The Sky knock off the Sparks

[stwainfan]

Sparks

 

[bballnut90]

Parker with 29 points including 15 in the 4th. After the Sky made a big comeback, she scored 8 straight to give LA a big cushion.

In 4 playoff games she is averaging 22 points, 10 boards, 4.5 assists, 1.75 blocks and is shooting over 50% from the floor, 40% from 3, and 82% from the line. Outstanding numbers and performances by Candace so far.

I'm not quite sure why she gets as much negative attention on this board as she does, especially considering she had never bad mouthed Geno/Connecticut nor have there been reports of her being a poor teammate or unlikeable. If you watched the end of the game, her teammates definitely seem to love her as they were all celebrating/mobbing her during the end of game interview.

At any rate, a huge congrats to her and the Sparks. They have definitely righted the ship after a rough stretch to end the season. It should be a great series against the Lynx.

 

[Plebe]

Parker with a solid game tonight. Gray with 9pts and 7 assists off the bench.

The Parker hate/dislike/disdain on this board is comical to me. but oh well... im sure it will continue until she retires... and beyond.

No one on the Boneyard was predicting before the roster announcement that Parker's roster spot might not be secure. Not to excuse it, but a lot of this is a backlash and protective impulse in response to all the hate/dislike/disdain directed toward Geno and USA Basketball over the omission of Parker from the Olympic roster. Even the greatest of players have their weak points, and it's been all too easy for the backlashers/protectors to seize on Candace's as a way of countering the haters who only assumed the worst about Geno.

 

[triaddukefan]

No one on the Boneyard was predicting before the roster announcement that Parker's roster spot might not be secure. Not to excuse it, but a lot of this is a backlash and protective impulse in response to all the hate/dislike/disdain directed toward Geno and USA Basketball over the omission of Parker from the Olympic roster. Even the greatest of players have their weak points, and it's been all too easy for the backlashers/protectors to seize on Candace's as a way of countering the haters who only assumed the worst about Geno.

Perhaps.... but there was disdain/dislike well before the Olympic roster announcement.....

 

[Plebe]

Parker with 29 points including 15 in the 4th. After the Sky made a big comeback, she scored 8 straight to give LA a big cushion.

In 4 playoff games she is averaging 22 points, 10 boards, 4.5 assists, 1.75 blocks and is shooting over 50% from the floor, 40% from 3, and 82% from the line. Outstanding numbers and performances by Candace so far.

I'm not quite sure why she gets as much negative attention on this board as she does, especially considering she had never bad mouthed Geno/Connecticut nor have there been reports of her being a poor teammate or unlikeable. If you watched the end of the game, her teammates definitely seem to love her as they were all celebrating/mobbing her during the end of game interview.

At any rate, a huge congrats to her and the Sparks. They have definitely righted the ship after a rough stretch to end the season. It should be a great series against the Lynx.

Parker's stat line thus far in the playoffs has been, by any measure, stellar.

Still, one would be remiss to overlook the fact that all four of the Sparks' playoff games thus far have come against an EDD-less Chicago. While I give the Sky credit for figuring out a way to beat Atlanta to advance to the semifinals, could one imagine a friendlier draw for the Sparks?

 

[bballnut90]

Parker's stat line thus far in the playoffs has been, by any measure, stellar.

Still, one would be remiss to overlook the fact that all four of the Sparks' playoff games thus far have come against an EDD-less Chicago. While I give the Sky credit for figuring out a way to beat Atlanta to advance to the semifinals, could one imagine a friendlier draw for the Sparks?

Not the toughest draw by any means, but for comparison all 3 of Minnesota's playoff games came against a dreadful 8 seeded Phoenix team who nearly missed the playoffs. Personnel wise, Phoenix looked scary on paper as they played well the first 2 rounds, but they no-showed 3 straight times against Minnesota and were soundly beat every game. I honestly think any other playoff team would've put up a much stronger fight than Phoenix did.

Both teams faced teams they were far superior to and both teams delivered in the semis.

 

[Icebear]

A distraction??? Perhaps if all things were done based on basketball instead of agendas, there'd be no distraction to worry about.

Now that is funny.

 

[Plebe]

Not the toughest draw by any means, but for comparison all 3 of Minnesota's playoff games came against a dreadful 8 seeded Phoenix team who nearly missed the playoffs. Personnel wise, Phoenix looked scary on paper as they played well the first 2 rounds, but they no-showed 3 straight times against Minnesota and were soundly beat every game. I honestly think any other playoff team would've put up a much stronger fight than Phoenix did.

Both teams faced teams they were far superior to and both teams delivered in the semis.

I'm sorry, but late-season Phoenix was way better than EDD-less Chicago. Los Angeles was thanking its lucky stars it didn't have to play Phoenix in the semis. LA swept Chicago in the regular season, but was only 2-1 vs. Phoenix with both wins by single digits. Phoenix also went on the road to beat the #5 and #3 seeds.

 

[DaddyChoc]

Lol.. sort of I'm going to surmise you are holding a grudge against EDD... So follow up question does this mean you have a lot of love for Parker or is she the lesser of 2 evils?

lesser of the 2 and I don't have anything against Parker, love the swag, snarl and collar poppin'... reminds me of DT3 and I hope Maya and the Lynx kick their a**es
I don't hold a grudge... EDD is wonderful to watch but I don't want her winning a championship

 

[bballnut90]

I'm sorry, but late-season Phoenix was way better than EDD-less Chicago. Los Angeles was thanking its lucky stars it didn't have to play Phoenix in the semis. LA swept Chicago in the regular season, but was only 2-1 vs. Phoenix with both wins by single digits. Phoenix also went on the road to beat the #5 and #3 seeds.

Phoenix would have been a tougher match up for LA, but I think Chicago could have been a tougher match up for the Lynx. Phoenix was downright awful in the semis, their defense was non-existent, the chemistry was not there--they lose to anybody if they play like that for 3 games.

On a different note, I'm interested to see how Griner performs next year. She was inconsistent all season and just not the same force she was the previous couple of years. In the playoffs, Griner was a stud the first 2 games of the playoffs and then disappeared vs. Minnesota, averaging 9 points, 3.8 boards and 1.3 blocks. There's no way at 6-9 with her length should she not be putting up at least 15/8/4 blocks night in and night out.

 

[DaddyChoc]

Phoenix would have been a tougher match up for LA, but I think Chicago could have been a tougher match up for the Lynx. Phoenix was downright awful in the semis, their defense was non-existent, the chemistry was not there--they lose to anybody if they play like that for 3 games.

On a different note, I'm interested to see how Griner performs next year. She was inconsistent all season and just not the same force she was the previous couple of years. In the playoffs, Griner was a stud the first 2 games of the playoffs and then disappeared vs. Minnesota, averaging 9 points, 3.8 boards and 1.3 blocks. There's no way at 6-9 with her length should she not be putting up at least 15/8/4 blocks night in and night out.

maybe DT3 isnt making her better

 

[Orangutan]

Phoenix would have been a tougher match up for LA, but I think Chicago could have been a tougher match up for the Lynx. Phoenix was downright awful in the semis, their defense was non-existent, the chemistry was not there--they lose to anybody if they play like that for 3 games.

I think your on to something there. LA is just a bad matchup for Chicago for whatever reason, even with Elena. Chicago lost the regular season games by 13, 13, and 10. Meanwhile, Chicago beat Minnesota without EDD.

 

[Justavisitor]

I'm sorry, but late-season Phoenix was way better than EDD-less Chicago. Los Angeles was thanking its lucky stars it didn't have to play Phoenix in the semis. LA swept Chicago in the regular season, but was only 2-1 vs. Phoenix with both wins by single digits. Phoenix also went on the road to beat the #5 and #3 seeds.

They were both bad teams.

 

[Geew1992]

Not the toughest draw by any means, but for comparison all 3 of Minnesota's playoff games came against a dreadful 8 seeded Phoenix team who nearly missed the playoffs. Personnel wise, Phoenix looked scary on paper as they played well the first 2 rounds, but they no-showed 3 straight times against Minnesota and were soundly beat every game. I honestly think any other playoff team would've put up a much stronger fight than Phoenix did.

Both teams faced teams they were far superior to and both teams delivered in the semis.

True, but Phoeniz was also the team that was picked to win it all.

 

[VAUConnFan]

True, but Phoeniz was also the team that was picked to win it all.

Yep!
2016 WNBA.com GM Survey: Season Predictions - WNBA.com - Official Site of the WNBA

 

[stwainfan]

These we're the two best teams this year. I think the new playoff format worked.

 

[Justavisitor]

maybe DT3 isnt making her better

This! I've seen a ton of images that display frustration and no chemistry. DT has also been highly critical. This type of motivation doesn't word for all, especially if you're ragging on a player for their offense, but on the defensive end, that same player continues to need to have your back when you're beat on defense. There was plenty enough criticism to go around.

