Two Courant Articles on The Goat & The Game

[RockyMTblue2]

Taurasi Takes Over As Phoenix Eliminates Sun 96-86

Mike Anthony: Taurasi, Griner Answer Mercury Call, Send Sun Into Offseason

"The Sun are built to keep winning. The team will be back in this position. This season was a step forward even if there’s no real evidence in record or playoff success to show that. It’s just not their time yet. It’s still Taurasi’s time. It’s Griner’s time. Players like that rule games like the one that took place Thursday."

I want to see that Instagram, don't you?

Who is silly enough to trash talk DT?

"Thursday’s game was intense, chippy, exactly the type of game the unflappable Taurasi thrives in. She made 5 of 10 3-pointers, came up with a key rebound down the stretch, had five assists. She was unfazed against a variety of defenses and defenders and approaches and, by the end, was walking off the court clapping, shouting, even taunting Sun players who had tried the same with her early in the game. There is no one better."

 

[RockyMTblue2]

Interesting stat: Taurasi, Griner and Bonner combined for 77 points, the most of any WNBA trio in post season play.

"Connecticut is the state where Taurasi forged her legacy, and in some ways, it is the place where that legacy has been recast. With the spotlight shining brighter on the WNBA than it has in years, the White Mamba delivered, elevating her playoff ethos to near mythical proportions."

Diana Taurasi claps last, leads Mercury past Connecticut

 

[Orangutan]

I want to see that Instagram, don't you?

Who is silly enough to trash talk DT?

Here you go. Not Courtney Williams' best decision:

 

[Geew1992]

Here you go. Not Courtney Williams' best decision:

This was the game I was at. Williams was off the chart that game...........But just like with MJ, you never piss off the goat!

 

[eebmg]

The most amazing thing about DT to me from a scorers perspective (all her other tangibles / intangibles goes without saying)

1) She never takes open 3's. Every one of her shots is contested and she likes that. She slows down and shimmeys and tries to draw the fouls.
2) She will every once in a while miss badly and she gets right back into her stroke.
3) The 3 pt shot after the Williams skirmish (Sun up 48-44 at the time) was fantastic.

She took the ball out, dribbled without looking over the field so everyone knew shew was going for a 3 and Bam.

 

[JSB60]

Game Summary: The Mercury had Diana Taurasi, and the Sun didn't.

 

[Justavisitor]

Griner makes the game easy for all around her. This is the Griner impact.

 

[diggerfoot]

Griner makes the game easy for all around her. This is the Griner impact.

Lol. I've seen other threads where you fault dogmatic opinions on our fan board; then offer your own dogmatic opinion. The fact that you swap dogmatic opinions for dogmatic opinions would not be noteworthy, that's normal discourse in our society at this point, except that you fault ours while being on a UConn fan board. When a fan offers a dogmatic, unsubstantiated opinion on their own board it's normal fan behavior and can be considered part of the social interaction. When it's offered on an opponent's board it's antisocial, whether you intend that or not depends on your EQ.

However, this is a case where actual empirical evidence comes to play that can either support or refute a dogmatic opinion. The "Griner impact" garnered precisely one NCAA championship, with another first team AA on the squad. The "Taurasi impact" garnered three championships, two of them dominated by underclassmen with no other first team AAs on the squad. Griner has only won WNBA championships with Taurasi as a teammate; Taurasi has won one without Griner. The only thing you've got to go on is that Griner is a really, really good player who is really, really tall. That must be all it takes to make teammates better in your view, because that's the only supporting evidence you have.

 

[Justavisitor]

It's no coincidence that Phoenix, even with Taurasi, was no longer winning until Griner stepped on the scene. Having a player like Griner on the team would make anyone better, especially on the defensive end, but also on the offensive end, because she draws so much attention. Do not believe for one second that having this type of defender on the team does not equate to allowing for softer play on the defensive end by all perimeter defenders. They do not have to fear the drive by from getting beat off the dribble. This allows for shooters to reserve energy for the offensive end of the court. Shooters need their legs. Running off screens and staying low in a defensive stance trying to prevent the blow by does not do well for the shooter.

There's an NBA player that has talked about this countless times and has a couple of titles himself. He was known for defense, but his offense took a hit. However, he had previously been a very good offensive player. He stated that defending uses up so much energy that it impacts his offensive game alot.

Some mention Maya and her off season. Her season is off because she is trying to accommodate the aging players on the Minny roster and is working her butt off on defense and rebounding. This type of play is killing her offensive flow. Shooters need their legs.

Do you really think DT would have tanked a season, if Griner's impact was not going to be great.

 

[RockyMTblue2]

Here you go. Not Courtney Williams' best decision:

Only maybe a mongoose is fast enough to play with the White Mamba! Lesson learned? I suspect not.

 

[diggerfoot]

It's no coincidence that Phoenix, even with Taurasi, was no longer winning until Griner stepped on the scene. Having a player like Griner on the team would make anyone better, especially on the defensive end, but also on the offensive end, because she draws so much attention. Do not believe for one second that having this type of defender on the team does not equate to allowing for softer play on the defensive end by all perimeter defenders. They do not have to fear the drive by from getting beat off the dribble. This allows for shooters to reserve energy for the offensive end of the court. Shooters need their legs. Running off screens and staying low in a defensive stance trying to prevent the blow by does not do well for the shooter.

There's an NBA player that has talked about this countless times and has a couple of titles himself. He was known for defense, but his offense took a hit. However, he had previously been a very good offensive player. He stated that defending uses up so much energy that it impacts his offensive game alot.

Some mention Maya and her off season. Her season is off because she is trying to accommodate the aging players on the Minny roster and is working her butt off on defense and rebounding. This type of play is killing her offensive flow. Shooters need their legs.

Do you really think DT would have tanked a season, if Griner's impact was not going to be great.

In a thread on a UConn board devoted to DTs impact you interject with "This is the Griner impact." You follow that with "Having a player like Griner on the team would make anyone better, ...." That is a true statement, as it would be for quite a few players. If you meant to interject that Griner was one of a few players that make others better, Taurasi and Bonner included, then you've made an undeniable yet not particularly enlightening statement. Yet your phrasing (along with past history of your posts) would seem to suggest that Griner's impact is the key ingredient, more than Taurasi, Bonner or anyone else. Considering that to be the case you still present no evidence that would pass the empirical standards of validity, reliability or context.

You describe why Griner would make anyone better, yet there are reasons why a few players might make others better, certainly there are many reasons why Taurasi makes other players better. Oh, you also offer the ol' chestnut of "because (some expert) says so." For your case to be not merely scholastic pontificating you would have to establish why the suite of reasons Griner makes teammates better is superior to alternative reasons for making teammates better, then provide a measurable standard for comparison. You do neither, just toss out an opinion with post hoc explanations of validity with no reliable standards for comparison. You present nothing to elevate from scholastic opinion to empirical evidence. There is, of course, one reliable standard that could be used for comparison: the caliber of teammates an impactful player needs to win a championship. Griner has not provided any evidence she can impact a team towards a championship without experienced, first team AA quality teammates. Taurasi has.

 

[CTBballfan243]

DT is simply the Greatest WBB of all time. It's not an opinion, it's a fact!!!!!!

 

[RockyMTblue2]

I tried to let it pass, but I have this My Cousin Vinnie disease: