and healthy, last year's rookie has a year under her belt, there is anew coach, and there is a cohesiveness about the team and as a result they are playing well and they are fun to watch.

 

[ndmb]

1. Finally? It 's just her second WNBA season.
Agreed.
2. Doesn't rebound enough? Ms Griner is the league's 10th leading rebounder; Grabbing 2.3 rebounds per game fewer than the league leader while leading the league in blocks, is third in field goal percentage on a 20-3 team that has won 14 straight.
Griner has improved a lot in her rebounding, but with her combination of height, vertical, and quickness, she could and should be a better rebounder. I really don't think that's a controversial statement.
3. Didn't have Geno for a coach? In it's 17 year history, The WNBA MVP has twice been awarded to former UConn Huskies; Impressive without doubt, but the award has gone to former Tennessee Lady Volunteers and to former USC Lady Trojans more often. Coach Auriemma is an outstanding coach, but there are a ton of outstanding coaches throughout WCBB. To make the remark about not having Geno for a coach is a slap in the face to Coach Mulkey who has won national championships as a player, an assistant coach, and as a head coach.
Geno is not the only good coach that WCBB has seen, but UConn does have a tremendous history of developing post players (more than any other program that comes to mind). The MVP award is kind of a cherry-picked stat when you consider the number of UConn players that have gone through the WNBA. Griner developed well in some areas of her game during college, but not as well in others, and I don't think it's crazy (or a slap in the face) to suggest that another coach would have developed her better.
4. Suggesting that Diana Taurasi has lost a step does not make you an idiot, it makes you observant. She is surrounded now, by an ever improving team and has adjusted to the ravages of age.
I think that ravages of age is a little much at this point, but I do agree that she's lost a half-step.
5. DeWanna Bonner. Now that she is playing a significant role on a winning Phoenix team there has been little to no criticism of her play or of her shot selection.
That's because she doesn't make as many dumb decisions with the ball anymore. See the coaching change.

 

[easttexastrash]

Griner is finally beginning to dominate pro ball with soft jumpers, excellent bankers and an offensive game that extends more than two feet from the basket. Last night she was virtually unstoppable. And her teammates finally realize that's it's not a bad strategy to get her the ball low. Still doesn't rebound enough, but then she didn't have Geno for a coach. She's finally having fun and it shows.

DeWanna Bonner was on fire giving the Mercs so many options eve on a night when Diana and Candice Dupree didn't score a ton, they didn't have to.

I think I was the idiot who earlier in the season suggested that Di had lost a step.
Boy that was an idiotic remark. Mea culpa.

And Dupree should be a lock for the USA team as well; just quietly goes about her business with unbelievable consistency. Last night she swept the boards. One of my fav players. It's a pleasure to see her perform.

One thing I have noticed about BG, in reference to rebounding, is that she is perfectly happy to allow her teammates to grab rebounds that she could grab herself. If she sees a teammate in a position to grab a rebound that she could also grab, she tends to step back and let them grab the ball. I would prefer that she take it upon herself to pursue every rebound. She also tips a lot of balls to her teammates so that they can get the rebound, when she is really the one responsible for the rebound. And, as in college, she provides help defense on every drive to the basket, thus taking her out of rebounding position on defense. But her teammates are on the other side of the lane and in position to grab rebounds off of missed shots that BG so frequently affects.

I am not sure that rebounding will ever be a gaudy stat for her. Although she is tall and athletic, her feet are huge and most of the great rebounders have the combination of size and quick feet. Charles, Fowles, Nneka, Chiney all have much quicker feet and can get to a ball faster than BG.

Her offensive game has gone to a new level. She has always had a nice touch from 15 feet in, but that has never been a part of her game that she has been allowed to demonstrate because she has always been limited by the coaches to stay down on the block. But she has a sweet stroke and that three pointer she made in the all-star game was no fluke. I watched her shoot the three in warm-ups at Baylor and it was common for her to hit 5 - 10 in a row. With her size and nice form, the shot is not a strain for her to shoot and this will eventually be a part of her game that the coaching staff realizes can be used as another threat. Her defender will not be able to play off of her if she is allowed to show that she can hit that shot.

 

[Orangutan]

Mercury aren't exactly unstoppable. Chicago played them very tight two weeks ago. The key is that Chicago has Fowles so dumping it down to Griner and expecting her to dominate didn't work. Since Fowles could handle Griner 1-on-1, the rest could focus on limiting DT and making secondary scorers beat them. I think that's the template.

That said, Fowles is one of the few players (possibly the only player?) who can truly defend Griner 1-on-1, so that template is not of much use to other teams.

This is the team that people envisioned when they called Phoenix title favorites immediately after drafting Griner.

 

[easttexastrash]

Griner's impact was not immediate but Phoenix is looking pretty smart for taking Griner. I agree that Fowlea is the only player who can challenge BG. There are plenty of scorers on the team so they weren't as much in need of a scorer like EDD. And now with EDD's medical condition BG has proven to be the safer choice. Lyme Disease may be a lifelong struggle for her and could impact her entire career.

 

[Striper69]

I like watching coach Bondello during the timeouts. She gets more excited than any other coach. LOL

DT was kind of leading her on last week. It was funny to watch.

 

[hoophuskee]

Griner's impact was not immediate but Phoenix is looking pretty smart for taking Griner. I agree that Fowlea is the only player who can challenge BG. There are plenty of scorers on the team so they weren't as much in need of a scorer like EDD. And now with EDD's medical condition BG has proven to be the safer choice. Lyme Disease may be a lifelong struggle for her and could impact her entire career.

I'm not sure "smart" is the word. It-- imo-- was logical. Of course las tyear EDD was superior. But as you say - Phoneix had plenty of scorers. And they needed help with their defene. And when your best player is a terrific passing guard, it's always beneficial to stick that player with terrific scoring low post player. Magic Johnson to Abdul-Jabbar comes to mind.

 

[rocky rococo]

Top shot blockers never maximize their rebounding potential. Very simply, the effort to block shots frequently ends up taking the player away from ideal rebounding position. It's a choice players and coaches make, a value judgment.

When your "role players" are Candice Dupree, Penny Taylor and DeWanna Bonner, you're in good shape, and stars DT and BG are producing all that could be asked. Even the bench is not a bare cupboard with Phillips, Murphy, Bass and Jekabsone-Zogota it has a variety of usable parts, besides a distinctly "formerly Sun" look to it.

 

[UConn990411]

Griner's impact was not immediate but Phoenix is looking pretty smart for taking Griner. I agree that Fowlea is the only player who can challenge BG. There are plenty of scorers on the team so they weren't as much in need of a scorer like EDD. And now with EDD's medical condition BG has proven to be the safer choice. Lyme Disease may be a lifelong struggle for her and could impact her entire career.

It was a silly debate the time, and it's looking sillier today.

You simply don't pass on a talent like Griner, no matter who else you have on the roster.