Mercury @ Sun - 9/10/17

[PhanTom]

I wish!! They were actually 4-16 from 3.

Seven players took the 16 shots, and each player missed at least one shot!

 

[PhanTom]

(6) A deliberately-thrown elbow or any attempted physical act with no contact involved.

How about the elbow to the throat that Griner threw late in the game being ignored by the "Three Blind Mice"?

After Coach Miller got the attention of the refs, they did review the play, but I wonder if they were limited to reviewing whether it was a Flagrent 2. Clearly it was a deliberate thrown elbow that may not have made much contact, but it was certainly beyond the extent of a normal, legal basketball play as far as the elbow.
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Lisa Borders (sitting courtside for this one) must consider both the rule book and the demographic at these games and make a strong statement to the supervisor of officials about this behavior. This behavior is not good for the league and it is steadily getting worse (and not just from Taurasi.

I believe all three officials should be banned for the rest of the playoffs for not issuing a Technical to Diana, just for that part of her full court rant at the woman official as play went back down court, and DT was throwing a fit along with her normal F Bombs. I believe the ref told her to shut up, and of course she did not.

 

[PhanTom]

I hate the superstar treatment myself but it's a fact of life, unfortunately. I made the the "my girls" crack because an elbow to the gut isn't all that heinous, it happens. It's elbows to the head and face that are the worst.

How about the neck, that's what Griner did late in the game, but the refs had no guts to 1. Make the call in the first place, and then after review, I know they could have ruled flagrant, which I don't think it was, but since there had been no call by any of the refs, I don't think they could have issued a flagrant 1 at that point. It clearly was a thrown elbow, but may not have enough contact for them to rule flagrant, without a call being made.

 

[RockyMTblue2]

how unsportsmanlike DT is

She acts like all the guys ... you know, the ones with the huge contracts and vast followings. Get over it.

 

[Geew1992]

The officiating has been horrific all year. And this game was no exception but to say the refs were bias to the mercury....nope....they were crappy to both teams!!

 

[psconn]

David saved me a lot of typing.

My bottom line is that there's a rule book. It says what it says for a reason, I assume. Enforce it or change it. Don't have it apply to some but not others. These rules I cited were blatantly disregarded by Taurasi and others. In no way is this a gray area.

Does a league that talks a lot about role modeling for young girls see Taurasi's behavior as supportive of that goal?

Lisa Borders has to decide what kind of league she wants. If profanity-laced tirades against the game officials is an image she supports, change or delete the rule and own the decision.

 

[psconn]

She acts like all the guys ... you know, the ones with the huge contracts and vast followings. Get over it.

First of all, no. "All the guys" don't act like that. Are you suggesting that verbally abusing game officials over calls enhances the marketability of the player or the prestige of the league?

 

[psconn]

It's funny that Suns fans want to blame the officiating, or "star treatment" for getting beat. How about holding onto a 17-point lead? How about making some of those 9 missed free throws, or shooting better than 25% on those 16 3-point shots? The refs didn't set picks for Mitchell, Taurasi and Curry to get open for those 3-pointers right in a row at the end of the game. To me it looked like superior ball movement got them open, and then clutch execution on the shots. Maybe it's just me, but it seemed like it was the players who decided the game, not the refs.

The "star treatment" I remember Griner getting was being triple-teamed with the ball, getting grabbed and hit while the TV announcers are saying she has the right to her space and it should be a foul on the Suns. Griner holds the ball high to protect it and tries to twist out of the triple team, and the Suns players flop and act like they've been Barncastled, and the refs call an offensive foul on Griner. Then they review it for a possible flagrant, and the replays clearly show it shouldn't have even been a common offensive foul.

Defensive players have a right to their established position and cannot be displaced by the offensive player. The defensive player does not have to yield her position to the player "twisting" out of the trap.

 

[RockyMTblue2]

First of all, no. "All the guys" don't act like that. Are you suggesting that verbally abusing game officials over calls enhances the marketability of the player or the prestige of the league?

 

[j66kicker]

David saved me a lot of typing.

My bottom line is that there's a rule book. It says what it says for a reason, I assume. Enforce it or change it. Don't have it apply to some but not others. These rules I cited were blatantly disregarded by Taurasi and others. In no way is this a gray area.

Does a league that talks a lot about role modeling for young girls see Taurasi's behavior as supportive of that goal?

Lisa Borders has to decide what kind of league she wants. If profanity-laced tirades against the game officials is an image she supports, change or delete the rule and own the decision.

Yup. The same hypocritical league that lets one of these teams play in a freakin' casino (which the young girls don't know about??), and the other team plays in an arena named after a casino, and wears the name of the casino on the fronts of their jerseys. The NBA got over the role modeling thing 20 years ago. See Charles Barkley:

 

[easttexastrash]

I hate the superstar treatment myself but it's a fact of life, unfortunately. I made the the "my girls" crack because an elbow to the gut isn't all that heinous, it happens. It's elbows to the head and face that are the worst.

BG holds the ball high. If you are going to try to guard her you are going to have to get inside her jersey. It is unfortunate that her elbows are about the same height as the defensive players's heads. Sometimes some heads are going to get hit when she tries to pivot.

 

[psconn]

Yup. The same hypocritical league that lets one of these teams play in a freakin' casino (which the young girls don't know about??), and the other team plays in an arena named after a casino, and wears the name of the casino on the fronts of their jerseys. The NBA got over the role modeling thing 20 years ago. See Charles Barkley:

This is an absurd turn in the discussion. "freaking casino"... geez. So you support a player being able to unleash a barrage of public profanity and disparagement on game officials in blatant disregard of the rules of the game, but are troubled somehow that games are played at the Mohegan Sun Arena because... ?
Nevermind, I'm out.

 

[j66kicker]

This is an absurd turn in the discussion. "freaking casino"... geez. So you support a player being able to unleash a barrage of public profanity and disparagement on game officials in blatant disregard of the rules of the game, but are troubled somehow that games are played at the Mohegan Sun Arena because... ?
Nevermind, I'm out.

My point is, if the league really gave a hoot about being role models, then why would they play in a casino?

We all know why - because they take what they can get. This owner has a business model that allows them to lose money on the team because it brings people into the casino to gamble. OK I'm fine with that. But is it really consistent with role models?? IMO can't have it both ways.

 

[JoePgh]

My dad and I watched both games today, and he commented on how unsportsmanlike DT is. She's arguably the Goat of WBB but for that reason I prefer Maya Moore.

How come no one ever complained about this when she played for UConn?

 

[Roger G]

My point is, if the league really gave a hoot about being role models, then why would they play in a casino?

We all know why - because they take what they can get. This owner has a business model that allows them to lose money on the team because it brings people into the casino to gamble. OK I'm fine with that. But is it really consistent with role models?? IMO can't have it both ways.

Is gambling bad? I don't think so, when it is done responsibly. Shouting profanity at the authorities in the game, that's bad. Giving another player a cheap shot to get an advantage in a game, that's bad.

 

[Roger G]

How come no one ever complained about this when she played for UConn?

She was feisty and combative at UConn. She didn't hurl profanities or take cheap shots to the best of my knowledge. Because of her greatness, it seems, she has been allowed greater and greater latitude in her behavior and she has naturally taken it.