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Message: [QUOTE="bballnut90, post: 3675794, member: 2117"] Agree with most of this. I do think Washington has a good shot to win against Phoenix with it being one and done and Phoenix being a little shaky as of late. Washington is well coached and has some really good players. They're going to have an insane overflow of talent next if they have a roster including EDD, Charles, Cloud, Powers, Hines-Allen, Messeeman, Mitchell and Atkins all back. Taurasi hasn't shot well as of late but usually does great in "win or go home" type of games. Diggins is playing great and their lineup without BG has been strong. Connecticut I think beats Chicago. Chi has been playing poorly without Stevens/Deshields and just doesn't have a lot of fire power despite having the best PG in the league. Connecticut I can't see advancing past the 2nd round but I'd put money on them in the opener tomorrow. NY was terrible which was expected considering roster make up. Losing Sabrina was a huge blow and the rest of the roster is just not very good and it showed. Hopkins also did a pretty lousy job coaching IMO. They turned into a 3pt specialist team with over 40% of their FGA from deep and they shot a dreadful 27.7% from there. Why is Kiah Stokes taking over 60% of her shots from 3 when she's only hitting 23.5% of them? I understanding wanting to have your posts utilize a face up game, but this just seemed lazy from Hopkins. They had moments of good passing and ball movement but overall were the clear cut worst team in the league. Atlanta did surprise me as they came on strong to finish the season. Laney was an absolute stud for them and I think she's earned her place as a primary offensive option for next year. C. Williams was also stellar. Next year they'll be stronger with Kalani Brown likely healthy and potentially Hayes/Montgomery back. They'll also get a high draft pick. Indiana was a let down...I thought they'd make the playoffs this year. That said, on paper they look solid next year if Vivians returns to rookie form, Cox makes the jump and is healthy, and they get Wheeler back. Big T was a let down this year, not sure if it was coaching related but once I think she'll be a beast next season. Kelsey Mitchell was excellent. Dallas is a weird team. They're young and had some good moments but also they're just way too dependent on Arike. Part of that is on Arike for her trigger happy mentality, most of it is on Agler for not promoting better ball movement. Improvements are needed from Alarie, KLS and Harris going into next year. Sabally/Mabrey/Gray were bright spots, especially Mabrey who came out of nowhere to do a pretty solid job at PG. Sabally is going to be a star. Ndour was a total bust for the amount they spent on her. They need to pick up a better post player. They don't need a stud, but getting someone with experience who can battle inside would be huge for them. Someone like a Cheyenne Parker, Natalie Achonwa, or a Kia Vaughn would be a great pickup. Getting a healthy Moriah Jefferson would be huge, but it seems like her best basketball days may be in Storrs instead of the W. As far as playoffs, I think it's Seattle's to lose but they'll likely get tested vs LA in the semis and Vegas in the finals. They just have so many weapons. Potential weak spots are Canada's decision making if Bird keeps up her every other game management and Loyd can be streaky. Vegas is very good too, but I think their lack of perimeter shooting is going to hurt them, especially if McBride or Angel aren't hitting from deep. A'ja is going to draw a lot of fouls and get to the line but Seattle is so deep inside with Ezi, Russell, Stewart and Howard to wear her down. I think it's a tough matchup for Vegas, even though they've won both games. Bird was out for both, Stewart out for the 2nd one. I think Vegas handily beats Minnesota/Phoenix. LA I believe will be a tougher hurdle for Seattle. They have great team, just not quite as loaded and deep talent wise as Seattle. Neither teams were at full strength during their first 2 meetings. I think Seattle is a little better overall but LA could take the series or put up a strong fight if they bring their A game. My playoff predictions are: 1st Rd: Phoenix over Washington Connecticut over Chicago 2nd Rd: LA over Connecticut Phoenix over Minnesota Semis: Seattle over LA 3-1 Vegas over Phoenix 3-1 Finals: Seattle over Vegas 3-1 [/QUOTE]

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