 

[wallman]

Phoenix needs some players with better IQs, sorry Bonner has to be the worst at making decisions and often doesn't understand what is being run or clock management. Love Xargays D but it seemed to take her too long to understand what was going on offensively. The passes to BG have to be quick to keep the D off balance as soon as BG posts she will be either doubled or shoved in the back and unfortunately she then gets called for fouls much quicker because of her size, which seems to make her become more passive. There was also clearly a problem with Dupree and Bonner which could be due to the fact that Bonner doesn't have a clue what she is doing.

 

[VAUConnFan]

Add Penny Taylor and Diana Taurasi to a Phoenix team that gave the eventual champion, Minnesota Lynx, all that they could handle last year has absolutely no business squeaking into the postseason as an 8th seed and, then, getting swept in a five game series in which none of the games were in doubt the last five minutes. Experts are often wrong. Barring injuries, suspensions, bad luck, etc, it is difficult to explain being almost 180 degrees wrong.

 

[VAUConnFan]

Phoenix needs some players with better IQs, sorry Bonner has to be the worst at making decisions and often doesn't understand what is being run or clock management. Love Xargays D but it seemed to take her too long to understand what was going on offensively. The passes to BG have to be quick to keep the D off balance as soon as BG posts she will be either doubled or shoved in the back and unfortunately she then gets called for fouls much quicker because of her size, which seems to make her become more passive. There was also clearly a problem with Dupree and Bonner which could be due to the fact that Bonner doesn't have a clue what she is doing.

May I assume you mean that Phoenix needs more players like Taylor and Taurasi?

Let's not forget that Phoenix is only two seasons removed from being WNBA champions with a strong case that could have been made for Dupree being the Finals MOP. Phoenix, last season, may very well have been the second best team in the WNBA. Their fall from grace this season is beyond explanation; Made even more difficult by the fact that I only saw a handful of their games this season. What I noticed when they played Minnesota during the regular season is that Minnesota made a concerted effort to engage Brittney Griner in pick and roll defense out on the perimeter making it difficult for her to patrol the paint where she is most effective. Offensively, Ms Griner's stats were pretty much as they were the previous two seasons. Defensively, her stats were nowhere close to her two Defensive Player of the Year numbers. There are bound to be those who would surmise/argue that it is due to lack of motivation. I am inclined to believe that a number of teams followed the Minnesota example.

 

[baggerbob]

Phoenix needs some players with better IQs, sorry Bonner has to be the worst at making decisions and often doesn't understand what is being run or clock management. Love Xargays D but it seemed to take her too long to understand what was going on offensively. The passes to BG have to be quick to keep the D off balance as soon as BG posts she will be either doubled or shoved in the back and unfortunately she then gets called for fouls much quicker because of her size, which seems to make her become more passive. There was also clearly a problem with Dupree and Bonner which could be due to the fact that Bonner doesn't have a clue what she is doing.

Just think how great it would be for Brittney to be in Seattle with Sue, Stewie, and Jewell, players who could, and would get the ball to Brittney where she could do damage on offense. Also people who run back on defense, and try to keep people in front of them, plus Stewie who has a knack for help defense, and rebounding.

 

[wallman]

That would be great for Stewart. It will be interesting to see how things pan out next season as far as trades go, a lot of teams could use movement and there will be spots to fill due to retirements.

 

[MilfordHusky]

Parker with a solid game tonight. Gray with 9pts and 7 assists off the bench.

The Parker hate/dislike/disdain on this board is comical to me. but oh well... im sure it will continue until she retires... and beyond.

It's not a talent thing. It's about effort and attitude.

 

[j66kicker]

Parker with a solid game tonight. Gray with 9pts and 7 assists off the bench.

The Parker hate/dislike/disdain on this board is comical to me. but oh well... im sure it will continue until she retires... and beyond.

It's not a talent thing. It's about effort and attitude.

Yup. It's not merely a Tennessee thang. We love Catch and we love Kara Lawson. It's Candace and, yes, it will continue until the end of time.

 

[MilfordHusky]

Yup. It's not merely a Tennessee thang. We love Catch and we love Kara Lawson. It's Candace and, yes, it will continue until the end of time.

Yep, Catch was maybe the hardest worker ever. Kara is also a hard worker and excellent analyst. Candace is a skilled prima donna.