Minnesota Lynx @ Los Angeles Sparks - 8/21/18

[bballnut90]

So far 2/2 with predictions. Next up is:
Mercury at Sun—I think Phoenix wins this. The Big 3 for Phoenix is playing great and they’re a better team when they play their A game. Jonquel Jones has been on a tear though and if Jas Thomas is hitting shots it could be a good one.

Sparks at Mystics—real tossup here. I expect Parker rebounds with a massive night against Washington. Gray and Toliver are as clutch as anyone in the league...I think LA wins if they avoid their standard stretch where they settle for jumpshots. I think I picked Mystics in a diff thread but it really could go either way.

 

[Undercovervol]

Why do you think lobo is biased against sparks?
Chelsea gray is just as clutch as any player in the league...she won that game 1v1

 

[Orangutan]

I half expect to find out that Moore has been carrying some sort of secret leg injury. Was not herself at all down the stretch, missing free throws and coming up way short on a 3.

 

[Undercovervol]

So far 2/2 with predictions. Next up is:
Mercury at Sun—I think Phoenix wins this. The Big 3 for Phoenix is playing great and they’re a better team when they play their A game. Jonquel Jones has been on a tear though and if Jas Thomas is hitting shots it could be a good one.

Sparks at Mystics—real tossup here. I expect Parker rebounds with a massive night against Washington. Gray and Toliver are as clutch as anyone in the league...I think LA wins if they avoid their standard stretch where they settle for jumpshots. I think I picked Mystics in a diff thread but it really could go either way.

Mystics vs Sparks should be an excellent game. Can Parker rebound and play better? She looked dead in the water at times tonight. Riquana Williams starting is the right move. If she can score consistently, LA is a tough out even with Parker playing slowly.

 

[MilfordHusky]

Chelsea Gray

The story of the game in 2 words. She had a bit of an up-and-down season, but she was huge tonight. Minnesota has not been able to match up with the L.A. guards the past couple of seasons.

For the Lynx, one bright spot was Temi Fagbenle. They need to get DRob back healthy and make a good draft pick. I’m thinking Ezi Macbegor may be available.

 

[bballnut90]

Why do you think lobo is biased against sparks?
Chelsea gray is just as clutch as any player in the league...she won that game 1v1

I just don’t think she likes Parker much, whether it’s due to her complaining to refs or that she has a tendency to settle for perimeter shots rather than be aggressive...anything complimentary by Lobo usually comes with a negative undertone. Sparks have been centered around Candace the last decade, so im guessing it stems from that. Similar to why a lot of people here actively root against the Sparks but praise both Nneka and Gray.

 

[Carnac]

Mystics vs Sparks should be an excellent game. Can Parker rebound and play better? She looked dead in the water at times tonight. Riquana Williams starting is the right move. If she can score consistently, LA is a tough out even with Parker playing slowly.

The TV announcer said that Parker was feeling ill tonight. At times on the verge of throwing up.

 

[Shorty Dee]

Chelsea Gray and Nneka went into beast mode. Brian Angler threatened to take Chelsea out of the game, and Chelsea and Nneka caught fire. Nneka yelled in the huddle, and it was all she wrote. Wow, that was some true motivation. I don't like the Sparks, but Nneka and Chelsea wouldn't be denied.

 

[triaddukefan]

Chelsea (Expletive Deleted) Gray

@stwainfan tell your girl Candace that she needs to take Ms Gray to dinner later at one of LA's finest dinner establishments

 

[willtalk]

Chelsea Gray and Nneka went into beast mode. Brian Angler threatened to take Chelsea out of the game, and Chelsea and Nneka caught fire. Nneka yelled in the huddle, and it was all she wrote. Wow, that was some true motivation. I don't like the Sparks, but Nneka and Chelsea wouldn't be denied.

The "out"Angler was referring to was her being out of the playoffs not the game. Even at the level she was playing it was still better than anyone else he could replace her with. He was referring to her taking charge of the offense. Her problem as it has also been with most of the team is deferring to Candice. He wanted her to become aggressive on offense, which she responded to and did.

 

[shizam]

Lynx look toast. Dynasty is almost officially over...they had an incredible 7 year run.

Thank goodness their run is over. They were boring as heck this year. Whalen, Augustus, Brunson WERE terrific but not this year. How did Augustus and Brunson make an all star team? Hope to see those slots filled by younger deserving players next year. They were a great team for 7 years. Sparks should have won it all last year but Maya found a way.
That series two years ago was epic.

 

[HuskyFan1125]

Ugggghhhhh :-/

 

[shizam]

I just don’t think she likes Parker much, whether it’s due to her complaining to refs or that she has a tendency to settle for perimeter shots rather than be aggressive...anything complimentary by Lobo usually comes with a negative undertone. Sparks have been centered around Candace the last decade, so im guessing it stems from that. Similar to why a lot of people here actively root against the Sparks but praise both Nneka and Gray.

Parker is very good for the league. Will she mix it up at the basket? No but she can do everything else. Love her versatility.

 

[stwainfan]

Chelsea (Expletive Deleted) Gray

@stwainfan tell your girl Candace that she needs to take Ms Gray to dinner later at one of LA's finest dinner establishments

She did have a big game. Maybe someday she can join Parker in the HOF.

