Phoenix vs Chicago

[EricLA]

I was just very disappointed that Bonner and Dupree jacked up a shot at every open look. And some of their drives to the basket were sheer silliness.

I did see a nice connection between BG and Houston. I'd like to see them together on the floor more.

I agree. Very poor shot selection by Bonner and especially Dupree. Way too early to tell, but honestly, I was way impressed with EDD, and only slightly less so with Brit. Both should be really good. Chicago is going to be a team to be reckoned with this season... I'd put them right up there with Indiana as the best in the East, with Connecticut a close 3rd...

 

[Coler]

I want a Chicago/Phoenix WNBA finals.

 

[easttexastrash]

Coler, to your comment that EDD didn't need to score in the 2nd half she took 11 2nd half shots, 1 more than in the first half. Of the 11 shots she made 2 (18%) while BG was on the floor. Two of those misses were blocks by BG. So if you think that BG's presence didn't have an impact I have to disagree. BG also blocked two of Big Syl's shots. Meanwhile BG made 6 of 10 shots.

EDD came out and played great in the first half. Second half, not so much.

 

[HuskyFan1125]

Well, after Phx's performance today, maybe they will miss the playoffs again and get to choose Simms, Gray, Hartley, or Ogwimike (I think Chiney goes 1st in the next draft). Dupree was just awful today. 6-17 is terrible for a 4. She isn't the reason they lost, of course, but her shot selection was not good. Going to be an interesting year...

Don't forget about Alyssia Thomas!!

She could go #1 depending on need!

 

[Scotter]

Coler, to your comment that EDD didn't need to score in the 2nd half she took 11 2nd half shots, 1 more than in the first half. Of the 11 shots she made 2 (18%) while BG was on the floor. Two of those misses were blocks by BG. So if you think that BG's presence didn't have an impact I have to disagree. BG also blocked two of Big Syl's shots. Meanwhile BG made 6 of 10 shots.

EDD came out and played great in the first half. Second half, not so much.

And if the Sky weren't up by so much the refs would have actually called some of the fouls Griner committed in the second half including a couple of blatant fouls on EDD. Then EDD wouldn't have been 2 for 11. And if the Sky weren't up by so much Fowles doesn't sit on the bench for most of the second half. People can play the what if game, but the best defense of a player usually isn't how well she played after her team had clearly lost. Griner is going to accumulate stats by virtue of being 6'8" and that long and athletic if nothing else, the bigger question is she going to better or worse than those stats. And that's going to be decided by things like her pick and roll defense which isn't in the box score.

 

[easttexastrash]

And if the Sky weren't up by so much the refs would have actually called some of the fouls Griner committed in the second half including a couple of blatant fouls on EDD. Then EDD wouldn't have been 2 for 11. And if the Sky weren't up by so much Fowles doesn't sit on the bench for most of the second half. People can play the what if game, but the best defense of a player usually isn't how well she played after her team had clearly lost. Griner is going to accumulate stats by virtue of being 6'8" and that long and athletic if nothing else, the bigger question is she going to better or worse than those stats. And that's going to be decided by things like her pick and roll defense which isn't in the box score.

Fowles was on the bench with fouls, not due to the score.

 

[Scotter]

Fowles was on the bench with fouls, not due to the score.

Yes, but if the Sky weren't up 20 she would have played with those fouls instead of sitting almost the entire 3rd and a chunk of the 4th. Anyone that watched that game saw Griner's life get more difficult once Fowles returned in the 4th.

 

[HuskyFan1125]

Yes, but if the Sky weren't up 20 she would have played with those fouls instead of sitting almost the entire 3rd and a chunk of the 4th. Anyone that watched that game saw Griner's life get more difficult once Fowles returned in the 4th.

Yep! I agree! Fowles was very physical with Griner and could do it 1:1. I actually thought Swords played well against Griner as well.

The Sky looked really good.

 

[VAUConnFan]

EPiph is like Vinnie the Microwave....with more consistency

You remember Vinnie the Microwave; Built like a truck and could shoot lights out.

 

[easttexastrash]

Yes, but if the Sky weren't up 20 she would have played with those fouls instead of sitting almost the entire 3rd and a chunk of the 4th. Anyone that watched that game saw Griner's life get more difficult once Fowles returned in the 4th.

Point blank, BG went head to head with what many consider the best center in the world and not only held her own, but outplayed her. Griner made Fowles' life equally difficult, so give the girl her due respect.

 

[RadyLady]

Britney sat out with three fouls in the first half correct?
Phoenix was down over 20 at the half
Britney played the third and fourth quarters with big Syl sitting out most of that time.
The deficit closed to 12 primarily on big three pointers by Bonner and to Taurasi.. That score didn't hold and Phoenix ended up losing by over 20.

Britney place a pretty good game..
Elena Delle Donne played a really good game. The veterans did their jobs and there are some things that need to be tweeked.

This was the first game of the season. It shows promise and is also showed deficiencies.
That's really all that needs to be said about that game without trying to be overly critical about any player.

Sent from my SGH-T769 using Tapatalk 2

 

[rocky rococo]

It's simply easier to make the transition from college to the pros at forward rather than center (to say nothing of the toughest, point guard). That's why I expect EDD to be ROY. I still believe that over the career long-term, Griner will have more impact. (I'll take Wilt over Jerry Lucas any day.)

Chicago may very well win the title this year. Fowles has both fully matured and is fully healthy. Vandersloot is finally starting to "get it" as a pro PG. EDD and Prince free each other up, and your #5 option is Swin Cash? I'll take that. Swin also has the experience of being on a team that went from worst to first, and the Sky don't have to go quite that far. She brings that huge vet/experience of winning advantage that every young rising and challenging team needs.

 

[boontonbomber]

Point blank, BG went head to head with what many consider the best center in the world and not only held her own, but outplayed her. Griner made Fowles' life equally difficult, so give the girl her due respect.

i expect that there are many more people who think of someone else when best center in the world is mentioned. and it's not even close. we'll see how Griner handles herself against connecticut.

 

[ChicagoGG]

Call me an old fogie, or whatever, but.....when your team is losing by as much as Phoenix was, why the need for the overly theatrical, basket-hanging dunk by BG?
Dunk, fine. But, sheesh, it didn't help the score very much. It just said "lookatme!!!". Act like you are a professional....(yes, the crowd loved it, but it was all they had to love in that game.)

 

[RadyLady]

Call me an old fogie, or whatever, but.....when your team is losing by as much as Phoenix was, why the need for the overly theatrical, basket-hanging dunk by BG?
Dunk, fine. But, sheesh, it didn't help the score very much. It just said "lookatme!!!". Act like you are a professional....(yes, the crowd loved it, but it was all they had to love in that game.)

I would tend to agree, but let's be honest - stuff like that is thrilling to watch and will get butts in the seats. The WNBA has a highlight reel every time she dunks. Did you hears the commentary - "This is the first time someone has dunked TWICE in one game". they will milk it for every dollar and I can't blame them.

I don't really care for it

But I can't blame them.

NOw, I would prefer seeing a dunk in a hard fought game with that basket putting Phoenix on top! 'Course, that's the drama queen in me

 

[Coler]

Call me an old fogie, or whatever, but.....when your team is losing by as much as Phoenix was, why the need for the overly theatrical, basket-hanging dunk by BG?
Dunk, fine. But, sheesh, it didn't help the score very much. It just said "lookatme!!!". Act like you are a professional....(yes, the crowd loved it, but it was all they had to love in that game.)

I said pretty much the same thing while watching.

 

[CamrnCrz1974]

Call me an old fogie, or whatever, but.....when your team is losing by as much as Phoenix was, why the need for the overly theatrical, basket-hanging dunk by BG?
Dunk, fine. But, sheesh, it didn't help the score very much. It just said "lookatme!!!". Act like you are a professional....(yes, the crowd loved it, but it was all they had to love in that game.)

Because this is PROFESSIONAL sports, which is about entertainment, highlights, media exposure, and corporate revenue. Those dunks have been played on SportsCenter over and over...and they are being discussed on men's basketball message boards, Twitter, etc. How often does that happen?

There is no Title IX mandate for professional sports. The league needs as much exposure as it can get to draw in paying fans and advertisers. That dunk will go much further toward achieving those goals than just about the entire 2012 WNBA regular season did collectively.

 

[msf22b]

I think dunks are boring and debase the game; men and woman.

And dunking in garbage time, when the outcome is long decided (not in your favor) and showing off by hanging on is
beyond ignorant.

And if someone 6' 8" couldn't dunk, then that would be news.

But if MoJeff dunks, that would be just fine…and that kid can really leap!

 

[easttexastrash]

Because this is PROFESSIONAL sports, which is about entertainment, highlights, media exposure, and corporate revenue. Those dunks have been played on SportsCenter over and over...and they are being discussed on men's basketball message boards, Twitter, etc. How often does that happen?