 

[BostonCanuck]

I half expect to find out that Moore has been carrying some sort of secret leg injury. Was not herself at all down the stretch, missing free throws and coming up way short on a 3.

Shocking performance by Moore tonight, especially down the stretch as you mentioned. One for five from the charity stripe, including two misses in a row late in the game that I believe would have put her team within one. Yikes!

 

[UConnCat]

How did Augustus and Brunson make an all star team? Hope to see those slots filled by younger deserving players next year. They were a great team for 7 years. \

Come on. Pay attention. Brunson was added late by Brondello to replace Nneka. Why? Because the game was in Minneapolis. It was a way to honor a great player and champion in all All-Star game on her home court. Augustus too was on the team to honor her in an All-star game on her home court. Those are nice ways to celebrate the accomplishments of great players who are nearing the end of their careers.

 

[UConnCat]

If Lobo is biased against Parker -- something I haven't heard -- it would balance out the play-by-play guy who loooovvvveees Parker. Of course, there's also the camera guy whose job it is to follow her every move and gesture. I call it the Parker cam.

Poor Candace. Once again the victim. This time it's big, bad Becca.

 

[MSSportsGuy]

The 2016 finals series was the last time I've watched the WNBA and it was incredible. Now it appears age has caught up to the Lynx. Whalen had a great career. Brunson and Augustus have a lot of miles on them and while they can still put up good numbers it could be time for the Lynx to look ahead. Of course Moore and Fowles are two of the best in the world but they need another consistent scoring option.

 

[JellyBean]

Tough to watch this game last night. As a huge Minnesota Lynx fan, I could see the writing on the wall at the start of the season. The Lynx just did not have that...intensity. That desire to crush other teams. Up 11 points and could not sustain that lead. Hey. I tip my hat to the Sparks. They just wanted it more. With CP and Ogwumike hurting and playing a bar or two below their standards, their team played well.

 

[UConnCat]

The Lynx lost not because of a lack of intensity or "want to;" they lost because of a lack of talent, particularly at the guard spot. Whalen and Augustus had nothing left in the tank especially against guards as talented and big as Gray and Williams. The Lynx emptied the tank last year when they won their 4th championship in 7 years. The Sparks's struggles this year show just how difficult it is to accomplish what the Lynx accomplished with its core group. Hats off to them for a remarkable run. Changes are now gonna come. . .

It’s clear we’re headed for changes,” Lynx coach Cheryl Reeve said. “We’re a team that’s been together a long, long time, now eight years. That means we had them at 25, 26, 27. Now, they’re getting to a place where they just can’t keep going.

“We’re going to do our very, very best to look at everything open to us. We have a lot of flexibility in our contractual situations. We’ll start right away looking at free agency and, obviously, the collegiate draft. We have a lot of work to do with our roster.”

 

[Beemer]

They just said Nneka has been battling mono this year. First I've heard that.

All I've heard/read til now is that she's been ill, nothing more than that. Thankfully it is just mono, it could have been much worse.

 

[bballnut90]

Parker is very good for the league. Will she mix it up at the basket? No but she can do everything else. Love her versatility.

I agree...I’ve defended her on here several times against the masses. She didn’t play well yesterday but historically has been one of the best crunch time players in the league and has her best games on the biggest stages. A big game from her and Gray and I think they knock off the Mystics.

 

[EricLA]

The TV announcer said that Parker was feeling ill tonight. At times on the verge of throwing up.

Totally understandable. I feel the same way watching her "play"...

 

[Beemer]

Totally understandable. I feel the same way watching her "play"...

This made me laugh. Does that make me a bad person? Asking for a friend....

 

[Carnac]

The Lynx lost not because of a lack of intensity or "want to;" they lost because of a lack of talent, particularly at the guard spot. Whalen and Augustus had nothing left in the tank especially against guards as talented and big as Gray and Williams. The Lynx emptied the tank last year when they won their 4th championship in 7 years. The Sparks's struggles this year show just how difficult it is to accomplish what the Lynx accomplished with its core group. Hats off to them for a remarkable run. Changes are now gonna come. . .

It’s clear we’re headed for changes,” Lynx coach Cheryl Reeve said. “We’re a team that’s been together a long, long time, now eight years. That means we had them at 25, 26, 27. Now, they’re getting to a place where they just can’t keep going.

“We’re going to do our very, very best to look at everything open to us. We have a lot of flexibility in our contractual situations. We’ll start right away looking at free agency and, obviously, the collegiate draft. We have a lot of work to do with our roster.”

We knew a change is coming, but when a team wins a championship, you have to give them the opportunity to defend it. They've earned that right!! That's what the Lynx did. As mentioned, the Lynx have gotten "long in the tooth". Maya was the only starter under 32. The rest of the starting 5 were geriatrics. Time to re-tool, get younger, and see if they can capture magic in a bottle again. That group of core players captured 4 championships. That's not bad. The only other WNBA franchise to win 4 championships was the Houston Comets. That Lynx core group had an excellent run over 6-7 years. Their season is over. Time to look at becoming a coach or a media analyst.