There is no Title IX mandate for professional sports. The league needs as much exposure as it can get to draw in paying fans and advertisers. That dunk will go much further toward achieving those goals than just about the entire 2012 WNBA regular season did collectively.

I agree. I don't understand the negative comments about the dunks. EDD played very well but the average fans has little appreciation for the beauty and elegance of EDD's game, which is a shame.

Would a rookie in the NBA be criticized for dunking just because his team was behind by 20 points? Absolutely not. Those dunk meant more than just dunks, they established the kind of aggression that Griner needs to bring every night. If she starts out in the next game like she finished against Chicago, watch out.

Phoenix apparently did figure out how to guard EDD in the second half, holding her to 2 of 11 shooting, and a big part of that was Griner's presence. It was not a coincidence that Chicago scored 39 points in the one quart that BG was not on the court and that EDD and Fowles were limited to a combined 3 field goals in the second half, each getting two shots blocked by BG.

Yes, Fowles had to sit twice after fouling Griner to pick up her 4th and 5th fouls. But Fowles did play the majority of the 4th quarter and was held in check by Griner with the exception of one nice shot.

BG''s presence is still a bigger factor than mere numbers would suggest unless you analyze the game flow.

 

[easttexastrash]

Yes, but if the Sky weren't up 20 she would have played with those fouls instead of sitting almost the entire 3rd and a chunk of the 4th. Anyone that watched that game saw Griner's life get more difficult once Fowles returned in the 4th.

Fowles would have fouled out had she been left on the floor with 4 fouls and almost two full quarters to play. She was pulled from the game exactly like every player is when picking up their 4th foul barely into the second half.

 

[easttexastrash]

I think dunks are boring and debase the game; men and woman.

And dunking in garbage time, when the outcome is long decided (not in your favor) and showing off by hanging on is
beyond ignorant.

And if someone 6' 8" couldn't dunk, then that would be news.

But if MoJeff dunks, that would be just fine…and that kid can really leap!

This is one of the ways that BG fires herself up and established her aggression. Thise two dunks did more for her than anything else she did in that game and it will carry over to the next game. And hopefully it will encourage her teammates to get her the ball more.

Maybe you had to have played sports to grasp to understand.

 

[easttexastrash]

I think dunks are boring and debase the game; men and woman.

And dunking in garbage time, when the outcome is long decided (not in your favor) and showing off by hanging on is
beyond ignorant.

And if someone 6' 8" couldn't dunk, then that would be news.

But if MoJeff dunks, that would be just fine…and that kid can really leap!

You may want to avoid watching Phoenix play because there's gonna be a lot of ignorant dunks, very possibly multiple dunks a game. I really enjoyed the looks on the faces of Cash and Fowles when BG threw down the one hander with them standing helplessly in the lane.

 

[rocky rococo]

There can be a good reason to hang on the rim after a dunk. It depends on whether anyone else has come under the basket. If they have, then for both their safety and the dunker's, it's not showing off but precluding injury to hang on the rim. I suspect female players will naturally be less familiar with the protocol of clearing out under the hoop after a dunk.

 

[easttexastrash]

There can be a good reason to hang on the rim after a dunk. It depends on whether anyone else has come under the basket. If they have, then for both their safety and the dunker's, it's not showing off but precluding injury to hang on the rim. I suspect female players will naturally be less familiar with the protocol of clearing out under the hoop after a dunk.

BG was asked about the two handed dunk after the game and she said the it was mostly out of frustration. I would rather see her hang on the rim than punch someone.

 

[KnightBridgeAZ]

Fowles would have fouled out had she been left on the floor with 4 fouls and almost two full quarters to play. She was pulled from the game exactly like every player is when picking up their 4th foul barely into the second half.

I was at the game, in the arena, rather high up in the lower bowl, behind the Chicago bench.

The above is correct, re: Fowles. Prince and EDD were twin daggers to Pheonix at a time when DT - for whatever reason - wasn't scoring and Griner was sitting with foul trouble. Those 2 facts, as well as the odd scoring attempts by "Sammy" P pretty much did the Mercury in. By the time DT began scoring and Griner became effective, I think Chicago just had too much of a lead. Then the bogus foul call (at least it looked bogus at the arena - with Ref Michael Price announcing the call over the PA - took the wind out of the comeback sales, as Piph hit a couple of key baskets for Chicago as well.

The dunks - well the over-acted one anyway - were crowd pleasers and exactly what Cameron says. And I don't think even Geno himself would have a problem with a dunk in pro ball with your team way behind, however, I expect the W will send an advisory about rim-hanging (there was no one underneath).